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Sci Fi Trifles: Useless but essential pop culture tidbits and trivia from the worlds of Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror that once you have read them you don’t know how you have lived so long without knowing them.

The character of the Doctor from the British Doctor Who series, with all of his incarnations, has become universally recognized the world over, along with most of the eleven actors that have played the role. But did the series producers plan all along to have the Doctor take on a new form from time to time to allow for continuity when actors wanted to depart the role, or was that an ingenious ploy to save the series?

William Hartnell first took up the mantle of the Doctor when the series debuted on the BBC in 1963 and became famous in that country as the popularity of the show continued to grow. But failing health began to impact the performance of the elderly actor toward the end of his tenure. Hartnell suffered from arteriosclerosis which affected his memory and made it difficult for him to remember his lines. He decided to leave the series in 1966, but the show was at the height of its popularity at that point, and the producers wanted it to continue. Then they happened upon a brilliant idea that has allowed the show to continue for over thirty seasons and counting. They came up with the idea that the Doctor would regenerate when mortally wounded, thus allowing a new actor to step into the role and not tying the series to one particular person. Since Hartnell’s departure, ten actors have taken up the mantle of the Doctor and the series has experienced a new resurgence in popularity with the continuation that began in 2005.

And for those curious, following are the reasons that subsequent actors have departed the role:

Patrick Troughton (1966-69) – Troughton left in part because he found the work schedule overbearing and also because he wanted to avoid typecasting.

John Pertwee (1970-74) – Pertwee departed to resume his stage career and to avoid typecasting. Also, he was apparently affected by the death of a close friend as well as departures from among the cast and the producers.

Tom Baker (1974-81) – Having the longest tenure in the role and being one of the most recognized actors to play the Doctor, Baker left allegedly because he did not like the direction the series was heading toward the end of his tenure.

Peter Davison (1981-84) – Davison was a well-known actor prior to taking on the role of the Doctor and apparently Patrick Troughton advised him not to stay too long in order to avoid typecasting.

Collin Baker (1984-86) – Having the disadvantage of being one of the least liked actors in the role of the Doctor, Baker also has the unfortunate distinction of being the only person ever dismissed from the role.

Sylvester McCoy (1987-89) – McCoy was actually well-liked as the Doctor, but his tenure was cut short when the BBC decided to cancel the show in 1989.

Paul McGann (1996) – Having the shortest tenure with the character (on television), McGann only appeared in the unsuccessful movie that tried to revive the series as a joint FOX/BBC production. He would continue with the character, though, in several audio plays starring the Eighth Doctor.

Christopher Eccleston (2005) – Eccleston departed after the first thirteen episodes of the revival originally claiming concerns over typecasting, though later he admitted that he did not like the politics and that he “didn’t like the culture that had grown up around the series”.

David Tennant (2005-10) – Probably the second most popular actor to play the Doctor (behind Tom Baker), Tenant left saying that “I don’t ever want it to feel like a job, so I want to move on when it still feels exciting and fresh.” He also had an interest in pursuing a movie career.

Sources: Wikipedia and ScienceFicion.com

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