Robert John Baker (26 July 1939 – 3 November 2021) was a British television and film writer. He was best known for working on the original run of Doctor Who, and for being a co-writer of the Wallace & Gromit films The Wrong Trousers, A Close Shave, Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit and A Matter of Loaf and Death (in which the character Baker Bob is named after him).
Career Baker and Dave Martin began writing for Harlech Television (HTV), the local ITV franchise. One of their earliest works was Thick As Thieves starring Leonard Rossiter.
Baker wrote for Doctor Who between 1971 and 1979. For all but the last of his contributions to this series (Nightmare of Eden), Baker collaborated with Martin on scripts including:
The Claws of Axos (1971) The Mutants (1972) The Three Doctors (1972–1973) The Sontaran Experiment (1975) The Hand of Fear (1976) The Invisible Enemy (1977) Underworld (1978) The Armageddon Factor (1979)
Baker and Martin were nicknamed the Bristol Boys by the Doctor Who production teams.
Baker and Martin devised for Doctor Who the robotic dog K9 (created for The Invisible Enemy), the renegade Time Lord Omega (created for The Three Doctors, Doctor Who'''s 10th anniversary story) and the Axons. K-9 was originally intended to appear in one story only, but the BBC decided to make it a recurring character. Several of Baker's stories had elements of hard science not often found in Doctor Who, despite having been criticised for scientific inaccuracy. Prior to his death in 2021, Baker was the last surviving Doctor Who scriptwriter from the Third Doctor era.
Together with Martin, they also created fantasy television serials for children including Sky (1975).
Baker's other contributions to British television include Vision On animation with Laurie Booth, scripts for episodes of Shoestring and Bergerac. A new series featuring K9, K-9 created in Australia, aired in the UK and worldwide in 2009 and 2010.
Baker revealed on the DVD commentary for Nightmare of Eden that he contacted Russell T Davies about the possibility of writing for the 2005 revival of Doctor Who but was told in no uncertain terms that writers from the original series were not wanted, though K9 did appear in Doctor Who and The Sarah Jane Adventures under Russell T Davies.
In 2013, Baker wrote his autobiography entitled K9 Stole My Trousers with help from Laurie Booth. Later in 2015, he co-wrote with Paul M. Tams The Essential Book of K9'' which was crowd-funded on Indiegogo.
Personal life Baker was married to Marie and had eight children and seven grandchildren. He resided in Stroud, Gloucestershire. He died on 3 November 2021, at the age of 82.
Writing credits Television Production Notes BroadcasterDoctor Who38 episodes (1971–1979): "The Claws of Axos" (1971) "The Mutants" (1972) "The Three Doctors" (1972–1973) "The Sontaran Experiment" (1975) "The Hand of Fear" (1976) "The Invisible Enemy" (1977) "Underworld" (1978) "The Armageddon Factor" (1979) "Nightmare of Eden" (1979)BBC1Thick as ThievesTelevision film (1971)ITVPretenders"The Last Battle" (1972)"Prizemen" (1972)ITVArthur of the Britons"People of the Plough" (1973)ITVLate Night Drama"Item" (1974)ITVZ-Cars"Quiet as the Grave" (1974)"House to House" (1974)BBC1Hunter's Walk"Villain" (1974)"Kicking & Screaming" (1976)ITVPublic Eye"Lifer" (1975)ITVSky7 episodes (co-written with Dave Martin, 1975)ITVMachinegunnerTelevision film (1976)ITVKing of the Castle7 episodes (co-written with Dave Martin, 1977)ITVFollow MeTelevision miniseries (1977)ITVCottage to Let"The Last Day" (1977)ITVScorpion Tales"Killing" (1978)ITVTarget"Big Elephant" (1977)"Hunting Parties" (1977)"Carve Up" (1977)"Rogue's Gallery" (1978)BBC1Murder at the WeddingTelevision miniseries (1979)ITVShoestring"Knock for Knock" (1979)BBC1ITV Playhouse"Rat Trap" (1979)ITVInto the Labyrinth15 episodes (1981–1982)ITVJangles"Getting It Together" (1982)ITVBergerac"Unlucky Dip" (1981)"The Moonlight Girls" (1983)BBC1Function RoomTelevision miniseries (script editor, 1985)ITVCall Me Mister"The Creative Accountant" (1986)BBC1SuccubusTelevision film (1987)ITVThe Jazz DetectiveTelevision film (1992)ITVKipper"The Umbrella" (1997)ITVThe Mysti Show"Episode #1.12" (2004)BBC OneK-9"Mind Snap" (co written with Paul Tams, 2010)"Angel of the North" (2010)Channel FiveNetwork TenWallace and Gromit's World of Invention6 episodes (2010)BBC One
Short films Year Title Notes1993The Wrong TrousersCo-written with Nick Park1995A Close ShaveCo-written with Nick Park2008A Matter of Loaf and DeathCo-written with Nick Park
Feature films Year Title Notes2005Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-RabbitCo-written with Steve Box, Nick Park and Mark Burton
Books Year Title Notes2013K9 Stole My Trousers!Autobiography2015The Essential Book of K9Co-written with Paul M. Tams
Awards and nominations Year Award Work Category Result Reference2006British Academy Television AwardsThe Curse of the Were-Rabbit (shared with Claire Jennings, David Sproxton, Nick Park, Steve Box, and Mark Burton)Alexander Korda Award for Best British Film Hugo AwardThe Curse of the Were-Rabbit (shared with Nick Park, Steve Box, and Mark Burton)Best Dramatic Presentation, Long Form2009British Academy Television AwardsA Matter of Loaf and Death (shared with Nick Park and Steve Pegram)Best Short Animation Broadcasting Press Guild AwardsBest Comedy/Entertainment
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