Why Every Lead Actor Left Doctor Who

Doctor Who is a great gig. But when ya gotta go, ya gotta go. So why did each Doctor decide to call it quits?

#DoctorWho

[wallacewallaby]

It's a bit ironic that Whittaker and Chibnall made an agreement to honor the 3 seasons guideline and pass on the baton to the next new Doctor only to end up passing it back to Tennant.

[astrinix]

Tennant: If i don't take a *deep breath*...

Name of 1st episode with capaldi: Deep Breath

[gregorio]

I would adore a Scooby-Doo-esque cameo clip of doctors 11 through 15 accidentally running into each other somewhere, getting into the wrong Tardises, then running around between doors getting into the correct one. That sounds like the level of commitment I think Peter Capaldi would sign on for.

(Edit: Fixed "Tardises")

[kenthomas]

Too bad Smith didn't do a full series with Jenna Coleman. They didn't get enough of a chance to play off of each other and establish a better connection between 11 and Clara. A full series would have helped fans gravitate more to them as well since most think Clara worked better with 12 than 11. Pity.

[danielking]

Given that I am a quarry worker in Cardiff, I quite like my job. Just saying

[flamerama]

I’m supposed to be doing a university assignment and then this shows up and I caved

[NorthernChev]

Tom Baker, David Tennant and Matt Smith absolutely crushed it during their series runs.

[thesagebrushkid]

I really wish that we’d had another Smith season. No reason other than he’s my favourite doctor and I’d have liked more of him.

[mcsnaga]

Another factor in Pertwee's departure I believe was his increasingly bad back which meant he struggled in the role towards the end.,

[justthehari]

12:00 basically Capaldi said to Chibnall "Your writings are suck " in the Doctor way 😅

[GuyClapperton]

We hear a lot about how William Hartnell was “no spring chicken” or whatever but he was born in January 1908 so actually played the part in his mid-fifties. His illness, arteriosclerosis, was what deprived him of his memory - sad to reflect he was only in his mid sixties when he actually died.

[gailbean]

If you're counting all tbe Doctors, you missed the war doctor, John Hurt. He was in only 3 episodes, but he was an official Doctor who got a regeneration scene.

[doorofnight]

For many of them, actor's can get bored staying too long in the same part, they want to be challenged and go on to do other things. While 'three seasons' has become something of a norm, and credited to Patrick Troughton, but Troughton was a very well respected character actor before Doctor Who and quickly became one again after Doctor Who. Tom Baker might be synonymous with the character, but he really never did much afterward as he was in the role for so long (and it was well known by the time he left that he had become extremely difficult to work with). He's done a lot of voice work but his career never really recovered on film, his one big thing I can thing of is that he plays Puddleglum (magnificently) in the BBC adaption of The Silver Chair.

I think only Matt Smith was a relative unknown when he was cast in the role, even Peter Davison was in two other TV shows at the same time. None of the other actors have really been big stars, but pretty well known and respected character actors with a good body of work and there is to some degree an urge to get back to that and not get typecast, overstay their welcome, or end up disliking the job.

[detectivesquirrel]

John Pertwee also was having pain issues with his back

[NativelyBornAmerican]

Peter Capaldi wasn’t the only Doctor to appear previously on the show before becoming the Doctor. Colin Baker played Commander Maxil, on Gallifrey during Peter Davison’s reign.

[joshuacurphey]

I've also heard that Matt Smith and Peter Capaldi wanted to do other projects and Doctor Who was getting in the way of that, as well as that Smith and David Tennant have both said they felt they could've played The Doctor forever.

[julianaylor]

Before Cardiff, it was BBC studios, then later everywhere and a Surrey quarry. There is a tale, not sure if it's an urban myth that Dr Who was filming at one end of a quarry and Blake's Seven at the other. I should imagine that all those dangerous places... remember Tom Baker broke a bone on location once, must have taken their toll.

[barker-chanvlogs]

I've said this before and I'll say it again 14 as of right now would be best in audios while 15 does TV episodes

[BlueSun]

The best Doctor - Peter Capaldi, he fit the part perfectly.

[annapierce]

Tom Baker is the Best classic *Doctor*
and David Tennant is the Best Revival *Doctor* 📘