Dr WHO, BBC 1's time traveller, is to abandon his space-time machine and come down to earth.
Actor Patrick Troughton, who has played Dr Who since November 5, 1966, has told the corporation he wants to leave the Saturday afternoon science-fiction serial for children.
Now the BBC is searching for a new actor to take over as the absent-minded doctor in the weekly battles against Daleks and other assorted monsters.
Mr Troughton, formerly Shakespearean actor, originally intended to leave the programme at the end of next March. But after talks with producer Peter Bryant and BBC executives he agreed to stay on for another ten weeks.
Frazer Hines, 23, who plays Dr Who's kilted companion Jamie, wanted to leave last month but he was also persuaded to stay on for another six months.
It is the biggest crisis the programme has faced since it began in November 1963. But the BBC has decided against scrapping the show.
It plans to re-cast the serial and make it in colour ready for the opening of BBC 1 colour programmes later this year.
Mr Bryant said yesterday: 'It is going to be extremely difficult to find someone to take over the part of Dr Who.'
William Hartnell, 59, was the first 900 - year - old doctor. Viewers saw him going through a metamorphosis and emerging a few centuries younger - as Mr Troughton.
Mr Troughton has helped boost the audience from the original 4 1/2 million to its present 8 1/2 million.
Among another BBC TV parts, he has played the pawnbroker in David Copperfield and Quilp in The Old Curiosity Shop.
Disclaimer: These citations are created on-the-fly using primitive parsing techniques. You should double-check all citations. Send feedback to whovian@cuttingsarchive.org
