Review The Troughton Doctor

Doctor Omega

Member: Rank 10
Doctor Who: Patrick's Last (Convention) Words


In March 1987 Second Doctor actor Patrick Troughton attended a convention in the United States. It was there in Columbus, Georgia that Patrick suffered a heart attack, and died, just hours after this footage was taken - his last convention attendance.





R.I.P. Patrick Troughton - March 1987



Chicago Public Television station WTTW dedicates their 3/29/87 broadcast of the DOCTOR WHO episode "The Three Doctors" to the memory of the second Doctor, actor Patrick Troughton.


 

chainsaw_metal1

Member: Rank 8
I once read a very odd account of how Patrick Troughton died in the US and I'm not sure I should repeat it as I've never seen any corroboration of it anywhere else!
JB
Is this the one about
him dying in bed with a female fan
? Because I've heard that one, but like you, never found anything about it, outside of an alleged cover-up by the BBC and his family.
 

Doctor Omega

Member: Rank 10
I first heard of it by word of mouth from a fellow fan. He claimed that
said fan had apparently wandered the corridors afterwards babbling repeatedly: "I've killed Doctor Who! I've killed Doctor Who!"

The only confirmation I have seen in print was in this book.....



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....which in chapter 8, entitled "Hanky Panky in the Tardis", stated that Troughton died "on the job" and that it was JNT who, being very good with the press, orchestrated the "reputation saving" cover up, as well as inviting the lady involved to his wake. No further details are in the book though and the exact circumstances remain a mystery.

The same chapter went into details about JNT and Gary Downie's sleeping with male fans, whom they dubbed "do-able barkers". The author of the book himself claimed that JNT asked him if he had ever "had two up you?" and, upon being told no had replied "Oh, you're so fucking provincial", then gave up on him. And another occasion where Downie began attempting to kiss Marson in an elevator, whereupon Marson, in a scene reminiscent of a horror film, had fled into one of the BBC offices, clutching a rolled up copy of TIMELASH part two as a weapon to defend himself, while Downie wandered around the corridors looking for him.

Peter Moffat - who also had "wandering hands" according to Ian Levine in the book - claimed that while two girls (who were perfectly fine at acting) had been found for THE TWIN DILEMMA, JNT and Downie insisted that it "had to be boys", simply because they had a fantasy about twins. Downie wandered around the set of the story during filming pronouncing "aren't they gorgeous?"

Other jaw dropping revelations in the book are the depths of loathing that Ainley had for JNT, convinced that he was being paid less for his convention appearances than JNT was. Colin tried to reassure Ainley that this was not the case, but Ainley could not be reasoned with and one convention hall had to be cleared of attendees once because JNT and Ainley were too busy shouting at one another.Gary Russell is quoted, calling Ainley "The most despicable man I have ever met".

There was also a terrible falling out between JNT and Nichola Bryant because JNT had been convinced by Downie that Bryant had slept with a male friend of theirs that JNT fancied, whereas in fact she knew the man was gay and they had just been hanging out together. JNT marched up to Bryant and spat in her face. They never spoke again. Bryant was devastated and, when JNT died, was uncertain whether to go to his funeral, even though she wanted to. Colin advised her not to, as Gary would just create a scene.

When the book was published, in the midst of the unfolding Jimmy Saville scandal, it created a one day stink in the papers.....

http://cuttingsarchive.org/index.php/Doctor_Who_Sex_Scandal

... focusing on the seducing fans aspect. Unfortunately, due to it having Colin on the front, a section of the British public assumed that it was he who was caught up in the scandal in some way and Colin had at least one incident of being verbally abused in the street, whereupon he considered legal action against the newspaper.

After that the revelations were pretty much forgotten, due mainly to the book being from a small independent publisher and not being on kindle either, so the book wasn't widely read or available. It has since been republished with a different title in 2016, although I do not know if any of the revelations were toned down......


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Reading the book was certainly a far cry from other behind the scenes books that I was used to..... :emoji_head_bandage:



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johnnybear

Member: Rank 6
Ughh! Those two were worse than any of the monsters featured in Doctor Who it seems to me! Taking advantage of anyone like that is reprehensible! :emoji_rage:
JB
 

Doctor Omega

Member: Rank 10
It seems that Downie would be the one to seek out the "do-able barkers" at conventions (on behalf of himself and JNT), seducing them with promises of walk-on parts on both DOCTOR WHO and EASTENDERS, as Downie was Production Unit Manager on both shows.

And sadly it doesn't end there. The book goes on to detail that after the show had finished JNT and Downie opened their own theatre where they could stage their pantomimes - and the police were called in when Downie allegedly made advances to a 14 year old male member of the cast under the stage. Incredibly, on that occasion the parents ended up not pressing charges.

So yes, that is the dark shadow that unavoidably looms over Classic Who, and it also once again raises the whole "separating the art from the artists" thing.

For as much as I love the classic show (the Sixties and the Eighties in particular).... As much as I find RTD irritating as a creative, As much as I loathe Moffat's seeming creative arrogance, and despise Chibnall's, to my mind, incompetence, I am, at the end of the day, pretty sure that, no matter how crap or wrongheaded I think their output is, that it's unlikely that any of these three men have either spat in a cast members face or forced their attentions on younger members of the fanbase. :emoji_frowning:

But JNT and Downie did, allegedly, do these things. All while making my joint-favourite decade of DOCTOR WHO. :emoji_frowning2:
 
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johnnybear

Member: Rank 6
The JNT/Nicola spit thing is disgusting! Gay or not he had no right to do that!!! So what if he thought his friend might be swayed by Nicola's charms (and who wouldn't?) I thought he was with Downie anyway? It showed his lack of control and the like to do that! wonder what Colin said about it?
JB
 

Doctor Omega

Member: Rank 10
wonder what Colin said about it?
JB

The book doesn't say what Colin's immediate response to the spitting incident was - and he seemed to take the oft-repeated view that JNT was a lovely guy but that Downie was a bad influence on him; throwing petrol on flames, the Jekyll to Downie's Hyde etc. I don't think the reality was as black and white as that and that it let's JNT off the hook too much.

I don't think it would be the last time that Colin's judgement was in question though! :emoji_wink:


Someone who comes off pretty badly in all this is Ian Levine, who brazenly admits that he stood by silently while knowing all about the pursuing/seduction of fans, etc and said nothing, but that the incident that, for him, was the absolute last straw - and the thing that finally made him walk away..... was the casting of Bonnie Langford. :emoji_face_palm:
 

johnnybear

Member: Rank 6
Does the Macra DVD have the reversable jacket and I wonder if they animate another story will they be allowed to reuse the Troughton face again if it's by another company as all the other ones have been? :emoji_astonished:
JB
 

Doctor Omega

Member: Rank 10
Had to dig through some Amazon reviews to find out for sure about the sleeve, JB.....

...and yes it has a reversible sleeve to match your collection
5 February 2019
Format: DVD
The animating of these lost stories has now evolved, and my opinion this is the best effort yet. When the 'Invasion' was released on DVD over a decade ago, featuring the first animated episodes, they tried to stick only exactly to how it was originally framed. Now in 2019 we are given 'The Macra Terror' with almost the exact opposite briefing, with team doing it exactly as they want to, with little attention to original detail. We have the original soundtrack, and that's enough...and this DOES work. The Macra are scary now, and no longer a joke. The whole story feels new, and it's in COLOUR. The DVD packagining is 10/10,, with an inner sleeve to match your entire collection and a beautiful new slip case inspired by new Doctor Who. The animation is by far the best yet (yes Power of the Daleks was quite poor in places) and the story is classic. Please can we have some Harnell next???


I am guessing that the BBC are committed to using this animation team now, but am assuming that if they changed to a new company again the titles would have to be redone - again.
 
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