BOBBY CRUSH 2019 INTERVIEW

To a generation this man is the time lord legend that is Doctor Who, to many more of us he is a panto legend with no less than 33 pantomimes under his belt, from Sarah the Cook , Nurse Nelly, Widow Twankey and Dame Durden to Fleshcreep, King Rat, Herman the Henchman and Abanazar, this is a versatile panto performer who has delighted audiences for decades.

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“They’re all the same in many ways, it’s still behind you!”

                                                                                  -Colin Baker

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Born 8th June 1943 in Waterloo, Colin would originally study to become a solicitor until he had his head turned by the lure of show business at the age of 23 and started to study at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art.

Far from just treading the boards in panto this actor has appeared in productions including Private Lives, Privates on Parade, Run for Your Wife, H.M.S Pinafore and the Woman in White to name just a few.

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I have seen Colin many times in pantomime and he will always be one of those to whom I hold other performances up against, a true professional and an amazing entertainer. I once had the honour of drawing Colin’s name out of the hat for a Secret Santa during a panto stint, he seemed far from impressed when he opened up the wrapping to discover a Dalek Calendar, he did see the funny side, eventually.

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In 1974 Colin joined the cast of the BBC TV series The Brothers (Which had launched in 1972) playing yuppie Paul Merroney where he starred alongside Liza Goddard and Kate O'Mara. The Brothers was a compelling TV series about the bedroom and boardroom strife endured by three conflicting brothers at the family trucking business Hammond Transport. The gritty BBC serial, created by Gerard Glaister and writer NJ Crisp, caught the attention of the viewing public to such a large degree that Colin’s loathsome city banker Paul Merroney was voted the ‘Most Hated Man In Britain’ by readers of The Sun newspaper.

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From 1983 - 1986 Colin appeared in possibly his most iconic role playing the 6th incarnation of Doctor Who in the cult BBC TV series. Within the series' narrative, the Doctor is a centuries-old Time Lord alien from the planet Gallifrey who travels in time and space in his TARDIS frequently with companions. When the Doctor is critically injured, he can regenerate his body; in doing so, his physical appearance and personality change. Baker portrays the sixth such incarnation, a flamboyant man in brightly coloured, mismatched clothes whose brash and overbearing personality set him apart from all his previous incarnations. Colin took the role over from Peter Davison and was succeeded by Sylvester McCoy.

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In 2011 Colin took part in the Channel 4 series Celebrity Come Dine With Me Christmas Special in which he competed against Danny Young, Nick Bateman, Linda Nolan and Bianca Gascoigne and emerged as the winner after wowing his guests with a Cinderella themed evening  and cooked up a storm serving smoked salmon mousse, roast shoulder of pork and chocolate berry pots. He donated his prize money to Stockenchurch Dog Rescue. 

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2012 saw Colin fly out to Australia to take part in the ITV series I'm a Celebrity Get me Out of Here! where he competed against Helen Flanagan, Eric Bristow, Linda Robson, Ashley Roberts, Charlie Brooks, Limahl, Hugo Taylor, David Haye and Nadine Dorries. Colin lasted for 17 days and puts an impressive 2 stone weight drop down to the diet of rice and peas. Colin battled it out in a head to head with Eric Bristow to see which of the gents would leave the jungle. 

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In 2016 Colin worked on three short films 'Last Man on Earth' and 'All Your Base: Last of Last' and 'Theo'.

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In 2018 Colin took part in the Channel 5 reality series 'Celebrity 5 go Caravaning' alongside Todd Carty, Sheree Hewson, Tony Blackburn and Sonia. During this series he did talk briefly about the pressures of pantomime and how he now found it too difficult for him. 

 

Pantomime History          

1970 Wizard of Oz as Lord Growlie in Guildford

1979 Dick Whittington as Dick in Cork

1980 Dick Whittington as King Rat at the Theatre Royal Lincoln
1981 Goldilocks and the Three Bears as Heinkel at the Theatre Royal Lincoln
1982 Goldiloks and the Three Bears as Heinkel at the Gordon Craig Theatre Stevenage
1984 Cinderella as Buttons at the Gaumont Theatre Southampton
1985 Aladdin at the Beck Theatre, Hayes
1986 Cinderella as Buttons at the Theatre Royal Brighton
1987 Robinson Crusoe as Bluebeard the Pirate at the Wimbledon Theatre London
1989 Peter Pan as Captain Hook at the Dome Theatre Brighton
1990 Jack and the Beanstalk as Fleshcreep at the New Theatre Hull
1992 Dick Whittington as The Captain at the Pavilion Theatre Weymouth
1993 Peter Pan as Captain Hook at the Princess Theatre Torquay
1994 Aladdin as Widow Twankey at the Theatre Royal Brighton with David Yip
1995 Peter Pan as Captain Hook at the Tunbridge Wells Assembly Hall
1996 Dick Whittington as King Rat at the Theatre Royal Lincoln with Cy Chadwick
1997 Babes in the Wood as The Sheriff of Nottingham in Norwich
1998 Jack and the Beanstalk as Dame Durden at the Wyvern Theatre Swindon with Dennis Spencer
1999 Dick Whittington as King Rat at the Wycombe Swan High Wycombe
2000 Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs as Herman the Henchman at the Wycombe Swan
2001 Aladdin as Abanazar at the Marlowe Theatre Canterbury with Dave Lee
2002 Dick Whittington as Sarah the Cook at the Wyvern Theatre Swindon with Hugo Myatt

2003 Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs as The Mirror in Canterbury

2004 Dick Whittington as Sarah the Cook at the Theatre Royal Nottingham with Kevin Kennedy
2005 Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs as Nurse Nelly at the Hall for Cornwall Truro
2007 Dick Whittington as King Rat at the Theatre Royal Norwich
2008 Jack and the Beanstalk as Fleshcreep at the Theatre Royal Bath
2009 Jack and the Beanstalk as Fleshcreep at the Festival Theatre Malvern
2011 Jack and the Beanstalk as Fleshcreep at the Palace Theatre Mansfield
2012 Sleeping Beauty as Nurse Nelly at the Bournemouth Pavilion with Su Pollard
2013 Aladdin as Abanazar at the Anvil Theatre Basingstoke

 

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Did you know...​

• TV credits include Dr. Who, The Brothers, Dangerfield, Casualty, Within these Walls, Blakes 7, The Bill, Sunburn, Hollyoaks, Doctors, The Knock, Pointless, Little Britain and Top Gear (in which he was beaten in a race by a Cyberman!)

• Colin has appeared in Dictionary Corner on the popular quiz show Countdown

• In 2012 Colin took place in the ITV series I’m a Celebrity Get Me out of Here!, He came 8th out of 12

• Colin Baker was once married to actress and TV personality Liza Goddard

• American writer  Stephen R Donaldson dedicated his book Forbidden Knowledge to Colin

• Colin is against fox hunting

• Colin is an animal lover and in 2014 he stated he had  three dogs, two cats, two goats, four horses, two guinea pigs and four chickens.