10 Things Christopher Eccleston Has Done Since Leaving Doctor Who

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.

€œI 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 didn€™t agree with the way things were being run. I didn€™t 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:

€œYou know, it€™s easy to find a job when you€™ve got no morals. You€™ve got nothing to be compromised. You can go, €˜Yeah, yeah. That doesn€™t matter. That director can bully that prop man and I won€™t say anything about it€™. But then, when that director comes to you and says, €˜I think you should play it like this,€™ you€™ve surely got to go, €˜How can I respect you, when you behave like that?€™ €œSo, that€™s why I left. My face didn€™t fit and I€™m 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.