If you had to pick a handful of episodes to represent the Second Doctor, which ones would you select?
Back in the day, fans could buy ‘highlight reels’ of their favourite Time Lords on VHS. Produced by John Nathan-Turner, these were titled The Hartnell Years, The Troughton Years, The Pertwee Years, and so on, and contained episodes and clips which spanned each actor’s era.
For Jon Pertwee, Tom Baker and Colin Baker, the actors themselves were involved in selecting the footage, but in the cases of William Hartnell and the Second Doctor Patrick Troughton, things were a bit different. For one thing, the actors had already passed away, and for another, creating a ‘highlight reel’ wasn’t the main reason for releasing these tapes.
Basically, The Troughton Years was an efficient way of showcasing the orphan episodes from the Second Doctor era – stories which had largely been wiped, save for one or two instalments, like ‘The Abominable Snowmen‘ episode two and ‘The Enemy of the World‘ episode three. And as good as these might have been, they might not necessarily have been the ones that best represented the Second Doctor. The third episode of ‘The Enemy of the World,’ for example, only features the Doctor in a couple of short scenes, and all of its action is contained to a kitchen, a caravan and a corridor!
Which episodes, then, would make good contenders for a Second Doctor highlight reel?
Well, if we’re talking about existing episodes, then ‘The Tomb of the Cybermen‘ episode three would be a good contender. This story is much loved by fans, and is typical of the style of the Second Doctor era – a race of monsters, a group of scientists, a base under siege… It has all of the stock components which make up many of Troughton’s adventures.
And this is no bad thing. The Cybermen are wonderfully realised in this story, and the scene in which they wake from their slumber and burst out of their ice tombs is iconic (although, granted, this moment occurs in episode two.)
But it also contains a nice character moment for the Second Doctor. There is an intimate scene between himself and his new companion Victoria, when she talks about her recently deceased father, and how much she misses him. Victoria remarks that the Doctor probably can’t remember his family, and the Second Doctor replies: “Oh yes, I can when I want to. And that’s the point, really. I have to really want to, to bring them back in front of my eyes. The rest of the time they sleep in my mind, and I forget.
“And so will you. Oh yes, you will. You’ll find there’s so much else to think about. So remember, our lives are different to anybody else’s. That’s the exciting thing. There’s nobody in the universe can do what we’re doing.”
This is a rare and unexpectedly warm moment for the Time Lord who was often considered a clown, or a ‘cosmic hobo.’ But ‘The Tomb of the Cybermen’ is a great showcase for Patrick Troughton’s acting range, and for showing us the many facets of the Second Doctor.
That being said, there are many episodes which show off his comedic side, too. ‘The Seeds of Death’ episode three, for example, includes a funny scene where the Doctor is being chased by the Ice Warriors, and this is well worth a watch – although it might not be the strongest episode of the Second Doctor era.
A better contender might be ‘The Enemy of the World‘ episode six. It’s not comedic – far from it – but again shines a light on the talent of the show’s star. Here, Patrick Troughton plays two parts: the villainous Salamander, who’s hell-bent on world domination, and the Second Doctor. Things get rather confusing in part six, as the Doctor disguises himself as Salamander, and it’s not entirely clear who’s who. And right at the very end, Salamander impersonates the Doctor and tries to steal the TARDIS.
This all culminates in a very clever scene where Patrick Troughton ends up fighting himself in the TARDIS console room, and it’s a remarkable technical feat, particularly for 1967. Of course, you might have a hard time following the plot if you solely watch this episode, so it’s well worth watching the entirety of ‘The Enemy of the World’ when you get time.
As for our final Second Doctor highlight, there are many strong contenders. The first episode of ‘The Mind Robber‘ is a powerful one, as it contains just the Second Doctor, Jamie and Zoe trapped in the TARDIS and the strange, featureless void beyond. Troughton gives a wonderfully intense performance in this episode, and it ends explosively with the iconic police box being ripped apart.
And then there is ‘The War Games‘ episode ten – a real staple in Doctor Who history, as it’s the first to feature the Time Lords, and the last to feature Patrick Troughton as the Second Doctor (in an ongoing capacity, at least.) In this episode, Troughton veers from desperate to resigned to comical to furious, before being killed in the final moments, and it really sums up everything that is great about the Second Doctor.
Another great choice would be Patrick Troughton’s very first episode, ‘The Power of the Daleks‘ part one. Admittedly, this episode is currently missing from the archives, but the soundtrack survives, and the BBC has produced an animation to go with it. This instalment shows a mysterious, brooding Doctor – one who is unpredictable and slightly unsure of himself. The episode is particularly dramatic because his companions Ben and Polly, who witnessed his regeneration at the end of ‘The Tenth Planet,‘ can’t be sure that he’s even the Doctor.
And if nothing else, it’s a great opportunity to catch sight of the Second Doctor’s rarely-seen stovepipe hat, which only featured in this adventure and ‘The Highlanders’ before being phased out. Then there are the Daleks, of course, although they aren’t given a huge slice of the action in part one.
In short, there are so many iconic Second Doctor episodes to choose from, and we’d definitely need a ‘twin pack’ VHS release to showcase them all. Which Patrick Troughton episodes would you include in your highlight reel?
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