Product Details

• Actors: William Hartnell, Patrick Troughton, Jon Pertwee, Tom Baker, Peter Davison
• Writers: Sydney Newman
• Format: Black & White, Color, HiFi Sound, NTSC
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: 20th Century Fox
• VHS Release Date: June 1, 1995
• Run Time: 84 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6302256763
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #141,009 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

This is the second of a series of exclusive-to-video feature-length programs devoted to the seven actors who played Doctor Who in the famous BBC series. Patrick Troughton was the Doctor from 1966 to 1969. Troughton passed away in 1987, so this program is introduced by Jon Pertwee, the third Doctor. Pertwee provides some brief linking material filmed in various places associated with the program, and there are also clips from Troughton's appearances in such stories as "The Web of Fear" and "The Three Doctors." But the bulk of the tape comprises three complete episodes. As a result of the BBC's destruction of valuable archive material, they are the only remaining segments of their respective serials. Shown here are episode two of "The Abominable Snowman" (1967), episode three of "The Enemy of the World" (1968), and episode two of "The Space Pirates" (1969). While rewarding for the serious fan, watching isolated episodes from incomplete serials does take commitment, and a booklet with detailed synopses would have made everything much more accessible. Even so, the sight of a Yeti in action or Troughton in the dual roles of the Doctor and the dictator Salamander remain notable pieces of vintage television history. --Gary S. Dalkin

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fragments of the early years of 'Doctor Who' to delight you, April 6, 2000

By 

William "williamnedblake" (Kansas City, MO, United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Doctor Who - The Troughton Years [VHS] (VHS Tape)

By now, everyone knows of the destruction of roughly half of the episodes of 'Doctor Who' before 1970 by the BBC. For that reason, many little-known stories dating from the tenures of both William Hartnell and Patrick Troughton in the role of the Doctor have acquired a certain mystique.

If nothing else, 'The Troughton Years' demonstrates that this mystique can be very much justified. Introduced by the now sadly deceased Jon Pertwee, Troughton's friend and successor in the role of the Doctor, this video provides a glimpse into a world of wonder, when television was still black and white and the sound of a lavatory flushing slowed down could be so terrifying as to fend off sleep for weeks. While it must be admitted that stories like 'The Underwater Menace' and 'The Dominators' were also a part of the Troughton era, seeing surviving parts of 'the Enemy of the World' and 'the Abominable Snowmen' almost leads one to wonder if they were really a part of the same programme (of course, they were, but we mustn't quibble quibble over details). It should be said that this video is really for people who either remember the original broadcasts, and concealed themselves under blankets to avoid detection by the fearsome Yeti, or those die-hard collectors who simply *must have* every surviving piece of the series. Novices or people just looking for a good story are recommended to more easily accessible fare - 'the Tomb of the Cybermen' and 'the Mind Robber', both starring Patrick Troughton, are particularly good and available in their complete form on video, also from the BBC.

My only real complaint about this release is that the BBC did not see fit to include the only surviving episode of the Yeti sequel story, that being 'The Web of Fear', episode one. It would have been nice, as it were, to have all of one's Yeti in one basket, still, it's hardly fair to complain...

Also be certain to look for the BBC audio release of 'The Web of Fear', which provides the surviving soundtrack of all six episodes of another Troughton classic.

Support the BBC releases!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Oh how I wept, October 9, 2002

By 

Junglies (Morrisville, NC United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Doctor Who - The Troughton Years [VHS] (VHS Tape)

The biggest tragedy of Doctor Who surely must be the loss of all of the missing episodes.

My selfish concern with those is that none of my children will ever be able to experience the entire run of Doctor Who which I was fortunate enough to grow up with in England.

This video captures some of the magic moments of the second Doctor, Patrick Troughton, sadly no longer with us, and points to some of what we are missing.

My personal favourite Troughton monsters were the Yeti whom we see one episode of here. Tragically I believe that the Troughton years are some of the poorest, if not the poorist, for remaining episodes.

This video fills a gap but leaves us feeling that we want more.

Hopefully more of the missing shows will be discovered but the omens are not good. As the time grows ever more distant one must presume that the missing episodes are lost to us forever but let us live in hope.

Goodbye Patrick Troughton.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Yeti, dictators, and breathing lessons incorporated!, October 24, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Doctor Who - The Troughton Years [VHS] (VHS Tape)

This video has what is left of the three stories of "The Abominable Snowmen", "Enemy Of The World", and "The Space Pirates" with Jon Pertwee giving some history on Patrick Troughton the Doctor of these stories. "The Abominable Snowmen" has a Yeti attacking a Buddhist monastary of a kind of an anology of violence in a non violence society type story which can't be totally appreciated for not enough of the story remains but what remains is a fun piece but unlike the last story on this video the support acting is better. In "The Enemy Of The World" is a chance to see Patrick Troughton play the foe which has more scenes than his alter ego in the story of the Doctor of a story of dictatorship by use of the environment. "The Space Pirates" has more interplay with support characters than the Doctor, which is too bad for the regular cast scenes are much better than the support cast but the story ideas are good but the characterization of the characters are kind of corny but so is some of the characterization in "The Enemy Of The World". And all said and done these portion of these stories are entertaining although the narrative by Jon Pertwee is irratating thats just because the contrast between stories and narrative is like a jolt from one to another, one detracting from the other, but like other narrative hosting one shouldn't stay away from these types of video due to this. The Yeti are adorable although the enemy, the dictator is corrupt, and the less oxygen the better the Doctor gets. Fun but incomplete.