10 Actors Who Won't Return To Doctor Who
3. Christopher Eccleston
Most previous Doctors are only too happy to come back. Jodie Whittaker is already gunning for a return, and she's only just left!
But for the Ninth Doctor, it’s more complicated.
Christopher Eccleston arguably had a harder time on the show than any other Doctor. He fell out with the producers almost immediately, over perceived failures that still remain shrouded in mystery. As a result, he decided to leave after just one year.
If that wasn’t bad enough, he was battling with anorexia at the time. And if that wasn’t bad enough, he was blacklisted by the BBC and vilified by the press following his departure.
Eccleston has since made peace with the show and its fans, embracing the world of conventions and reprising the Ninth Doctor on audio. However, he’s maintained that he’ll only return on TV “when hell freezes over”.
In a more recent interview he was clearer than ever about what it would take for him to come back:
“Sack Russell T Davies. Sack Jane Tranter. Sack Phil Collinson. Sack Julie Gardner. And I’ll come back.”
Of course, if the BBC did ever manage to make up with Eccleston, his return would be an amazing moment. But if you think that’s ever going to happen, you’re probably going to be waiting a while.