Eccleston Details His Damaging Doctor Who Departure

Just a week after his last revelations, Ninth Doctor Christopher Eccleston is opening up further about the behind-the-scenes tensions that caused his abrupt exit from Doctor Who back in 2005.

Speaking in the latest issue of Radio Times, Eccleston says: “My relationship with my three immediate superiors – the showrunner, the producer and co-producer – broke down irreparably during the first block of filming and it never recovered. They lost trust in me, and I lost faith and trust and belief in them.”

“Some of my anger about the situation came from my own insecurity,” he continues. “They employed somebody [as the Doctor] who was not a natural light comedian. Billie [Piper], who we know was and is brilliant, was very, very nervous and very, very inexperienced. So, you had that, and then you had me. Very, very experienced, possibly the most experienced on it, but out of my comfort zone.”

Eccleston also reveals why he remained quiet for so long about the situation: “When I left, I gave my word to [then-showrunner] Russell T Davies that I wouldn’t do anything to damage the show. But they did things to damage me. I didn’t criticise anybody.”

Asked if Davies was aware of the issues, Eccleston says, “If you’re the showrunner, you know everything. That’s your job,” adding that he “never will have” a working relationship with the screenwriter again.