Doctor Who stars now – tragic deaths, controversial exits and surprise costar marriage
As David Tennant makes a surprise return to Doctor Who for its 60th anniversary, we take a look back at what happened to all twelve other Time Lords over the years
Arguably the most popular Doctor Who ever, David Tennant is back – but where are the rest of them now?
Doctor Who has become one of the UK’s most beloved and best-known television characters since the BBC sci-fi show first ran in 1963. Over a dozen actors have been able to carry the baton over the last 60 years, with some stars lasting only months while others have played the iconic role for years.
Scottish actor David Tennant is the first to reprise the role as the Fourteenth Doctor, after playing the Tenth Doctor, as he makes a surprise return to the iconic show before Ncuti Gatwa takes over as the Fifteenth Doctor at Christmas. Here, we take a look at what became of their predecessors after they left the series.
William Hartnell
William Hartnell played the first incarnation of the Doctor
The first ever incarnation of the Doctor, William Hartnell was initially uncertain about appearing in what was pitched as a children’s series. Luckily for us, he was convinced to take part in November 1963 and it became the most high-profile role of his career. Hartnell wore a wig while playing the part and described his character as “a cross between the Wizard of Oz and Father Christmas”.
With his health deteriorating and having struggled to learn his line, Hartnell left the show just before his three-year anniversary in October 1966. But he did reprise the role for the 10th anniversary special, The Three Doctors, in 1972 by shooting his scenes sat down reading cue cards.
Unfortunately, many of his episodes are missing from the BBC archives after a purge of old shows in the early 70s. This was his final work as an actor, with Hartnell’s health worsening leading to him being admitted to hospital permanently in December 1974. He suffered from cerebrovascular disease and died in his sleep from heart failure in April 1975 at the age of 67.
Patrick Troughton
Patrick Troughton as the Second Doctor (
BBC)
According to Hartnell, Patrick Troughton was the “only man in England” who could take over. The First Doctor regenerated into Troughton’s second in October 1966 and made sure that his portrayal was very different. Troughton was much-loved by the cast and crew and liked to play practical jokes on set, but rarely gave interviews as he believed too much publicity would limit his future opportunities.
After three gruelling years, the actor decided to leave the role to avoid being typecast in future roles. But that wasn’t the end of his time on Doctor Who, as Troughton came back for appearances in 1973, 1983 and 1985. Troughton went on to star in films Scars of Dracula, The Omen and Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger. He also appeared in a number of TV shows including Coronation Street, All Creatures Great and Small and The Sweeney.
Sadly, Troughton died from a heart attack in March 1987 while in America as a guest at a sci-fi convention – where he had been looking forward to screenings of his old episodes. A couple of his children went on to act, and his grandson is Harry Melling, who played Dudley Dursley in the Harry Potter films.
Jon Pertwee
Jon Pertwee as the Third Doctor
Jon Pertwee made major changes to the Doctor – with his era being influenced by James Bond – turning him into an action hero. The actor was already famous for playing Chief Petty Officer Pertwee over 18 years in popular radio sitcom The Navy Lark and for starring in multiple Carry On films.
After four years on the series from 1970 until 1974, he decided to step down to carry on his stage career and to avoid being typecast. He later admitted it was also due to the death of his friend and co-star Roger Delgado, who played The Master. Pertwee would reprise the role for the 20th anniversary special, The Five Doctors and the 1993 Children In Need crossover with EastEnders.
The actor also went on to have another major role as Worzel Gummidge, becoming a cult hero as the scarecrow from 1987 to 1989. Pertwee also maintained a close relationship with Doctor Who fans, frequently appearing at fan events and conferences until his death.
He died from a heart attack in his sleep at the age of 76 and had a toy Worzel Gummidge affixed to his coffin, which had been a request in his will. His son Sean Pertwee went on to become a very successful actor, starring in the film Dog Soldiers and playing Batman’s butler Alfred in the Gotham series.
Tom Baker
Tom Baker as Doctor Who (
The longest-serving Doctor of all time, Tom Baker took over the role in June 1974 and stayed until March 1981. His colourful scarf, distinctive voice and love of jelly babies was well-received by the public and he made a lot of ad-libbed changes to the script. He is considered by most to be the Best Doctor ever, frequently winning many polls, and was part of some of the most popular episodes.
Baker was critical of his final series and did not see eye-to-eye with producers towards the end. After leaving the role, he appeared as Sherlock Holmes in a BBC miniseries and starred in Blackadder II as Redbeard Rum. With his distinctive voice, he went into voice acting, working on children’s TV shows and as the narrator for comedy series Little Britain. Baker then appeared in 50th anniversary special, The Day of the Doctor.
Peter Davison
Peter Davison as the Fifth Doctor (
Getty)
Peter Davison was the youngest actor to take on the role at the time at the age of just 29. Under the advice of second Doctor Houghton, Davison only signed up to the show for three years due to worries about being typecast. Despite pleas from show bosses to stay, Davison left in March 1984, but later expressed regret at not filming a fourth series as the quality of scripts had risen in his final season.
He did reprise the role for a 2007 Children In Need special, where the Fifth Doctor met the Tenth Doctor, David Tennant, who would go on to become his son-in-law. Davison went on to appear in Magnum, P.I., Heartbeat, Midsomer Murders and Death In Paradise. He also played a fictionalised version of himself in Channel 4 comedy series Toast of London.
The actor caused controversy when he said that a female Doctor would cause “a loss of a role model for boys” – with the backlash leading him to quit Twitter. Most recently, Davison appeared as Mr. Percival in Call the Midwife Christmas special 2021 and joined the cast of The Windsors Coronation special earlier this year.
Colin Baker
Colin Baker as the Sixth Doctor (
BBC)
Colin Baker wanted to beat Tom Baker’s record but only lasted two and a bit years in the job. His time as the Doctor was marred in controversy, with fans hating that he tried to strangle his companion in his first appearance. There was then an 18-month hiatus midway through his first series, which was slammed for being too violent, then fears it would never be back on screens.
Baker did return to the role, but in 1986, BBC Controller Michael Gade only agreed to commission another series if Baker was replaced. While his contract was terminated, Baker was asked to come back to film four episodes for his regeneration story. The actor, who claimed he was “treated shabbily’, refused to come back, but later admitted he regretted being “brutally selfish” and not thinking about the fans.
Baker reprised the role once on TV in the 1993 Children In Need special but has voiced the character in audio adventures. He returned to the stage and made appearances on Casualty, Doctors and Hollyoaks. Baker is no stranger to reality TV, having appeared on the 12th series of I’m A Celebrity and Celebrity 5 Go Camping.
Sylvester McCoy
Sylvester McCoy as the Seventh Doctor (
PA)
Another actor who didn’t stay in the role for too long, Sylvester McCoy, started in September 1987 but was gone after just two years. He had a strange start, being forced to play Colin Baker’s Sixth Doctor in a wig when he refused to come back for his regeneration scenes. Initially a comedic character, after a fan backlash he made the role a darker figure.
McCoy didn’t properly leave the role and wasn’t sacked, but the show came to an awkward end in 1989, just as he felt he was hitting his stride. He last appeared in the 1993 TV movie but continued to play the role in a series of audio plays and the comedy spoof The Five(ish) Doctors Reboot in 2013. McCoy has gone on to have a very successful career since leaving the TARDIS.
He has had roles in Casualty, Hollyoaks, The Bill, Doctors and Holby City and appeared with the Royal Shakespeare Company in King Lear opposite Ian McKellen. Modern audiences will know McCoy for playing the wizard Radagast in The Hobbit trilogy, also alongside Ian McKellen as Gandalf.
Paul McGann
Paul McGann as the Eighth Doctor (
BBC)
Poor Paul McGann was only given one proper outing on-screen as the Doctor. The ill-fated TV movie was supposed to lead to a new series, but ratings were low in the US so Fox and Universal decided not to produce one. McGann has claimed he would have come back if bosses had asked, but when the series returned in 2055 he was nowhere to be seen.
Despite the disappointment, McGann has carried on with the role of the Eighth Doctor in audio versions and did appear in 2013 mini episode, The Night of the Doctor. Since his movie appearance, McGann has appeared in Alien 3, Gypo and Lesbian Vampire Killers. He also starred as John Gaskell in 40 episodes of Holby City.
Christopher Eccleston
Christopher Eccleston as the Ninth Doctor (
BBC)
When Doctor Who made a glorious return in 2005, it was Christopher Eccleston in the role. He was the first actor to take on the character who was not born when the series first began. Due to his successful comeback, there was a shock when it was announced he was leaving at the end of the series after just two months in the role. His exit was shrouded in mystery and controversy, with the BBC admitting they had falsely attributed a leaving statement to him without his consent.
They also confessed to breaking the agreement made to not publicly disclose he was only doing one series. Eccleston claimed his relationship with showrunner Russel T. Davies and some of his producers had broken down “irreparably” during the first block of filming and never recovered. “They lost trust in me, and I lost faith and trust and belief in them,” he said. He went on to appear on stage at the Old Vic theatre and star in TV dramas, The Leftovers, Blackout and The A World. Eccleston also played villain Malekith in Thor sequel The Dark World.
David Tennant
David Tennant as the Tenth Doctor (
PA)
David Tennant first played the Doctor fully in the 2005 Christmas special and went on to become one of the most popular stars of all time. He met his wife Georgia, who is the daughter of Fifth Doctor Davison, when she played his genetically engineered daughter in a 2008 episode. After four years, he decided to step down as he didn’t want to “outstay” his welcome, saying: “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.”
Tennant did come back for the 50th anniversary special The Day of the Doctor in 2013 and has since returned to play the role in a number of audio dramas. He went on to star in Nativity 2: Danger in the Manger and played DI Alec Hardy in all three series of Broadchurch. Tennant played the villain Kilgrave in Marvel Netflix series Jessica Jones and Barty Crouch Jr. in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. And now he’s back on the Doctor Who scene for the 60th anniversary special.
Matt Smith
Matt Smith as the Eleventh Doctor (
BBC)
Matt Smith was a relatively unknown actor when he was cast as the Eleventh Doctor in 2009, with headlines such as ‘Doctor Who?’ being written. The youngest actor to take on the role, aged just 26, Matt made it his own and became the first Doctor to be nominated for a Best Actor BAFTA. After nearly four years in the role, he decided to leave, claiming it was the right time to go.
But he later admitted he regretted going so soon and not staying to work longer with companion Jenna Coleman. Smith has gone on to become a megastar, appearing as Prince Philip for the first two series of The Crown. His love life has been up and down, having previously dated model Daisy Lowe and actress Lily James. He went on to play the role of Hunger in 2021 Marvel movie Morbius alongside Jared Leto.
Peter Capaldi
Peter Capaldi as the Twelfth Doctor (
BBC)
Peter Capaldi was best known for playing foul-mouthed Malcolm Tucker in The Thick Of It before he became the Twelfth Doctor. He had previously appeared in 2008 episode The Fires of Pompeii as a different character. After four years, Capaldi announced he would be leaving during an emotional interview on BBC Radio 2.
He later admitted he feared he would not be able to give his best to the part if he stayed on for any longer. Capaldi has gone on record to say that the role of the Doctor is a lot more than just acting, as the brand needs a lot of work. Since leaving the show, the Scottish actor has appeared in the Paddington films and voiced Rabbit in the Christopher Robbin movie. He then starred in DC movie The Suicide Squad, playing The Thinker.
Jodie Whittaker
Jodie Whittaker as the Thirteenth Doctor (
James Pardon/BBC Studios)
Jodie Whittaker became the first female Doctor when she was appointed the Thirteenth Doctor in 2017, which shocked fans around the world – but they soon got used to, and celebrated, the idea of a female Time Lord. Whittaker, who had featured in St Trinian’s, Black Mirror and The Smoke before, was best known for playing bereaved mum Beth Latimer in ITV’s crime drama Broadchurch. Since Whittaker left the BBC role in 2022, she has gone on to play Orla in prison drama Time, starred in Netflix’s Toxic Town and is reportedly filming for Australian series One Night for Paramount+.
