10 Things Doctor Who REALLY Wants You To Forget
2. Series 1's Troubled Production
Christopher Eccleston left Doctor Who in 2005 because his relationship with Russell T Davies, Phil Collinson, and Julie Gardner had broken down irreparably.
The specifics of this are unclear, but for years rumours have circulated about tensions with Rose director Keith Boak, an over-running and mismanaged production, and a stunt gone badly wrong.
The story goes that during the explosion of Henrik's department store, a flaming sofa was supposed to fall out of a window and land on the street. The shot went wrong and had things gone differently, someone could've been seriously injured.
It's long been speculated that this was one of Eccleston's concerns about production that he'd raised with the producers. If true, his disappointment in their response partly influenced his departure.
The story has never been publicly verified by anyone involved, though pictures of the burning sofa have emerged over the years, which at least confirms that there was a couch involved in the scene.
It must never be spoken of. pic.twitter.com/DnAdnxyfhv
— Clayton Hickman (@claytonhickman) October 13, 2017
Two decades later, and with Russell T Davies going so far as to clamp down on Ncuti Gatwa swearing while in costume, it seems he's striving for the most professional working environment he can create.