Some seem to think doctor actors should leave after 3 series because DT and Smith choose too. (although both were close to staying.)
Opinions?

I personally think PC stays at least 4. hope he does. Bith DT and Smith left too soon imo

I think there's probably a huge difference in ambition due to age and the stage they were in in their careers.

DT & MS wanted to make the jump at the best time to move their careers on and upwards. I suspect this is the role PC has wanted for his entire life. My month is on 8 years and the movie

Very True

I hope he breaks the pattern.

David Tennant did three series and then a further year with the specials, so there's no pattern to be found or adhered to.
I hope that PC stays for as long as he wants to, for as long as he feels he has something fresh to bring to the role.

Exactly, he chose to stay for 2009, so had their been a series then he would have still been the doctor that year (although possibly may have been a split series/less episodes to accommodate his theatre work ). No one has ever said, or acted as though their was any length rule in new who.

I don't know if this is just rumour or legend, maybe those in the know could clarify, but I have heard before that their was a three year rule imposed in classic who after Tom Baker, to do with the fact of how the production crew got fed up with him acting like he couldn't be replaced.

I don't think there has ever been a rule about how long an actor should stay in the role.

Both Hartnell and Troughton did about 3 years each, but Pertwee stayed for five seasons and Tom Baker did seven.
Davison stayed for three seasons after Troughton had advised him that three years was a good length of time and would help PD avoid being typecast. When it came to it though, Davison actually wished he'd stayed longer.
Colin Baker was pushed out but knowing how much he'd actually enjoyed being the Doctor it's very likely that he'd have stayed much longer if he'd been given the chance. And although McCoy did three years too, the series was put on hold at that point. A fourth season with McCoy was already in the planning stages, and he'd shown no sign of wanting to move on, so it's quite likely he'd have stayed longer too.

So there's no sign of any production rule in place limiting the run of any of the classic Doctors. Just like there's no sign of any restrictions on 21st Century Doctors either.

"(Laugh) Rules? Never! Ever!! Tell me the Rules!!!"

Never been in a hurry to see the back of any Doctor. Same goes for Peter C. Personally think 3 series is ideally a minimum for a Doctor, though.

I hope he stays for a very long time - certainly beyond Moffat's departure. As mentioned above, Tennant and Smith both got their big breaks with Who as opposed to Capaldi, who has already had a very successful career. Who is essentially his reward.

David was very very very Tempted to stay on for series 5 but he decided that if he would have just kept on doing it and eventually it would turn into a job, so he decided to leave when he did on a high which he did i think the same could be said for Matt.

Also look at how well they've both done since leaving,

Davids even come back to the role IMHO he will return again just not yet as he wants to make the returns special and not a do it for the sake of doing it. hes also done Broadchurch which is doing fantastic and hes also doing AKA Jessica Jones for Netflix!

Matt is Scheduled to have a major role in Terminator Genisys which is relased in a months or so time and his role will continue on into the sequals.

i think we can all agree these roles where given to them mainly for thier roles as Ten and Eleven respectivly.

I hope Peter does break the 3 year rule and even does as long as Tom did, as i honeslty love Peter as the doctor .

Three years seems likely to be the length of the standard contract offered to Tennant and Smith. (Possibly with early get-out "options" for both the actor and BBC Wales if things didn't work out.) After that contract is fulfilled, the actor and his agent renegotiate with BBC Wales over a new contract. At that point, the actor may be in a very strong position with serious money being offered elsewhere. While this may be Capaldi's dream job, he may not wish to do it for a fee he perceives to be less than his market value.

I don't personally mind how long someone is in the role. Each Doctor has their own expiration date. Its the hanging about too long that's the issue.

I could easily have enjoyed another year of Tennant, but a year less of Smith.

I am enjoying Capaldi but can't decide if he's a good long-term option for the show. I don't think I'll know how I feel about him until he has a new companion.

6 seasons and a movie.

well we have not even seen the full charaterization of 12..that comes in series 9

I think Peter Capaldi should try to beat Tom Baker's record and do eight series. It would be nice to see a new series Doctor beat it.

Reckon he'll be around for Series 10 at the least too, and then maybe Series 11. That'll then be 4 years of him and then it's anyone's guess. He is in a very different position to both David and Matt, however, as they went on to springboard off into other roles to further their career, whereas it feels like Peter might and could well stay, well, for as long as he's enjoying it to be honest.

I would have liked Tennant to have been the one to do that >sigh<

Regarding Capaldi though, it would certainly show the people who said he was too old to take on the role in the first place if he became the longest serving doctor.

Yeah, I could have easily watched eight series of David Tennant.

Eight seasons of Matt Smith would do me

Not me. Not if the rest of the seasons were as poor as series 7.

I'm glad Matt regenerated because Peter's Doctor interacts with Clara so much better than Matt's Doctor did. Now I think about it, Matt's Doctor was too much of a pushover allowing both Amy and Clara to twist him round their fingers and stick him under their thumbs at the same time. Capaldi's Doctor really shook Clara up and made her a more interesting character.

Eccleston & Tennant were both rude to Rose's boyfriend. Capaldi was rude to Clara's boyfriend. Could never imagine Matt treating either of the lads were anything other than deference. Rudeness wasn't his style.

I wonder how a Matt-Clara-Danny season would have played out. Could they have still done the betrayal scene?

Eight series of David Tennant and eight series of Matt Smith. That really would have been Nethersphere...I mean 'heaven'.

Oh good god no thanks.

Much as I love 'em both, nah, they both left at the right time if y'ask me.

I think David Tennant left at the right time but I still wouldn't have said no to eight years of him in total. As for Matt Smith, he left way too early IMO. Don't feel like we saw enough of him; there was potential for at least one more series with 11.

Agreed. I think Ten left at the right time, though I;d happily have another season with him if it meant a better exit. With Eleven, it felt like there was more to do with his Doctor. I'd love to see what a Matt Smith series 8 would be like, certainly the Doctor-Clara-Danny plotline would be very different, I can't see 11 being as nasty to Danny as 12 was. Maybe just a few accidentally rude remarks, which irritates Danny's sensitive nature.

Peter will probably do the same as David and Matt, maybe even four series. Anyone thinking he's going to either equal or surpass Tom Baker's record, yeah, it ain't gonna happen.