8 Actors Who Regretted Leaving Doctor Who

8. Elisabeth Sladen

During her initial run in the classic series, Elisabeth Sladen worked with two Doctors over a three-year period, appearing in four separate seasons to boot. She became a fan-favourite, an important part of the show, and an icon in her own right.

Because of how well her tenure was received, Sladen felt quite fulfilled when the time came for her to move on, and she was pleased with what she'd managed to achieve.

However... she did also feel a touch of regret.

In an interview from the 1980's, Sladen talks about how her Doctor Who exit was entirely her decision, and how she was pleased that none of the BBC higher-ups gave her "a quiet push". At the same time, she also says that she "felt regret" about leaving, presumably because a part of her wanted to stick with the show for even longer.

With hindsight, we now know that Sladen's relationship with Doctor Who was far from over (she even ended up getting her own spinoff), but back then, she probably thought she was done for good, so it's no surprise that she felt that small twinge of regret.