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Colin Baker (born June 8, 1943) is a British actor who is best known for playing the sixth incarnation of the Doctor in Doctor Who. Playing the Doctor from 1984 to 1986, he had a mass of curly fair hair and a lurid patchwork coat, and was assisted by companions Peri and Mel. (See List of Doctor Who serials.) Colin Baker as the Sixth DoctorBefore being selected to replace Peter Davison as the Doctor, Baker was an established television actor, his most notable role having been that of Paul Merroney in The Brothers. Baker also appeared in Blake's 7.

Before taking over as the Doctor, he guest starred in the programme (as Commander Maxil, in the Davison serial Arc of Infinity), being the only Doctor to have done so. At one point Maxil shoots the Peter Davison Doctor in this serial, and Baker often jokes that he got the role by killing the incumbent.

He is largely thought of as the least successful Doctor, though he suffered from inconsistent writing and a long hiatus as the show was moved back from the spring to the autumn schedules, and was sacked from the role at the insistence of BBC management wanting to refresh the show.

Since leaving Doctor Who he has continued to act, mainly on the stage. He has also returned to the role of the Sixth Doctor in a series of audio plays produced by Big Finish Productions, which team him up with a new companion, Evelyn Smythe (played by Maggie Stables). The audio plays are generally well received by fans, reinforcing the idea that it was bad writing that his Doctor's era suffered from, and not a lack of ability on Baker's part.

Later television work during the 1990s included guest appearances in the BBC's medical drama Casualty, Channel 4's adaptation of A Dance to the Music of Time and as himself as the resident celebrity in 'Dictionary Corner' on the daytime quiz show Countdown, also on Channel 4.

Since the death of his son in 1983 he has been active in raising the profile of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome research, and is the current chairman of the Foundation for the Study of Infant Deaths.