"It was lovely to do The Knock because I haven't done anything really significant since Doctor Who"
About this Quote
Baker’s intent reads as gratitude with a side of self-awareness. He’s speaking like a working actor who knows the industry’s math: visibility equals value, and value is often confused with significance. The subtext is less "I was unemployed" than "I was under-seen". In Britain especially, genre TV can be a trapdoor. It gives you immediate recognizability and long-term typecasting; fans keep you alive in the public imagination, while casting directors keep you in a box.
The line also works because it flirts with taboo: entertainers aren’t supposed to admit that most gigs don’t move the needle, or that a beloved credit can eclipse decades of solid craft. Saying it out loud turns the nostalgia economy inside out. It’s not bitterness, exactly; it’s a candid acknowledgment that cultural memory is selective, and careers are lived in the gaps between what audiences remember and what actors actually do.
Context matters, too: Baker’s Doctor remains one of the most contested eras of the show, so "significant" carries an extra sting. He’s reclaiming agency by framing The Knock as a rare moment when the work, not the lore, got to be the headline.
Quote Details
| Topic | Career |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Baker, Colin. (2026, January 15). It was lovely to do The Knock because I haven't done anything really significant since Doctor Who. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/it-was-lovely-to-do-the-knock-because-i-havent-169178/
Chicago Style
Baker, Colin. "It was lovely to do The Knock because I haven't done anything really significant since Doctor Who." FixQuotes. January 15, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/it-was-lovely-to-do-the-knock-because-i-havent-169178/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"It was lovely to do The Knock because I haven't done anything really significant since Doctor Who." FixQuotes, 15 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/it-was-lovely-to-do-the-knock-because-i-havent-169178/. Accessed 25 Feb. 2026.


