#TheFourth – New Tom Baker-centric Doctor Who Promo Clip

Bleeding Cool has posted about a new video from BBC Worldwide. It features camera panning over illustrations of the fourth Doctor’s companions, with audio clips from selected companions and Tom Baker. While it could be that the video is a promo for an upcoming Doctor Who DVD box set Doctor Who: the Doctors Revisited 1-4, which will be released on July 16, it could also be as simple as BBC Worldwide being a bit tongue in cheek – it was released on July 4th. Probably not directed at us Americans for our nation’s birthday, but who knows? The series’ massive popularity of late here in the United States is why Stephen Moffat remains still employed, to the eternal bafflement of many fans of the classic series and the earlier Russell T. Davies reboot episodes.

It’s interesting to note that the video clips that BBC Worldwide have been releasing to celebrate the run of the sixth Doctor have been very Valeyard-centric. A recent rumor on John Hurt’s appearance as The Doctor is that he is the dark, evil version referred to as The Valeyard. On the other hand, in an interview with the Telegraph, Doctor Who costume designer Howard Burden had this to say about Hurt’s character:

There was a gap between Paul McGann playing the Doctor and Christopher Eccleston, when we didn’t see a regeneration, and John Hurt will fit into that gap. He is a past Doctor, not a future Doctor.

If Hurt was to be playing The Valeyard, Who canon would have The Valeyard appearing between the twelfth and final regeneration of the time lord. It’s like BBC worldwide is trying to give the fandom, particularly newcomers, a continuity head’s up…before Moffat goes and invariably fucks it up some how.

Anyway, sometimes a number is just a number and a date is just a date.

Image via DoctorWhoGifs Tmblr