Friday 1 February 2013

Michael Troughton

 

Michael Troughton in 'The New Statesman' Stephen Fry, Rik Mayall
Michael Troughton as Piers Fletcher-Dervish
  Michael Troughton: 

Chunky and clean-cut in appearance, he's the son of the second Dr Who, Patrick Troughton. Young Michael has little of the eccentricity and brooding intensity of his late father, but he is certainly a very accomplished character actor. He has dovetailed neatly into a collection of roles, usually cast in a naturally affable middle-class mould. He was Piers Fletcher-Dervish, the idiotic sidekick to Rik Mayall's monstrous Alan B'Stard in 'The New Statesman', a part which didn't really give him a lot of room to be anything other than the utterly dim foil to Mayall's showboating. Before that he had a more sympathetic sidekick role in 'Minder' as DC Mellish, forever at the elbow of Arthur Daley's would-be nemesis, DS Rycott.        


Popular, comfortable comedies have used his talents on a number of occasions, for example, 'Goodnight Sweetheart', '2 point 4 Children', 'The Detectives' with Jasper Carrott and Robert Powell, and 'My Family'. He's also done a bit of TV drama, ranging from 'Testament of Youth' and 'Strangers and Brothers' to 'Blakes 7', 'Boon' and 'Cat's Eyes'. Seemed to be in demand for kids' shows too, particularly in the '80s, so those of a certain age might remember him from the likes of 'Graham's Gang' and 'Woof!'.   



'Dorothy L Sayers Mysteries: Have His Carcase'

DC Taff Jones (Michael Povey) and DC Mellish in 'Minder'

Update: Nice to see him pop up in the 2014 Christmas episode of Dr Who. A nice nod to his old man's Whovian legacy.


Michael Troughton - imdb 

1 comment:

  1. Loved the way he and Taff Jones would moan about their respective Detective Sergeants.

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