Relevent quote from:

http://metro.co.uk/2013/10/25/thors-...ics-2-4159699/

"At this point, I’d expect to throw our conversation back to his spell as a certain Time Lord. However, a condition of my interview is that ‘Christopher Eccleston will not answer any questions on Doctor Who’.

One presumes he’s fed up with the ongoing ‘Who’-ha over why he – the ninth Doctor, who reinvented the character and helped refashion the show into one of the most successful series on 21st-century British TV – has refused to participate in the 50th anniversary special."

Maybe he's secretly in it!
(I know, I know)

He needs to sort himself out and feel the love.

When his career eventually hits rock bottom, he will cling to the 9th doctor role like a life raft

This just makes no sense whatsoever.

This is very unlikely to happen. Same as it won't for Tennant and Smith. Those who have played the doctor since 2005 are simply on an entirely different planet when it comes to acting talent. They aren't going to ever be seen sat behind a desk with Sophie Aldred in Reading on a wet Sunday afternoon.

No doubt this will play out exactly as the other thread did a few weeks back.

If I had a Tardis I'd go back in time and make sure he would never take on the best role TV has to offer! I like the 9th Doctor but the guy who played him is an idiot

I think even he would admit that, if worst came to worst, he would gladly do that to pay the bills. But I, for one, don't think he'll ever come anywhere near that level of desperation. He's one of the finest actors alive and the show was incredibly lucky to have him, even if just for one series.

'how dare he'

'he looks funny'

'he should appreciate the show more'

'arrogant'

'why does he do rubbish like GI Joe and not return to DW'

'never heard of him before DW'

'who does he think he is?'

'he will come running back one day'

Just saving people some time.

See you can clearly see the difference between actors for Chris it was just another role for David and matt They were the Doctor and peter i think you need to have a love for the show which chris clearly hasent

Matt and David will though always he happy to talk about their time on Doctor Who. Eccleston, however, hates the subject and doesn't want to discuss it, which is a shame as he was the first Doctor in new Who, and made a huge contribution to the show becoming popular again.

Ecclestone signed on for thirteen episodes. He did not sign the rest of his life away in service of one television show. He doesn't actively criticize it or say nasty things. Quite the opposite. That is enough. Maybe he's sick of being asked because he has nothing more to say on the matter b

if you sign on as the doctor you can pretty much expect to be know as it for the rest of your life he knew what he signed up for ...

It wasn't exactly a surprise he did one season. He's never been an actor to stick to one part or genre. He doesn't even stick solely to Hollywood (well.... GI Joe actually but let's gloss over that). He does his own thing and moves on, doesn't dwell on the past. That's just who he is. A shame but it's his life and probably has said all he wants to about Doctor Who.

Who the F*** is this ecclestone chap - is he involved in formula 1 motor racing by any chance?

Firstly, like it or not, if it wasn't for Chris, Doctor Who may not have become the success that it currently is, after all, he helped put the show back on the map.

Yes, there may well have been other actors who may have done better or far worse job of it but it was him who took the role and it was a success.

David and Matt are both fans, or have liked the show enormously and have willingly been associated with the show now, and later and are pleased to still be associated with it in whatever way.

Chris had a falling out (in what manner and why I do not know) and maybe this has impacted on his view of the show in how it is/was made....but not the audience as from what I've heard, he has always treated fans of the show with respect and courtesy.

I respect him for sticking to his principles in the aftermath of how he was treated (or whatever the reasons were for him leaving) but yes, feel a bit sorry that he couldn't be a part of the 50th.

We may never know whether he was considered for the anniversary, or if he accepted then pulled out or whatever.

I'm just personally glad he was the 9th Doctor (and David and Matt were the 10th and 11th - renumbering aside).

He's moved on. That's all. To be honest, I would only be interested in a Christopher Eccleston interview relating to 'Doctor Who' if he had something new or interesting or entertaining to say..otherwise, so what?

I mean, I love the way Sir Peter Davison can still be funny and engaged and self-deprecating about himself and the show in his interviews/commentaries, but Christopher is his own man and is hardly a raconteur in *any* of his interviews. Just not his personality, it seems. (Don't know. Never met the bloke!)

Edit: Ooh, just read Davidus' post. Seconded.

That might be true, yet DW was obviously a bigger part of David's and Matt's life and they have both done it for much longer than Chris. Also one could argue that noone would know who David Tennant or Matt Smith is (especially with Matt) if it weren§ t for Doctor Who while Chris was already known before DW, in a way DW jump-started Matt's and David's career.


You can say that now, but back then when Chris was doing DW noone really knew whether the new series would work and how popular the series and the people who play the part will really be. For all we know he might have been even lesser known than Paul McGann as the Doctor if RTD's attempt to bring back DW had not worked.

Well, he tried it, but after a couple of laps he came into the pics and gave up, handing it over to someone much more talented at it who loved every turn of the wheel.

I did laugh at this line....


Well....not ANY kind of work, Chris.
If you were that desperate for cash......

Anyway, this is a path well trodden. The man is a talent and seems not to want to bathe in the same river twice.

Love Eccleston...favourite Doctor... he addresses the fans and answers plenty of questions. Now and again he's within his right to want to talk about something other than 13 episodes of what was essentially a series pilot, nearly a decade ago.

No one's asked what the Interviewer's motives were for telling us what he/she "would have asked if..." Who cares about questions that weren't asked and therefore weren't answered? Smacks of crappy Journalism to me...oh wait, it was Metro: nuff said.

Its just petty and grubby journalism looking for an angle. It seems to be a known 'thing' now if not a misconception that CE isn't too keen to dwell on that relatively brief period of his career. So for any lazy hack that's an open invitation to try it on. Combine that with the fact DW is good headline fodder and there you have it. But fact is Ecclestone is one assumes engaged with promotion for Thor which is his current film. They have no more reason to ask him about Our Friends in the North.

What do they expect? That hes going to reveal all about the problems that went on behind the scenes and give a tell all tabloid story? Of course he wouldn't. So beyond that what is there for him to say that he hasn't said a thousand times? He isn't in the fiftieth (as far as we know), he has great respect for the show and the fans and RTD, he appreciates the history of the show, he had some problems with internal battles with production crew. That's it. Stop asking him. Its boring for us now so goodness knows how tiresome he finds it.

Ecclestones public persona is of someone who is a bit more guarded and reserved than say Tennant. That's his choice. He doesn't have to play the game the way others want him to. And fact is that outside of the press and forums from what I have heard of people who have met him he is as gracious and polite as you could want him to be.

He just doesn't define himself because of one show. And people should respect that. There is no point comparing him to Tennant. This was Tennants dream job. He is a fanboy. Ecclestone isn't. So what?

He left the role about 8 years ago, could understand why hes frustrated at people asking him questions continually on a job he hasnt done in a long time.

How is he on questions about Our Friends In The North or Hillsborough, or even Cracker?

CE is a great actor, apparently he has spoke to loads of people about Doctor Who in the past, but I still don't understand why he would say NO Doctor Who Questions, People are not going to not go to the movie because you didn't answer a doctor who question, in fact I would probably go to see this movie because he WAS in Doctor Who.

Because he was promoting his latest film and questions should be about that. He's made it clear he regards Who as a job he did years ago, which it is. Whether he says anything or not the fanboys say he hates it, which he doesn't. He can't win when he does say something so he makes clear he won't, especially in an interview about something completely different. I'm not sure what the problem is.
There was absolutely no need for the interviewer to even mention Who.