14 Doctor Who Urban Legends That Are Actually True
4. Typecast Terror
On the subject of behind the scenes disputes, Doctor Whos reboot in 2005 was met with a rapturous response of critical acclaim and as such it was one of the biggest shocks in TV history when Christopher Eccleston revealed he was leaving the role after just one series. Amid rumours that he had already signed to stick with the show for at least another year, speculation surrounding his sudden change of heart was one of the nations hot topics and it dominated the mainstream media when news of his impromptu exit was leaked by a certain tabloid and promptly denied, and then eventually confirmed, by the BBC. His decision to hand over the keys to the TARDIS was originally put down to the fact that Christopher didnt want to become typecast as the titular Time Lord. As the years have gone by, though, it has transpired that there were probably other more dominant factors that contributed to the stars untimely departure. The actor himself has largely remained tightlipped about what went on behind the scenes although he has revealed that he wasnt comfortable with the environment and culture that we, the cast and crew, were forced to work in. That, combined with the fact that he never bathes in the same river twice, resulted in him declining Steven Moffats offer to reprise his role for The Day of the Doctor as part of the shows 50th anniversary festivities in 2013, much to the dismay of his legion of fans. Nobody knows for sure what really happened in the build up to Christopher Ecclestons exit but his legacy as the Ninth Doctor will stand the test of time.