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Doctor Who is a great gig. But when ya gotta go, ya gotta go. So why did each Doctor decide to call it quits?
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00:00Playing the Doctor is the role of a lifetime, but it's hardly the most glamorous of gigs,
00:05spending most of the year in rainy old Cardiff, running around quarries and steel mills after
00:09dark. It's a physical demanding part, with 60 years of pressure on top. It's also a strange
00:15job in that you know you'll one day have to pass the torch. There have been a variety of reasons
00:20why the stars of the show have come down with a severe case of the glowy face, so let's take
00:25a
00:25look at them. I'm Ellie for Who Culture, and this is why every lead actor left Doctor Who.
00:30Number 13. William Hartnell. When William Hartnell agreed to play the Doctor in the early 60s,
00:35the concept of regeneration didn't even exist. This was a family programme about a madman with a box.
00:41Nobody involved thought that Doctor Who would spawn an unprecedented 60-year run, but sadly,
00:46several problems necessitated a plot device that would allow the show to switch leads. Hartnell
00:50was no spring chicken, and as his health deteriorated, it became difficult for him to keep up with Doctor
00:55Who's gruelling production schedule. He suffered from a condition which hardens the artery walls
01:00and restricts blood flow, which would often cause him to forget or mix up his lines. Combined with
01:05the fact that Hartnell didn't get along with producer John Wiles, who replaced original producer
01:10Verity Lambert in 1965, the idea was floated to recast him during The Celestial Toymaker. The Doctor
01:16would be invisible for most of the narrative, only to return with a brand new face. Though this idea
01:21wasn't used here, a similar concept of renewal, because actually the term regeneration wasn't
01:26invented until later on, was devised for the 10th planet, by which point Hartnell's health had
01:30declined so much that it was difficult for him to just keep going. The first Doctor changed his face
01:35on the 29th of October 1966, and Doctor Who continued under a new lead actor.
01:42Number 12. Patrick Troughton. Patrick Troughton reportedly thought that regeneration
01:46was a naff concept. He said,
01:48I don't think it was a particularly good idea of the BBC to replace Billy. I thought it was pretty
01:53silly, really. However, he was eventually persuaded to take the leap. I would imagine
01:57that the consistent paycheck probably played a role in that decision. Like Hartnell, Troughton
02:01found Doctor Who's production schedule highly demanding. With dozens of episodes being produced
02:05per year, it's easy to see why. This is largely what influenced his decision to exit the role in
02:101969, with three seasons under his belt. After he left, Troughton advised Fifth Doctor, Peter Davison,
02:17to also follow the three-year model, in effort to avoid being typecast. And over the years,
02:22this has become something of an unwritten rule that many Doctors abide by, intentionally or not.
02:27Number 11. John Pertwee. The Third Doctor's era brought big change to Doctor Who. The show was now
02:32in colour, the Doctor was stranded on Earth working with his unit family, and iconic characters like
02:38The Master, Sarah Jane Smith, and Joe Grant were introduced. They say that nobody likes change,
02:43but in this case, it was a big hit, with Doctor Who enjoying something of a renaissance after
02:48ratings had dipped towards the latter end of Troughton's run. This success might be why Pertwee
02:52remained in the role for longer than either of his predecessors, completing five full seasons instead
02:57of the usual three. An incredibly positive tenure overall then, but one that was tinged with sadness
03:03by the time it concluded. After the tragic death of his good friend and master actor Roger Delgado
03:08in 1973, Pertwee was motivated to head for the exit. Various cast and crew members were also leaving
03:14the show, and Pertwee decided it was time for him to do the same. His request for a significant pay
03:19rise had also been declined, which further reinforced his decision. 1974's Planet of the Spiders was the
03:24first story to use the term regeneration to describe the Doctor's face-changing process,
03:29and it was here where Pertwee bowed out of the role. Number 10, Tom Baker. Tom Baker is the
03:34longest-serving Doctor to date, but in hindsight, the man himself thinks that he might have stayed
03:39a bit too long. The actor has cited the early part of his tenure under producer Philip Hinchcliffe
03:44as his favourite period of the show, but confessed that he grew more and more frustrated when John
03:48Nathan Turner took the reins in 1980. Nathan Turner added a lot more characters to each story,
03:53and Baker felt that the short 25-minute episode format meant that most of these characters ended up
03:58being useless. John Nathan Turner and I did not see eye to eye about very much, he said in 2014,
04:03and he continued to say, I think I should have gone when John was taking over to liberate him to
04:08recast. Maybe I did one series too many. In a separate interview, Baker stated that Nathan Turner
04:13quote, diminished him in the role, and that he was annoyed by the addition of question marks to the
04:18Doctor's collar. The tension ultimately proved too much, and by the time 1981 rolled around, Baker had
04:23decided that his time as the Doctor was over. Number 9, Peter Davison. As previously mentioned,
04:28Peter Davison wanted to stick to a three-year stint after listening to Patrick Troughton's advice
04:33about not being typecast, so that's exactly what he did. However, there may be a little bit more to
04:38the story than that. Though Davison was happy with his final season in 1984, he found the middle part of
04:44his run rather frustrating, clashing with Nathan Turner over various creative decisions. Davison wished to
04:49bring more levity to his Doctor, which his superior consistently shot down. Davison had also noted how
04:55long Tom Baker stayed in the role, and was concerned that staying any longer than three years might
04:59affect his future job opportunities. And so, the fifth Doctor regenerated on the 16th of March 1984,
05:05almost three years to the day since his first appearance at the end of Logopolis.
05:10Number 8, Colin Baker. Colin Baker was at the helm for one of the most turbulent periods in Doctor Who
05:15history. In 1985, the show was put on hiatus due to concerns about its quality and its levels of
05:21violence. BBC executive Michael Grade believed Doctor Who felt cheap compared to the likes of
05:26Star Wars and E.T. saying,
05:28What we were serving up as science fiction was garbage. Bit harsh. I wouldn't exactly say that's
05:32a fair comparison, but we get the point. Though Doctor Who did return after its hiatus with the
05:37season-long story Trial of a Time Lord, it wasn't long before Baker himself had a target on his back.
05:42With higher-ups still not convinced by the show's quality or ratings, they removed him from the
05:47role. Though he was offered a final adventure that would conclude with the sixth Doctor's
05:51departure, Baker refused to return for anything less than a full season. And as a result, he wasn't
05:56even present for his own regeneration scene, with Sylvester McCoy instead adorning a blonde curly wig.
06:02Number 7, Sylvester McCoy. Unlike most of his fellow Time Lords, Sylvester McCoy never technically
06:07left Doctor Who, nor was he fired. He was simply unlucky enough to be the Doctor in 1989,
06:13the year in which production of the show was suspended. It's a shame, too, because McCoy had
06:17settled into a solid groove towards the end of his era, with he and Sophie Aldred proving a winning
06:22combination. Unfortunately, public perception of Doctor Who was at an all-time low, and with
06:27viewership declining, the plug was pulled. Regardless, McCoy was still the incumbent Doctor for the 1993
06:33charity special, Dimensions in Time, and the start of the 1996 TV movie. Writer Matthew Jacobs wished
06:39to link the movie directly to the classic series, and so it was decided to depict the seventh Doctor's
06:44regeneration. Number 6, Paul McGann. Based on their original runs, Paul McGann is the shortest-serving
06:50Doctor of all time, less than 90 minutes in total. But at first, it was hoped that he'd get to
06:55play the
06:55character for a lot longer than that. The TV movie was intended to kickstart a new series of Doctor Who,
07:01a co-production between the BBC and Fox. But despite strong UK ratings, it underperformed in
07:06North America, and Fox chose not to go any further. Like McCoy then, McGann never technically left
07:12Doctor Who. He was simply the star of the show at a time when it ran out of steam. No
07:16more on-screen
07:17appearances were green-lit, though he did reprise the role in the 2001 big Finnish audio drama Storm
07:22Warning, marking the beginning of an incredibly successful run in Doctor Who's expanded universe.
07:27In 2003, it was announced that one Russell T. Davis had been hired to showrun a new series of Doctor
07:33Who. Though Davis decided that the new series would continue where the TV movie left off,
07:38he intended to be careful with his acknowledgement of the show's past so as to make it as newcomer
07:43friendly as possible. And to that end, a new Doctor was brought in to lead the charge,
07:47and McGann was left without a regeneration scene until 2013 Minnesota, The Night of the Doctor.
07:52Number 5, Christopher Eccleston.
07:54Though precise details are scarce, Christopher Eccleston did not have the best of times
07:58shooting his first and only series of Doctor Who. Production on Block 1, comprising Rose,
08:03Aliens of London and World War 3, was reportedly chaotic, not least because it fell behind schedule.
08:09This tallies with comments that Eccleston has made in the years since, where he's explained that
08:14poor management on the part of the showrunners was the main catalyst for his decision to exit
08:18after just 13 episodes. He said,
08:20I left because my relationship with the showrunner and the producer broke down. I left because of the
08:25politics of the show. I left only because of those three individuals and the way they were running the
08:29show. It's unclear how bad things got at the time, but Eccleston's recent statement that the only way
08:35he'd consider returning to Doctor Who was if current producers Russell T. Davis, Jane Tranter,
08:39Phil Collinson and Julie Gardner were sacked is damning, considering those four were in charge
08:45back in 2005. On a more positive note, Eccleston loves playing the Doctor and has shown a great
08:50willingness to engage with fans on the convention circuit. He also returned to voice the Ninth Doctor
08:55on audio from 2021 onwards.
08:58Number 4, David Tennant.
08:59Eccleston may have lit the torch, but it was David Tennant who ran with it.
09:03Under his watch, Doctor Who became the most dominant show on British television,
09:07with the Tenth Doctor achieving some phenomenally high viewing figures throughout his run,
09:12including what is still the most-watched New Who episode of all time, 2007 Christmas special
09:17Voyage of the Damned. Unlike the last few Doctors, Tennant's departure wasn't surrounded by any sort
09:22of drama. In October 2008, he made the announcement himself, stating that he didn't want to outstay
09:28his welcome, and that quote,
09:29If I don't take a deep breath and move on now, I never will. It was a very tough choice
09:33to arrive at,
09:34and Tennant did consider staying on for one more series under new showrunner Stephen Moffat.
09:39The BBC would have gladly kept him too, considering his popularity. In fact,
09:43Moffat has since claimed that there might have been plans to consider ending Doctor Who,
09:47and that it was a quote,
09:48huge question whether it could continue without Tennant.
09:51There's no doubt he's iconic in the role, and since regenerating in 2010,
09:55he's barely kept away. He's been highly active in expanded media,
09:59and returned to play the Doctor on screen in both the 50th and 60th anniversaries.
10:03Tennant always knew that the deal for the 60th anniversary was for three specials and no more,
10:08but based on how things ended, we'll no doubt be seeing him again in the future. Let's be honest.
10:12Number 3, Matt Smith.
10:14Matt Smith was able to build on the success of the Tennant era,
10:17giving the show an international appeal to complement its dominance of British screens.
10:22And as was the case with his predecessor, there was no trouble surrounding his departure.
10:25He just decided to move on.
10:27From the beginning, Smith had hinted to Stephen Moffat that he wanted to stay for no more than three series.
10:32The news was announced in June 2013, half a year before his regeneration in the upcoming Christmas special.
10:38Smith stated that it had been an honour to play the Doctor, and that quote,
10:42when you gotta go, you gotta go.
10:44Like other incarnations, the show's tough production schedule also played a part in his decision.
10:48It wasn't an easy choice to make though, and Smith has confessed that he would have gladly done another year,
10:53and that he regrets not getting a full series with Jenna Coleman.
10:56Recently, he's also hinted that he wasn't entirely happy with his final episode.
11:00Unsurprisingly then, he's more than game for a return to the show.
11:04Though many were hoping he'd appear in the 60th anniversary,
11:07Smith is young enough that there's no doubt that we'll see him play the Doctor on screen at least one
11:11more time.
11:12Number 2, Peter Capaldi.
11:14Peter Capaldi actually played two other characters in the Hooniverse before he was cast as the main attraction.
11:19Kykilius in 2008's The Fires of Pompeii, and John Frobisher in Tortured Children of Earth.
11:24Rather than these past lives being ignored during the 12th Doctor's reign,
11:28this identity crisis formed a core part of his arc.
11:31Despite ratings dipping from the Tennant and Smith eras,
11:34Capaldi enjoyed three strong series in the role before regenerating in the 2017 Christmas special.
11:39This was actually a last-minute adjustment,
11:41with the original plan being for him to bow out at the end of Series 10 in July.
11:46As for why he left?
11:47Again, this was another case of the actor deciding to call it quits.
11:50Though incoming showrunner Chris Chibnall did try and persuade him to stay,
11:53and Capaldi did consider it,
11:55he opted out, saying that he wanted to leave while he was still enjoying it.
11:59He's also indicated that the workload was a factor.
12:01In 2018, he candidly stated,
12:03To be at the centre of that brand is a lot of work.
12:06It was hard to maintain that level of commitment with that schedule any longer.
12:10I tried my best to make the Doctor come alive.
12:12This also might explain why he's not so keen on a return.
12:15His response when asked about the possibility was a simple no.
12:18But fingers crossed he changes his mind in the future.
12:21Number 1. Jodie Whittaker
12:23Chris Chibnall and Jodie Whittaker were the first showrunner Doctor duo
12:26to make the three-series rule into a joint agreement.
12:29Upon announcing their exits in 2021, Chibnall explained,
12:33Jodie and I made a three-series-an-out pact with each other
12:36at the start of this once-in-a-lifetime blast.
12:38So now our shift is done.
12:40We're handing back the TARDIS keys.
12:41Whittaker echoed this sentiment,
12:43stating that they always knew they wanted to, quote,
12:45pass on the baton together.
12:47Because her regeneration is still so fresh at this point,
12:49it's too early for any other potential reasons to come to light,
12:53as has been the case with other Doctors.
12:54That said, Whittaker thoroughly enjoyed her time at the helm
12:57and has already confessed she'd be, quote,
12:59very happy to put on my Doctor's coat again.
13:02And with New Who's 20th anniversary approaching in 2025,
13:05who knows what might happen?
13:07Who knows?
13:09And that's everything for this list.
13:10But for more behind-the-scenes gossip,
13:12why not check out 10 Doctor Who mistakes confirmed by the creators?
13:16In the meantime, I've been Ellie for Who Culture,
13:18and in the words of Riversong herself,
13:20goodbye, sweeties.
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