8 Actors Who Regretted Leaving Doctor Who
2. Paul McGann
While Paul McGann didn't have a say when it came to the end of his Doctor Who tenure, he still has some regrets about how the whole situation went down.
Easily one of the most underappreciated Doctors of all time (seriously, that outfit is a work of art), McGann's stint behind the TARDIS controls lasted for just a single television movie, which - due to some low ratings - was not picked up for a full series.
It was an unfortunate turn of events, and while McGann did nothing wrong, he still feels regretful about the premature end of his Doctor Who era, and in a chat with The Independent, he unabashedly admitted that continuing to play the Eighth Doctor would've had a very lucrative impact on his career:
"[Doctor Who] could've been very different. I would've been there for five or six years... and I'd have earned a s**t-load of dough. Life wouldn't have been the same but it didn't happen."
The 1996 TV movie wasn't the end of McGann's Doctor Who career: he starred in his very own 50th anniversary mini-episode, as well as appearing in countless Big Finish audio dramas. Still, it's hard not to feel a little bit sorry for him, considering that this role of a lifetime was cut short due to factors outside his control.