When Hartnell’s failing health sounded a possible death knell for “Doctor Who,” the producers of the show came up with a radical idea. Since the Doctor was an alien with alien biology, why not give him the ability to recover critical trauma — or even roll back death — by physically reinventing himself? After collapsing from the strain of battling a race of murderous cyborgs known as the Cybermen, the Doctor regenerated for the first time, manifesting a new visage: Patrick Troughton’s.
Personality-wise, the Second Doctor was his predecessor’s polar opposite. If Hartnell’s Doctor was the cantankerous pensioner who wanted the damn kids off his spaceship, Troughton’s was the lovable buffoon who knew a great deal more than he let on.
Nicknamed the “cosmic hobo” by viewers, the Second Doctor was an equally playful dresser. His bow tie was permanently askew. His wild mop of hair — coupled with baggy, plaid trousers and an oversized jacket he almost certainly lifted off some unsuspecting soul — gave him a puckish, Stooge-like air. He also brandished a recorder, mostly for music but occasionally to communicate with other, melodically inclined species.
NEXT: Jon Pertwee
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