In Dr. Who's shadow
- Publication: Wolverhampton AdNews
- Date: 1985-06-06
- Author: Syd Gillingham
- Page:
- Language: English
It's really quite extraordinary, declares Patrick Troughton but he's still very much in the shadow of Dr Who — 17 years offer he last played the good doctor in the weekly series Not that he's complaining, mind.
"I was in San Francisco recently," explains Patrick, who stars in 'Long Term Memory,' the play which on Tuesday, June 11 launches BBC2's summer season of new drama "and I went down to the waterfront and the street vendors were stopping me and saying 'Oh it's Doctor Who!"
They're wild about the series in America and it seems to be on all the time there although it varies from State to State. In October I'll be going — with as many of the other Doctor Whos as possible — to another Doctor Who convention in Chicago
And I still get fan letters about Doctor Who from all over the world, because the series is still being shown in various countries
"It's a lovely thing to happen from an ego point of view — it's a warm feeling to know that a part you have played was successful and people love you for it.
"But having been a character actor for so long wouldn't want to encourage the idea that this was all I could do because obviously in this country live got to make a living
"I don't mind how fond they are of Doctor Who in America because it doesn't inhibit my being cast over here!"
It was in 1966 that Patrick took over as the second Dr Who — the late William Hartnell was the first — handing over, in turn, three years later to Jon Pertwee.
Since then he as appeared in two one-off productions. 'The Five Doctors' and, more recently, 'The Two Doctors' in which he appeared with Colin Baker.
But did he imagine when he became the second Or Who that it would still play such a part in his life many years on?
"I did not," says the 64 year old Londoner. "In fact I thought I wouldn't be in it for much more than six weeks!
"But if I'd been Doctor Who longer than I was well, that would have been disaster for me I like to play the field — that's the whole joy of acting for me.
I love it to be a lucky dip - to never know what's coming up and whether a part is going to be mad comedy or deadly serious.
"I've been lucky I've always had a variety of parts. Since I started in television people have seen me in different things."
We're about to see him in different things again — and they couldn't be more different
First of all the play, "Long Term Memory" beautifully written (by M J Read) and beautifully acted, with Pat Heywood n the co-starring role, at Is a sad tale and is as deadly serious as they come.
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- APA 6th ed.: Gillingham, Syd (1985-06-06). In Dr. Who's shadow. Wolverhampton AdNews .
- MLA 7th ed.: Gillingham, Syd. "In Dr. Who's shadow." Wolverhampton AdNews [add city] 1985-06-06. Print.
- Chicago 15th ed.: Gillingham, Syd. "In Dr. Who's shadow." Wolverhampton AdNews, edition, sec., 1985-06-06
- Turabian: Gillingham, Syd. "In Dr. Who's shadow." Wolverhampton AdNews, 1985-06-06, section, edition.
- Wikipedia (this article): <ref>{{cite news| title=In Dr. Who's shadow | url=http://cuttingsarchive.org/index.php/In_Dr._Who%27s_shadow | work=Wolverhampton AdNews | pages= | date=1985-06-06 | via=Doctor Who Cuttings Archive | accessdate=23 April 2025 }}</ref>
- Wikipedia (this page): <ref>{{cite web | title=In Dr. Who's shadow | url=http://cuttingsarchive.org/index.php/In_Dr._Who%27s_shadow | work=Doctor Who Cuttings Archive | accessdate=23 April 2025}}</ref>
