The True Story Behind Christopher Eccleston's Doctor Who Exit
5. Rose Airs, Two Days Later Eccleston Is Gone
On 26 March 2005, Doctor Who triumphantly returned to screens. Not even the leak of the first episode, or an interruption from Graham Norton could take the sheen off the staggering 10.81 million viewers that tuned in to watch Rose. Two days later, the tabloids published reports that Eccleston had already departed the series and the search for a new Doctor was on.
The BBC responded to these rumours two days later on 30 March, stating that Eccleston left the role for fear of being typecast. It wasn't true. The following Monday, BBC Head of Drama and Commissioning Jane Tranter had to publicly apologise to Eccleston, stating that:
"The BBC regrets not speaking to Christopher before it responded to the press questions on Wednesday 30 March.
The BBC further regrets that it falsely attributed a statement to Christopher and apologises to him."
It was a sour note that undercut the joy of Doctor Who being back on TV and more popular than ever. The casting of David Tennant and the series' increasing popularity certainly dispelled much of this unpleasantness. However, the BBC's decision to misquote Eccleston and upset him further is a real failing on their part, especially given how much work he did to promote the series.