Reece Shearsmith has been cast as Patrick Troughton in BBC2's one-off drama to mark the 50th anniversary of Doctor Who.
An Adventure in Space and Time will see Reece reunite with his former League of Gentlemen co-star Mark Gatiss, who has written the 90-minute special, which reveals the origins of the long-running sci-fi series.
Mark told the Radio Times: "I first asked Reece [to play this role] about 12 years ago when I started thinking about this project. We were in the midst of League of Gentlemen and I just remember thinking, if anyone plays Patrick Troughton, it should be Reece.
"Like the second Doctor, he's small, saturnine and a comic genius. The complete package. He thought it was a fantastic idea and I've kind of nurtured it all this time."
Patrick played the second Doctor between 1966 and 1969, inheriting the role from original star William Hartnell, who will be played by Harry Potter's David Bradley in the special.
An Adventure in Space and Time also stars Bourne Supremacy actor Brian Cox, as the BBC's then head of drama Sydney Newman and Call The Midwife star Jessica Raine as Doctor Who's first producer Verity Lambert.
Ex-Hollyoaks' star Jeff Rawle will play Doctor Who's associate producer Mervyn Pinfield, while former Waterloo Road favourite Jamie Glover will play actor William Russell.
