ACTOR Colin Baker has left his role as Doctor Who after three years. His sudden move comes after the BBC's decision not to take up an option for him to play the doctor in all 14 episodes of the neat series, which starts filming in March.
The BBC wanted to replace Mr Baker as the doctor during the next series and offered him four episodes before a new actor — or actress — took over.
However, yesterday he said, through his agent, that he did not want to accept the offer of just four episodes and would not be appearing as the doctor again.
The BBC said the tune had come for a change of doctors — as regularly happens in the programme. A spokesman said: "Naturally we are sorry that Cohn will not be returning for the start of the new season but we wish him well for the future."
The BBC said there was no behind-the-scenes row — and pointed out that the pantomime Mr Baker was appearing in, was being produced by John Nathan Turner, producer of Doctor Who.
Mr Baker, who is playing Buttons in Cinderella at the Theatre Royal, Brighton, took over as Doctor Who three years ago from Peter Davidson.
But he appeared in only two series after the programme was shelved for inure than a year when Mr Michael Grade, controller of BBC1, said that Doctor Who had become too violent and had lost its humour.
John Nathan Turner was not saying whether he already had a new Doctor Who in mind or whether a search would now begin to find a successor to Mr Baker.
The first doctor in the series, which has been running for 23 years, was Hartnell for three years, followed by Patrick Troughton, three years, then Jon Pertwee, five years, Tom Baker, seven years, and Peter Davidson, three years.
Spelling correction: Peter Davison
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