Doctor Who has brought joy to millions of viewers and many of its stars have spoken fondly about their time on the series including David Tennant, Jodie Whittaker and current Time Lord Ncuti Gatwa.
The BBC sci-fi show began in 1963 and during that time has welcomed many actors into the unique universe, but unfortunately, a few of them haven’t enjoyed it completely.
Christopher Eccleston has spoken candidly about what he didn’t like about being the one in control of the tardis from 2005.
The actor was the lead star in the rebooted show but left after just one series despite being popular with the fans, which left people speculating as to why. He claimed to the Guadian that the BBC mishandled the situation.
‘What happened around Doctor Who almost destroyed my career,’ the 60-year-old told The Guardian.
‘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”.’
He later told The Radio Times: ‘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.’ Speaking at a 2023 For the Love of Sci-Fi convention, he told the audience that he’d return to the show only if creatives, including showrunner Russell T Davies were sacked (via Dan of Geek).
Billie Piper – his companion on the show – recently told The Independent she now knows about his struggles: ‘I now know that he was having a hard time, but I’m not sure I understood at the time how troubled he was with it all.
‘I was going through a lot of personal stuff – I think that’s where my focus was,’ she added.
He isn’t the only actor to not have only joyous things to say…
Carole Ann Ford
Carole was there at the very start of the Doctor Who phenomenon taking on a role in the debut episode.
She played Susan Foreman for two years before departing ‘incredibly annoyed’ and leaving acting entirely shortly after.
‘They told me Susan was going to be an Avengers-type girl – with all the kapow of that – plus she would have telepathic powers. She was going to be able to fly the Tardis as well as her grandfather (the first Doctor played by William Hartnell) and have the most extraordinary wardrobe. None of that happened,’ she explained to the Telegraph.
She quit after finding her storylines, such as always being saved, ‘repetitive’. Carol, 83, is jealous of the women who’ve come after her: ‘How I envy them when I look at what they do, and what I had to do. They do get very sexy, don’t they? I never had such fun in my time.’
Carol also found that after leaving the show, everybody wanted her to play another version of Susan but she wanted to try different things. She believes that Doctor Who destroyed her screen career ‘in no small way’.
Tom Baker
The longest-serving doctor Tom enjoyed most of his seven years, but felt that series boss John Nathan-Turner ‘diminished’ him towards the end.
‘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,’ he shared in an interview for the Doctor Who: The Collection – Season 12 Blu-ray set (via Digital Spy).
This included changes to his costume, such as the addition of question marks on his collar, which Tom, 80, described as ‘insufferably vulgar and cheap’.
Tom’s last series aired in 1981, but he did return for the 50th anniversary episode of Doctor Who. On set, he felt only Matt Smith was welcoming: ‘Nobody else bothered with me at all. I was a bit nettled about that.’
Mary Tamm
Similar to Carol, Mary, 62, felt that her character went in a different direction than where she initially hoped it would.
From 1978-1979, she played the doctor’s companion Romana, who she wanted to be an equal to Tom’s doctor, and not a damsel in distress.
‘They said, “She’s going to be just as powerful as the Doctor”. It did work for a while, but it was only a half-hour format and you’ve got to have somebody who’s explaining what’s going on to the audience, so inevitably I ended up saying, “Oh, what’s that, Doctor? Why, Doctor?”‘ she told The Independent.
‘After 26 episodes, I thought, ‘It’s not going to go any further.’ I’d had enough by then and I decided to leave after that one series.”
Peter Kay
The comedian only appeared in one episode, but it’s remembered often for the wrong reasons.
2006 Love & Monsters centres on a group of doctor enthusiasts who want to track him down, but the group is intercepted by The Abzorbaloff, played by Peter, who has more sinister ambitions. The Abzorbaloff – a monster that was designed by a nine-year-old child who won a Blue Peter competition -wants to absorb his physical body and knowledge.
Some viewers criticised it for seeming like a parody, and for not featuring David and Billie’s characters very much. Even Peter doesn’t have a glowing review of his starring role – he went as far as to call it the one regret of his career in an interview with the Express.
‘I loved making it but when I saw it, I thought, “Oh my God. I’m big green lizard running around Cardiff? Is that it?”
‘It’s nice to have been in Doctor Who but that is regarded by fans as the worst episode ever,’ he mused.
However, the always-optimistic star, 50, added: ‘In 10 years’ time, I’ll be able to do the Doctor Who conventions and charge people a tenner for a photo!’
Robert Glenister
In the widely praised 1984 episode The Caves of Androzani, Robert played Major Salateen. He worked alongside the Fifth Doctor, played by Peter Davison, to launch an assault on Jek – a masked outlaw.
Despite the highly-rated appearance he said: ‘I still get people outside the stage door with that picture of me looking about 12 and I am appalled at myself every time I see it. I looked like a complete berk and wish I never had to see it again.’
The experience certainly didn’t put him off though, Robert, 64, was back as Thomas Edison in Night of Terror, alongside Jodie.
Billie Piper
Billie played Rose Tyler between 2005 and 2006 and found starring on the show ‘uncomfortable’ due to the level of fame it gave her.
Speaking to Lauren Laverne on BBC Radio 4’s Desert Island Discs, she said: ‘It made me really famous again in that sort of mainstream fame way that I find really uncomfortable.’
Discussing why she left in 2006, Billie, 41, added: ‘I think that played into it but also I was just at the beginning of my acting career.
‘As much as I love that show, I love Rose Tyler, Russell T Davies and all the people that I continue to have a relationship with, I wanted to do different stuff. I didn’t like the responsibility of being a sort of role model.’
‘I was in my early twenties and quite wild. And then you’re the face of a family show. I found that really hard,’ she admitted to co-star David on his podcast.
The actress did choose to come back to the show in 2008, 2010 and 2013, and is still open to appearances, showing she does have a lot of love for the show despite her struggles.
