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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Entertainment
Sam Greenway & Nathan Pynn & Harry Rutter

Doctor Who star cries as he's banned from driving for speeding on way to film BBC show

Doctor Who legend Colin Baker fought back the tears as he was banned from the roads after being caught speeding in his Lexus.

He played the iconic Time Lord in the BBC series from 1984 and 1986 and now he’ll be counting down the clock before being allowed behind the wheel again.

The 79-year-old actor, who starred as the sixth Doctor Who, was clocked travelling at 58mph in a 30mph zone in Shropshire.

The veteran TV and stage star, who also appeared on I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! in 2012, claimed he sped up after getting lost while following a BBC camera crew on November 22 last year.

He played Doctor Who from 1984 and 1986 on the BBC (Worcester News / SWNS)

Baker, of Cadmore End, High Wycombe, fought back tears in the dock after he admitted speeding at Worcester Magistrates’ Court on Friday.

The court clerk said he had checked Baker's record and it had six penalty points after the actor initially claimed to have just three. The clerk said he had six from December 2018, and they had not yet expired.

The father-of-five told the court he would suffer “exceptional hardship” if he was slapped with a driving ban.

When JPs asked him what the impact a ban would have, the actor, who also starred in Casualty and Jonathan Creek, replied: “Quite a lot.”

He was clocked travelling at 58mph in a 30mph zone (PA)
He told the court he would suffer “exceptional hardship” (PA)

He added: "Because of what I do, I'm very conscious of how I drive.”

The actor explained he had been working in Telford, Shrops., and was set to do some filming in Ironbridge the following day when he was caught speeding last November.

He told the court: "I said 'give me the sat nav code', they said 'no follow us'.

"I followed the BBC camera car, lost them on a roundabout, tried to catch up and that's when I committed the offence. I had no intention of speeding."

Colin fought back tears in the dock (Paul Dennis/TGS Photo/REX/Shutterstock)

Baker explained the reason he was caught out was the stretch of the road had changed from the national speed limit to 30mph.

He begged JPs: "Yes it's a sob story you have probably heard a thousand times, but it's true. I'm an actor, I work in theatre - I'm doing a play in October and November. Not working for me is not an option".

He appeared on I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here in 2012 (ITV / Rex Features)

Baker added he would be forced to turn work down if banned due to the difficulty getting to venues. He also said he had turned down work in order to appear at court.

Chairman of the bench Jayne Burton told Baker the speed was nearly twice the limit and had not been "just a few miles per hour over."

Baker was banned from driving for 21 days, fined £480 and ordered to pay court costs of £95 and a victim surcharge of £34.

The actor thanked magistrates at the end of the hearing and said he would pay the full amount of £609 within 28 days.

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