Doctor Who producer Steven Moffat said he had hoped leading star Peter Capaldi would not have joined him in leaving the series.
This year's Doctor Who is the final series to feature Capaldi in the title role and also the last to be overseen by Moffat, who has been in charge since 2010.
The executive producer and Sherlock writer also said his decision to stand down as the showrunner was because "it's (the show) very dominant and I want to try something else."
Speaking to Chris Evans on his Radio 2 breakfast show, Moffat said: "I was kind of hoping he would stay on because there's only so much emotional trauma you can bear. I've had three versions of my childhood hero hand in their resignations to me and there's no specific therapy for that, that's really quite difficult."
He added jokingly: "It's like Santa Claus quitting in front you, no stop!".
Broadchurch creator Chris Chibnall will take over as the new boss of Doctor Who.
The current series, the 10th since the show returned in 2005, made headlines when it returned with news that the Doctor's new sidekick was the programme's first openly gay permanent companion.
Pearl Mackie took over from Jenna Coleman to play new sidekick Bill Potts.
Potts is the first clearly defined gay character in the programme's history.
The penultimate episode ended on a cliffhanger as viewers saw Potts turned into a cyberwoman.
Capaldi's successor has not yet been announced, but Death In Paradise star Kris Marshall has emerged as the bookies' favourite to be the new Doctor.
Fans of the TV series have also championed having a female Time Lord.
:: Doctor Who's final episode of the series airs on BBC One on Saturday at 6.45pm.
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules here