Doctor Who Audiobooks – The Patrick Troughton Years.

Doctor Who had, in the years between 1963 and 1966, defied the expectations of its creators and producers by becoming a very popular part of Great Britain's peak time Saturday night viewing.

This had been due in no small part to the splendid acting by the leading members of the cast, in particular the man who played Doctor Who himself, William Hartnell. It was a great shock to the many fans of the series when Hartnell was forced to leave the show. There is still controversy as to the exact reason for his leaving, but the official line cites his failing health, combined with strained relations with the show's new producers, as the major reasons.

It is always an extremely difficult task to step into the shoes of a much loved actor in a very popular role. In the initial stages, everyone will be comparing the new incumbent with his predecessor, often unfavorably due to familiarity with the original purveyor of the role.

Patrick Troughton had that unenviable, but challenging, task when he took on the now popular and much watched role of Doctor Who. William Hartnell had apparently given his blessing to Troughton's appointment, citing him as “the one man in England who can take over”. This was despite Troughton being nothing like Hartnell in either appearance, voice, or manner.

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The new producers of the show had deliberately decided against trying to find someone who looked and sounded like William Hartnell. They new that for the series to survive, the viewers would have to accept the new actor in the old role, and that this could only happen with someone doing it in their own way.

Whereas Hartnell had been described as crotchety and tetchy, Troughton was to adopt the role of a sort of cosmic wanderer, largely on the advice of the series' original creator, Sydney Newman. This brought an element of slapstick and farce to the show which had not previously been present.

Patrick Troughton stayed in the role for three series, including the one he finished off when William Hartnell left. He stayed in the role until 1969, when he left due to a combination of the gruelling schedule, and the fear of being typecast in the role. It is believed that he advised another actor who took on the role much later, Peter Davison, to also quit after three seasons.

Tragically, many of Patrick Troughton's episodes were wiped by the BBC during their purge in the 1970s. Some of these lost episodes are now available as Doctor Who Audiobooks, so they can be enjoyed again by modern generations.

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