Why Doctor Who's Christopher Eccleston Left The Show After One Season, Then Reprised The Ninth Doctor Years Later
As Doctor Who celebrates its 60th anniversary, it's worth taking a look back at all the people who made this series a success along the way. Names like David Tennant and Matt Smith are often mentioned as heroes of the modern era, but it's worth noting the reboot may have never been as successful as it was without Christopher Eccleston. His role as the Ninth Doctor set the tone for a new era of the show, so why was it so short?
As we wait to stream the 60th anniversary specials with our Disney+ subscriptions, it's worth revisiting the drama surrounding Eccleston and the series over the years, and how they eventually mended the bridge and brought him back to the Doctor Who realm. Here's all we know about that story, as well as the odds we'll see Eccleston appear in The Doctor's upcoming television adventures.
Why Christopher Eccleston Left Doctor Who After One Season
Doctor Who fans remember that Christopher Eccleston's Ninth Doctor regenerated into David Tennant's Tenth Doctor after sacrificing his life to save Rose Tyler. At the time, The BBC announced that Eccleston left the show, despite its acclaim, because he feared being "typecast" in sci-fi roles. The network later apologized for the statement, admitting it never consulted Eccleston before stating the reason.
Eccleston has said a lot about his one season on Doctor Who over the years, but the common story is that he didn't feel comfortable with the atmosphere on set. The actor alluded to issues he felt he'd have to overlook to remain a part of the family, and said he had a strained relationship with the heads of the show. He explained the situation in a 2018 interview with Radio Times:
My relationship with my three immediate superiors – the showrunner, the producer and co-producer – broke down irreparably during the first block of filming and it never recovered. They lost trust in me, and I lost faith and trust and belief in them.
The actor added that he had some role in the relationship breaking down, which was in part due to insecurity. At the time, he was an experienced actor, but was put in a lighthearted role, which was not in his comfort zone. That, paired with then-inexperienced actress Billie Piper, gave the actor reservations about the quality of the series, though he ultimately praised Piper's performance as Rose Tyler.
Former Doctor Who showrunner Stephen Moffat did make an attempt to bring back Christopher Eccleston for a fairly meaty role in the 50th anniversary special. Radio Times reported in 2019 that Moffat originally wrote the role for Eccleston, and they had a conversation about the Ninth Doctor returning for the special. Eccleston admitted he was interested, but still hadn't overcome the hurt from his first season and had never heard an apology from The BBC. As such, the series pushed on without him and brought in John Hurt as The War Doctor, a secret incarnation of the title Time Lord slotted between the Eighth and Ninth Doctors.
Christopher Eccleston remained away from Doctor Who, and there'd been continued jabs between the two parties over the years as the media asked about the situation. It continued until recently when the unthinkable happened, and news of Eccleston's return was announced.
Why Christopher Eccleston Returned To Doctor Who
In 2020, after years of disparaging his time on Doctor Who, Christopher Eccleston stunned fans. It was announced the Ninth Doctor would be returning for audio adventures, and that the actor would be reprising his role for the adventure. Since then, the relationship between Big Finish, the audio company responsible for the dramas, has been solid with more adventures released, but what drove Eccleston back to the role?
The answer, surprisingly, is relatively simple. When asked by Radio Times in 2021 what drove him back to the Ninth Doctor, Christopher Eccleston confirmed two key things that had him back in the saddle to voice the character once again:
What convinces a bricklayer to build a wall? What convinces a plumber to plumb? What convinces you to do your job? First of all, I mean, it's not a fashionable thing to say – and because we're all English, we don't talk about these things – but I'm an actor, and the way I pay my mortgage and support my children in by acting. So it's paid work. Secondly, as I've always said, I have a great love for the character. I've always said that.
Hey, actors gotta eat, and if the money is good, who can fault him for changing his mind about playing the Ninth Doctor? Additionally, Christopher Eccleston noted he's always had a love for the character, and as previously mentioned, it was more about the fallout with his superiors that led to his exit rather than a lack of love for the role.
As such, it's not surprising he's continued to work on audio dramas over the years. For now, it seems like the most likely place we'll see more adventures with the Ninth Doctor, as there are some hang-ups to the process of bringing him back to the small screen to play his character once again.
What Christopher Eccleston Has Said About Bringing The Ninth Doctor Back To Television
When it comes to Christopher Eccleston returning to play the Ninth Doctor on television, the situation is a bit complicated. Russell T. Davies returned to the franchise to help usher in this new era, and it appears he's sticking around for a long time.
Davies was one of the people Eccleston said he lost trust in during his brief stint on Doctor Who, which makes it feel unlikely he'll appear as long as he's running the franchise. In fact, Eccleston confirmed he'd never work with him again and explained why when speaking to Radio Times in that 2018 interview:
When I left, I gave my word to [then-showrunner] Russell T Davies that I wouldn’t do anything to damage the show. But they did things to damage me. I didn’t criticize anybody...If you’re the showrunner, you know everything. That’s your job.”
It would appear that Christopher Eccleston feels wronged by Russell T. Davies following his exit, and for that reason, he has no desire to work with him in the future. This would presumably mean he won't be involved with the Doctor Who TV show in the near future, though there was already a hint that wasn't happening anyway.
Eccleston added in an interview in 2022 with Radio Times that he wasn't interested in bringing back the Ninth Doctor to team up with the Tenth, Eleventh or any of the Doctors. The actor remarked that he felt like the multi-Doctor stories were more of a "cash-in" and "exploitation." It sounds like he felt they were a gimmick and not quite on par with the storytelling as a singular Doctor adventure.
If the Ninth Doctor is coming back to television, he'd rather it be for a standalone adventure. That means no working with other Doctors, but whether or not that will ever happen remains to be seen. As said, the potential rift between Christopher Eccleston and Russell T. Davies might stop us from ever seeing him return as The Doctor in an episode.
With that said, it wasn't that long ago that people thought we'd never see the actor back in Doctor Who again at all, so who knows what the coming years could bring? Out of all the actors that have exited Doctor Who throughout its run, it's safe to say he's near the top of the list for someone people want to see return.
Those with a Max subscription can watch Christopher Eccleston's sole season of Doctor Who right now. I'm a big fan of the run and would certainly love to see the actor return in the future if the stars can somehow align and make that happen.
