Why Eccleston if Only One Series?

[Whofan]

Question is, what to do with the Ninth Doctor in the audio plays? Have him with Billie as Rose or Barrowman as Jack? Create a new companion? Find some way to put Bad Wolf in every story?


Big Finish has played a bit with WHO's loose continuity before, so it wouldn't suprise me if they added a new companion at some point if Eccleston does audios.


Of course they could do the Time War, but I don't think they're allowed to do that quite yet.

 

[Sindatur]

Question is, what to do with the Ninth Doctor in the audio plays? Have him with Billie as Rose or Barrowman as Jack? Create a new companion? Find some way to put Bad Wolf in every story?


Big Finish has played a bit with WHO's loose continuity before, so it wouldn't suprise me if they added a new companion at some point if Eccleston does audios.


Of course they could do the Time War, but I don't think they're allowed to do that quite yet.

We don't know long before meeting up with Rose Eccelston's Regeneration had been around. He amy have just recently regenerated, or it may have been years.

Also, when he dematerialized and instantly rematerialized again, to give Rose, one more chance to travel with him, that may have been the second we saw, or he may ahve gone off for years in his time, and come back only a second later from Rose's perspective.

Any time the Doctor gets into the TARDIS alone and dematerializes, any amount of time could've passed, and anything could've happened.

 

[Anbaric Amber]

Yeah, this is what I have to explain to all my other geek friends. Anytime the Doctor disappears by himself, an eternity can happen. Unless the camera is following him around, we have no idea how much time has actually passed. I think the only exception is Pertwee who probably had the shortest life of any of the generations because he was stuck without time travel for most of his run. But even then, there's enough time alone to squeeze in an eternity or two.

Eccleston could easily have other companions - dozens of them, we just don't know. Tennant's Doctor, and Smith's too for that matter, shows that somewhat harshly, the Doctor doesn't always think of past companions and isn't one to dwell on the past that much.

I don't think that Smith's Doctor would be all that interested in Rose today. In fact, if she ever shows up again I think it'd be great if he didn't even recognize her or had a hard time remembering who she is or was to him.

 

[Yminale]

You don't need a companion. There is always some clueless human or alien around so the Doctor can go explain things and I feel sometimes the companions (and their personality flaws) get in the way of the story.

Finally I don't like how the companions are overshadowing the Doctor. The show is called Doctor Who not the Companion Chronicle (Oh wait).

 

[The Lensman]

Matt Smith: the Doctor is turning into a cartoon character. A prancing, giggling, goofy, Bugs Bunny-like figure that is the exact opposite of everything Christopher Eccleston stood for.

I do agree to an extent with this....but it didn't start with Smith, it started with Tennant. And I prefer Smith's take on it to Tennants.

One of the most down to earth scenes in nuWho is the bit at the end of "The End Of The World", after having arrived back from the future. Nine is doing the "you think it'll last forever..." bit. There's something so *real* about the scene, so normal. I cannot see that scene working with Ten or Eleven because neither feel like real people so much as characters. Characters I enjoy though.

And I realize that Nine was a more mature, realistic Doctor whereas Ten and Eleven are more kid friendly, eccentric and "zany"....though thankfully Eleven is less "zany" than Ten.

 

[Bacl]

Except then why come up with the "I didn't enjoy the environment" claim? It sort of contradicts what you put here.

You don't think it is possible to agree to take a job for a year and then find that the working environment is not one you enjoy?

Life is complex. People are complex. Some more than others and some more than they need be.

I think Eccleston's silence is both:

a) He and RTD agreed before hand that this would likely be a one year gig.

b) A working environment where his strong personality clashed with other strong personalities and combined with a intense work routine led to extreme frustration on his part.

He likely doesn't talk much about leaving out of respect and an agreement with his friend RTD, as well as the professional attitude that you don't talk shit (not too much, anyway) about your former job and co-workers.

I'll wait until you've watched Series 6 before really responding to that one.

I've seen series 6, everything that's aired so far.

There's no way anyone can consider the Eleventh Doctor a "Bugs Bunny-like figure" after watching the emotional steamroller that was The Doctor's Wife, The Rebel Flesh, The Almost People and A Good Man Goes to War so I have to assume you haven't seen these episodes yet.

Alex

Actually, my biggest 'bugs bunny' moment is the 11th Doctor gigling and twirling in a cartoonish fashion at the very end of "The Doctor's Wife". I loved the episode, but that last moment was absurd. It needed another take. He's not even pushing too many buttons or levers, just giggling and twirling around the consol.

Listen, again, I love Doctor Who AND Matt Smith. Things just aren't black and white for me. I can love and enjoy the show AND STILL BE CRITICAL OF IT. I expect the best from the best.

Matt Smith is an amazing talent. So was David Tennant. So was Christopher Eccleston.

I love Matt Smith's Doctor possibly best of all, and I love all three quite a lot. Matt Smith plays the Doctor like an absent-minded college professor, and I freaking love that to tears. I like that he is somewhat clumsy and forgetful yet brilliant and amazing at the same time

I worry though that they are focusing on more silly cartoonish elements...childish elements if you will...of plot and character. I'd prefer a little more of the adult realism that RTD tried to pump into the show upon its rebirth.

Spare me the, "It's a kid's show." Kids can be surprisingly grown up. Power Rangers was a kids show, and I don't want this turning into Mighty Morphing Doctor Who.

When "A Good Man Goes To War" feels obligated to include the "Not a drop of blood spilled!" I roll my eyes at the fact they have reached a point where they are very nervous and hesitant to have adult violence. When the Doctor gets killed at the beginning of this season by a beam of light that leaves him collapsed on the ground without a scratch on him or a drop of blood spilt, I groan because it is being softened. Death is made to look not like death out of concern for upsetting children. I don't want Walt Disney presents: Doctor Who either.

I'm not saying it should be Ronald Moore presents Battlestar Doctor Who either. I'm just saying that there was a better balance during the Eccleston years and I wish they'd return to it. If you are going to have two armies battle, then people die. Yes, I know about three people died at the end of AGMGTW, but it is the "Not a drop of blood spilt" line that bothers me. It just reminds me of in Power Rangers how when the monsters knocked over and blew up buildings the Power Rangers had to say "Good thing this is the abandoned warehouse district!"

 

[Anbaric Amber]

It's still a kid's show. And that's important to keep in mind, srsly. If you want something more serious, try the audio fictions or the novels. Those can be adult and gloomy and moody or whatever makes a show "adult." Maybe we can have a special adult episode of Doctor Who which involves the Doctor trying to figure out Rory and Amy's taxes or maybe the Doctor can take out a mortgage on the TARDIS in another very special and adult episode.

Oh noz! The Doctor has a new mole on his back, could it be cancer?! Don't miss the next very adult installment of Doctor Who.

Doctor Who and the Ministry of Transport. Will the TARDIS pass MOT this season or will he have to trade her in for a new model?

Adult stuff is lame. There's like a thousand shows dealing with adult themes and motivations and characterizations. I personally don't need a Doctor Who/CSI crossover with blood and vulgarity and supposed super-seriousness. I like my Who just the way it is.

 

[ClayinCA]

It seems there was bad friction behind the scenes with at least one of the directors, which cemented Eccles' feeling that doing one season as planned was right.

However, I have heard - and it may well be total bollocks - that part of the reason he won't come back is because he ummed and ahed about whether he'd do some more, decided he wouldn't, went on holiday, the BBC tried to get hold of him to confirm one way or the other but couldn't, so they decided to with Tennant as planned, Eccles changed his mind and decided he would come back, but then found that he was too late as he'd missed the deadline and DT was signed up. And then somebody blew the fact that he had quit without checking with all parties...

So, AIUI, he was originally supposed to do only one with an option for some more if he wanted, decided the stress was such that he didn't want to pick up the option, then changed his mind, but did so too late and got gazumped, meaning he only did the one he originally wanted, but he felt messed-around with to the extent that he'll have no more to do with it.

For what it's worth, this is the same story I've heard. The whole "there was always only ever going to be one Eccleston season" story is a myth that's right up there with George Lucas saying he's had the whole Star Wars story worked out since the Seventies. RTD has always maintained this fiction, but Julie Gardner and Billie Piper both gave interviews at the time of Eccleston's departure or Tennant's arrival that made it clear that Eccleston leaving was by no means a certainty and that it happened fairly late in the day.

Though he did say a couple of months ago that he supposes he'll end up having to do "those radio plays".

The last thing I heard was a couple of weeks ago when Eccleston was on Jonathan Ross's radio show. Wossy asked him straight out if he'd ever go back for a one-off, like the upcoming 50th Anniversary, to which Eccleston flat-out said no. He said he's proud of having done the show and he's only too happy to talk to fans about it when they approach him (said he'd even sign stuff provided it wasn't going to get flogged on eBay), but it's something he's done, past tense, and once you've done something you don't go back. I'm paraphrasing, but he was pretty unequivocal.

It's still a kid's show.

No, it's not. It's a family show, meant to be enjoyed not just by kids, but for every age group in the family, from children on up to grandparents. At least that's what both Steven Moffat and Russell T Davies have said, and the distinction is important.

 

[Anbaric Amber]

Well, you'll have to excuse me because I'm American and the "prime time" hours over here, which used to be considered the family hour is full of blood and violence.

 

[Haggis and tatties]

I heard Eccleston and the Dalek in the episode Dalek, got into a fight on set over lines and the Dalek sucker punched Eccleston and thats why he left.

Oh come on.

 

[Captaindemotion]

^ You're talking a load of Daleks.

 

[Sindatur]

I heard Eccleston and the Dalek in the episode Dalek, got into a fight on set over lines and the Dalek sucker punched Eccleston and thats why he left.

Oh come on.

It all started because Billie Piper was having an affair with the Dalek, and Eccelston made a racist slur about it. Who can blame the Dalek, honestly

 

[Starkers]

. This is one thing that worries me about STeven "Fart-Joke-Dalek-Bump" Moffat and Matt Smith: the Doctor is turning into a cartoon character. A prancing, giggling, goofy, Bugs Bunny-like figure that is the exact opposite of everything Christopher Eccleston stood for.

I wouldn't say he's any more of a bugs bunny like figure than Tennant! Actually he probably does less giggling and goofiness!

 

[PorthosShadow]

. This is one thing that worries me about STeven "Fart-Joke-Dalek-Bump" Moffat and Matt Smith: the Doctor is turning into a cartoon character. A prancing, giggling, goofy, Bugs Bunny-like figure that is the exact opposite of everything Christopher Eccleston stood for.

I wouldn't say he's any more of a bugs bunny like figure than Tennant! Actually he probably does less giggling and goofiness!

This is the same problem I've had with certain fans of Deep Space Nine accusing Avery Brooks of hamming up his character. But if you have ever seen any interview with Avery Brooks you would know that his character is far less manic than the actor who is portraying him. So yeah, every series has viewers who only see what they want to see.

 

[Allyn Gibson]

I think Eccleston's silence is both:

a) He and RTD agreed before hand that this would likely be a one year gig.

b) A working environment where his strong personality clashed with other strong personalities and combined with a intense work routine led to extreme frustration on his part.

He likely doesn't talk much about leaving out of respect and an agreement with his friend RTD, as well as the professional attitude that you don't talk shit (not too much, anyway) about your former job and co-workers.

My understanding is that there was an NDA in place that prevented Eccleston from talking about his time on the series in anything more than a vague way, and that Eccleston's personal and professional relationship with RTD is over.

 

[Ar-Pharazon]

It seems there was bad friction behind the scenes with at least one of the directors, which cemented Eccles' feeling that doing one season as planned was right.

However, I have heard - and it may well be total bollocks - that part of the reason he won't come back is because he ummed and ahed about whether he'd do some more, decided he wouldn't, went on holiday, the BBC tried to get hold of him to confirm one way or the other but couldn't, so they decided to with Tennant as planned, Eccles changed his mind and decided he would come back, but then found that he was too late as he'd missed the deadline and DT was signed up. And then somebody blew the fact that he had quit without checking with all parties...

So, AIUI, he was originally supposed to do only one with an option for some more if he wanted, decided the stress was such that he didn't want to pick up the option, then changed his mind, but did so too late and got gazumped, meaning he only did the one he originally wanted, but he felt messed-around with to the extent that he'll have no more to do with it.

For what it's worth, this is the same story I've heard. The whole "there was always only ever going to be one Eccleston season" story is a myth that's right up there with George Lucas saying he's had the whole Star Wars story worked out since the Seventies. RTD has always maintained this fiction, but Julie Gardner and Billie Piper both gave interviews at the time of Eccleston's departure or Tennant's arrival that made it clear that Eccleston leaving was by no means a certainty and that it happened fairly late in the day.

As to the bolded part, if this happened, would CE even have come back to do the regen scene?

Wouldn't we have gotten another Baker-McCoy, wonderfully CGI'd regeneration?

 

[Allyn Gibson]

As to the bolded part, if this happened, would CE even have come back to do the regen scene?

He didn't. Two endings were shot, partly because RTD wasn't sure if the series was going to continue, and partly to give himself an out if Eccleston decided not to return for the second season. In the unused ending, which would have been used if the series was unlikely to continue or if Eccleston didn't depart, Rose and the Doctor both live, but Rose is actually dying from the effect of the Time Vortex.

The actual regeneration effect was shot in April 2005, and it was all Tennant, with his footage matched to the earlier shot footage of Eccleston.

 

[Bacl]

As to the bolded part, if this happened, would CE even have come back to do the regen scene?

He didn't. Two endings were shot, partly because RTD wasn't sure if the series was going to continue, and partly to give himself an out if Eccleston decided not to return for the second season. In the unused ending, which would have been used if the series was unlikely to continue or if Eccleston didn't depart, Rose and the Doctor both live, but Rose is actually dying from the effect of the Time Vortex.

The actual regeneration effect was shot in April 2005, and it was all Tennant, with his footage matched to the earlier shot footage of Eccleston.

Would love to see THAT alternate ending turn up on the internet.

 

[Ar-Pharazon]

As to the bolded part, if this happened, would CE even have come back to do the regen scene?

He didn't. Two endings were shot, partly because RTD wasn't sure if the series was going to continue, and partly to give himself an out if Eccleston decided not to return for the second season. In the unused ending, which would have been used if the series was unlikely to continue or if Eccleston didn't depart, Rose and the Doctor both live, but Rose is actually dying from the effect of the Time Vortex.

The actual regeneration effect was shot in April 2005, and it was all Tennant, with his footage matched to the earlier shot footage of Eccleston.

Would love to see THAT alternate ending turn up on the internet.

Yeah! They let every spoiler out of the bag, why not that.

Plus all the Rose haters would love the idea of her dying.

 

[Samurai8472]

I think Eccleston's silence is both:

a) He and RTD agreed before hand that this would likely be a one year gig.

b) A working environment where his strong personality clashed with other strong personalities and combined with a intense work routine led to extreme frustration on his part.

He likely doesn't talk much about leaving out of respect and an agreement with his friend RTD, as well as the professional attitude that you don't talk shit (not too much, anyway) about your former job and co-workers.

My understanding is that there was an NDA in place that prevented Eccleston from talking about his time on the series in anything more than a vague way, and that Eccleston's personal and professional relationship with RTD is over.

I can hear the northern accent

"We're doooonnee"