Doctor Who: What Happened To Each Doctor After They Left The Show?
5. Paul McGann
Last Regular Episode: Doctor Who: The Movie
Paul McGann's Doctor Who tenure lasted for just 90 minutes, with the actor playing the Time Lord in the aforementioned 1996 TV movie. There was a hope that this first outing would lead to a full series, but that obviously never panned out.
Still, it's not like McGann had to go and live on the street. Even before Doctor Who, he was a respected actor thanks to roles in movies like Alien 3 and Empire Of The Sun, and that didn't change when he handed off the baton to Christopher Eccleston.
He continued to act in movies for the remainder of the '90s and well into the '00s (Queen Of The Damned and Lesbian Vampire Killers being his two most notable roles during this period), but it was on TV where he really flourished. He counts Jonathan Creek, Waking The Dead, New Tricks and Holby City among his credits, alongside a stint on Luther opposite Idris Elba, where he played lawyer Mark North.
But, of course, Doctor Who fans will remember the time he returned to play the Eighth Doctor in the 2013 minisode The Night Of The Doctor, where he regenerated into The War Doctor and helped set up the 50th anniversary special.