Christopher Eccelston talks about why he left Doctor Who - Sept. 5th 2021 at Dragon Con

[@GrilloTheFlightless]

“…..but I’ll do Big Finish and I’ll come to these conventions”. This is a guy who respects the fans and, given everything he’s been through, probably enjoys the love we have for him. For me he’s by far the best of the ‘new’ Doctors, and a very noble man.

[@seane6599]

Indeed, the little smile on his face when talking about Big Finish shows how much it means to him as well. I also like how he straight up says "no" to going back for the 60th Anniversary. It's always good to see some genuine honesty.

[@leif1075]

Why won't he come back to the actual show at some point, I hope?

[@GrilloTheFlightless]

@@leif1075 I doubt he ever will given how badly he was treated, and certainly not when RTD is back in charge. But who knows if a change of management could persuade him years down the line.

[@davidaston5773]

I suspect that Billie Piper and others made working on Doctor Who difficult. Liberal bullshit politics and a BBC biased against the show from the start - until it was a huge success. Now they make Doctor Who and many other things with this strange idea that diversity and being pro woke is all you need to be a success. No it's the mindset likely to sink your ship. Someone like CE most likely expressed himself in a way that ass kissing PC people on the set didnt like... because it included that thing called being honest and wanting to do a professional job NOT pandering to people's delicate egos.

[@kellsmurthwaite4474]

Eccleston is, by far, my favourite incarnation of The Doctor. He was such a breath of fresh air. I was gutted he only did one season, but I can completely understand why he left. Such a shame.

[@TheGaragebandGuide]

"You're only as good as your writer." The man gets it 100%

[@sheilaabraham4350]

Jodie Whitaker barely keeps the show watchable. I have never enjoyed Chibnall’s episodes.

[@kingemerald4622]

Until you fallout with the writer you're working with

[@kingemerald4622]

@@sheilaabraham4350 Just stop I get that this was month's but it's going to become irrelevant eventually I don't get why people keep dwelling on this when it's going to be over with in a month

[@clam6254]

@@kingemerald4622 dude you’re watching a video reflecting on an old doctor. kinda hypocritical

[@kingemerald4622]

@@clam6254 he maybe old but he'll always be know as the doctor that fell out with his writer clam more like clam head

[@andybrookes3519]

The fact that Chris had a falling out with Russell and yet he still praises his work on Doctor Who shows what a generally humble guy he is

[@andybyrd4107]

As far as I’m aware, Russel was pressured by the BBC to recast the roles The person Chris had issues with was the director of the first slate of episodes.

[@erg1947]

@@andybyrd4107 sort of. The director was where the issues started but Russel not doing anything about those issues caused new issues between them. Like he said the trust between them broke down.

[@erg1947]

@SteveyTheEx-Eevee yes and no. He probably should have replaced the director but in all honesty that would have delayed filming and possibly got the show cancelled. Chris says it himself, the BBC weren't confident it would be a success.

[@epiccarrot88]

​​@SteveyTheEx-EeveeThat's the difference between him and Moffat. Moffat fought to keep Doctor Who the same, to stay loyal to the fans, until it broke him, now swearing off ever working on the show again. Davies came back and was willing to stab the fans in the back for another shot at glory. I sometimes wonder if Twice Upon a Time was influenced by Moffat's experience with the Doctor Who revival.

[@lyricbot8513]

@@epiccarrot88 I've not heard anything about Moffatt before, what do you mean?

[@MrMisanthrope84]

You can tell the War Doctor was meant to be Chris Eccleston's Doctor. The story just fits. They had to get John Hurt as another version but it always should have been 9, regenerated from 8 in the middle of a galactic war, born of war. The way Chris plays 9 implies his Doctor has seen so much, been through so much, is just fantastic. I wish I could see that version. I think the 8th and 9th versions are criminally under rated and mysterious times in Doctor Who, and both Paul McGann and Chris Eccleston deserved much longer runs. We didn't get enough of them. Its a testament to how well Chris played 9 that you could imagine this vast dark history around the character, and still believe he's an evolution of 8.

[@dannyboylee]

I agree, but if they couldn’t get Eccleston they should have just made it McGann.

[@MrMisanthrope84]

@@dannyboylee yeah I don't know why they didn't do that. That would have been EPIC.

[@engage1942]

Yep. I'm still salty because of that. I didn't like the idea of War Doctor. And if you wanted J. Hurt, get him another role ffs!.. Give Chris shit ton of money, apologize, bake him a cake, or whatever and make the FANS happy.. But no... they needed to re-invent the wheel and make the "War Doctor". I call it lazy.

[@engage1942]

@@dannyboylee or get McGann ffs. He was amazing in the Night of The Doctor.The 50th special is where it started to go downhhill for DW. Tho the parts of the special apart from the war doctor were good and even brilliant.

[@roguexxrenegade]

Well in Rose, he makes some comments insinuating he had just recently regenerated.

[@TheGreatCalsby]

Chris still answers this question, despite being asked probably hundreds of times. If any of us was him, we'd be fed up. But he attends these conventions and continues to answer it because he genuinely cares about his fans, his reputation, and his experiences. Big ups, Chris.

[@c17sam90]

You can also see him telling the audience if the work place is bad report it and if it doesn’t change get out

[@phillamarre]

I actually don’t know if I’ve heard him answer the question before.

[@jaxr2958]

Sorry but he attends and answers questions because he is paid to. Same with all the talent at these gigs.

[@BugattiBoy01]

Or because it keeps him paid lol

[@creativeguy1138]

A lot of people really came down on this dude for leaving. He's a good dude. Anyone with a brain wouldn't want to stick around in a crappy situation. Thank you for posting this.

[@howlstothestars]

100% agree

[@davidthedeaf]

@@DanielMassey690 which is why people should be slow to anger, and not judge quickly.

[@johnhotchkiss9842]

I didn't because I knew what the BBC was like. The BBC has had a bad reputation for years. I mean a lot of people are unhappy with the BBC in the UK right now.

[@jonylawson73]

What a vulgar term..one must presume you are American and therefore not quite the demographic Dr who seeks

[@davidthedeaf]

@@jonylawson73 you mean you think Dr Who seeks British doctors to watch the adventures?

[@EllisWarren]

Saw in other interviews that the main issue was bullying going on from senior staff to juniors on set which Eccleston took a stand against. He’s spoken very passionately about tackling bullying in the past so I can imagine seeing that on set really affected him. Won’t see a man in the public eye with more integrity than Christopher Eccleston and I respect him as much as I loved him when he was my first Doctor when I was 8 years old!

[@kevinshort3943]

I thought Barrowman was out of control, RT Davies just thought it was funny and refused to reign him in.

[@johntomlinson6849]

It puzzles me somewhat to constantly hear tales of abuse and harrassment in the entertainment world, yet they always preach from their ivory towers about how WE should behave better towards others. I worked for Ford for over thirty years and while things could be dicey back in the 1980s, by the time I had left, any sort of bullying had been virtually eliminated. The same goes for many large multinationals. Perhaps the woke entertainers could take a leaf from the book of those nasty capitalists?

[@ems6706]

yeah the crew also went on strike around time the 9th Doctor's series wrapped up and Chris was showing solidarity with them, and I think BBC also just didn't want a star on their payroll with their platform being like pay your people better publicly so they didn't really try to meet his demands, and leaked him leaving to get him public hate.

[@SwiftFoxProductions]

It's so easy for that stuff to happen on a set where people are feeling extra pressure or stress for a show to be successful (especially when the show's day-to-day isn't being watched over by higher ups). People get stressed and they take it out on those they perceive as "less" than them. It just sucks and it can create a really toxic work environment. It unfortunately happens in TV and film way too often. I can definitely see how something like that would have led to Christopher Eccleston leaving.

[@ptolemeeselenion1542]

Hm.

[@JeremiahEcks777]

"An actor is only as good as their writer." Chris Chibnall and Jodie Whittaker enter the chat.

[@remconet]

This made me LOL

[@ralphintheshadowrealm7002]

Yeah, Chibnall absolutely sandbagged her. He never wrote good Who and by handing it to him spoiled the very first female doctors run

[@peterscottmorgan1]

I thought the same when he said that and feel sorry for Jodie. Under RTD, she would have blown people away I'm sure

[@qasimayub3910]

Season 13s better tbh

[@qasimayub3910]

@@nickname2239 better than 11 and 12 for what thats worth

[@Wellibob68]

Chris is a Doctor Who legend in just 13 episodes. This says it all. Love him to come back to tv for a bit.

[@engage1942]

Amen to that.

[@Nazo422]

Amen to that 🫡 he was truly robbed of more time as the Doctor I just went through his season for the first time and truly enjoyed each and every episode very much!

[@RandomShinigami7]

It must be so relieving for him to finally be able to just say what happened. No more skirting around the issue or avoid the question, it’s just “Here’s the problem. Here’s why I left, here’s why I likely won’t be back”. I do wish he would come back for a one off appearance, for the 60th or in 2025 to celebrate 20 years of New-Who. However, I fully understand his hesitancy and respect him for sticking to his guns.

[@Thomas_of_the_forest]

Yeah, if not for the fact that Russell is coming back, there may have been a chance for the 60th to include him. It seems that relationship is entirely gone.

[@MrMann0123]

@@Thomas_of_the_forest to be fair Russell is probably the only one who could get him back by properly addressing it. Chris clearly has a lot of respect for him still.

[@Thomas_of_the_forest]

@@MrMann0123 hm, possibly. I'd be surprised if it happened though!

[@Pir-o]

too late for that, doctor who is already dead

[@gemmel3197]

"20 years of New-Who" shook me when i read it, seems like yesterday.

[@DextroDNAOfficial]

Such a shame how poorly Chris was treated. I respect him not wanting to be on the show again, and it's a testament to how good a man he is and how much he loves Doctor Who for him to continue doing the audio dramas and conventions. What a guy

[@pferreira1983]

The show was pretty disorganised even after he left.

[@simonclarke8098]

I can't blame him for the lie. It's a disgrace. He NEVER blamed fans for being frustrated and upset. He's the constant professional.

[@nevmo]

Chris is a wonderful human being, and you can see despite his tenuous relationship with the BBC, he loves the community and he loves the fans.

[@thegooner-49]

I don't think it's the BBC, more specifically it was Russell,Julie and Phil

[@thefonzkiss]

Yeah he loved them so much he refused to come back for the 50th despite the production crew being totally different from the people he had a problem with in 2005!

[@braddsfx8921]

@@thegooner-49 it’s likely a lot of their decisions was because of the BBC not helping, it’s a complicated situation that could have gone better with their help

[@71hammyman]

I'm torn with him, I like him don't get me wrong, but my my mum told me a story that when she went to drama school in the 90s in manchester, she used to be friends with David morrisey at the time and there was a party (can't remember who's it was or what for) and my mum saw Chris there and knew they were friends at the time, so she walked up to him and asked him where David was, and apparently he didn't want to know, acted a little like he was full of himself and that was that, but I don't think my mum has held any resentment about it, I can see he is very passionate about what he does, I dunno, people change and a few minutes with someone doesn't dictate their personality, sorry for the story

[@snarkycommenthere9027]

nevmo bro your pfp gave me a fkin heart attack cos that's my discord pfp and for a moment I fuckin shit myself thinking I'd forgotten about smoking earlier or some shit like that

[@oliversvoice4383]

Fair play to Eccleston! I get it’s upsetting to people who grew up with his Doctor, even for those who didn’t grow up with his Doctor, but he has the right not to return on screen if he doesn’t want to. The fact he’s attending conventions, the fact he’s reprised the role for Big Finish, and seems to enjoy playing the role again is more than any of us fans expected and I think we should be grateful for that, respectful for that, and not demand anymore from him.

[@AaronAbernethy]

No-one 'grew up' with his Doctor, unless you think 'grew up' includes a period of 13 weeks.

[@SuperCactusman]

2:52 HUGE respect to the man for not sugar-coating things, hiding from the truth, or placing undue blame on anyone including himself. No-nonsense.

[@lapelcelery42]

Love Chris. Don't think I've ever seen anyone else whose sincerity is so striking in interviews, and the can't imagine anything worse that you could do to someone so honest than to attribute words to them that they didn't speak.

[@davidthedeaf]

Agreed, but I think it is precisely due to being honest that corrupt people will backstab them.

[@lapelcelery42]

@@davidthedeaf Agreed, but there's a natural progression from Naivete: Where you are honest and people take advantage because you do t know any better. To Cynicism: Where you hide your honesty beneath disguised to avoid the pain. To Bravery: Where you act and speak openly and truthfully in spite of the risk of people taking advantage because it's the only way to maximise your morality in the world.

[@dixienormus6941]

I absolutely despise him. Like pure furious rage hate Chris Eccleston. And he’s a prick in real life. Arghhh! I hate him

[@lapelcelery42]

@@dixienormus6941 Well, you do you, I guess.

[@danivarius]

Dixie Normus well that’s your lookout and you have your reasons. I’ve never met Chris Eccleston, personally, so couldn’t say what he is like in real life.

[@profblack]

Wow. We’ve been so hard on Chris for all of these years and it turns out that he was really a victim of bullying in the industry, he’s had trouble getting work because of the influence of the BBC. Even still he’s never failed to handle to situation professionally. Hats off to you sir. I’m sorry that I doubted you.

[@BobbyLCollins]

To be fair, you're only hearing his side of the story, yet there are always two sides to every story. That being said, I totally believe him. TV executives are ballbags.

[@Char10tti3]

@@BobbyLCollins In a way the BBC's silence is talking and taking the heat for all of the others involved though too. Yeah, it's not the same but this man has had to deal with the BBC and British media dropping him and being the centre of speculations while the others go off and make more series. Them not speaking made Chris the person who had to, or choose not to for so long and face all of that hostility, but I understand that they also havn't come forward to talk either.

[@worldcomicsreview354]

Even shortly after he left he said vague things about "abuses", but he didn't go into detail for years.

[@aaronbuffalo7769]

@@worldcomicsreview354 oh for certain there was some very dodgy stuff going down, look at the Barrowman story; for example. And it most likely all landed at his doorstep and was told to 'deal with it' or ' hush up and buckle down' or something to that extent. He had a full on breakdown afterwards, when the actions of others has not only an impact on your career but your actual physical health and well being, That is a VERY BIG ask to forgive some one over, less than a company like the bbc.

[@famalam943]

The best dr in my opinion. He had a rawness and an edge that he never had before. Would have been great to have him for another season. From the sounds of it, he was very professional in that he would bring up things that weren’t right with the production and wouldn’t tolerate bs when they refused to fix anything. Stand up guy.

[@r4h4al]

He was also a lot of people's introduction into Doctor Who myself included which has got to count for something.

[@Not_An_EV]

@@r4h4al this⬆️ Capaldi is my favourite doctor after several rewatches but my introduction to doctor who as a young'un was seeing Chris and Billie in an advert telling me this show was coming and boy I was hyped. He will always hold such a massive place in my heart for bringing me into the world of doctor who even if he's not my favourite doctor anymore he will always have my number 3 slot... ok fuck it he's tied as second with David and Tom.

[@r4h4al]

@@scparker6893 Lol.

[@christianfarmer]

loved him, and the edge. But while the 4th Doctor was goofy, he also tore people to shreds on occasion. Watch the Pyramids of Mars. Watch what he does when someone "accidentally" wrecks his plan.

[@ryanredmond87]

@@scparker6893 by a mile, so much energy ,gutted shes leaving

[@jcortese3300]

I wish so much that his relationship with the showrunners had remained healthy, because he was SPECTACULAR. I am a fan from the 70s and was hugely skeptical when I heard that they were bringing it back. Eccleston completely sold me by the first scene he was in. He was absolutely perfect. I could easily have had five good years with him, equally Pertwee without breaking a sweat.

[@docbrown2045]

You mean absolutely FANTASTIC?

[@reddwarf3046]

What’s Big Finish?

[@1978rharris]

@@reddwarf3046 a studio that makes a series of unofficial Who audio books using a LOT of the original cast of Doctor Who. I’d have a look out for them if I were you, if you’re interested, that is.

[@lowercasen5876]

@@1978rharris im pretty sure big finish is official

[@wrigglenight93]

@@1978rharris Big Finish is official, licensed, and treated as canon (if you somehow believe that word means anything)

[@SpencerCJ]

Chris is such a real person, he stuck to his guns knew it wasn't right and left.

[@imjustsomeguy72]

It's crazy when you think about the fact that he didn't even do Cons until 2018. It's pretty clear that the support from fans has been key. For actors, end of the day, these shows are their jobs. And jobs can be shitty. But the fans can love the show without all that, and it's nice to see that Chris has been able to take that on and find some value for himself as well about his time on the show. Because his Doctor was one of a kind, precisely all the things in the rest of his filmography that made him great there made that first new season of Dr Who a fresh but also familiar watch.

[@onedaxster]

I bet Chris must roll his eyes every time he gets asked this question, but still he gives a level-headed, calm, and honest response. It's amazing that he still loves being the Doctor and greeting the fans even though he and BBC cut ties. All of this, as well as standing up to the mistreatment in the workplace, I honestly have nothing but respect for this fantastic man.

[@Thomas_of_the_forest]

Imagine if even the BBC hadn't announced his departure. Not only could we potentislly have had a surprise reveal of Tennant, but that last nail in the coffin just destroyed Chris' relationship with the BBC... thus making any possibility of a comeback impossible. I adore what Chris gave to us, but I despise what had to happen behind the scenes. Really upsets me

[@martynstembridge7714]

Fantastic recording .... Chris seems happy and healthy right now. That was the clearest explanation of his leaving that I've ever watched, and hearing he's still enjoying doing Big Finish is more than we could have hoped for. Total legend.

[@MetaCinemaYT]

My first doctor and probably the most respectable actor. I commend him for being bold enough to shut down any false hope, even if it means some people will get upset. He sticks to his values and stays true to them, just as the Doctor should! Good luck to him and all his future projects. Also interesting RTD is being called out right as he is announced to return to Doctor Who.

[@kaicob1050]

i think he was more calling out bbc higher ups like to me it sounded like he just stressed from rtd bcs everyone was being pressured by ppl higher up to make it work and it affected the relationship between actors and producers and stuff then when he talked to someone abt it they fucked him off then lied abt him in the news he sounded more angry at the bbc he evens say "my relationship witht the bbc isnt healed " he wasnt talking abt rtd but im not sure

[@B-MC]

So he reported things and got silence, then lost trust with Davis. I really wish Davis would address this, not just because Eccleston won't come back because of it but because Davis is coming back and what we now know about John Barrowman and Noel Clarke seem to really enforce that what Eccleston is saying means Davis was responsible for letting it continue. So if Davis is going to come back, he needs to confess his part in it if we're to believe its going to change at all.

[@maxwellpants5158]

with barrowmen I think he definitely did what he did. I don't think Noel Clarke could have actually done it. Noel was accused of it. We don't know if he actually did what he did(trying not to get my comment taken down) Maybe he did bully 20 women, maybe he didn't. We just don't know. This is my opinion. Don't take it like its a fact.

[@xlinnaeus]

@@maxwellpants5158 I concur. Though I will add that the Eccleston and Davis drama should remain private and between the injured parties. In my opinion, there's no need for that to come to the public eye, it's not hurting audience members. I doubt that Noel Clarke actually had anything to do with RTD1's problems and was entirely a problem with him as an individual. For instance - Sam Mendes (director of American Beauty) did not enable Kevin Spacey - and I'm glad that he was able to make 1917 following that.

[@dhooth]

​@@xlinnaeus No level of inappropriate behaviour behind the scenes would ever "hurt audiences", I don't see why that should make it unimportant though. This thing has nothing to do with the audiences: it's about the people working on the show who had to go through it every day, and the people in charge who apparently ignored it. If Clarke harassed his colleagues, on set, during the production of the show, then that would mean the showrunner was responsible for letting it continue: as Chris said it was his job to know about these things. It wouldn't make sense to pin all responsibility to a single person, to view 1 person in a total vacuum when talking about projects of this, or any, size

[@JackSurvana]

@@dhooth I don't think it was due to Clarke's recent accusations. It was more due to how the lower end of the staff hiararchy were treated by the upper staff. Leaks around that time suggested that

[@dhooth]

@@JackSurvana Okay, that makes sense

[@gingerladyaubern]

Such a shame that relationship broke down, given how wonderful Chris's season became as the episodes went from strength to strength. Chris set the standard again, pretty much in the way William Hartnell did. The BBC has so much to thank Chris for, and needs to seriously reflect on how it viewed Chris and Dr Who, given the money making series it became for them again. Dr Who needed an actor of Chris's standing to become successful again, especially given how the series had become at the final McCoy season. It would have been great to have another full season with Chris as the Doctor, but sadly, it never happened. It's so touching that despite how he was treated, he still champions Dr Who in other ways!

[@clapstix3495]

He’s a great doctor.. love him even more after hearing him speak in this footage. What a missed opportunity we never got to see his doctor in more episodes.

[@The_Studioworkshop]

Can’t really ask for more can you. The guy explained the situation, told his side and vowed never to work on tv DW again. Communication, professionalism in the workplace, and misinformation was the downfall and I fucking hate it for him

[@Shea7TDM]

“They put it in quotation marks and I’m from Salford, you don’t do that to me” I can actually imagine how annoying and frustrating that would be if some big company like the BBC falsely quoted you on something that could harm your career. I grew up there myself so he’s not wrong.

[@wanderingrandomer]

I like the irony for you quoting Eccleston

[@janlissens8780]

I always loved his Doctor and would have loved more of him. He still holds a shared first place with Tennant as my favourite Doctor since all the way back to the sixties... Thanks Chris!

[@Nargon46]

Chris was juuuuust before my time coming to Doctor Who as a kid (I started watching during Series 3 and became absolutely obsessed), but I watched Series 1 on DVD not soon after and just adored it. Nine is definitely one of my all time favorite Doctors, and one of if not the most interesting actor I've ever had the pleasure to meet and hear speak. To find out all these years later how much his career suffered because of the BBC, it just breaks my heart for him. It's absolutely unfair, and I hope that BBC sucks it up and makes a formal and public apology to him for it. At the very least I hope his story gets out there so he gets more work. He's an excellent actor and deserves to be out there more.

[@jaybristowe2346]

It’s great to hear him speak about this openly

[@worldcomicsreview354]

They fabricated a quote saying he was "tired" as a dig at him? Holy shit, that "Don't you think she looks tired?" line the 10th brings down Harriet Jones with hits different...

[@howlstothestars]

It sure does.. Super effed up.

[@tomnorton4277]

Fuck! I never even considered that Davies might have written that as a deliberate reference to Ecclestone leaving!

[@AngelicusImmortus]

He left for the right reasons and had the dignity to stick to his convictions.

[@legendgamer676]

He’s clearly a man of integrity. He left the show gracefully. Given everything that’s come out about other actors behaviour on set.

[@erusdearest]

He gave us a proper goodbye and still respects how much we miss him! Grew up on the revived/rebooted doctor who - from Chris to Capaldi - Always loved him, always will, but I fully respect wanting to escape a bad situation.

[@r4h4al]

Where would you rank him in relation to all the new Doctors?

[@marxistlynchist]

Chris is so honest and sincere- he deserved better.

[@r4h4al]

Couldn't agree more.

[@davidwilliams1086]

Awsome that it finally comes out. He sounds like a real doctor as he shares something difficult to talk about. Glad he did. He comes across as honest and clear. thinking loved his version of the Doctor. So different as others who play this role.

[@antonydandrea]

I like how honest he is in these interviews. In general he seems like a proper professional

[@theog6494]

brilliantly spoken from Chris as ever. it's clear that he loves the show, the characters, and fans. shame that it didn't work out, but I totally respect his decision to keep his distance

[@andrewsmart4491]

"An actor is only as good as their writer", not a truer word spoken in 2021 about Doctor Who

[@pp-wl1tf]

That's why Doctor Who is so good now.

[@shanustheanus]

@@pp-wl1tf no

[@Spiderboydk]

Yeah, I honestly feel bad for Jodie Whittaker. She could have been an amazing doctor if the script hadn't been botched.

[@SenileOtaku]

I'm hesitant to degrade Whittaker's acting since I haven't seen her in anything else, but she definitely has no sense of the character.

[@Spiderboydk]

@@SenileOtaku I agree. It's unfair to blame Whittaker for this. Also, the lack of sense of the character could be caused by a variety of circumstances, like a bad script or bad direction.

[@andrewt9128]

I'm not a huge Dr. Who fan but I watched that first season at the time and really loved it but bounced out pretty soon after he left. He just lent such a lightness, joy and maturity to the character that always felt genuine. Just a lovely actor

[@Zug8415]

Maybe it’s a good thing you left, David Tennant as the doctor is annoying af. You should watch the capaldi seasons though, if you like Chris you might like him.

[@rjmcallister1888]

Christopher handled the whole thing professionally; it's hard when you're asked to bare your soul, out of character. It's always possible to bury the hatchet (in his case, right between three peoples' eyes), and I think most Who followers would be pleased to see all the living Doctors (plus David Bradley) have at least some part for the 60th anniversary.

[@davidthedeaf]

BBC doesn’t care about fans, and evidently doesn’t care about anybody even the actors, only $/fame/power. Sad. They could have it all.

[@Lucretia9000]

@@davidthedeaf don't forget the tv licence, they care about those.

[@ChadeGB]

Chris humbly states RTD was responsible for the Who renaissance, but that's only partly correct imo. Chris and Billie took the Doctor and just booted it into the stratosphere, adding gravitas and humour in perfectly balanced amounts, having such a good actor be able to step into the Doctor's shoes and just make them fit was incredible, usually actors take a series or so to get to grips with a character and slip into that persona comfortably, Chris did it immediately.

[@commandZee]

Someone give this actor a leading role again, he is so under rated.

[@B-Dawgg]

God, it puts RTD's line for the Tenth Doctor in the Christmas Invasion in a even sinister light. "Doesn't she look tired."

[@blatherskite3009]

That's what I thought. Hadn't heard that before. Seems unlikely that it was coincidental, and considering that line in the show was about how a career can be ended just by planting that thought in people's heads, it's hard to see it as anything other than a ... I hesitate to say "bitchy" so let's go with "sinister" ... jibe from RTD at CE. No wonder that bridge is burned.

[@davidlear5124]

Yes indeed - the art of gaslighting at its finest and no one better than RTD to deliver it!

[@Dark_Ronius]

Eccleston was my first "proper" Doctor Who, at 17. And listening to the first of the new audio dramas gave me such a giddy smile again like that first episode of his I watched. He didn't sound any different, or any older. I kind of hope the BBC and RTD pull all the stops out to unconditionally apologise and do everything they can to make things right, so we can see him back on our screens again one day.

[@r4h4al]

I was 13.

[@Alex-yl8dz]

I remember in another interview he said the reasons he did big finish were the quality of the writing and the money, and that honesty and acknowledgement that it is his job and he does need to feed his family. I wonder if the BBC were to ever pay him reparations for the work he lost due to his blacklist status he would consider rejoining the TV show at some point. Absolutely nothing wrong with it if he never does, he played the roll excellently for those 13 first episodes and that's an incredible note to leave on. I imagine he and Capaldi will be the only actors to never return to the show after their times as the Doctor concluded.

[@orangetack1099]

If reparations are heartfelt, they shouldn't be contingent on his reappearance.

[@MaybeAnnatar]

"...but I'll do big finish and I'll come to these conventions" Is such a bittersweet sentence. It's him going "I love the community, I love the history of the series, but I hate the company responsible for it."

[@ravensdotter6843]

Without Eccleston, there would have been no redux of Doctor Who. Thank you Chris!

[@hansvandermeulen5515]

He was absollutely brilliant in"Dalek". A great Doctor.

[@Cruithneach]

Conversely, he really liked Steven Moffat, sending him a video message when he left. It seems as if there was a decent possibility he could have signed up for the 50th, but, alas, twas not to be. Having him as the (unofficial) War Doctor and John Hurt as Rassilon would have been perfect and improved *Night of the Doctor* even more (it was already great)

[@71hammyman]

Wait what? Is rassilon THE doctor? Or another version of him like theta sigma? Or am I just reading that wrong

[@mattew0113]

They meant an alternate version of the episode where John hurt played rasillon instead of the war doctor and just have all of john hurts scenes from what was the episodes be with Chris instead

[@Cruithneach]

@@mattew0113 Correct

[@alexrobinson515]

Although I like that idea, he had freshly regenerated before we saw him in the first episode of nuwho

[@paulharris8983]

Wonderful doctor, wonderful actor and an even better human being. Love Chris.

[@FatNorthernBigot]

This video delivers on it's premise! I thought it was going to be clickbait. I'm very impressed. Also, as a Brit who's lived in Manchester, I can confirm you do not mess with people from Salford.

[@LounySchwarzbier]

You can feel how angry and bitter he is over how he was treated, but he still remains respectful and explains his reasons with passion and integrity. I am sad we won't see him again on the show, but he's a man of integrity and passion, and his reasons are absolutely valid. Love you, Chris. Thanks for everything you've done and everything you continue to do.

[@davidtyler6708]

The more and more you hear about the vague details of what caused Eccelston to leave DW, a clearer picture starts to form in why he left, compared to what others ( such Barrowman) have said. You can tell he is being very careful in how he is describing events in order to avoid any lawsuits or throwing anyone under the bus.

[@braddsfx8921]

Yes, to me it’s clear that Russel had an amazing idea that the BBC didn’t want to be responsible for, then chris came along spotted the issues with Russel and the team not receiving the help or support they needed and he was left with silence in an extremely stressful environment

[@r4h4al]

What did Barrowman say, was it to the contrary of what Chris has said?

[@davidtyler6708]

@@r4h4al Well, Barrowman has said that Eccelston was "grumpy" on the set. But considering the shenanigans that Barrowman was know for, I could understand his temperament. When you boil it down, it's no different than any other workplace: You have your group that wants to play around, and you have your group that wants to be professional.

[@r4h4al]

@@davidtyler6708 Exactly. If you or I were to get flashed then I think we'd feel pretty grumpy as well. It's disgusting that the BBC protected Barrowman but then again they protected Jimmy Savile.

[@braddsfx8921]

@@r4h4al he just said Chris was too serious and needed to lighten up a bit

[@nicholasdickens2801]

I absolutely adore and love Christopher Eccleston’s Doctor Who.

[@mr_reborn]

Honestly, since RTD has begun chatting on his instagram, telling fans "Tough!" and the like, when they give him criticism, how he talks at awards ceremonies about his leftist politics, the clownish ideas being propogated in post-chibnall who, it's a very different animal to how Chris talks about his leftist politics ... I could have a beer with Chris, and I'd enjoy it, but Russell would stomp off in a minute, he's such a frigging child. And we all know about the stories about the gay contingency on that first series running around with their dicks out and being completely stupid, just NOT a professional environment, really is painting a more and more vivid picture these days.

[@Kythlo]

I appreciate him being so candid and also worded really well, he didn’t directly bad mouth the folks who wronged him but just said what happened.

[@clarkkent3809]

Seems to be a humble guy. Has had a great career. He doesn't need to do these. He is a lot of peoples favorite doctor. I am a fairly new fan of DoctorWho, but I love his version.

[@joe.morrissey]

I read that as Chris being committed to his character and fans of Who, but not the BBC. There’s a lot of respect to be had there.

[@RogueCylon]

Loved his clarity and frankness. What has been the bane of the BBC is the politics and unprofessionalism. Really loved his reboot character and the chemistry with Billie Piper.

[@dixienormous2440]

And the paedophilia and the propaganda.

[@dontlookspins]

@T 2017 you should get less political info from 4chan psyops and stop being so gullible.

[@LiamRproductions]

If by politics, you are acknowledging that it is overwhelmingly ran by ex-tory party members, then yes.

[@Imaculata]

Loved his take on the doctor. He portrays the doctor with an oddly infectious joy and happyness.

[@r4h4al]

Yeah I think kind of like Tom Baker's Doctor but exaggerated. Tom Baker may well have been the inspriation for Eccleston's peformance.

[@nubworthycigars6682]

The best Doctor. There’s not one episode I skip on rewatching for the 9th doctor.

[@garypayne4284]

Aliens of London ? Farting aliens ?? biggest pile of crap ever, that two parter is always skipped by me

[@larsswig912]

@@garypayne4284 compared to some series 2 episodes even, those are far more tolerable. let's not talk about series 5, and the chibnall era lol

[@ceceproductions57]

Whu would you skip doctor who oh wait I skip dont blink all the time cause I'm scared to watch it😭

[@ceceproductions57]

@@garypayne4284 those eps were top tier idk what you mean

[@tahsina.c]

@@garypayne4284 lmaooo

[@robinmathews2446]

This man is the reason that I started to like Dr Who again.. Thank you Christopher !

[@splonko9788]

Honestly fair enough man, I have such respect for Chris Ecclston as a Doctor, Actor, and Person, would love to meet him at a con one day

[@PREVEDREDCAT]

Maan... This is so heartbreaking to hear. And now suddently i feel bad for being exited about RTD comeback. And because of it and bbc we almost definitly wont get 9'th doctor on screen ever again. But! Christopher is a great actor, i loved seeing him in "Leftovers"

[@danielslater2001]

yeah me to man

[@r4h4al]

Yeah the film which is underrated from him is Let Him Have it from 1991. It's a gem. We had to watch it at school for our English GCSE.

[@julieeverett7442]

you should listen to his big finish stories, these are brilliant!

[@SM-th1fk]

I think he deserves such credit for bringing Doctor Who into modern times. He had a brilliant take on the doctor and I suspect he captured the audience for David Tennant to follow and so on

[@barryhomeowner9293]

I do hope he comes back one day, it'd be wonderful to see him back, but him being on Big Finish and stuff is just wonderful

[@johnhotchkiss9842]

Sadly the person he won't work with the most, has returned to the show as the main producer Russel T Davis and he is in charge of the 60th special. In truth I think the BBC need to get rid of everyone involved and bring in a new bunch of people.

[@kdmedia1534]

He’s not coming back and he never will. When will people finally realise this?

[@barryhomeowner9293]

@@kdmedia1534 He probably won't, but it'd be nice if it happened

[@nathanthomson777]

@@kdmedia1534 dude okay you don’t have to be so defeating to us all

[@kdmedia1534]

@@nathanthomson777 I’m being realistic, stop dreaming that he’s gonna come back. He’s said no multiple times and it’s obvious he wants nothing to do with the TV show. It’s his decision and you should respect it, he’s only human.

[@holyspacemonkey]

I really appreciate his candor. Incidentally, I recently bought his book, and it looks excellent.

[@TheSuperQuail]

I've heard that he reported crew members being mistreated by higher ups and when he reported it, they didn't care. So he left. A man of principles.

[@nobodyshome4633]

What a wonderful man. Beautiful person with a kind heart, and a phenomenal actor. He will always be my Doctor❤️

[@r4h4al]

Agree. Will always be my Doctor if pushed, ahead of Tennant because he introduced me into Doctor Who.

[@TheHorrorDevotee]

Hot take: I liked this dude as the Doctor better than David Tennant.

[@r4h4al]

Can I ask why?

[@anrecedinghairline6150]

@@r4h4al Yes you can. Eccleston portrayed a fun and silly doctor damaged by war, while at the same time, being able to spew the most vitriolic rants you can ever see. Tennant is a good doctor, but is undermined a little without the contrast of cheekiness and wrath of Eccleston. They're meant to be different takes, but I always thought Eccleston was the best. Just felt more kid friendly and yet more adult than Tennant, who, 'some', could argue was a little boring at times.

[@randomcontentguy2521]

@@anrecedinghairline6150 Tennant was never boring

[@wellexcuuuuuuuuuuusemeprin894]

I love Tennant but had Eccleston stayed for more seasons this would be a more popular opinion.

[@Pronoc1]

that's not a hot take

[@thegreygrappler6280]

Good for you Chris. Standing by your own morals. I have a lot of respect for you

[@tigerrose4213]

I'm so glad he didn't participate in the 60th. they would have destroyed everything he built with his 9th doctor. I always loved him as the doctor, and am so glad he does the audio plays. He's a terrific actor.

[@elonmusk6654]

Eccelston was amazing, he was my first Doctor. He was amazing, I was baffled when he '' died '' and I thought no actor would do it better. But then agan the thing is, David Tennant was such a hit that did overshadow Chris, in a sense, and Matt came after, so the most recent generations watched mostly David and Matt, so they kind of turned to be the main face of modern Doctor Who. Still, Eccelston paved the way to modern Doctor Who. It thrived and survived mainly due to his 13 episodes being a success and people wanting more. So yeah, Chris is the original modern Doctor Who, the one who made it all possible.

[@user-wm5tt6me3i]

Died?

[@FitzyCify]

Whether it be losing a fantastic Doctor, hastily swapping out three teenagers with attitude, or turning the Genie into Homer Simpson, higher-ups screwing over actors never goes well.

[@steventhomasson]

Tremendous amount of respect for Chris and his version of the Doctor. His was one of the most "humanist" portrayals, if that makes sense, and I believe Eccleston to be like that in real life. Someone who sticks to his principles, never sells out or gives in and will try his best to help the little guy. Very Doctor-ish indeed.

[@Bijo69]

He deserves more credit for being the face of the beginning of the revival and for getting people into doctor who. It’s a shame it’s the epitome of bad writing now but hopefully things might change.

[@r4h4al]

Couldn't agree more. Like he said when you revive a show it could go either way so he deserves a lot of credit for reviving the show. He was more important to the first series than RTD.

[@arianapuzzo7827]

Provided all of this tracks - I don't pay close enough attention to know either way - he was really done so dirty. What shameful behavior by the executives. On a separate note, he's aged tremendously well! I actually find him even more handsome than 16 years ago, which is pretty darn impressive genetics.

[@r4h4al]

Couldn't agree more on both points.

[@arianapuzzo7827]

@@slushy8603 Maybe that's it. But I think it's also the grey hair. Some guys just look even better once they go grey. That's what my mother says about my father, anyway. 😅

[@Loveinthe808]

Rose… before I go, I just wanna tell you, you were fantastic. Absolutely fantastic. And do you know what? So was I! And that smile when he uttered those last words.....

[@michaelantonyaustin]

I‘ve been a fan of Eccleston‘s work since Our Friends In The North (1996) and knew from the outset that he‘d nail the role as The Doctor. He was fantastic… eccentric, quirky and funny with an underlying sadness and darkness. A real, fully rounded character that I would have loved to seen more of. It‘s both frustrating and sad how he was treated.

[@CymruJedi]

It was nice of Kingpin to conduct this interview

[@george5954]

I like that the first thing that came to his mind in terms of other huge shows was LOST. Not only cause it's my fave show, but because Chris also starred in The Leftovers, which was written by LOST's showrunner Damon Lindelof. I wonder if they'd had conversations about similar topics such as the chaos on big sets and responsibility etc. Damon's spoken a lot about the stress and pressure he underwent during the writing and production of that first season specifically. Anyways, The Leftovers was a really brilliant, quiet show, and both Damon's writing and Chris' acting were phenomenal on it. It's gladdening to see these creators in much happier and healthier spaces now. Much love to Chris, the 9th will always be my favourite

[@r4h4al]

Agree. I loved it when he mentioned Lost as it's my favourite show too. I have read reports that no-one knew what they were doing with regards to the writing to Lost but despite that they made a masterful show imo.

[@boxinggospel5334]

And Russell used that line for David Tennant to diminish Harriet Jones tenure as Prime Minister by saying "Doesn't she look tired". A rather spiteful dig by RTD there just to rub it in Eccleston's wounds and it confirms that what Eccleston says it was meant to hurt his career.

[@sandstormxx]

I hope that one day he gets a proper apology and his relationship with BBC Doctor Who improves, even if it doesn't mean more content or he doesn't choose to come back, i think he deserves it because without him, Doctor Who would be a different show! They owe a lot to his performance!

[@randomcontentguy2521]

Bbc are the same scumbags now as they were then. Look at the state of doctor who today

[@frithkin]

His Big Finish stuff is so so good

[@jezzaus2124]

He was fantastic! Hope he comes back for a one off special after the current debacle is over.

[@CyberBeep_kenshi]

I found him a delight to watch. Proper actor

[@willbouchard1278]

He deserved better from the beginning. He’s a noble man, solid in his convictions, and he just wanted everyone to be professional and treated fairly.

[@AndyGilleand]

Oh this is great. He always had just vaguely hinted at some of the issues but he was more explicit with what happened here and I'm glad we have that story now. I do wish the BBC and Russell would do more to try to repair that relationship. Of course it's possible there are other legitimate perspectives about what happened as well, so I can understand why it may not happen.

[@skippertheeyechild6621]

I would have loved to have seen another season with this man in it.

[@LakesGeek]

This makes it all the more eyebrow raising that they thought it appropriate to do the "don't you think she looks tired" gag during Tennant's run...

[@con_doorman]

"You're only as good as your writer." Jodie Whittaker will probably use that in her defence.

[@r4h4al]

She's got a point.

[@sethralavode9012]

I’ve only seen clips of her, but her acting is flat and one dimensional as the doctor.

[@marqicewalker1766]

@@sethralavode9012 She definitely isn’t the doctor type but she never had a chance.

[@xdoucheymcdouchex]

Christopher Eccelston's Doctor was simply... Brilliant.

[@Benjamin-lc3gx]

Seems like there were some strong feelings involved between the sides and he stayed away so that it didn't become a war. Thankfully the fans still love him and he can embrace being the doctor again.

[@r4h4al]

"Him being the Doctor again". You mean he's replacing Jodie Whittaker, that would be amazing!

[@mystery4561]

@@r4h4al that won't happen.

[@r4h4al]

@@mystery4561 It would be the only thing that would make me watch the show again.

[@AngelArtists]

I was told in 2011 by his old drama school tutor that it was all about how the members of staff including crew were being spoken to like crap (bullying), & Chris had 'words' with Russell & the BBC & then decided he'd leave because of Davis & the senior staff. I asked how he knew & he said that Chris told him as they still speak! This was told to me YEARS before it all came out here (although only part of it 😉). Now it's out, well done Chris. And the BBC have actually a very bad reputation for turning a blind eye to bullying & other things (Jimmy Savile anyone?)

[@RojamZane]

Thank you for posting this. You have to respect Chris's honesty. It does feel like he's a better place about the circumstances of his departure but not necessarily forgiven. I really do hope that someday (soon, before the 60th anniversary), he and Russell can reconcile things for him to make an appearance in the anniversary show.

[@Hhhhhh-sz9ud]

I don’t think that will ever be reconciled, but it doesn’t really need to be. Where there would need to be reconciling is with the BBC but I think it’d take a lot for them to make amends at this point.

[@edtheduck2571]

He used to go a school very close to where I live always used to see him running when he was starting to become famous always very curtious and polite and shed the stereotype of the where abouts in salford he was from