In the lead up to the 50th Anniversary of Doctor Who on November 23, I shall be posting an article on each Doctor every four weeks. Today, I have a look at the Second Doctor, played by PatrickTroughton from 1966 to 1969.

Once William Hartnell decided to leave the programme, it was down to his successor, the much acclaimed actor Patrick Troughton, to make sure the transition between actors went as smoothly as possible. Troughton not only met expectations, but exceeded them, as the show flourished.

The First Doctor had been a grumpy old man, but the Second was the polar opposite. He hid his extroadinary intelligence behind a bumbling exterior, which enabled him to fool his enemies into thinking he was no threat. He was also quite manipulative, able to influence the situation to his favour without anyone knowing about it. Sometimes, it appeared that he did this for fun, like in the famous Tomb of the Cybermen, where he finishes calculations behind peoples' backs. However, his manipulative abilities were generally used for darker means, as evidenced in The Evil of the Daleks, where he manipulates his companion, Jamie, into rescuing his soon-to-be-companion Victoria, thus setting in motion a series of Dalek tests.

The Second Doctor retained the moral compass that his former self had, often saving civilisations from old enemies such as the daleks and cybermen, as well as new ones, like the Ice Warriors or the Great Intelligence. It was during this incarnation that the Doctor also made a lifelong friend: Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart, the future commander of UNIT's British contingent.

Whilst the First Doctor was a grandfatherly figure to many, the Second Doctor became the surrogate father. This concept was even extended into the show itself, as he offers to look after Victoria Waterfield after he father is exterminated by the daleks. He is shown to be very caring towards her,asking her if she is happy travelling with him.

During this time, we also get the first glimpse into the Doctor's past family life; he mentions to Victoria that he can remember his family 'sometimes', but most of the time they 'sleep' in his mind. More of the Doctor's backstory is revealed towards the end of the Second Doctor's era. Viewer found out that the Doctor is a Time Lord on the run from his people, and that the TARDIS was in fact stolen. Theses revelations would have a dramatic impact of the future of the programme, and would be explored in many subsequent stories.

Eventually, the Doctor is captured by the Time Lords and put on trial for 'interfering'. However, he succeeds with his defense that he is helping to protect those in need, but is nevertheless senteced to exile on Earth, as well as a forced regeneration. In a cruel twist, his then companions, Jamie and Zoe, would be returned to their own times and have the memory wiped of all but their inital encounter of the Doctor. However, the Doctor would continue to work for the Time Lords for some time before being exiled, once even meeting his Sixth incarnation.

The Second Doctor was very much the opposite of the First; young, clownish, energetic. Yet he still retained some of his former incarnation's character traits, such as his ability to be kind and caring, as well as manipulative. This is all down to the astounding acting ability of Patrick Troughton, without whom the show would not have survived past its first regeneration.