It’s always good to look back and appreciate the giants that Doctor Who stands on the shoulders of, and with that in mind, Anneke Wills and Frazer Hines reflect on the importance of Patrick Troughton’s Second Doctor.

Without him, the series could’ve been a footnote in sci-fi history; instead, we’re here, reporting every day on the wonders of this ever-expanding multiverse. Wills, who played Polly Wright, highlights that this is down to how likeable Troughton was in real life and as an actor:

“If it hadn’t been Patrick who took over the role of the Doctor, then we wouldn’t be sitting here today. It was because of the nature of the man, because he was so sweet and incredibly humble. If he had come in to take over the role in a more sort of Jon Pertwee way we wouldn’t have accepted it. It was because of the way that he was that the British audience could say, ‘Yes, we’ll have a completely different Doctor.’ We should always be grateful to Patrick.”

Hines, who appeared in all but one Second Doctor serial as Jamie McCrimmon, adds:

“Peter Capaldi, Peter Davison, Colin Baker all said if it hadn’t been for Patrick, you would never have heard about David Tennant or Matt Smith because it would have finished. The BBC would’ve said, ‘It doesn’t work, take it off. No more ‘Doctor Who’.”

It’s something of a tragedy that so many of Troughton’s stories are missing from the archives; however, we can at least enjoy some missing adventures, thanks to animations of The Power of the Daleks, The Ice Warriors, and, most recently, The Macra Terror.

Or if animation isn’t your thing, it’s a perfect time to dig out your DVD of The Tomb of the Cybermen!