Why Every Lead Actor Left Doctor Who

1. Jodie Whittaker

William Hartnell David Tennant Doctor Who
BBC Studios

Chris Chibnall and Jodie Whittaker were the first showrunner-Doctor duo to make the three series rule into a joint agreement.

Upon announcing their exits in 2021, Chibnall explained:

"Jodie and I made a ‘three series and out’ pact with each other at the start of this once-in-a-lifetime blast. So now our shift is done, we’re handing back the TARDIS keys."

Whittaker echoed this sentiment, stating that they always knew they wanted to "pass on the baton together."

Because her regeneration is still so fresh at this point, it's too early for any other potential reasons to come to light, as has been the case with other Doctors. That said, Whittaker thoroughly enjoyed her time at the helm, and has already confessed she'd be "very happy to put on my Doctor's coat again".

With NuWho's 20th anniversary approaching in 2025, who knows what might happen?

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Danny has been with WhatCulture for almost nine years, and is currently Doctor Who Editor and WhoCulture Channel Manager, overseeing all of WhatCulture's Whoniverse coverage. He has been writing and video editing for 10+ years, and first got a taste for content creation after making his own Doctor Who trailers and uploading them to YouTube (they're admittedly a bit rusty by today's standards). If you need someone to recite every Doctor Who episode in order or to tell you about the making of 1988's Remembrance of the Daleks, Danny is the person to ask.