My Time with the Second Doctor

As I did with the First Doctor before him, let's take a look at our time with the fantastic Patrick Troughton's Second Doctor.

Fourth Season

This was a season of unknowns.  In only the third story of that season, the show had done something amazingly gutsy and never seen before.  It was a total unknown whether the show would go from strength to strength, or if it would crash and burn horrendously.  The one good thing it did have was Patrick Troughton.  He was a respectable actor and people would certainly turn in at the beginning if only to see what he did.

As his run started, it's clear that he and the production team were finding their feet.  He was originally meant to wear a wig like a judge in the old bailey, thank goodness that didn't happen!  Despite that, you can tell he has a few kwirks that drop in and out such as his recorder playing, his fondness of weird hats, and the use of his magic chest and 500 year old diary.

The first three Second Doctor stories are so so, but the Moonbase, The Macra Terror and the Faceless Ones all stand out as a marked improvement, even if they are pretty much the same formula.

The final Dalek epic that would kill the creatures off then is a total oddity and about as good an end to the season as a wet fart.

Fifth Season

The base under siege and monster of the week formulas are well under way by this time, but so was something else: great chemistry between the actors.

The combination of Deborah Watling, Frazer Hines and Patrick Troughton brought everyone soaring out of the depressing dark days of working with an irritable William Hartnel.  There were japes, practical jokes and location shoots galore in this season, and the fun really does transfer onto screen.

We also get some truly iconic monsters here.  The Cybermen really cement themselves in as the Daleks successor here, and the appearance of the Yeti and Ice Warriors are still considered fantastic examples of Doctor Who monsters done right (the web of fear yeti's that is).  And lets not forget the inclusion of the one and only Colonel Lethbridge-Stewart!

The one most people overlooked until the episodes were found is Enemy of the World.  This great little story gives us a breath of fresh air between all the spandex and faux fur and is as compelling as any Bond movie.

Overall, the season has a strong feeling to it, but watched in sequence all the monsters and bases do get a bit much and make you long for a change.

Sixth Season

Patricks love for the show was starting to wane now.  Although the chemistry was still there between  the actors, including Wendy Padbury now, tensions and pressures from within and without were forcing him to rethink his role as Doctor Who.  It didn't help when the scripts kept getting messed around and when they turned up, they were usually needing a lot of work and interpretation between himself and the Director.

This season is somewhat of a mixed bag.  When it's good, it's frickin awesome, when it's not... it's bad but even so, often the worst bits are forgivable.  For the most part you can see the intent behind the story and whether through scheduling or just bad effects, it doesn't get the effort it deserves.

By the time we get to the end, we have two rather mediocre space stories and that causes the War Games to hit us like a brick wall.  From one week to the next something new is introduced into it and by its end there is the feeling of tragic loss, but also the feeling that you've just watched a huge part of television history and something so significant that it leaves you ecstatic and craving the next episode.

The Doctor

As noted in the sections above, the Second Doctor gets off to a shaky start.  He's full of quirks and mannerisms that may or may not be his that you often spend full episodes wondering what the bloody hell he's going to do next.  By the end of The Underwater Menace it even looks like it will be "costume of the week" as well as monster.   This uncertainty is never more present than in the Power of the Daleks.  He is an enigma and until he denounces the Daleks, it makes you wonder if he's at all interested in the things the First Doctor was, and if he might just up and leave Ben and Polly on Vulcan and go swanning off in the TARDIS.

Even in his most erratic days though, the Doctor was friendly and had a gentle approach to him.  He sometimes went on crusades though to destroy alien races because he thought they were evil.

I think the Second Doctor can be best summed up in his relationship with Jamie.  He's a loveable clown, and as the fandom rightly says, a cosmic hobo.  I looked forward to seeing what he had in his pocketses from week to week and how he and Jamie would get something wrong in a hilarious way.  The best examples are in the airport on The Faceless Ones and when they're entering the tomb of the Cybermen.

As you will come to see later on, Patrick Troughton knew that working on Doctor Who was some of the best times he had in his life and it didn't take him long to decide that the War Games wasn't to be the end of his involvement, and thank goodness for that too.  Thanks to his eagerness to return, a whole new generation got to know what a great actor he was and a fantastic Doctor.

I remember seeing him in the Five Doctors as a young boy and laughing at his funny hair and fur coat, and when he became an Androgum...boy oh boy!

Favourite Moment

At first I thought this bit would be easy, but as I ran my mind back over all the possible scenes, this suddenly gave me  a lot of problems.  How can I choose one definitive moment in the Second Doctor's run when there are so many?    Hiding from the Yeti at Charing Cross, watching the Cybermen defrost from their tombs or meandering outside St Paul's?  All good options.

The moment I chose is part of a pretty unremarkable story, but it has such a good visual impact that I get the chills just looking at it now.  That's right, it's Mr Quill and his terrifying, erm, gas!  Sweet dreams kids ;p

Worst Moment

There are a lot of bad moments in the Evil of the Daleks, the worst story in the Second Doctor's run (in my opinion) but the one that really takes the biscuit is the bit where the Doctor makes the Daleks half human and they spend five minutes playing choo-choo trains with him, giving him a ride around the lab.  Argh!

Favourite Story

The Web of Fear

If the War Games was just one or two chases shorter, I wouldn't hesitate in putting that here.  As is stands, I think the Web of Fear pips the post.  It's dark, atmospheric and yet funny all in the right places.  The sets are outstanding and the acting is pretty great.  There's even iconic characters involved.

Worst Story

The Evil of the Daleks

Do you even have to ask?

Favourite Companion

Jamie McCrimmon

These last two sections are really difficult to decide because I loved each of the Second Doctors companions in their own right.

This section is at least a little easier.  I choose Jamie.  He's the longest serving male companion for one, and as mentioned above, his interaction with the Doctor is just magical.

Worst Companion

Victoria Waterfield

Again, this is because I have to choose, but Victoria is just a conundrum.  She's a Victorian lady, but the character development is almost non-existent to a point where she doesn't bat an eyelid to wearing a miniskirt (what did those Daleks do to her to make her comfortable with that?!)  She's almost never of use, and in the Abominable Snowmen actually goes out of her way to be a pain in the neck.