Tom is the top Doctor Who

Tom Baker has been voted the greatest ever Doctor Who in a poll to mark the cult show's 40th anniversary.

In the role Baker was famed for his boggle-eyed stare, mop of curls and his multi-coloured scarf as he outsmarted cybermen, daleks and zygons.

A new poll for Radio Times magazine showed he was part of a dream team for the show as his companion Sarah Jane Smith was named the best assistant.

Baker played the fourth incarnation of the Doctor, taking over from second-placed Jon Pertwee in 1974 and playing him until 1981.

Baker, 69, told the magazine, published tomorrow: "The readers' vote is very pleasing and reassuring. I was lucky because all my stuff was in colour, the scripts were coming along, the effects were getting more refined, the sets didn't fall over so often.

"I loved it so much. Some were more successful Doctors than others but no one ever failed at Doctor Who.

"Twenty years on, the Doctor's image has stayed with me. People remember me fondly and are kind to me in the street, sometimes even physically affectionate. It's better than being royalty.

Baker - who is also famed for his offer of jelly babies to intergalactic beings - added: "I don't find it any more irritating to be asked about Doctor Who than Geoff Hurst does to be asked about scoring a hat-trick in the World Cup final. It was my moment of glory and because of the potency of television, it's never gone away."

Sarah Jane Smith - the Doctor's sidekick from 1974-7 - was played by Elizabeth Sladen who spent much of her stint screaming in terror.

She said: "I had a ball working on Doctor Who for three years - it was only after I left that I realised just what an incredible impact it had."

Readers also picked their favourite actor to reprise the Doctor Who character for his forthcoming return, with Buffy The Vampire Slayer star Anthony Head the first choice.

Head, who played Rupert Giles in Buffy and is also known for his Gold Blend cafe ads, said: "I tried for the part when Paul McGann got the role and I'd be interested again.

"But my gut reaction is I've played one cult hero in Giles for seven years - I don't know about the wisdom of jumping into another cult hero's shoes."

Cybermen were voted the favourite villains in the series which was axed in 1989.
Four different covers have been published by Radio Times to commemorate the anniversary, featuring Baker, Sylvester McCoy, Peter Davison and Colin Baker.

Radio Times top five favourite Doctor Whos:

1. Tom Baker
2. Jon Pertwee
3. Patrick Troughton
4. Peter Davison
5. Sylvester McCoy