The True Story Behind Christopher Eccleston's Doctor Who Exit
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00:00 Hello, Only Me. Just before we started, I want to give a quick shout out to Skillshare,
00:04 who we are happy to be working with here on Who Culture to help you access all sorts of
00:09 amazing classes. But more on that later.
00:13 On stage in Melbourne, Australia, Christopher Eccleston spoke about the possibility of his
00:18 return to the role of the Ninth Doctor for the 60th anniversary of Doctor Who.
00:23 Eccleston denounced the idea of multi-Doctor stories as a cash grab, and said that if he
00:27 was to return, it would be as a solo Doctor. It marks a significant shift in his original
00:32 assertion that he'd return to the role when hell freezes over, but it also feels like his return
00:37 to the TV series is as far away as ever. The circumstances of Eccleston's departure
00:42 from the Who show is something of an ongoing mystery in Doctor Who. Originally, it was assumed
00:47 to be a simple case of a decision not to renew his contract. After all, he wasn't known for sticking
00:52 around in popular series for long. His character in Cracker was memorably written out after one
00:57 season, for example. In the years that have followed, however, more information has come
01:01 out via interviews, unofficial sources, and Eccleston's own autobiography.
01:06 So, with that in mind, then, I'm Ellie with Who Culture, and let's take a look at the true story
01:11 behind Christopher Eccleston's Doctor Who exit.
01:14 Number 9. 2003. He's back, and it's about time.
01:20 In 2003, the 40th anniversary year, it was announced that Doctor Who would be returning
01:25 to the BBC with a brand new series. Twice. The Paul Cornell-scripted, Richard E. Grant-starring
01:31 Scream of the Shalker was announced in July as a new animated era for the show. It was a bold
01:37 new vision, pairing an emotionally traumatised Doctor with a robotic master as a sort of buddy
01:42 duo. Shalker's thunder was soon stolen by a bigger, bolder announcement, however. Two months
01:48 later in September, it was announced that Doctor Who would be coming back to BBC1 as a proper
01:53 television series. It would be creatively spearheaded by acclaimed screenwriter Russell T.
01:58 Davies. Between 26th September 2003 and 26th March 2005, Doctor Who fandom was reinvigorated
02:06 by the possibilities of the new series. Discussing potential casting, sharing various production
02:12 rumours and set photos on message boards, and renewing their dormant Doctor Who Appreciation
02:17 Society memberships, it was a very exciting time to be a Doctor Who fan.
02:21 Number 8. Eccleston is cast for Doctor Who's second coming.
02:27 Names thrown around as a potential ninth Doctor included Tom Baker and Judi Dench. As Russell T.
02:32 Davies nodded along to these suggestions, he was harbouring a desire to cast Hugh Grant in the
02:36 role. Quite what the battle-scarred Doctor would be like in the hands of Grant is anyone's guess,
02:41 as Grant declined the offer. Something he's said to have later regretted after seeing how
02:45 successful the show became. A name that nobody had even considered was Christopher Eccleston,
02:51 an actor known for his work in grounded, realistic, seminal dramas like Our Friends
02:56 in the North and Cracker. He was not an actor known for the lightness of touch many expected
03:00 from the character of the Doctor. In an interview to announce his casting, Eccleston noted that,
03:05 "I don't think he's going to be as eccentric and foppish as he was in some of his incarnations."
03:10 Eccleston was cast after he emailed Davies to register his interest, having previously worked
03:15 on The Second Coming with RTD, Eccleston told the press he was excited to be working with him again.
03:20 Number 7. Filming begins with Aliens of London
03:25 With Eccleston cast as the Doctor and former pop star and full-time actor Billy Piper cast as his
03:30 companion Rose, the 21st century incarnation entered production on the 18th of July 2004.
03:36 Filming at Cardiff Royal Infirmary, doubling for Albion Hospital, Eccleston's first scenes as the
03:42 Doctor was him chasing the space pig down the corridor. And there's nothing more Doctor-ish
03:46 than that. Alongside the filming of the series, a companion show, Doctor Who Confidential,
03:51 was documenting the production and provided valuable insights into Eccleston's brief time
03:56 on the show. In his interviews, he clearly grasps the character, noting the Doctor's
04:01 open-mindedness as a great quality for a television hero, while also highlighting
04:05 his brutal alien pragmatism. Eccleston and Piper also clearly get on very well together,
04:11 and are regularly seen smiling and laughing between takes in the short glimpses of filming.
04:16 In his autobiography, I Love the Bones of You, Eccleston reflects on his working relationship
04:21 with Piper, stating, "What truly amazes me is I know how nervous Billy was at the start.
04:26 She thought I was some big serious performer and she didn't have the belief in herself as an actor.
04:31 She proved herself, of course, to be way better than any of the rest of us."
04:34 Now, at the beginning of this video, I told you that we had partnered with Skillshare. And for
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06:08 get your creative juices flowing. Once again, a massive thank you to Skillshare, but for now,
06:14 back to the video. Number 6. Eccleston Embarks on the Promotion Trail
06:19 In the run-up to Doctor Who's premiere on the 26th of March 2005, Christopher Eccleston embarked on
06:25 the promotional trail for the new series. The return of Doctor Who was a big deal. There were
06:31 billboards, specially shot trailers, and teasers. Eccleston and Piper were front and centre in all
06:36 of this promotion. On top of this, there were also media appearances on some stalwart British shows.
06:42 Eccleston sat on the Blue Peter sofa to talk about how he felt about taking on such an iconic role,
06:48 stating, "I was very excited. I felt ready to take on something with that sort of responsibility
06:53 because the scripts are that strong." He also appeared on a special Doctor Who-themed episode
06:58 of Mastermind to present the winner with the trophy. On being introduced by host John Humphries
07:03 as Doctor Who, Eccleston offhandedly quipped, "Well, for now." Throughout these appearances,
07:08 he's effusive about what drew him to the role - the scripts, the monsters, and the importance
07:14 of the Doctor. What nobody knew at this point, however, was that Eccleston had already filmed
07:18 his final scene as the Doctor. Number 5. Rose Airs, Two Days Later, Eccleston Is Gone
07:26 On the 26th of March 2005, Doctor Who triumphantly returned to screens.
07:30 Not even the leak of the first episode or an interruption from Graham Norton could take the
07:39 sheen off the staggering 10.81 million viewers that tuned in to watch Rose. Two days later,
07:46 the tabloids published reports that Eccleston had already departed the series and the search
07:50 for a new Doctor was on. The BBC responded to these rumors two days later on the 30th of March,
07:56 stating that Eccleston left the role for fear of being typecast. It wasn't true.
08:00 The following Monday, BBC Head of Drama and Commissioning Jane Tranter had to publicly
08:05 apologize to Eccleston, stating that, "The BBC regrets not speaking to Christopher before it
08:10 responded to the press questions on Wednesday the 30th of March. The BBC further regrets that it
08:15 falsely attributed a statement to Christopher and apologizes to him." It was a sour note that
08:20 undercut the joy of Doctor Who being back on TV and more popular than ever. The casting of David
08:26 Tennant and the series' increasing popularity certainly dispelled much of this unpleasantness.
08:30 However, the BBC's decision to misquote Eccleston and upset him further is a real
08:35 failing on their part, especially given how much work he did to promote the series.
08:40 4. Stories of On-Set Troubles Emerge in the Years After Eccleston's Departure
08:45 The abrupt nature of Eccleston's departure and the poor handling of the announcement by the BBC
08:50 has led to it being revisited in various interviews with the actor. In June 2010,
08:56 Eccleston hit the headlines when, while promoting a drama about John Lennon,
09:00 he was asked about his departure. In response, he stated that, "I didn't enjoy the environment and
09:05 the culture that we, the cast and crew, had to work in. I thought if I stay in this job,
09:09 I'm going to have to blind myself to certain things that I thought were wrong."
09:13 As an actor who is from a staunch, working-class, trade union background,
09:17 it's unsurprising that he left rather than be complicit in a perceived toxic workplace.
09:22 It's unclear if this refers to Series 1's overrunning shoots, Eccleston's rumoured
09:26 disagreements with director Keith Boak, or something else entirely. In 2018,
09:31 Eccleston elaborated further, suggesting that something had gone very badly wrong between when
09:36 he excitedly emailed RTD to offer to play The Doctor and his eventual departure, stating,
09:42 "My relationship with my three immediate superiors, the showrunner, the producer,
09:46 and co-producer, broke down irreparably during the first block of filming, and it never recovered.
09:51 They lost trust in me, and I lost faith and trust and belief in them."
09:55 3. Eccleston meets with Moffat for Day of the Doctor
10:00 In his autobiography, Eccleston feels that Russell T Davies didn't quite know what he
10:04 wanted from The Doctor, but is incredibly complimentary of Steven Moffat, saying that
10:08 his scripts "delivered my best work, bringing me closer to finally knowing exactly who the Doctor
10:14 was than any other time during the shoot." It's no surprise that he was open to meeting Moffat
10:19 about appearing in 2013's 50th anniversary special, The Day of the Doctor. Ultimately,
10:25 Eccleston turned the role down because he felt it didn't do justice to the Ninth Doctor.
10:29 He's glad he did, because it left room for John Hurt's phenomenal turn as the War Doctor,
10:34 whom Eccleston believes is a far better actor than him.
10:37 It was a promising first step towards Eccleston donning the leather jacket once more,
10:41 but the role still held a great deal of trauma for the actor. Furthermore, Eccleston's struggles
10:47 with mental health and body dysmorphia were intrinsically linked with the role,
10:51 observing in the autobiography that "People love the way I look in that series, but I was very ill.
10:56 The reward for that illness was the part, and therein lies the perpetuation of the whole
11:01 sorry situation."
11:02 Number 2. Eccleston Begins Attending Conventions
11:06 Five years after the huge 50th anniversary celebrations, Christopher Eccleston made his
11:11 first convention appearance. Rather than a full-on Doctor Who convention, it was the London
11:16 Film and Comic Con, and fans could get their photo taken with the Ninth Doctor for the princely sum
11:21 of £95. Eccleston's appearances on the convention circuit also opened up the opportunities for him
11:28 to bump into other Doctor actors like Matt Smith, with their very tactile and lovely
11:32 meeting going viral on social media. Aside from the obvious financial gain,
11:37 Eccleston was clearly attracted to the convention circuit by the opportunity to meet his fans.
11:42 In a 2016 video for BBC Raw to discuss the A-word, Eccleston talks with fan Gerard Groves about the
11:49 series, autism, and is visibly moved when Groves talks about the impact his portrayal of the Doctor
11:55 had on his childhood. It chimes with Eccleston's own reflections on the impact of the role on those
12:00 kids that were growing up in 2005, watching him as the Ninth Doctor, stating, "Everywhere I go,
12:06 Cornwall, Belfast, Glasgow, I now get people of a certain age, mid-twenties, coming up to me.
12:11 You were my doctor, they tell me."
12:12 Number 1. If You Want Me Back, Get Me On My Own
12:17 As Eccleston continued to make convention appearances, he came into contact with Big
12:21 Finnish Chairman Jason Haig-Ellery at the Gallifrey One convention in early 2020.
12:26 Since that fateful meeting, Eccleston has recorded a full 12-episode series as the Ninth Doctor,
12:32 with another one on the way. It's certainly a positive sign that he's been able to move on
12:36 from the damage and strain that playing the part put upon him. As for a potential return in the
12:41 60th anniversary, it's a bit more complicated than that. At the Supernova convention in Melbourne,
12:47 Eccleston put out an open offer to the BBC. "If you want me back, get me on my own."
12:52 With rumors of a potential anniversary anthology series with past Doctors, he may get his wish.
12:58 And what better tribute to Christopher Eccleston, the man who re-established Doctor Who and ensured
13:03 its continuing legacy, than by having him return in 2023, 20 years after the show was recommissioned.
13:11 And there you have it! If you can think of any other juicy details, then do let us know in the
13:15 comments below. And while you're there, don't forget to like and subscribe and tap that notification
13:19 bell. Also, head over to Twitter and follow us there, and I can be found across various social
13:24 medias just by searching "Ellie Littlechild." I've been Ellie with WhoCulture, and in the
13:28 words of River Song herself, "Goodbye, sweetie."
13:31 [BLANK_AUDIO]