Michael Troughton on “honour” of playing Second Doctor for Big Finish
Troughton is taking on his father's role for The Second Doctor Adventures: Beyond War Games.
Long-time producers of Doctor Who audio dramas Big Finish have teamed up with Michael Troughton, son of Second Doctor actor Patrick, to produce The Second Doctor Adventures: Beyond War Games, with Michael taking on his father's iconic role for the first time.
The box set of audio adventures will take place directly following 1969's The War Games and when speaking with RadioTimes.com and other press about his role in the production, Troughton said it was "bloody lovely" to step in to his father's shoes.
Troughton continued: "It’s quite a big task because Christ, he was a bloody amazing actor. Even if he was my dad, he was such a brilliant actor that it's an honour, really, to be asked to try and recreate him. It really is.
"And I'm sure he'd be absolutely delighted that I was doing it and having fun with it. Because he took the business seriously but he wanted to have fun and he wanted to enjoy what he was doing. And my goodness me, he did. He really put a lot into everything."
However, Troughton was quick to note that his version of the Second Doctor would be exactly that – his version – and he wouldn't be looking to do an exact impression of his father's portrayal.
He said: "What I didn't want was, you know, 'Patrick Troughton’s son is doing it because he's the son'. I want it to be a bit of me, as well as dad mixed in. I said right from the start, 'I'm not Jon Culshaw, I cannot do brilliant impressions of voices and people, but what I can do is act the character.'
"It's a sort of mixture of myself and Patrick and to be honest, because I'm his son, it gets quite close I think. The real problem with trying to recreate dad on audio is that he was such a physical actor. It would be looks, it would be movements, it would be various things. So I've had to grab certain mannerisms he has.
"For instance, he used to cough. And everybody used to think that was part of his performance, but actually it was a cough to give him time to remember the next line. And so I put a bit of that in."
The set is made up of two stories, both told in four parts – there is The Final Beginning, written by Mark Wright and Nicholas Briggs, and Wrath of the Ice Warriors, written by Andrew Smith.
Troughton previously appeared on-screen in Doctor Who during Peter Capaldi's run as the Time Lord, playing Professor Albert in Last Christmas.
The Second Doctor Adventures: Beyond War Games releases July 2022. Doctor Who is available to stream on BBC iPlayer with episodes of the classic series also available on BritBox – you can sign up for a 7-day free trial.
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Authors
James Hibbs is a Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering programmes across both streaming platforms and linear channels. He previously worked in PR, first for a B2B agency and subsequently for international TV production company Fremantle. He possesses a BA in English and Theatre Studies and an NCTJ Level 5 Diploma in Journalism.
