Doctor Who news: Christopher Eccleston says he enjoys playing the Doctor again in new interview
By James Aggas
He may not be returning to the show anytime soon, but Christopher Eccleston is still happy to be back in the Doctor Who universe, as he’s revealed in a recent interview for Big Finish.
Christopher Eccleston has made his feelings on returning to Doctor Who quite clear. In a recent interview on the breakfast morning show Lorraine, he said he’ll return “when hell freezes over”. And it’s really no surprise. Certainly, he’s given no indication that he’s wanted to return to the TV series in recent years.
However, that’s not to say that he wants to avoid the role completely. In fact, he’s playing the Ninth Doctor once again in a new series of audio dramas from Big Finish. More than that – as far as just playing the part again, he actually seems happy about it.
In a new interview for the Big Finish podcast, Christopher Eccleston discussed several topics with Executive Producer Nicholas Briggs. Naturally, the first thing that they discussed was how much he’s enjoyed working on his new audio series so far.
"I really enjoyed playing him again. He was always a joy to play, somebody with that amount of optimism, enthusiasm and brains – and heart… two hearts!"
Christopher Eccleston reveals what he enjoys about playing the Doctor on audio.
Image credit: Doctor Who/BBC.
Image obtained from: BBC Press.
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Strong return
It’s not just returning to the role that he’s enjoyed about the new audio series. It’s how well the scripts for the first volume – all written by Nicholas Briggs – suit his Doctor and his era, too.
"That’s what made it feel seamless. I felt that [Briggs] understood what he was all those years ago – and so it was like putting on a pair of old shoes. Running shoes!"
The whole interview is worth listening to. Not just for the discussion of Eccleston playing the Ninth Doctor again, or even his work for something as important as The Big Issue. But Eccleston clearly has a lot of respect for Briggs – in particular, he talks about how it’s clear how happy Briggs is from everything he does at Big Finish. Honestly, it’s a lovely little chat to listen to.
You can download the podcast from Big Finish’s website. You can also pre-order all four volumes of Doctor Who: The Ninth Doctor Adventures right now on CD, download, or vinyl.
Have you listened to the podcast yet? What are your thoughts on it? Are you as happy as Christopher is about him playing the Ninth Doctor again? Let us know in the comments below.