The True Story Behind Christopher Eccleston's Doctor Who Exit
3. Eccleston Meets With Moffat For Day Of The Doctor
In his autobiography, Eccleston feels that RTD didn't quite know what he wanted from the Doctor, but is incredibly complimentary of Steven Moffat saying that his scripts:
"... delivered my best work, bringing me closer to finally knowing exactly who the Doctor was than any other time during the shoot."
It's no surprise that he was open to meeting Moffat about appearing in 2013's 50th anniversary special The Day of the Doctor. Ultimately, Eccleston turned the role down because he felt it didn't do justice to the Ninth Doctor. He's glad he did, because it left room for John Hurt's phenomenal turn as the War Doctor, whom Eccleston believes is a "a far better actor than me".
It was a promising first step towards Eccleston donning the leather jacket once more, but the role still held a great deal of trauma for the actor. Not least the way in which the BBC misquoted him, in what he believes was an attempt to vilify him. Further more, Eccleston's struggles with mental health and body dysmorphia were intrinsically linked with the role, observing in the autobiography that:
"People love the way I look in that series, but I was very ill. The reward for that illness was the part. And therein lies the perpetuation of the whole sorry situation.”