Over 60 years, Doctor Who has carved out its place in science fiction history. Part of that longevity comes from the concept of “regeneration,” where the Doctor periodically changes into a new form. This means each actor who steps into the Doctor’s shoes can put their own definitive take on the character…and even come back to the series if they want to. Fan-favorite Doctors, including David Tennant, and icons like Tom Baker have returned to the franchise over the years. If one Doctor Who alum has his way, he won’t be making an on-screen return any time soon.
Michael Troughton, who is the son of Patrick Troughton — the second person to ever play the Doctor — was recently asked whether he’d ever portray the Second Doctor on screen in an interview with the Radio Times. Troughton immediately shot down the idea, as he felt like his time with the character was better spent behind the screen:
“No, I don’t think so. I love playing the role for audio, but no. The Doctor goes on, and I don’t think we want to see me playing it… I don’t think I’d consider it.”
Troughton previously voiced the Second Doctor in a series of audio adventures for Big Finnish, following in the footsteps of his father and other Doctor Who alums who’ve returned to the role. His comments about not playing the Second Doctor on-screen serve as a reminder that Doctor Who isin the midst of its next big transformation and needs a fresh start rather than looking back to the past.
Michael Troughton Is Right — ‘Doctor Who’ Should Continue To Evolve
Ncuti Gatwa as the Fifteenth Doctor and Jodie Whittaker as the Thirteenth pose together for Doctor Who.Image via BBC
Right now, Doctor Who is at a crossroads. BBC is currently putting the series out to competitive tender following the dissolution of a streaming deal with Disney+. That means that whoever takes up producing reigns has the difficult task of delivering an entirely new approach that will draw in new viewers and longtime fans alike. It’s a tall order, but a necessary one. The Disney+ era had a less than favorable reception and ended on the strangest cliffhanger, so it’s better to follow Michael Troughton’s advice and wipe the slate clean.
There’s also another thing that Troughton didn’t touch upon in his review, and that’s the fact that if he did come back as the Second Doctor, most people wouldn’t know the significance of the role. Most Doctor Who fans came into the series via the 2005 reboot, and are more familiar with David Tennant or Matt Smith than the classic Doctors. Whoever picks up Doctor Who next is probably going to go for an approach that still keeps all the classic elements of the series intact, but pushes them forward into a modern context. As Troughton so eloquently put it, the Doctor goes on.
Collider Exclusive · Sci-Fi Personality Quiz Which Sci-Fi Hero Are You Most Like? Paul Atreides · Captain Kirk · Princess Leia · Ellen Ripley · Max Rockatansky
Five iconic heroes. Five completely different ways of facing an impossible universe. One of them shares your instincts, your values, and your particular way of refusing to back down. Eight questions will tell you which one.
🏜️Paul Atreides
🖖Capt. Kirk
✊Princess Leia
🔦Ellen Ripley
🔥Max Rockatansky
01
How do you lead when the stakes couldn’t be higher? The way you lead under pressure is the most honest thing about you.
02
What is your greatest strength in a crisis? The quality that keeps you alive when everything else fails.
03
What is the thing you’d sacrifice everything else for? Your deepest motivation is your truest compass.
04
How do you relate to the people around you? Who you are to others under pressure is who you really are.
05
You’re facing a threat that no one else believes is real. What do you do? How you respond when you’re the only one who sees it defines everything.
06
What has your heroism cost you personally? Every hero pays. The question is what — and whether they’d pay it again.
07
How do you feel about the rules of the world you’re in? Every hero has a relationship with the system. What’s yours?
08
When everything is on the line, what keeps you going? The answer is the most honest thing about you.
Your Hero Has Been Identified Your Sci-Fi Hero Is…
Your answers point to the iconic sci-fi hero who shares your instincts, your values, and your particular way of facing the impossible.
Arrakis · Dune
Paul Atreides
You carry a weight most people would crumble under — the knowledge of what you’re capable of, and the burden of what you might have to become.
You see further ahead than others and you plan accordingly, even when the vision frightens you.
You are driven by loyalty to your people and a sense of destiny you didn’t ask for but can’t escape.
Paul Atreides is not simply a hero — he is someone who understands the cost of power and chooses to bear it anyway.
That gravity, that willingness to carry what others won’t, is exactly you.
USS Enterprise · Star Trek
Captain Kirk
You lead with instinct, warmth, and an absolute refusal to accept a no-win scenario — because you’ve always believed there’s a third option nobody else has thought of yet.
You take the mission seriously without ever taking yourself too seriously.
Your crew would follow you anywhere, not because you demand it, but because you’ve earned it.
Kirk’s genius isn’t tactical — it’s human. He reads people, bends rules with purpose, and wills outcomes into existence through sheer conviction.
That combination of warmth, audacity, and relentless optimism is unmistakably yours.
The Rebellion · Star Wars
Princess Leia
You are the kind of person who holds the line when everyone else is losing faith — not because you’re fearless, but because giving up simply isn’t something you’re capable of.
You lead through conviction. Your voice carries because your belief is unshakeable.
You gave up everything ordinary the moment you chose the cause, and you’ve never looked back.
Leia is not a supporting character in her own story — she is the moral centre of the entire rebellion.
That same fierce, principled, unbreakable core is what defines you.
The Nostromo · Alien
Ellen Ripley
You are not reckless, not grandiose, and not particularly interested in being anyone’s hero — you just refuse to stop when it matters.
You see threats clearly, you document the truth even when no one listens, and when the time comes you handle it yourself.
Ripley’s heroism is earned, not performed. She doesn’t have a speech — she has a flamethrower and a plan.
You share her composure under the worst possible pressure, and her refusal to pretend the monster isn’t there.
When it counts, you don’t flinch. That’s everything.
The Wasteland · Mad Max
Max Rockatansky
You have been through fire that would break most people — and what came out the other side is something the world underestimates at its peril.
You don’t ask for help, don’t need validation, and don’t wait for anyone to tell you the rules no longer apply.
Your loyalty, when it finally arrives, is absolute — but it’s earned in silence and tested in action, not in words.
Max is not a nihilist. He is someone who lost everything and found, against his will, that he still has something worth protecting.
That bruised, stubborn, ultimately human core is exactly yours.
Michael Troughton Previously Appeared on ‘Doctor Who’ in a Different Role
In addition to voicing the Second Doctor, Michael Troughton did show back up on Doctor Who, albeit in an entirely different role. During the 2014 special “Last Christmas,” Troughton plays the role of Albert Smithe, a professor heading an expedition into the Arctic that’s sabotaged by crab-like creatures who attack him and his crew in their dreams. Thanks to the intervention of Peter Capaldi‘s Tweltfth Doctor, the crew is saved alongside his frequent companion Clara Oswald (Jenna Coleman). “Last Christmas” turned out to be a major success, earning rave reviews and high ratings.
Ironically, this isn’t the first time that a Troughton has taken on a unique role in the world of Doctor Who. Michael Troughton’s older brother, David Troughton, previously appeared in the original series as well as the modern era, particularly the chilling episode “Midnight”. Their involvement is proof that Doctor Who can touch upon its legacy in ways that don’t involve bringing back past Doctors. While the future of Doctor Who might be hazy, it will definitely feel fresh.
Release Date
2024 – 2025-00-00
Network
BBC One
Directors
Alex Pillai, Peter Hoar, Ben Chessell, Julie Anne Robinson, Jamie Donoughue, Amanda Brotchie, Dylan Holmes Williams
