Why every Doctor Who actor has left the BBC series
Ncuti Gatwa is the most recent star to portray the Time Lord, leaving after just 18 months in the role and with two series under his belt. He is the actor with the second shortest stint of the Modern Who era, coming after Christopher Eccleston, who departed the BBC show after one series.
The star, who also appeared in the Barbie movie, has now revealed exactly why he left the series so early, and he is not the only person to have done so over the years. Here is what every star who has played The Doctor has said about their reasons for leaving.
During an appearance on BBC's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg on 13 July, Gatwa explained his reason for leaving the series, citing that it "took a lot out" of him and he was "getting old". The actor joined the show in November 2023 in the show's 60th Anniversary specials and starred in two series and Christmas specials before bidding farewell.
When asked why he left, the 32-year-old actor said: "Because I'm getting old. My body was tired. It's the most amazing job in the world. It's a job that any actor would dream of, and because it's so good, it's strenuous.
"It takes a lot out of you, physically, emotionally, mentally. So, it was time."
Despite his departure from the show, the actor teased that he would return to the role when the time was right, telling Kuenssberg, "Never say never" when asked directly about a future cameo.
Whittaker joined the BBC series alongside showrunner Chris Chibnall, and the pair revealed they had made a deal when they first started working together that they would stay together until the end, meaning they would also leave at the same time when they felt it was right.
Whittaker announced her departure from the show in 2021, sharing a statement: "I cannot thank Chris enough for entrusting me with his incredible stories. We knew that we wanted to ride this wave side by side, and pass on the baton together.
"So here we are, weeks away from wrapping on the best job I have ever had. I don't think I'll ever be able to express what this role has given me. I will carry the Doctor and the lessons I've learnt forever. I know change can be scary, and none of us know what's out there. That's why we keep looking. Travel hopefully. The universe will surprise you. Constantly."
Chibnall also reiterated that the deal was the reason behind his and Whittaker's departure: "Jodie and I made a 'three series and out' pact with each other at the start of this once-in-a-lifetime blast. So now our shift is done, and we're handing back the Tardis keys."
Peter Capaldi portrayed The Doctor for four years, appearing in three series and several specials during this time. The actor is famously a super fan of the show, having even sent fan letters as a child to the BBC, and so getting to portray the character felt like the chance of a lifetime.
But there came a point where he knew it was "the right time to move on" because of the impact it had on him and the time he had dedicated to it. Speaking with the Courier Mail in 2018, he said: "Doctor Who is a great show and experience, but to be at the centre of that brand is a lot of work. There's a lot more than just acting.
"It was hard to maintain that level of commitment with that schedule any longer. I tried my best to make the Doctor come alive."
The actor added that he "stopped being anything" for four years and needed rest after such a huge undertaking. In an interview with Radio Times in 2017, he said: "I love this show, but I've never done anything where you turn up every day for 10 months," he explained. "I want to always be giving it my best, and I don't think if I stayed on, I'd be able to do that."
Matt Smith also played The Doctor for four years, departing after the 50th anniversary special and Christmas specials in 2013. Since leaving the BBC show, the actor has not stopped working, starring in critically-acclaimed projects like House of the Dragon, Last Night in Soho and The Crown.
Ahead of his departure, Smith told The Hollywood Reporter that playing The Doctor is a huge undertaking and it felt like the perfect time to leave: "It's a very intense process to play the Doctor. The line-learning is really hard, and you have to live away from home for nine or 10 months a year. I love the show, and it wasn't an easy choice to come to, but it's the right time for both of us."
However, in an interview with the Los Angeles Times, via Female First, the actor admitted he considered doing another series but ultimately changed his mind: "I'd have very happily done another year. It's a wonderful show. But I think you gotta go when you gotta go, and for me, it just felt like the right time to move on."
When David Tennant took the role of The Doctor in 2005, it was the opportunity of a lifetime, as a longtime fan of the series, the actor was beside himself with delight. He quickly became a firm favourite for viewers, and regularly tops lists as the best Doctor.
Tennant initially left the role in 2010, after more than four years as The Doctor, and he told the BBC that he ultimately chose to do so in order not to "outstay [his] welcome".
He explained: "It would be very easy to cling on to the Tardis console forever and I fear that if I don't take a deep breath and make the decision to move on now, then I simply never will. You would be prising the Tardis key out of my cold, dead hand. This show has been so special to me, I don't want to outstay my welcome."
Tennant has since returned to the role on a handful of occasions, appearing in the 50th anniversary special with Smith and then portraying the Fourteenth Doctor for the 60th anniversary episodes that were released ahead of Gatwa's introduction into the series.
Of the Modern Who era, it is Christopher Eccleston who holds the shortest stint as The Doctor as he left in 2005 after just one series in the role. The actor departed after facing creative difficulties with showrunner Russell T Davies.
At the time the BBC falsely claimed the actor left to avoid being "typecast", a statement they have since rescinded, while Eccleston has become increasingly candid over the years regarding his reason for leaving the role and the backlash he faced.
The actor explained he had issues with how the show was run behind the scenes. In a panel appearance at New York Comic Con in 2019, he explained: "I left because my relationship with the showrunner and producer broke down, I left only because of those three individuals and the way they were running the show. I loved playing the character, and I loved the world... and I felt, 'I'm going to play the Doctor my way and I'm not going to get involved in these politics.' And that wasn't workable, so off I went."
He also told Radio Times in 2018 that he couldn't in good conscience stay on the series because of the struggles he had behind the scenes: 'My relationship with my three immediate superiors – the showrunner, the producer and co-producer – broke down irreparably during the first block of filming and it never recovered. They lost trust in me, and I lost faith and trust and belief in them."
In an interview with The Guardian in 2018 Eccleston revealed that he was blacklisted by the BBC as a result of leaving Doctor Who: "What happened around Doctor Who almost destroyed my career. I gave them a hit show, and I left with dignity, and then they put me on a blacklist.
"I was carrying my own insecurities as it was something I had never done before and then I was abandoned, vilified in the tabloid press and blacklisted. I was told by my agent at the time: 'The BBC regime is against you. You're going to have to get out of the country and wait for regime change.'"
Eccleston has been asked to return to the show, such as for the 50th anniversary special, but has declined. His animosity toward Davies and the show's producers continues, because as recently as 2023 he said at For The Love of Sci Fi convention that he would only return to the show on one condition: "Sack Russell T Davies. Sack Jane Tranter. Sack Phil Collinson. Sack Julie Gardner. And I'll come back. So can you arrange that?"
He added: "I love being associated, just don't like being associated with those people and the politics that went on in the first series. The first series was a mess, and it wasn't to do with me or Billie [Piper], it was to do with the people who were supposed to make it, and it was a mess."
Between the Classic and Modern Who eras on TV was a TV movie starring Paul McGann as the Eighth Doctor, which aired in 1996.
Doctor Who had been cancelled by the BBC due to dwindling ratings, and the TV movie was a bid to try and breathe new life into the franchise. Ultimately, it didn't work, and so McGann's appearance as the Doctor was a one-and-done occurrence. In 2013, McGann reprised the role for the show's 50th anniversary, appearing in an online-only min-episode called The Night of the Doctor. He also appeared briefly in 2022's The Power of the Doctor as one of the 'Guardians of the Edge'.
The Classic Who era ended in 1989 with Sylvester McCoy as the Doctor, after he portrayed the character across three series. McCoy's departure from the show was not his own making; the BBC decided to cancel Doctor Who after audience numbers reduced to the point where it was no longer feasible to keep going.
Ironically, the cancellation came after McCoy had agreed to make a fourth season of the show. "The plans were afoot [for a fourth season]," McCoy told RadioTimes. "We were going to carry on with the mystery, drop hints that the Doctor was more than just the Doctor, a more powerful kind of being - not a being, really, an alien, whatever he is! That was the kind of idea. We never achieved that because of what happened."
Colin Baker took over the role of The Doctor in 1984, and he portrayed the character for almost three years as the sixth iteration of the character. The actor is an exception to his cohort because he didn't leave the role of The Doctor, he was fired. Baker was dropped from the series due to dwindling ratings.
Baker refused to return to film a regeneration scene for incoming actor Sylvester McCoy, and in 2019 he said at a BFI screening that he regretted the decision because he forgot about the fans. Per Radio Times, he said: "I was being brutally selfish at the time and I just felt annoyed. Because I loved that part... and I thought I had more to offer."
In a chat with the BBC in 2013, Fifth Doctor actor Peter Davison revealed that he was advised to only stay on the BBC show for three seasons by Patrick Troughton, who portrayed the Second Doctor.
"I had to make the decision absurdly early," Davison explained. "It was at the end of my second season. The producer asked about staying beyond a third year, and I said I would call it a day because that had been my plan, as suggested by Patrick Troughton. 'Do three and get out,' he said.
"I stuck with that. I had a chance to change my mind, but I thought that would be chickening out, and there were other things I wanted to do."
The actor to have the longest stint as the Time Lord is Tom Baker, who portrayed the character for seven years and left the role in 1981.
In an interview with Digital Spy, the actor revealed that his reason for leaving the show was ultimately because of the difficult relationship he had with John Nathan-Turner, the producer of his third and final era in the role.
"I didn't like his approach to anything very much," Baker said. "His approach as a producer, to the scripts and to my performance...he managed somehow — how terrible — to diminish me. He made assumptions about how I should do things, or what lines meant, or how it should be shot, which diminished me, and I found that unbearable."
Ultimately, Baker has since come to the conclusion that it was a good thing because the producer "nudged me toward the realisation [that Doctor Who] had run its course and I should go somewhere else. I think, in a way, when I said when I wanted to go, he was relieved, that he wouldn't have to have that fight".
The third iteration of The Doctor was portrayed by Jon Pertwee, who played the character between 1970 and 1974. He ultimately left the role after his costar Roger Delgado, who played The Master, died in a car accident, and Pertwee didn't want to act with anyone else in that role.
The departures of show producer Barry Letts and his onscreen companion Katy Manning also led him to that decision because it felt like the "end of an era".
As mentioned, Troughton previously advised Davison that he should only stay in the role of The Doctor for three series, and this was something the actor did himself.
He ultimately left because of the gruelling filming schedule for the show, and because he didn't want to be typecast after staying in the part for too long.
The very first Doctor was portrayed by William Hartnell from November 1963 to October 1966, putting the character on the map and creating an icon for the BBC.
Hartnell left the role after almost three years because of his deteriorating health, which made learning lines more difficult for him. It was decided during his tenure that, because the Doctor is an alien, he would be able to regenerate, thus allowing the lead role to be recast and the series to continue. Hartnell is the one who suggested his successor, Troughton.
Doctor Who is available to watch on BBC iPlayer.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
25 minutes ago
- USA Today
'Fantastic Four' first look: Meet the 'complicated' foes for Marvel's heroes
In Marvel Comics lore, Galactus is one of the biggest – literally – supervillains in the galaxy, a being that devours entire worlds. Now, Ralph Ineson will be the first to allow that his ginormous character in 'The Fantastic Four: First Steps' (in theaters July 25) seems like a pretty bad guy, especially to the residents of Earth, where he's feasting next. 'But I would say he is not evil because he's just pursuing what he does,' says the British actor. 'There's no kind of actual human malice.' Set in the retrofuturistic 1960s, 'Fantastic Four' introduces four Marvel heroes: stretchy Reed Richards (Pedro Pascal), invisible woman Sue Storm (Vanessa Kirby), human torch Johnny Storm (Joseph Quinn) and rock monster Ben Grimm, aka the Thing (Ebon Moss-Bachrach). The movie also debuts new foes including Mole Man (Paul Walter Hauser) and Shalla-Bal (Julia Garner), the Silver Surfer and herald of Galactus. Join our Watch Party! Sign up to receive USA TODAY's movie and TV recommendations right in your inbox This 'complicated' trio exemplifies 'the best kind of villains,' says 'First Steps' director Matt Shakman, 'the ones that you can understand and you can relate to.' Here's an exclusive peek at the Fantastic Four antagonists of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, in order of increasing existential threat: Paul Walter Hauser digs Mole Man, the Fantastic Four's first foe The Mole Man was the first bad guy faced by the Fantastic Four in the debut issue of their 1961 comic book, a nuclear engineer who led a race of subterranean creatures and monsters. The MCU version of Harvey Elder is 'really more of a union boss than a supervillain,' Shakman says. Hauser notes the comic version is 'vicious and heinous and unrelenting,' while his character is aligned with humanity. 'He is living sort of in the shadows like a villain would, but he's also taking care of an entire race of people and trying to live his life without being bothered.' And his opposition to the Fantastic Four is political in nature, Hauser teases. 'It's a power struggle, but within that, there are compromises and alliances made.' Adds Shakman: 'He's all about community, and that's why Sue and Harvey have a good relationship and they get along. They understand each other.' Julia Garner's Silver Surfer brings doom to Earth The Silver Surfer arrives on her super-cool surfboard with a bleak message for the Fantastic Four and the rest of Earth: She heralds the coming of Galactus after finding the planets that make up his next meal. Yet while the delivery seems chilly, there's some serious emotion going on under her shiny facade. 'This is someone who's sacrificed a lot in order to save something in their past, and that is noble. So it's kind of a classic anti-hero character,' Shakman says, adding that her backstory connects with the movie's themes of family. 'She carries a lot of guilt for what she's done,' Shakman says. "There's part of her speech that she's been told to deliver, which is 'Your planet is marked for death.' And then there's her own addition to it, where she says, 'Hold your loved ones close. Speak the words you've been afraid to speak.' Part of it is what she chooses to share because of her empathy, and part of it is what she has to do for her job.' Ralph Ineson's Galactus has a gigantic appetite for destruction There's good reason why we haven't seen Galactus in his full glory yet. Trailers have shown his boots or the back of his helmeted head, and even here folks can just see his massive chest. 'It's a big moment when the Fantastic Four get to see him for the first time,' Shakman says, 'and I'd love for that to be the same for the audience.' Ineson agrees the buildup is exciting, but 'slightly terrifying from my end.' While Garner played the Surfer via motion capture, Ineson wore a helmet and full suit of armor to play the kaiju-sized Galactus, even needing his own pit crew to keep him cool between takes. Ineson would venture to the top of tall buildings and try to capture the day-to-day perspective of 'a 14 billion-year-old cosmic vampire.' Galactus is 'an essential force of the universe,' who helps keep the balance of the cosmos, Ineson says. 'Whatever is crawling around on the planet that he's going to devour, it's of no real consequence to him unless there is something he wants.' And therein lies the rub in the new movie: Galactus wants Reed and Sue's newborn baby. 'He's willing to bargain,' Shakman says. 'He did it with Shalla-Bal and he's going to attempt to do it with the Fantastic Four.'
Yahoo
35 minutes ago
- Yahoo
F1 Academy driver Chloe Chong shares the advice Lewis Hamilton gave her: 'I get goosebumps thinking about it'
F1 Academy driver Chloe Chong is thinking about her next moves — both on and off the racetrack. The British-Canadian teenager was just 16 during the inaugural F1 Academy season in 2023. Today, at age 18, Chong is still learning how to balance life as a teenager with that of a high-performance athlete. "There's one part of your life where you're an athlete and you're very focused" on training, media commitments, sponsorship deals, as well as your sport, Chong told Yahoo Canada. But "there's another side of yourself that is just a normal teenager." "A lot of athletes sometimes feel limited by their sport, that competitive side of their life," she said. "They feel like if they take time to do stuff they really want to do, it shows that they're not trying enough, or they're not working hard enough. "For me, I've realized that working hard is one part, but I also need to be able to do the things I want to do and not get overly invested in my sport." If you get overly invested, you try too hard. And if you fall out of love with it, "it all goes downhill." Racing in the #27 Charlotte Tilbury car operated by Rodin Motorsport, Chong is still very much invested — and in love — with racing. When you're in the thick of it, when you're competing against some of the best and fastest drivers out there, "the whole world slows down," she said. "You don't think about anything except your feelings in the car. That's what keeps me going." Have you ever wondered what the world's most interesting, successful and talented people are adding to their shopping carts? Yahoo Canada's new series, , is exploring just that. From the supplement regime of professional athletes to supermodel-approved skincare, this is what celebrities actually spend their money on. F1 Academy is an all-female racing series launched in 2023 by Formula 1 to develop and promote young female drivers in the motorsport industry. The Formula 4-level racing series recently partnered with Netflix for a new docuseries, F1: The Academy, which shines a light on one of the world's most demanding sports. Chong, who is nicknamed "Miss Second Place" among her peers, said it was fellow driver Lewis Hamilton who told her "don't let anyone tell you no." "He said, 'nothing's easy. Nothing good comes easily,' which applies to my journey into racing," Chong told Yahoo Canada. So far, in the 2025 season, with eight races behind her, she is sitting in 11th place with 11 points. His advice "taught me to keep tenacity and keep looking forward and not look back at the mistakes I've made, because everyone makes the same mistakes." Hamilton, who competes in Formula One for Ferrari, "was so inspiring to me," she said. "I get goosebumps thinking about it." Still in the early stages of her F1 Academy racing career, Chong said the nickname motivates her to work hard and push herself to "always do better." "Every driver in the championship that I'm racing in will not accept second place as a victory," she said. You always want P1 [first place]. You want world records. You want something above what you've already got. And that's what keeps the sport very interesting, because you're always looking for more." From her "game-changing" tinted moisturizer to her "go-to" pair of workout leggings, here are five things F1 Academy driver Chloe Chong is Adding to Cart.
Yahoo
41 minutes ago
- Yahoo
John Torode's future with ITV revealed after MasterChef sacking
ITV is standing by John Torode after the BBC sacked him from MasterChef over the racist language claim, Yahoo UK understands. The TV chef, 59, was dismissed over an allegation he used "extremely offensive racist language" while filming MasterChef – a claim he denies. His sacking comes after the BBC also ruled it was "untenable" for Gregg Wallace to return to MasterChef following a report into his behaviour upheld allegations about inappropriate sexual language and humour. Torode will remain on our TV screens with ITV. No changes are expected to be made to the current TV schedule for ITV, Yahoo UK understands. Only weeks ago, Torode has said he "never" takes his shows for "granted". And in the wake of his MasterChef firing, he said on Instagram: "I have been considering my life and the shape of it now and in the future... Life is ever-changing and ever moving and sometimes personal happiness and fulfilment lay elsewhere." John & Lisa's Weekend Kitchen John & Lisa's Weekend Kitchen, which sees Torode join his wife Lisa Faulkner in the kitchen, has reached a milestone this year as it is in its 10th series on ITV. It started on Sunday, 6 July, and it will continue to run on ITV1 and ITVX. The five-episode series sees the cooking couple present delicious recipes with a focus on affordability and accessibility. Over the summer months, Torode and Faulkner put together fresh dishes. John & Lisa's Weekend Kitchen opened with a Masterclass Magic special where they share tips and tricks to mastering basic recipes. Only weeks ago, the husband and wife said: "We love our little show and we feel so grateful we get to do it. We have such an amazing team who give us so much freedom to just cook together and it's always the food we love and believe in. We never take it for granted as we just love doing our show!" Torode and Faulkner are a partnership both in their personal lives and in the kitchen; as for their personal lives, they got engaged in 2018 and married in 2019. John & Lisa's Christmas Kitchen ITV has plans to run a festive series too in the coming months. Torode and Faulkner have filmed their five-episode series John & Lisa's Christmas Kitchen, which will be available to watch in the festive season in 2025. They share their secrets to hosting in the Christmas period and delight with festive favourites. This Morning Torode remains a regular guest chef on This Morning, although he doesn't appear on the show every month. In July, he joined the ITV daytime chat show alongside his wife, Faulkner, to demonstrate their strawberry flan cake recipe. It was a timely appearance to promote their latest series of John and Lisa's Weekend Kitchen. He doesn't only do appearances with Faulkner. In June, the TV chef brought the fire into the kitchen with his chilli-themed dishes. Yahoo UK has reached out to This Morning representatives for further comment. Books Outside of the TV world, Torode has penned several cookbooks. Last year he co-wrote Everyday Recipes from a Professional Chef and a Home Cook with his wife Faulkner. It was the recipe book that accompanied the ninth series of their show John & Lisa's Weekend Kitchen.
