Christopher eccleston why he left doctor who

While he only stayed on for one season, Eccleston's revitalization of Doctor Who provided an introduction to the character and series for a whole new audience, and many still consider him their Doctor.

She has shared these thoughts and her writing with digital venues like Eidolon , Lady Science and First Person Scholar. In her downtime, E. You can follow her and recommend GM-less storytelling games on Twitter. Meszaros Published Jan 15, Share Share Tweet Email 0. I think it's fair to say… that the first series nobody knows what they're doing and the politics are raging. The shooting of the first series was a nightmare. Eccleston had agreed to exit the series quietly and professionally and to speak kindly of the show in the press.

Then, he says, the BBC went public with his exit without consulting him first, even fabricating a quote claiming he was leaving because he was exhausted.

When Doctor Who returned to television in , it was never a guaranteed success. In its heyday the show was often derided by the popular press despite its popularity amongst the general public, and it had been off the air since It took an extraordinary actor to bring the show to a whole new generation, with Christopher Eccleston rising to the challenge of playing the Ninth Doctor and becoming a fan favorite in the process.

Going amidst mystery and acrimony, Eccleston seemingly wanted nothing to do with the show for a long time, turning down the opportunity to return for the 50th anniOh versary celebrations back in Finally, after over 15 years, Eccleston returned to the fold earlier this year with audio production company Big Finish , producing a series of well-received Doctor Who audio plays with plans for more.

The shooting of the first series was a nightmare. It has long been known that the first season of Doctor Who was behind schedule and disorganized, with young actors like Billie Piper said to be terrified of the press interest in the show.

I agreed with Russell that I would go, quietly and respectfully, and I would look after the show publicity-wise, in terms of publicizing it. And then, without saying anything to me, they announced that I was leaving. I was walking down the street, and suddenly I got quite a lot of aggression.

Think of the early seasons of the Doctor Who reboot, and you're probably picturing David Tennant's Converse-wearing, speed-talking Doctor, or Matt Smith in a bow tie making dry remarks.

In his oh-so-'00s signature long leather jacket, Eccleston's Doctor was more serious and stoic than his predecessors. He was capable of great compassion, but also a level of cruelty that led some viewers to label one of his outings as the most controversial Doctor Who episode ever up until then, at least.

One ranking of all the Doctors so far put Eccleston's sole Doctor Who season as the third most popular in the show's history, and there's no doubt that its popularity kick-started the show's comeback. So why didn't he stick around to keep playing the Doctor?

There's a twist to this tale how very Whovian.