Why do they keep leaving?

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They all leave. Tennant too. It's part of the role; after you've done what you wanted to do you still have a great death scene to look forward to.

Stop comparing it to American shows where actors are locked into a five year contract they'd love to get out of. The BBC is much more creatively driven than that. Actors, writers and producers can leave whenever they think the time is right without being sued into oblivion for breaking a contract. Tennant left because he felt the time was right. Smith too.

'I've been thinking, Hobbes.'

'On a weekend?'

'Well, it wasn't on purpose...'

I could compare it to British shows too, Midsomer Murders with John Nettles, Kevin Whately in Lewis. Many others also. I comprehend your points.

I get the impression working on set must be unsatisfying or problematic. Or the producers begged them to leave to make room for new storyline. A look at recent episodes will show you how little to offer/new material the writers have left.

"Stop looking at the walls, look out the window." ~ Karl Pilkington On Art

The Doctor has to regenerate therefore the actors playing him have to leave at some point - unfortunately, no matter how good they were in the role.

You were right Garance, love is simple

Actors by nature want to explore new characters. Yes, some actors have stuck at the same role for ten or twenty years, but I imagine one of the following is true in those cases. Either the role in question has not given them the kind of star profile that Doctor Who gives to it's lead, which naturally brings with it the temptation of other, well paid and/or artistically enticing, offers; or the actor is an older actor who may reason that they are nearing the end of their career and probably would be wise to stick to the good thing they've stumbled on; or else the role they are currently in is so ridiculously well paid that they could never hope to score another to compare (see your Charlie Sheen example). The lead role in Doctor Who would be all-encompassing and exhausting. For a while, it would be marvelous, but eventually you would just want to see what else was out there for you. Smith and Tennant each gave four years of his life to Who. That is a sizeable commitment, and nobody can blame them for wanting to try something else for a change.

I think 12 hours a day for 10 months a year have a lot to do with it imagine how tiring that must be plus they prob want to try other things like we all do in our life's so why shouldn't they too?

I'm glad someone else knows that its a job for them. They are actors, not really Time Lords. (Sorry to break it to the fanatics.)

My theory is that their agents or manager decides it's a good time for them to leave or forever be typecast. They are famous now and other offers are on the table. Stay too long, suffer Tom Baker syndrome.

There may be a lot of other reasons. Maybe they want to direct, write, produce. Maybe they're not happy with the scripts....could be a dispute. Etc.

Fair shake of the sauce bottle... Tennant had the best part of 5 years.. Goose was entitled to ask..