The Second Doctor, portrayed by Patrick Troughton, is iconic for many reasons, not least his distinctive style. A floppy hat, generously sized trousers held up by suspenders, and of course, the bow tie – a seemingly simple accessory that has become synonymous with this incarnation of the Time Lord. However, a closer look at surviving materials from the 1960s suggests a curious detail: did the Second Doctor actually wear two different bow ties during his era? Specifically, evidence points towards a possible switch during the filming of the seminal (and sadly lost) serial, The Power of the Daleks. Let’s delve into the sartorial mystery.
Close-up of the 2nd Doctor wearing a dark blue bow tie with red and yellow diamond patterns, as seen in the 1967 Doctor Who Annual
The initial observation of this potential bow tie anomaly comes from the 1967 Dr Who Annual. Images within this annual, intended for publicity purposes, clearly show the Second Doctor sporting a rather distinctive bow tie. It’s a fatter, dark blue tie adorned with red, bumpy diamond shapes, each punctuated with a yellow center. For many years, this was the primary visual reference point for this particular bow tie, seemingly frozen in time within the pages of this annual.
Fast forward to 2019, and a fresh perspective emerged. Doctor Who Magazine, in its 541st issue, dedicated a feature to director Christopher Barry. This issue was enriched with previously unseen photographs from Barry’s personal collection, offering a rare glimpse behind the scenes of 1960s Doctor Who production. Intriguingly, the cover of this magazine featured one of these photos: Patrick Troughton, as the Second Doctor, wearing the very same bow tie seen in the 1967 annual. This rediscovery, showcasing the bow tie in high detail, seemingly confirmed its existence and design, reinforcing the image from the annual as the definitive bow tie of this era.
However, this re-emergence also sparked a crucial question. Why would publicity photos, seemingly the domain of a dedicated BBC publicity department, reside within a director’s personal collection? This unusual circumstance hints at a more nuanced explanation than a simple “publicity bow tie” used solely for promotional shots.
The answer, as is often the case, may lie in the practicalities of television production in the 1960s. The hypothesis is that there weren’t two separate bow ties for publicity and filming, but rather, two different bow ties used by Patrick Troughton during the filming of The Power of The Daleks*** itself. This would explain why a director like Christopher Barry, involved in the production, might possess such photographs.
To investigate this further, we need to consider the filming schedule. Studio recordings for The Power of The Daleks took place every Saturday in Riverside 1 studio, spanning from October 22nd to November 26th, 1966. Crucially, location filming for the subsequent story, The Highlanders Episode 1, was slotted in during this period, on November 14th and 15th, 1966, at Frensham Ponds. This overlapping schedule was typical for the era, meaning that location filming for The Highlanders occurred during the rehearsal week for The Power of The Daleks Episode 5.
Publicity shot of the 2nd Doctor in a field wearing the dark blue diamond patterned bow tie, taken during location filming for The Highlanders Episode 1
The bow tie seen in the publicity photos, taken during The Highlanders location shoot, is undeniably the same bow tie featured in the annual. This strongly suggests that the bow tie worn in the earlier episodes of The Power of The Daleks (up to episode 5) was the same one used for this location publicity.
However, when we examine telesnaps from Episodes 5 and 6 of The Power of The Daleks, a subtle but noticeable difference emerges. In these later episodes, the Doctor is wearing a bow tie, but it appears to be a different shape. It looks noticeably fatter than the bow tie seen in earlier episodes and the publicity shots.
Comparison of two telesnaps from Power of the Daleks episodes 5 and 6, showing the 2nd Doctor wearing a bow tie that appears thicker and different in shape from the publicity bow tie
Why the change in bow tie for the concluding episodes of The Power of The Daleks? A plausible explanation is that a replacement became necessary. Perhaps the original bow tie was lost or damaged during the Highlanders location filming at Frensham Ponds. The muddy terrain of Frensham Ponds in November could easily claim an errant bow tie! A quick replacement would have been needed to maintain production continuity.
This theory, initially highlighted by Si Hodges, offers a compelling alternative to the “publicity bow tie” idea. It neatly ties together the evidence: the publicity photos featuring the diamond-patterned bow tie, its appearance in the annual and DWM, and the seemingly different bow tie in the Power of the Daleks telesnaps.
Of course, without the episodes themselves, definitive proof remains elusive. The exact nature of the bow tie worn in Episodes 5 and 6 remains speculative. However, the circumstantial evidence is strong. And as the original article humorously suggests, perhaps a dedicated Doctor Who fan with a metal detector might venture to Frensham Ponds – who knows what sartorial treasures might be unearthed from the mud, potentially solving this Second Doctor bow tie mystery once and for all! Until then, the tale of the two bow ties serves as a fascinating reminder of the intricacies and occasional inconsistencies of 1960s television production, and a testament to the enduring scrutiny and passionate detail-oriented nature of Doctor Who fandom.
