Christopher Eccleston On His Doctor Who Legacy and Departure

By Barry Rice | Jul 30, 2015

The reasons behind Christopher Eccleston‘s departure from Doctor Who remain a mystery even ten years later. Eccleston had the unenviable task of bringing the Doctor to life for a new generation when producer Russell T. Davies launched the revived series in 2005, but shocked everyone when he announced he was leaving after only one short series.

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The questions about his Doctor Who exit continue to haunt Eccleston, though, and while promoting other projects this year, he’s been increasingly more open about what happened. A new Radio Times article has spread like wildfire today, covering Eccleston’s appearance on Radio 4’s Loose Ends.

Interestingly, though, this is not a new interview. We covered the story when Eccleston first made these comments back in April. Nonetheless, with the rest of the internet buzzing about these quotes, it’s worth discussing again.

Here’s Eccleston on why he left Doctor Who:

"“…they’re not here to say their side of it, so I’m not going into detail… Myself and three individuals at the very top of the pyramid clashed, so off I went.”"

This is essentially what Eccleston has been saying for quite a while, although specifying “three individuals” is a new detail. Rumors have ranged from everything from Eccleston being denied time off to care for an ailing parent, to conflicts regarding his working-class accent, to his displeasure with how crew members were being treated on set.

Related: Christopher Eccleston Leaving May Have Helped Doctor Who

Eccleston went on to talk about the legacy he left on Doctor Who:

"“I don’t think it’s important that I left. I think it’s important that I did it in the first place. I’m still there: I was in David Tennant, I was in Matt Smith, I was in Peter Capaldi. I’m always there in spirit."

He’s right, of course. The Ninth Doctor and that first series set the standard for all the Doctors and series to come. You think the Twelfth Doctor is brooding? Go back and watch Eccleston’s performance. It helps, too, that the Doctor is literally a character who always changes, yet still stays the same. A little bit of the Ninth Doctor will always be there in the Doctor, whether it’s always apparent or not.

The other comments Eccleston made that are worth discussing are a self-critique of his performance as the Doctor:

"“I think I over-pitched the comedy. If I had my time again, I would do the comedy very different – but I think where I did possibly succeed was in the tortured stuff – surprise surprise!”"

I have to agree with Eccleston here. I’m personally not a big fan of his Doctor regardless, but the attempts at humor are among his weakest moments. Comedy just isn’t Eccleston’s strong suit, and it tended to come off as really goofy. The “tortured” stuff, though? Yeah, that’s Eccleston’s bread-and-butter, and he did it as well as always on Doctor Who.

What do you think? Are you satisfied with Eccleston’s explanation? Do you agree with his comedy critique? Sound off in the comments below!

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