1966 - 1969 | 24 Adventures | 127 Episodes | 3300 minutes
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Like his predecessor, Patrick Troughton played the Doctor for 3 series and his departure was just as unexpected. Had it not been for family pressures, he said, he could have carried on for many more years, and indeed he would return on no less than three occasions, the last of which was 14 years after he originally left. But times where changing...
Troughton's arrival as the second Doctor heralded the first major change for the show. It provided the producers with a chance to freshen things up and take things in new directions. Instead of replacing William Hartnell with a similar actor and personality, the producers decided to switch things around. Troughton still had the older and wiser feel and his own turn of eccentricity but he was younger and more agile. Where Hartnell's Doctor had companions Ian and Steven who were fit, young men and could deal with the physical action, Troughton was able to be in on it himself. This livened things up with a faster pace and a greater sense of fun but he also had an unsettling ability to show fear in an almost childlike way ideal for the younger audience members to relate to. If Hartnell had been their grandfather then Troughton was their uncle.
By now, the educational history-based stories had been dropped as they were not popular. Although there would be occasional visits to the past, the majority of Troughton's adventures were set in space or in the future (or indeed both) as science fiction was finding its place on British television and ideas. The Doctor no longer needed to be accompanied by a contemporary, or near contemporary character. Instead he found himself with a very popular companion from 18th century Scotland (Jamie McCrimmon) who would stay with him longer than any other. For a while, after leaving Polly and Ben in the swinging 60s, they were joined by Victoria Waterfield from 19th century London. But it was to be a girl from the future that would make the perfect team for both the characters and the actors who played them. Patrick Troughton, Fraser Hines (Jamie) and Wendy Padbury (Zoe) all said that they would have carried on if they could but with Troughton's wife insisting he spend more time with his family and Hines's agent determined to get him into film, contracts were manipulated to see the team leave together with a dramatic finale.
Troughton's arrival as the second Doctor heralded the first major change for the show. It provided the producers with a chance to freshen things up and take things in new directions. Instead of replacing William Hartnell with a similar actor and personality, the producers decided to switch things around. Troughton still had the older and wiser feel and his own turn of eccentricity but he was younger and more agile. Where Hartnell's Doctor had companions Ian and Steven who were fit, young men and could deal with the physical action, Troughton was able to be in on it himself. This livened things up with a faster pace and a greater sense of fun but he also had an unsettling ability to show fear in an almost childlike way ideal for the younger audience members to relate to. If Hartnell had been their grandfather then Troughton was their uncle.
By now, the educational history-based stories had been dropped as they were not popular. Although there would be occasional visits to the past, the majority of Troughton's adventures were set in space or in the future (or indeed both) as science fiction was finding its place on British television and ideas. The Doctor no longer needed to be accompanied by a contemporary, or near contemporary character. Instead he found himself with a very popular companion from 18th century Scotland (Jamie McCrimmon) who would stay with him longer than any other. For a while, after leaving Polly and Ben in the swinging 60s, they were joined by Victoria Waterfield from 19th century London. But it was to be a girl from the future that would make the perfect team for both the characters and the actors who played them. Patrick Troughton, Fraser Hines (Jamie) and Wendy Padbury (Zoe) all said that they would have carried on if they could but with Troughton's wife insisting he spend more time with his family and Hines's agent determined to get him into film, contracts were manipulated to see the team leave together with a dramatic finale.
