Eccleston turned down chance to be in 50th Anniversary story

[Bacl]

ASSUMING this is all true (which it still may not be, but ASSUMING) then this leaves me with some disturbing ideas...

It seems like the 50th is INTENTIONALLY limiting itself to Doctors 9 and 10, with absolutely no reports as of yet of any previous doctors, many of whom the actors that portrayed them are still alive and kicking (and in several cases not THAT affected by age).

Seeing as we've had table read pics intentionally leaked, and filming has begun, it appears that the only previous Doctor to appear will be the 10th, and that aside from a supposed interest in the 9th, that this is by choice.

Why? Why would they just celebrate 50 years of Doctor who by revisiting the most recent Doctor and leave it at that? This bothers me greatly. You only turn 50 once.

I suppose this report could be untrue, and other Doctor could be kept under wraps...but I doubt they are very good at keeping things under wraps, and don't know why they'd keep other Doctors a secret in the first place.

If the 50th is just Tennant and Smith, what a bloody shame and missed opportunity.

 

[Sindatur]

I am owed a 5 hour Anniversary Special with every living Doctor and all 3 that have passed away, plus all their Companions.

Well, I'm really not, but, it would be superb to have a week long affair, with an hour a night, similar to how Torchwood Children of Earth was aired

 

[Allyn Gibson]

If the 50th is just Tennant and Smith, what a bloody shame and missed opportunity.

I understand this point of view. I even sympathize with it as a long-time fan. However, I also understand that Moffat and RTD before him didn't pitch Doctor Who at the fan who suffered through the JNT era and the Wilderness Years, and the anniversary special is going to be pitched at the same audience that has tuned in since "Rose."

 

[The Mirrorball Man]

Eccleston was unhappy with his experience on nuWho, so it's not surprising that he'd pass.

On the other hand, he seemed happy with the role, and the people in charge are now completely different, so it's a very different situation.

 

[The Doctor]

If the 50th is just Tennant and Smith, what a bloody shame and missed opportunity.

I understand this point of view. I even sympathize with it as a long-time fan. However, I also understand that Moffat and RTD before him didn't pitch Doctor Who at the fan who suffered through the JNT era and the Wilderness Years, and the anniversary special is going to be pitched at the same audience that has tuned in since "Rose."

Exactly. This special may air in the 50th anniversary of Doctor Who's production start, but it isn't celebrating the entire run, just the last eight years or so.

 

[tomalak301]

Well, I'm really not, but, it would be superb to have a week long affair, with an hour a night, similar to how Torchwood Children of Earth was aired

I like that idea. Instead of this big bloated thing on a single night, make it a mini-series and make it a week's worth. That would be awesome.

 

[Mr Awe]

If the 50th is just Tennant and Smith, what a bloody shame and missed opportunity.

Agreed. While they certainly don't need to include every classic Doctor, there should be at least one! I'd be happy with any of them!

Mr Awe

 

[DS9Continuing]

I think McGann would be good, if only to see how 10 & 11 react/treat him, knowing he was the one that used "the moment" that they still feel guilty about.

I realize this is not the point of the thread, but I'm not convinced this is the case. I know it's always been fan assumption that Eight was the one who killed off the Timelords and the Daleks. But given the events of "Journey's End," I think it was actually a brand new Nine in the throes of post-regeneration instability.

In "Journey's End," real-Ten specifically likens human-Ten to Nine right at the beginning of the show, when Rose met him, because he just set the Crucible to explode and destroy all the Daleks. He describes it as "born in fire, born in battle" to explain his more bloodthirsty nature. (In fact, to drive home the point, I think it would have been nice if they'd had human-Ten wearing Nine's leather coat rather than matching brown-or-blue suits.)

If Eight was the one to use the Moment, then he didn't do it because he was "born in battle" as Ten seems to be suggesting. Eight was old and experienced by that point, not young and crazed. So that leaves Nine.

My theory is that Eight fought the majority of the Time War as we have always assumed, but that in one of the biggest final battles Eight was "killed" and regenerated into Nine. And it was Nine, in a post-regeneration fugue, with chaos and death all around him, who used the Moment and killed all the Daleks and Timelords.

That also fits better with "The Parting of the Ways" IMO. If Eight was the one who killed everybody and then regenerated, why would Nine regenerating again be closure for him, as PotW implies? If Eight had killed everybody, then Eight would be the one crippled with guilt, and regenerating into Nine would be the new slate. But Nine's behaviour doesn't fit with that.

Nine is the one who carries all the guilt (far more than Ten or Eleven). So it only makes sense that Nine is the one who took the actions he feels guilty about. He killed everyone almost the moment he was "born in battle," so he spends his life full of guilt, until he finally sacrifices himself to make up for it. That's closure. Nine sacrificing himself to make up for something Eight did doesn't make dramatic or emotional sense.

Anyway, that's what I think.

As to the actual topic of the thread, I would love Eight to appear in a multi-Doctor story. I know he's probably the least well known of all the Doctors, understandably, and thus the least of a draw for non-hardcore fans. But I think as a character he deserves to have at least one more on-screen adventure.

Ten is too recent (it feels like the same reason why Tom Baker didn't want to appear in "The Five Doctors" - he only left 10 minutes ago), plus he's too similar of a character to Eleven. Nine apparently doesn't want anything to do with the show anymore. Nobody knows who Eight is. All the rest are either old and fat, or dead. (Although I think Six would make a fantastic character contrast for Eleven.)

But if we must have Ten and Eleven together, maybe it could also involve River. I think there's some interesting dynamics to be had there with Ten teasing Eleven, and Eleven being hideously embarrassed to be pegged with "human squooshy stuff," while Ten is also morbidly curious to meet this woman again. It would also help to explain how come River instantly recognized Ten in the Library but didn't instantly know that Ten wouldn't recognize her - she'd already met him once.

Although if Eight were involved, that precludes River, or else Ten would have recognized her. And Nine just wouldn't give a toss about any of it. He'd just sigh and roll his eyes.

I think there was about one sentence of that which was on topic.

.

 

[Sindatur]

But, it wasn't 8 born in battle, it was 9 born in battle.

IE: Using the moment, and destroying/Time locking the Daleks and the Time Lords, ended 8's life and triggered his Regeneration to 9

10 doesn't carry around as much Guilt as 9, not because he didn't do it, but, because Rose helped him heal, which is why it's a Good thing for 10.5 to go off with Rose, because 10.5 needs Rose, like 9 and early in his 10 lifetime

 

[JoeZhang]

I just think these actors who become big because of a show

Eccleston was a celebrity and successful film/TV actor well before Doctor Who. See Shallow Grave, 28 Days Later, Second Coming. Probably the most famous a Doctor Who actor has been before taking the role.

I've always respected Eccleston for not playing the fame game. He isn't a media whore like John Barrowman and does have principles.

Yeah - Photoman has it back to front, Eccleston was cast *because* he was a well established well respected actor and they wanted to show how seriously they were taking the revamp:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/3552087.stm

 

[Admiral Buzzkill]

If the 50th is just Tennant and Smith, what a bloody shame and missed opportunity.

I'd be fine with just Tennant.

 

[DalekJim]

Doctor Who did not begin with David Tennant.

 

[Psion]

I can understand Eccleston, but I wish they'd also gotten at least McGann and McCoy into the mix. And some of Tom Baker's distinctive voice.

C'mon BBC, don't make the same mistake you made with Nick Courtney! These wonderful performers won't be around forever and the fans deserve a chance to see them once more!

 

[Tom]

So they have approached the 3 doctors of the new series, but have they approached any from the classic series? That's what i would like to know.

 

[Allyn Gibson]

Doctor Who did not begin with David Tennant.

You're right. It began with Sydney Newman. And, correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't there a movie coming out about Sydney Newman? I could have sworn I might possibly have heard something about that...

 

[Rarewolf]

I just think these actors who become big because of a show

Eccleston was a celebrity and successful film/TV actor well before Doctor Who. See Shallow Grave, 28 Days Later, Second Coming. Probably the most famous a Doctor Who actor has been before taking the role.

I've always respected Eccleston for not playing the fame game. He isn't a media whore like John Barrowman and does have principles.

Yeah - Photoman has it back to front, Eccleston was cast *because* he was a well established well respected actor and they wanted to show how seriously they were taking the revamp:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/3552087.stm

I'n not sure he was every comfortable with the celebrity side of the job - McGann's a relectant one too - they act for the sake of acting, rather than to seek fame.

Chris make do secret he was reluctant to come back, he at least considered it.

As for the others, apart from Tom they are all doing conventions down under for for the next few weeks.

 

[Mr. Adventure]

They should just find some bald nutter with the most impenetrable Northern accent they can find and call him the Ninth Doctor.

 

[Photoman15]

I just think these actors who become big because of a show

Eccleston was a celebrity and successful film/TV actor well before Doctor Who. See Shallow Grave, 28 Days Later, Second Coming. Probably the most famous a Doctor Who actor has been before taking the role.

I've always respected Eccleston for not playing the fame game. He isn't a media whore like John Barrowman and does have principles.

Yeah - Photoman has it back to front, Eccleston was cast *because* he was a well established well respected actor and they wanted to show how seriously they were taking the revamp:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/3552087.stm

In the UK. If not for DW, the US would not know who he was (except as bit parts in movies, possibly). Probably for the rest of the world too.

 

[Bacl]

They should just find some bald nutter with the most impenetrable Northern accent they can find and call him the Ninth Doctor.

Not sure if it is because I am an American, but I actually found Eccleston's "accent" to be the easiest of the 9th, 10th, and 11th Doctors to understand, followed by Tennant and in dead last is Matt Smith (or as my family calls him "The Mumbly Doctor").

 

[davejames]

Not surprising. Eccleston has seemingly spent the last 7 years trying to move on from DW and the neverending questions about it, so the last thing he'd want to do is throw even more fuel on the fire and start all the way back at the beginning.

But that's fine. When it comes to representing the new series I think Tennant and Smith are more than enough.