Baker was the only actor ever to have been fired from playing the
Doctor in
Docteur Who (1963) due to dwindling ratings. In an unprecedented event in the history of the series, the decision to remove the actor was made by a BBC executive, BBC One Controller
Michael Grade, who had just brought the series back after an 18-month hiatus. Series producer
John Nathan-Turner, who had originally cast Baker, wanted the actor to continue in the role but was overruled. The BBC's Head of Drama,
Jonathan Powell, asked Baker to return the following year to record a regeneration scene. As a compromise, Baker asked for one more season, at the end of which he would regenerate. Powell told him to go home and they would think about it. Baker never heard back, so
Sylvester McCoy put on a blond wig and performed Baker's regeneration scene after he took the role of the Doctor. Baker has since stated that he has always felt aggrieved that Grade never told him personally why he had to go.
