Doctor Who: Christopher Eccleston Almost Returned

Christopher Eccleston almost came back to Doctor Who for the 50th Anniversary Special.

Christopher Eccleston, since leaving Doctor Who after his one season as the Ninth Doctor, has become quite known for his reticence in speaking about his reasons for departure. He has attempted to avoid anything to do with the program since that time, essentially avoiding the topic at all points by stating that he does not want to reflect on the past.

However brief his time on Doctor Who was, Eccleston still has his supporters and fans. His incarnation of the Doctor was the perfect one to bring the show back, a gritty character with an edge and a toughness to him, yet he still had that caring and personable side. It was quite the blend, and one of the reasons why his Doctor resonates so well, even though his tenure was as short as it was.

Eccleston is also remembered for his refusal to return for the Doctor Who 50th Anniversary Special. The original idea was to have the three most recent Doctors in some sort of an adventure together, a concept which Steven Moffat had begun working on. However, he had to know if Eccleston would return before he could complete the script.

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As it turns out, Moffat almost had Eccleston convinced to return for the 50th Anniversary. They met on a couple of occasions, discussing the current show, even going over Amy Pond by name. Eccleston was even, in Moffat’s words, “three quarters talked into it” before he ultimately decided against coming back for the special, leading to the creation of the War Doctor and John Hurt’s place in Doctor Who canon.

As for those reasons, it would seem that Moffat knows why Eccleston decided against returning to Doctor Who. He refused to elaborate, saying that Eccleston’s reasons as his own and that he is quite the private person. If anyone is to explain why he will not return to the show, it will have to be Eccleston himself.

Yet, as unlikely as it may be, the door may not be closed on Christopher Eccleston returning to Doctor Who. It was generally expected that he had outright refused to listen when it came to coming back to the 50th Anniversary Special, but the fact that he was even leaning ever so slightly towards a return may mean that his stance has softened, at least to some degree. Could Eccleston eventually make his return back to the TARDIS at some point in the future?

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It may not be likely that a reunion happens, but the idea that Christopher Eccleston was at least listening about coming back for the 50th Anniversary Special would seem to be a step in the right direction.