14 Tales From The History Of Doctor Who From William Hartnell To Jodie Whittaker
9. From Being Fired To Being The Greatest
In a very real way, Colin Baker's journey with Doctor Who is one of growth. It is widely known that he is the only actor to have been fired from the part, rather than choosing to walk away. He of course refused to appear in the four episodes that were offered to him, leading to a regeneration. He cited the reason that this would make him ineligible for other work, though in later years he says that he regretted this decision.
However, he returned to the role for 1993's Dimensions in Time and would find a new life in the Big Finish audio productions. A poll held by the Doctor Who Magazine voted him the greatest of the Doctor's in the audio adventures, something that serves as a salve to the manner of his exit from the show.
He did finally receive his full regeneration story. The Sixth Doctor: The Last Adventure was released in 2015, not only offering him the chance to 'hand over the role' but also allowed him to take the crown from Paul McGann of the longest gap between getting the role and regenerating - 28 years!