Why Eccleston REALLY Quit Doctor Who

Something for us to ponder - thanks to Doctor Who News for this -

Bad Wilf Podcast recently attended an acting master class at the Theatre Royal Haymarket, where Christopher Eccleston (The 9th Doctor) shed some light on the real reason behind his decision to quit.

“I left Doctor Who because I could not get along with the senior people. I left because of politics. I did not see eye-to-eye with them. I didn’t agree with the way things were being run. I didn’t like the culture that had grown up, around the series. So I left, I felt, over a principle.

“I thought to remain, which would have made me a lot of money and given me huge visibility, the price I would have had to pay was to eat a lot of \"naughty word\". I’m not being funny about that. I didn’t want to do that and it comes to the art of it, in a way. I feel that if you run your career and– we are vulnerable as actors and we are constantly humiliating ourselves auditioning. But if you allow that to go on, on a grand scale you will lose whatever it is about you and it will be present in your work.

“If you allow your desire to be successful and visible and financially secure – if you allow that to make you throw shades on your parents, on your upbringing, then you’re knackered. You’ve got to keep something back, for yourself, because it’ll be present in your work. A purity or an idealism is essential or you’ll become– you’ve got to have standards, no matter how hard work that is. So it makes it a hard road, really.

“You know, it’s easy to find a job when you’ve got no morals, you’ve got nothing to be compromised, you can go, ‘Yeah, yeah. That doesn’t matter. That director can bully that prop man and I won’t say anything about it’. But then when that director comes to you and says ‘I think you should play it like this’ you’ve surely got to go ‘How can I respect you, when you behave like that?’

“So, that’s why I left. My face didn’t fit and I’m sure they were glad to see the back of me. The important thing is that I succeeded. It was a great part. I loved playing him. I loved connecting with that audience. Because I’ve always acted for adults and then suddenly you’re acting for children, who are far more tasteful; they will not be bullshitted. It’s either good, or it’s bad. They don’t schmooze at after-show parties, with cocktails.”

Weird. I had heard from the beginning that he was only doing one year. It was part of the reason I wished they'd got McGann, so at least he'd have had one full series.

You know, it still seems to me they could do that. A secondary series... just one or two years... set before the Time War. Have it end with him heading off to Gallifrey.

Not the same thing. It doesn't cost me anything to watch Doctor Who on TV. I was actually looking at them last night and was reminded why I stopped buying the audios. Even with the discounted prices WhoNA sells them at, each McGann "season" would cost $80 before shipping. I was getting tired of paying for them and not knowing ahead of time if I was going to regret spending the money.
With the DVDs at least I've gotten to see them and know if I want to buy them or not. The last one I bought was The Next Life. I just can't afford them anymore. And too many of them just weren't worth what I was paying. I mean, seriously. For the cost of Terror Firma, Scaredy Cat, and Other Lives I could buy the entire 13 episodes of Series Five, which I still don't have because I can't afford it. I come here and look at the threads about action figures and such, but I'm not a collector because I have a mortgage and child support and car payment. And would I like those three stories? I have no idea.

Calixar wrote:

Not the same thing. It doesn't cost me anything to watch Doctor Who on TV. I was actually looking at them last night and was reminded why I stopped buying the audios. Even with the discounted prices WhoNA sells them at, each McGann "season" would cost $80 before shipping.

It didn't cost anything to listen to the McGann audios, either. They were broadcast for free on the radio worldwide, before they were available for purchase. That was the reason they did the season thing in the first place, as part of a deal with BBC radio.

When and where? I heard about them playing in the UK, but what station were they on in North Idaho?

Speaking of departures, I just read that Amy and Rory will be leaving during the christmas special. I still havent seen last years special yet. Pity the Doc and Rory couldnt go stag for a while before the new crew starts.

Whoosier Whovian wrote:

Speaking of departures, I just read that Amy and Rory will be leaving during the christmas special. I still havent seen last years special yet. Pity the Doc and Rory couldnt go stag for a while before the new crew starts.

I agree. Rid o' Amy is a good thing. Would have been good for the Doc and Rory to hang out and Rory could actually enjoy having a life... at least for a little while.

i've been on tv show sets, and seen directors, and even actors treat the "little" people like that. i give him credit for sticking up for the crew.

Calixar wrote:

When and where? I heard about them playing in the UK, but what station were they on in North Idaho?

I've no knowledge whatsoever of any North Idaho radio stations, but I listened to them here in Canada on Sunday nights.

Whoosier Whovian wrote:

Speaking of departures, I just read that Amy and Rory will be leaving during the christmas special.

Sad to see Rory go, good riddance to Amy. Wonder if Rory will die?

bret_owen99 wrote:

i give him credit for sticking up for the crew.

How is quitting sticking up for them? I doubt it improved their situation at all.

maybe him leaving gave other people the courage to quit too.

Could Amy's leaving be connected to what happened in New York? I wonder ......

Jany

Who North America wrote:

Could Amy's leaving be connected to what happened in New York? I wonder ......

Jany

Was that NY thing actually confirmed to any extent?

Cruel Angel wrote:

Who North America wrote:

Could Amy's leaving be connected to what happened in New York? I wonder ......

Jany

Was that NY thing actually confirmed to any extent?

Why, what happened?


And I'm glad that Chris took the moral high ground and left. I'd have done the same in his position. It's just a shame, he was a brilliant Doctor.

Scary wrote:

Cruel Angel wrote:

Who North America wrote:

Could Amy's leaving be connected to what happened in New York? I wonder ......

Jany

Was that NY thing actually confirmed to any extent?

Why, what happened?


And I'm glad that Chris took the moral high ground and left. I'd have done the same in his position. It's just a shame, he was a brilliant Doctor.

Someone reported that they found Karen drunk and naked outside their hotel room. As Cruel Angel said, it doesn't seem to have been confirmed, and I believe it originated from a tabloid, so...

i thought that incident with karen happened in a posh hotel in england? or were there two incidents?

either way, maybe they should bring in some more "mature" actors and actresses who can act accordingly outside the studio, for children's sake (since moffat keeps reminding us that it's a children's show that he's writing for).

bret_owen99 wrote:

i thought that incident with karen happened in a posh hotel in england? or were there two incidents?

either way, maybe they should bring in some more "mature" actors and actresses who can act accordingly outside the studio, for children's sake (since moffat keeps reminding us that it's a children's show that he's writing for).

Hotel in NYC, reported in Brit tabloids, not confirmed by anyone I could see (i.e., not unnamed source(s)). Actually, I thought Amy was on her way out before this (reportedly) happened, and I can't see this being a firing offense from the show unless it was part of a pattern of events none of us know about.

As for Eccleston, I too was under the impression he had signed on for just the one season, period, but if this is accurate (& it seems to be), maybe it was signed on for one season with option to carry on which he & the producers opted not to exercise. Either way, I like a guy who stands up for the "little people" who do just as much to make a show work as the actors, the director, the writers or the producers. What good's a show without sets, or lights, or sound or, even (gasp) people working the cameras, eh?

bret_owen99 wrote:

i thought that incident with karen happened in a posh hotel in england? or were there two incidents?

either way, maybe they should bring in some more "mature" actors and actresses who can act accordingly outside the studio, for children's sake (since moffat keeps reminding us that it's a children's show that he's writing for).

I only heard about it happening in New York. (Differing versions of the story is usually a sign that it's not true.)

At any rate, no one's confirmed it, so it's quite possible Karen WAS acting respectfully, and someone decided to start a rumor.

Any pictures?

Just *ahem* curious!

workstinx wrote:

Any pictures?

Just *ahem* curious!

Very good question!!! It would be proof!

The initial source should be all the "proof" anyone needs: The Daily Mail reported it.

Don't they recycle that into toilet paper?

well as news of the world has shown us, you cant trust a tabloid. i too am sad about chris he was a brilliant doctor, i just dont understand what he means about all the poitics, it seems to me that hes saying he quite for the same reasons he took the job? i think its great to stand up for the little guy but hes an actor, doesnt this happen all over the world in any acting scenerio? another thing i dont understand is why he said on graham nortons radio show he doesent revisit a part? you telling me he won't be destro if a sequal to gi joe comes up, riiiight. i love chris and i think he played the part brilliantlly but his success was just as much atributed to two other things 1. all the writers including rtd and 2. finally being given a real budget to operate on. i don't need him to come back on a regular basis but i am miffed that he wont appear for the aniversary. he had to realize that he was going to become part of the cultural landscape by taking that role and i wish he would come back and give the fans something. thats just me though he has to live his own life and i am after all not him and don't know what goes on in his mind so i don't want to sound like im on a high horse juddging him, i just loved his potrayal of the role and would love to see him more. i think it would be great if they got the old doctors back for a 3 part story so they could all break into two part teams, eccleston with davison, tennant with tom baker, matt with mccoy, and mcgan with colin i think would make for some great moments. lol.

bret_owen99 wrote:

moffat keeps reminding us that it's a children's show that he's writing for

Pffft, yeah, and with all the sexual inferring comments and gestures he puts into it makes that statement quite hard to believe.

Scary wrote:

Pffft, yeah, and with all the sexual inferring comments and gestures he puts into it makes that statement quite hard to believe.

Random comment: I just re-watched series 1, and I actually found wayyy more of these innuendoes and comments than there is now. They flat out say stuff that they couldn't say today...I suppose because maybe at that point they didn't know their audience as well as they do now. Ok, random comment over.