Posted in: BBC, Doctor Who, TV | Tagged: bbc, billie piper, christopher eccleston, doctor who, russell t davies

Doctor Who: Christopher Eccleston Wants Folks Sacked Before Return

Christopher Eccleston wouldn't consider an on-screen return to Doctor Who as the Ninth Doctor unless Russell T. Davies & others were fired.

Okay, we're going to readily admit that this doesn't exactly fit the coverage of Doctor Who that we've been doing lately. Mostly, it's been doing wrap-ups & analysis of the David Tennant & Catherine Tate-starring 60th anniversary specials or previewing the upcoming Ncuti Gatwa & Millie Gibson-starring Chrismas Special. But when you have Christopher Eccleston (Ninth Doctor) & Billie Piper (Rose) pairing up at a convention panel to field some questions, we're definitely going to take a break from the norm. Especially when Eccleston is asked what it would take for him to return as the Ninth Doctor in front of the camera for a new adventure. Now, for those of you who don't know, asking Eccleston this question is right up there with asking Alan Moore what he thinks about adaptations of his works. It's the same answer it's always been – nothing's changed. Let's just say that we have a feeling that showrunner Russell T. Davies, EPs Julie Gardner & Jane Tranter, and producer Phil Collinson won't be meeting Eccleston's demands anytime soon

During a Q&A portion of Eccleston & Piper's panel For The Love Of Sci-Fi 2023 convention, Eccleston was once again asked if he would ever return to the long-running series proper. Now, if you're a glass-half-full person, you can view his response as not being a "no." But realistically, the bar set by Eccleston doesn't sound like one that the BBC has any interest in clearing. "Sack Russell T Davies. Sack Jane Tranter. Sack Phil Collinson. Sack Julie Gardner. And I'll come back. So can you arrange that?" the actor responded.

As we've seen from his work with Big Finish, Eccleston makes it clear that he "loves" being associated with the character & the how's universe – but that's not the case when it comes to how he feels about production on 2005's first season. "I love being associated, just don't like being associated with those people and the politics that went on in the first series. The first series was a mess, and it wasn't to do with me or Billie [Piper], it was to do with the people who were supposed to make it, and it was a mess," Eccleston explained – once again referencing the team that put together the show's revival.

And when it comes to the revival itself, Eccleston shares that he also has an issue with the BBC not really backing the show's return until after it became a hit. "You know, the first series, nobody wants to know. The BBC were like we're gonna keep a big distance from this. And then as soon as it was a success, they were all up close going, 'I was responsible for that,' but they were all like at a distance. Like this is a folly, Eccleston's folly, Piper's folly, Russell T. Davies' folly. And then when it worked, suddenly, 'Oh yeah, I worked on that.' They wouldn't come anywhere near us, and then they jump on the bandwagon," Eccleston shared. "Those kinds of politics I'm not very good at handling, I can't swallow that shit."

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