Hi there.
I appear to be making a lot of 'to do' lists lately and what is more, I am crossing off a lot of stuff. It mostly consists of things like mow lawn, tidy kitchen, wash clothes and the like. However, I try and 'spice it up' a little (yes, I know I am aware that my life isn't exactly rocking with cool stuff right now) by adding things like 'watch House' and 'join Historic Scotland'.
Well, it looks like David Tennant is bowing out of Doctor Who and Russell T Davies is making it known that he's on his way out. He'll be back next week for sure, so let's have a look at the rest of those versions of the Timelord and see how it all panned out for them. Maybe David was being good to us all for staying as long as he did?
William Hartnell (3 years) 
After his second year, Hartnell's Aunt, who raised him, died, and due to deteriorating health (altough there's rumours that this was exagerrated to replace him as he was a difficult actor to work with) led to his replacement in 1966.
How? Radiation poisoning.
Patrick Troughton (3 years)
Troughton was chosen because of his extensive and versatile experience as a character actor. After he was cast, Troughton considered various ways to approach the role, to differentiate his portrayal from Hartnell's amiable-yet-tetchy patriarch. Troughton's early thoughts about how he might play the Doctor included a "tough sea captain" and a piratical figure in blackface and a turban! It was also the early years of Troughton's Doctor that were wiped by the BBC. Woops! He eventually found the schedule a bit tiring, and decided to leave in 1969.
How? Exiled to Earth by the rest of the Timelords with a new face.
Jon Pertwee (4 years) 
Aunt Sally!!! (Sorry).
Pertwee applied for the role and eventually stepped down to carry on his stage career.
How? Radiation poisoning (again!) by the Spider people.
Tom Baker (7 years) 
Many people's favourite Doctor, he was the longest lasting.
How? Falls off a gantry trying to scupper the Master's Plans.
Peter Davison (4 years)
My personal favourite and the youngest at the time, only 30 when he took on the role.
How? Him and companion Peri contracted spectrox toxemia from touching raw spectro - the Doctor dies having given the last of the antidote to save Peri.
Colin Baker (2 years)
My LEAST favourite doctor. He took over from Davison in the late '80s.
How? Killed on the orders of the renegade Time Lady, Rani.
Sylvestor McCoy (2 years)
You can tell the show was flagging by then as the actors came and went too quickly. When the shw was brought back after it had been shelved for a while, there was apparently a bit of bad blood from Colin Baker who thought he should have carried on. He refused to appear in the regeneration scene.
How? Shot by a gang member in LA in 1999.
Paul McGann (1 show) 
I like Paul's portrayal of the Doctor in this one off mini-movie, and he would have made a good Doctor with which to carry a series on. Was this the Doctor who experienced the Time War?
How? Unknown.
Christopher Eccleston (1 year)
A fine re-imagining of the series came with casting of Eccleston as the new Doctor. Shame he didn't stay longer but didn't want to be typecast..
How? Sucking out the vortex energy from the TARDIS from his companion Rose to save her life.
David Tennant (4 (5?) years)
We all know about him, so no need to go on. Rumoured to carry on into 2009, but unlikely to be around after that.
How? Exterminated by a dalek - or is this really the end?
Questions which will hopefully be answered next week:
- Where is Jackie and Mickey?
- Why did Donna start hearing drums when she was at the Shadow Proclomation and why is she wearing a big fat ring? And why does the Shadow woman know all about her previous parallel Universe thing-on-the-back thing in Turn Left and apologise for her loss yet to come? Who exactly will Donna lose?
- Why is Davros breaking down all the walls to each parallel universe?
- Why does Davros want the Human race alive? And why does he think the Doctor arriving is "everything falling into place"?
- What's the crucible?
- What does the key that UNIT gave Martha do?
- What did Khan mean when he said 'he comes the threefold man"
- Khan's last words "everlasting death for the most faithful companion" - what does it mean?
jackfrost
Pro 
thanks for that very interesting.