Patrick Troughton, The Second Doctor Who (1966–1969)

Much like other sci-fi classics BBC Televisions genre sculpting series Doctor Who stands out for its iconic mainstays:

Patrick Troughton, 1966–1969 The Second Doctor

Patrick Troughton was another British actor who brought with him an extensive back catalogue of film and stage work. His slant on the Doctors re-imagined character was to make him perhaps more amiable; less of the gruff standoffish-ness that was instilled within Hartnell’s interpretation.

His tenure would introduce many of the villains who would become mainstay to the Doctor Who franchise: The silver suited Cybermen, Yeti and Ice Warriors to name a few. It was also decided that Troughton’s Doctor would predominantly be living out his adventures on earth. This led the way for another primary reoccurring character in ‘The Brigadier’.

This commander of the United Nations Intelligence Taskforce (UNIT) – earth’s clandestine first line of defense against alien attack, gave the show a human perspective that in many ways grounded the fantastic events that infused the plot lines.

Troughton was famously publicity shy and very rarely gave interviews. He would return to the role three times after initially leaving the show in 1969; appearing in cross-dimensional episodes in which he meets future incarnations of his own character.

Patrick Troughton died on the 28th March 1987 whilst attending a science fiction convention in Columbus, Georgia – he was 67 years old.

Companions:

Anneke Wills as Polly
Michael Craze as Ben Jackson
Frazer Hines/ Hamish Wilson as Jamie McCrimmon
Deborah Watling as Victoria Waterfield
Wendy Padbury as Zoe Heriot