Doctor Who: Every Regeneration Ranked From Worst To Best
12. The Second Doctor (The War Games)
The first actor to play a regenerated version of the Doctor, Patrick Troughton had a lot on his shoulders when he first appeared in the role. And while he did an excellent job with the character, his regeneration left a lot to be desired.
He was basically bullied into the change by the Time Lords, who make their first ever appearance in this episode. The Doctor's race catches up with him and puts him on trial for his space-time meddling. Their verdict? Exile on Earth, with a new face.
After some frankly hilarious (intentionally or otherwise) back and forth between the two parties, the Time Lords send the Doctor down to Earth in the form a psychedelic spiral, with our hero crying out while it happens.
On paper, this sounds like it could be quite interesting, and, to some extent, it was. It was a radical departure from the first regeneration, but it was let down by how campy it was.
It's impossible not to laugh while watching this, which is a shame, as the idea itself is actually rather good.