| The Second Doctor | |
|---|---|
| Doctor Who character | |
.jpg) Patrick Troughton as the Second Doctor | |
| First regular appearance | The Power of the Daleks (1966) |
| Last regular appearance | The War Games (1969) |
| Introduced by | Innes Lloyd |
| Portrayed by | Patrick Troughton |
| Preceded by | William Hartnell (First Doctor) |
| Succeeded by | Jon Pertwee (Third Doctor) |
| Information | |
| Tenure | 5 November 1966 – 21 June 1969 |
| No of series | 3 |
| Appearances | 21 stories (119 episodes) |
| Companions | |
| Chronology | |
The Second Doctor is an incarnation of the Doctor, the protagonist of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. He was portrayed by actor Patrick Troughton. Out of his 119 episodes, 53 are missing.
Within the series' narrative, the Doctor is a centuries-old alien Time Lord from the planet Gallifrey who travels in time and space in the TARDIS, frequently with companions. At the end of life, the Doctor regenerates; as a result, the physical appearance and personality of the Doctor changes. The transformation into the Second Doctor (originally referred to as a "renewal"), a figure who was the same 'essential' character as the first but with a very different persona, was a turning point in the evolution of the series, and eventually became a critical element of the series' longevity. Preceded in regeneration by the First Doctor (William Hartnell), he is followed by the Third Doctor (Jon Pertwee).
Troughton's Doctor was an outwardly scruffy, light hearted and bumbling tramp, a portrayal that was nicknamed the Cosmic Hobo. He hid a more firm and slightly darker side that he would often use to manipulate his enemies and allies for the greater good. His original Swinging Sixties companions were the sophisticated socialite Polly (Anneke Wills) and working class sailor Ben Jackson (Michael Craze), who had travelled with his previous incarnation. They were later joined by 18th century Jacobite Jamie McCrimmon (Frazer Hines), who would become the Second Doctor's most loyal and trusted companion. Following Ben and Polly's departures, the Doctor and Jamie were joined by the Victorian orphan Victoria Waterfield (Deborah Watling) and 21st century astrophysicist Zoe Heriot (Wendy Padbury). Jamie and Zoe stayed with the Second Doctor until the Time Lords sent them back to their own times, with their memories of all but their first encounter with him wiped.