Doctor Who - From William Hartnell to Matt Smith: What the Time Lords did next

The 11 Doctors (BBC)

Audiences saw Matt Smith make his last outing as the Time Lord in The Time of the Doctor before regenerating into Peter Capaldi's twelfth Doctor.

There was plenty of drama and excitement when it was announced back in August that The Thick of It actor would be taking on the role of the Doctor.

Twitter was awash with tributes to Smith and his time as the Doctor. While some were initially sceptical after he took over from David Tennant, he has gone on to win over fans and to a new generation of children he is the Doctor.

But what now for Smith, our departing Doctor? There is a myth that once a Doctor Who actor leaves the role they are forever typecast as the Time Lord and end up running their careers into the ground. But is that criticism fair? We take a look back at the careers of the men who have played the Doctor.