The True Story Behind Christopher Eccleston's Doctor Who Exit
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00:00 Hello, Only Me.
00:01 Just before we started, I want to give a quick shout out
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00:13 On stage in Melbourne, Australia,
00:15 Christopher Eccleston spoke about the possibility
00:17 of his return to the role of the ninth doctor
00:20 for the 60th anniversary of Doctor Who.
00:22 Eccleston denounced the idea of multi-doctor stories
00:25 as a cash grab and said that if he was to return,
00:28 it would be as a solo doctor.
00:30 It marks a significant shift in his original assertion
00:33 that he'd return to the role when hell freezes over,
00:35 but it also feels like his return to the TV series
00:38 is as far away as ever.
00:40 The circumstances of Eccleston's departure
00:42 from the Who show is something
00:43 of an ongoing mystery in Doctor Who.
00:46 Originally, it was assumed to be a simple case
00:48 of a decision not to renew his contract.
00:50 After all, he wasn't known for sticking around
00:52 in popular series for long.
00:54 His character in Cracker was memorably written out
00:56 after one season, for example.
00:58 In the years that have followed, however,
01:00 more information has come out via interviews,
01:02 unofficial sources, and Eccleston's own autobiography.
01:06 So, with that in mind then, I'm Ellie with Who Culture,
01:09 and let's take a look at the true story
01:11 behind Christopher Eccleston's Doctor Who exit.
01:14 Number nine, 2003.
01:17 He's back, and it's about time.
01:19 In 2003, the 40th anniversary year,
01:22 it was announced that Doctor Who would be returning
01:25 to the BBC with a brand new series, twice.
01:28 The Paul Cornell-scripted, Richard E. Grant-starring
01:31 Scream of the Shulker was announced in July
01:34 as a new animated era for the show.
01:36 It was a bold new vision,
01:37 pairing an emotionally traumatized Doctor
01:40 with a robotic master as a sort of buddy duo.
01:43 Shulker's thunder was soon stolen
01:45 by a bigger, bolder announcement, however.
01:47 Two months later, in September, it was announced
01:50 that Doctor Who would be coming back to BBC One
01:52 as a proper television series.
01:54 It would be creatively spearheaded
01:56 by acclaimed screenwriter Russell T. Davies.
01:59 Between 26th of September, 2003, and the 26th of March, 2005,
02:04 Doctor Who fandom was reinvigorated
02:06 by the possibilities of the new series,
02:09 discussing potential casting,
02:10 sharing various production rumors,
02:12 and set photos on message boards,
02:14 and renewing their dormant
02:16 Doctor Who Appreciation Society memberships.
02:18 It was a very exciting time to be a Doctor Who fan.
02:22 Number eight, Eccleston is cast for Doctor Who's
02:25 second coming.
02:26 Names thrown around as a potential ninth Doctor
02:29 included Tom Baker and Judy Dench.
02:31 As Russell T. Davies nodded along to these suggestions,
02:34 he was harboring a desire to cast Hugh Grant in the role.
02:37 Quite what the battle-scarred Doctor would be like
02:39 in the hands of Grant is anyone's guess,
02:41 as Grant declined the offer,
02:43 something he's said to have later regretted
02:45 after seeing how successful the show became.
02:47 A name that nobody had even considered
02:50 was Christopher Eccleston,
02:51 an actor known for his work in grounded,
02:53 realistic, seminal dramas like
02:55 Our Friends in the North and Cracker.
02:57 He was not an actor known for the lightness of touch
02:59 many expected from the character of the Doctor.
03:02 In an interview to announce his casting,
03:04 Eccleston noted that,
03:05 "I don't think he's going to be as eccentric and foppish
03:08 "as he was in some of his incarnations."
03:10 Eccleston was cast after he emailed Davies
03:12 to register his interest.
03:14 Having previously worked on the second coming with RTD,
03:17 Eccleston told the press he was excited
03:19 to be working with him again.
03:21 Number seven, filming begins with Aliens of London.
03:24 With Eccleston cast as the Doctor and former pop star
03:27 and full-time actor Billy Piper cast as his companion Rose,
03:31 the 21st century incarnation entered production
03:34 on the 18th of July 2004.
03:36 Filming at Cardiff Royal Infirmary,
03:38 doubling for Albion Hospital,
03:40 Eccleston's first scenes as the Doctor
03:42 was him chasing the space pig down the corridor.
03:44 And there's nothing more Doctor-ish than that.
03:47 Alongside the filming of the series,
03:49 a companion show, Doctor Who Confidential,
03:51 was documenting the production
03:53 and provided valuable insights
03:54 into Eccleston's brief time on the show.
03:57 In his interviews, he clearly grasps the character,
04:00 noting the Doctor's open-mindedness
04:02 as a great quality for a television hero,
04:04 while also highlighting his brutal alien pragmatism.
04:08 Eccleston and Piper also clearly get on very well together
04:11 and are regularly seen smiling and laughing
04:13 between takes in the short glimpses of filming.
04:16 In his autobiography, I Love the Bones of You,
04:18 Eccleston reflects on his working relationship with Piper,
04:21 stating, "What truly amazes me
04:23 "is I know how nervous Billie was at the start.
04:26 "She thought I was some big, serious performer
04:28 "and she didn't have the belief in herself as an actor.
04:30 "She proved herself, of course,
04:32 "to be way better than any of the rest of us."
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06:15 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,
06:24 Christopher Eccleston embarked on the promotional trail
06:26 for the new series.
06:28 The return of Doctor Who was a big deal.
06:30 There were billboards, specially shot trailers, and teasers.
06:33 Eccleston and Piper were front and centre in all of this promotion.
06:37 On top of this, there was also media appearances
06:40 on some stalwart British shows.
06:42 Eccleston sat on the Blue Peter sofa to talk about
06:45 how he felt about taking on such an iconic role, stating,
06:48 "I was very excited. I felt ready to take on something
06:51 with that sort of responsibility,
06:53 because the scripts are that strong."
06:55 He also appeared on a special Doctor Who-themed episode
06:58 of Mastermind to present the winner with the trophy.
07:01 On being introduced by host John Humphries as Doctor Who,
07:04 Eccleston offhandedly quips, "Well, for now."
07:07 Throughout these appearances, he's effusive about
07:10 what drew him to the role.
07:11 The scripts, the monsters, and the importance of the Doctor.
07:14 What nobody knew at this point, however,
07:16 was that Eccleston had already filmed his final scene
07:19 as the Doctor.
07:20 Number 5. Rose Ayres, two days later, Eccleston is gone.
07:25 On the 26th of March 2005,
07:28 Doctor Who triumphantly returned to screens.
07:30 "Christopher Eccleston is the new Doctor Who."
07:34 Not even the leak of the first episode,
07:37 or an interruption from Graham Norton,
07:39 could take the sheen off the staggering 10.81 million viewers
07:43 that tuned in to watch Rose.
07:45 Two days later, the tabloids published reports
07:47 that Eccleston had already departed the series,
07:49 and the search for a new Doctor was on.
07:51 The BBC responded to these rumors two days later,
07:54 on the 30th of March, stating that Eccleston left the role
07:57 for fear of being typecast.
07:59 It wasn't true.
08:00 The following Monday, BBC Head of Drama and Commissioning,
08:03 Jane Tranter, had to publicly apologize to Eccleston,
08:06 stating that, "The BBC regrets not speaking to Christopher
08:09 before it responded to the press questions
08:11 on Wednesday the 30th of March.
08:13 The BBC further regrets that it falsely attributed
08:16 a statement to Christopher and apologizes to him."
08:18 It was a sour note that undercut the joy of Doctor Who
08:22 being back on TV and more popular than ever.
08:24 The casting of David Tennant
08:26 and the series' increasing popularity
08:28 certainly dispelled much of this unpleasantness.
08:30 However, the BBC's decision to misquote Eccleston
08:33 and upset him further is a real failing on their part,
08:36 especially given how much work he did to promote the series.
08:39 4. Stories of On-Set Troubles Emerge
08:42 in the Years After Eccleston's Departure
08:45 The abrupt nature of Eccleston's departure
08:47 and the poor handling of the announcement by the BBC
08:50 has led to it being revisited in various interviews
08:53 with the actor.
08:54 In June 2010, Eccleston hit the headlines when,
08:57 while promoting a drama about John Lennon,
08:59 he was asked about his departure.
09:01 In response, he stated that, "I didn't enjoy the environment
09:05 and the culture that we, the cast and crew, had to work in.
09:08 I thought if I stay in this job,
09:09 I'm going to have to blind myself to certain things
09:11 that I thought were wrong."
09:13 As an actor who is from a staunch, working-class,
09:15 trade union background, it's unsurprising that he left
09:18 rather than be complicit in a perceived toxic workplace.
09:22 It's unclear if this refers to Series 1's overrunning shoots,
09:25 Eccleston's rumoured disagreements with director Keith Boak,
09:28 or something else entirely.
09:30 In 2018, Eccleston elaborated further,
09:33 suggesting that something had gone very badly wrong
09:35 between when he excitedly emailed RTD to offer to play
09:38 the Doctor and his eventual departure, stating,
09:42 "My relationship with my three immediate superiors,
09:44 the showrunner, the producer, and co-producer,
09:47 broke down irreparably during the first block of filming,
09:50 and it never recovered.
09:51 They lost trust in me, and I lost faith and trust
09:53 and belief in them."
09:54 Number 3. Eccleston meets with Moffat for Day of the Doctor
09:59 In his autobiography, Eccleston feels that Russell T. Davies
10:02 didn't quite know what he wanted from the Doctor,
10:05 but is incredibly complimentary of Stephen Moffat,
10:08 saying that his scripts "delivered my best work,
10:10 bringing me closer to finally knowing exactly
10:13 who the Doctor was than any other time during the shoot."
10:16 It's no surprise that he was open to meeting Moffat
10:19 about appearing in 2013's 50th anniversary special,
10:23 The Day of the Doctor.
10:24 Ultimately, Eccleston turned the role down
10:26 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
10:32 phenomenal turn as the War Doctor,
10:34 whom Eccleston believes is a far better actor than me.
10:37 It was a promising first step towards Eccleston donning
10:40 the leather jacket once more, but the role still held
10:42 a great deal of trauma for the actor.
10:45 Furthermore, Eccleston's struggles with mental health
10:47 and body dysmorphia were intrinsically linked
10:50 with the role, observing in the autobiography that
10:53 "People love the way I look in that series,
10:55 but I was very ill.
10:56 The reward for that illness was the part,
10:58 and therein lies the perpetuation
11:00 of the whole sorry situation."
11:02 Number 2. Eccleston Begins Attending Conventions
11:06 Five years after the huge 50th anniversary celebrations,
11:09 Christopher Eccleston made his first convention appearance.
11:12 Rather than a full-on Doctor Who convention,
11:15 it was the London Film and Comic Con,
11:17 and fans could get their photo taken with the Ninth Doctor
11:20 for the princely sum of £95.
11:23 Eccleston's appearances on the convention circuit
11:25 also opened up the opportunities for him to bump
11:28 into other Doctor actors like Matt Smith,
11:30 with their very tactile and lovely meeting
11:32 going viral on social media.
11:34 Aside from the obvious financial gain,
11:37 Eccleston was clearly attracted to the convention circuit
11:39 by the opportunity to meet his fans.
11:42 In a 2016 video for BBC Raw to discuss the A-word,
11:46 Eccleston talks with fan Gerard Groves about the series,
11:49 autism, and is visibly moved when Groves talks
11:52 about the impact his portrayal of the Doctor
11:54 had on his childhood.
11:56 It chimes with Eccleston's own reflections
11:58 on the impact of the role on those kids
12:00 that were growing up in 2005,
12:02 watching him as the Ninth Doctor,
12:04 stating, "Everywhere I go, Cornwall, Belfast, Glasgow,
12:07 I now get people of a certain age,
12:09 mid-twenties coming up to me.
12:11 You were my doctor, they tell me."
12:12 Number 1.
12:14 "If you want me back, get me on my own."
12:17 As Eccleston continued to make convention appearances,
12:20 he came into contact with Big Finnish Chairman
12:22 Jason Haig-Ellery at the Gallifrey One convention
12:25 in early 2020.
12:26 Since that fateful meeting, Eccleston has recorded
12:29 a full 12-episode series as the Ninth Doctor,
12:31 with another one on the way.
12:33 It's certainly a positive sign that he's been able
12:35 to move on from the damage and strain
12:37 that playing the part put upon him.
12:39 As for a potential return in the 60th anniversary,
12:42 it's a bit more complicated than that.
12:45 At the Supernova convention in Melbourne,
12:47 Eccleston put out an open offer to the BBC.
12:50 "If you want me back, get me on my own."
12:52 With rumours of a potential anniversary
12:54 anthology series with past Doctors,
12:56 he may get his wish.
12:58 And what better tribute to Christopher Eccleston,
13:00 the man who re-established Doctor Who
13:02 and ensured its continuing legacy,
13:04 than by having him return in 2023,
13:07 20 years after the show was recommissioned.
13:09 And there you have it!
13:12 If you can think of any other juicy details,
13:14 then do let us know in the comments below.
13:16 And while you're there, don't forget to like and subscribe
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13:20 Also, head over to Twitter and follow us there,
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13:26 I've been Ellie with Who Culture,
13:27 and in the words of River Song herself,
13:29 goodbye, sweetie.
13:31 [BLANK_AUDIO]