Eccleston (now) regrets leaving Doctor Who

[StCoop]

http://io9.gizmodo.com/christopher-eccleston-regrets-leaving-doctor-who-so-qui-1786504254

Well that's a surprise after all these years.

Time for Big Finish to give his Agent a call?

 

[Captaindemotion]

I'm not sure that this is really anything different from what he's said before. I haven't listened to the whole interview, but as far as I cam see, he is not saying that he was wrong to leave, simply that he regrets that the situation developed into one where he felt no option but to go. Again, I stress, haven't heard the whole interview but while he wishes he could've played the Doctor for longer, I don't see any desire on his part to return.

 

[Relayer1]

Should've done Day Of The Doctor then...

 

[rdzogschen]

I'm not sure that this is really anything different from what he's said before. I haven't listened to the whole interview, but as far as I cam see, he is not saying that he was wrong to leave, simply that he regrets that the situation developed into one where he felt no option but to go. Again, I stress, haven't heard the whole interview but while he wishes he could've played the Doctor for longer, I don't see any desire on his part to return.

There was never really a healthy working relationship between Eccs, the writers, the producers and the BBC. There was a lot riding on the series succeeding.

 

[Tom]

Cast him in a multi-doctor story with Capaldi now before he changes his mind.

 

[intrinsical]

Cast him in a multi-doctor story with Capaldi now before he changes his mind.

His regret was not being able to further improve his acting chops while on Doctor Who. He's said nothing that makes me believe he now regrets leaving Doctor Who early. So I kinda doubt he would be interested in reprising the role, especially just for one story. The only way to draw Eccelston back is to give him what he desires most, help him be a better actor.

 

[φ of π]

Christopher who?

 

[Emperor-Tiberius]

His regret was not being able to further improve his acting chops while on Doctor Who. He's said nothing that makes me believe he now regrets leaving Doctor Who early. So I kinda doubt he would be interested in reprising the role, especially just for one story. The only way to draw Eccelston back is to give him what he desires most, help him be a better actor.

Which is why he should consider working with Big Finish. They usually curtail their scripts to the needs of the lead actor - Davison gets more Androzani-esque stories, for instance, and Baker obviously had his character expanded in a rather extraordinary way through his early stories, especially the Evelyn ones - so they could discuss with him the direction in which they could take the character. They could all be stories set immediately before Bad Wolf, anyway.

 

[Nightowl1701]

The direction to go with Eccleston, IMHO, would be between his regeneration from Warrior and Rose. Amnesiac, assuming the worst about the end of the Time War, starting off at literal rock bottom. Mirror gag aside, he clearly got up to some stuff Earthside before Rose met him (including a trip to the Titanic, an appearance at the JFK assassination and the explosion at Krakatoa). A definite theme there - throw in 9/11 and the Holocaust and you've got yourself a box-set. If he's up for more after that, a second set would show Nine's first tentative trips off Earth and the beginning of his lighter, flippant attitude, bridging at the end to the start of Rose.

"When disaster comes, he's there. He brings the storm in his wake and he has one constant companion.... death." - Clive, Rose

 

[Mark_Nguyen]

Thing is, those appearances could have taken place at any point in his incarnation, they don't HAVE to have happened before he met Rose. For all we know he was off pursuing some Raxicoricofalapatorians in 1963 and Rose was with him but just not in the picture, etc.

Mark

 

[Nightowl1701]

True, but... I want to give him a little more time, you know? Once Rose enters the picture, he's locked into that one-year lifespan, she doesn't leave his side. And as TARDISWiki noted:

"Assuming his predecessor's recollection of age was correct, the Ninth Doctor began his life around 800 years old (The Day of The Doctor). Considering the fact that he had adventures on his own when Rose initially declined his offer to travel with him, and he gave his age as 900 following the point he accepted Rose as a companion (Aliens of London, The Empty Child), this suggests he traveled alone for about a century." (Of course, Rule One...)

So either it's pre-Rose or during that five-second interval at the end of Rose. Otherwise we're stuck with her, and I don't know how available Billie Piper's gonna be for Big Finish, or if Eccleston will be open to working with her/Barrowman again.

 

[matthunter]

Or they go with "the Doctor has other adventures while the companions are asleep" idea from the "Night and the Doctor" series of minisodes 11 got.

 

[Starkers]

^Exactly, or you accept that Rose wasn't by his side every single moment. There's nothing to say the Doctor didn't drop her off to see her mum for a couple of hours (from Rose's perspective) whilst he nipped off and spent ten years adventuring.