13 Great Non-Doctor Who Performances By Each Doctor

When people talk about Christopher Eccleston as the Ninth Doctor, they often say that he could handle the darker sides of the character but struggled with the comedy. If you see him bleeding radiators in Rhys Thomas' A Year in the Life of a Year, or as a theatrical impresario in The League of Gentlemen, you can conclude that it may be more of a fault with the writing and direction.

Peter Bowker's family drama The A Word, about a family dealing with an autism diagnosis is another example of how deft Eccleston can be with lighter material. Playing Morris, he excels as the well-meaning but occasionally tactless grandfather, who is given a second chance at love following the death of his wife. The comedy in The A Word works so well because it's grounded in realism, as the Northern locations have a clear sense of place and Bowker has rigidly researched autism for the scripts.

That realism is where Eccleston excels, just look at Our Friends in the North or Cracker, and it's what frees him up to play the breezier, comic heart of the series.