4. The Acting Masterclass When Someone Asks An Awkward Question
For Doctor Who fans, of course, the most fascinating thing Christopher Eccleston has done since Doctor Who wasn't even a TV or film role - it was spilling the beans about why he left the programme. Hint: it turned out his decision had nothing to do with fears of being typecast. The eyebrow-raising remarks came whilst he was conducting an acting masterclass at the Theatre Royal Haymarket in July 2011. When asked why he left a job as high paying as Doctor Who, he gave an honest answer.
I left Doctor Who because I could not get along with the senior people. I left because of politics. I did not see eye-to-eye with them. I didnt agree with the way things were being run. I didnt like the culture that had grown up around the series. So I left, I felt, over a principle."
His later comments seemed to clarify that the senior people he couldn't get along with were directors, rather than Russel T Davies. He added:
You know, its easy to find a job when youve got no morals. Youve got nothing to be compromised. You can go, Yeah, yeah. That doesnt matter. That director can bully that prop man and I wont say anything about it. But then, when that director comes to you and says, I think you should play it like this, youve surely got to go, How can I respect you, when you behave like that? So, thats why I left. My face didnt fit and Im sure they were glad to see the back of me. The important thing is that I succeeded. It was a great part. I loved playing him. I loved connecting with that audience.
By "that audience", he meant children, of course, despite the fact that the programme has always been aimed at a family audience since its revival. Maybe it was a slip of the tongue. Still, he deserves respect for not naming names and for holding his tongue for as long as he did - hallmarks of a true and principled gentleman, indeed.