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Christopher Eccleston regrets not doing a second series |
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#26 |
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Join Date: Sep 2014
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That's easy to say in hindsight, but no one knew what a success the show was going to be. Can you imagine someone having to be bought out of a 3 year contract with the Beeb because a show was cancelled after 1 series? The Daily Mail would have wet themselves with delight at the mileage they would have got out of that one!
![]() Chris can say he regrets all he wants because there is a difference between saying it and actually doing it. |
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#27 |
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They must have known it would have been a success. The fans deff knew it would succeed and if it would have only done one series it would have been silly to do a regeneration.
Chris can say he regrets all he wants because there is a difference between saying it and actually doing it. |
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#28 |
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Nonsense. Of course they didn't know it would be a success. Neither did the fans. You're looking back with the benefit of hindsight. In 2004-05, the show had been off our screens for 16 years, barring the critically panned TV movie. Why would anyone have assumed that it would succeed?
RTD had the "jitters" and the undervalued (for her part in the return) Jane Tranter was hoping for 8ish million but thinking it might be nearer 4.So considering the cost and the massive hype, it wasn't a 'done deal'. |
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#29 |
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They must have known it would have been a success. The fans deff knew it would succeed and if it would have only done one series it would have been silly to do a regeneration.
Chris can say he regrets all he wants because there is a difference between saying it and actually doing it. Fan was not sure at all it was going to be a success. Even if the "fans" was sure it was going to be a success (and again they was not) the fans was never going to be enough to make it a success A actor like Eccleston is more then likely not going to sign a long term contract for a show and combine that with it being a massive risk long term contracts would have been not even on the table. |
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#30 |
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Join Date: Oct 2006
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Had a quick google (my memory isn't what it was!) to remind me, and basically we had the screening of 'Rose', the excellent overnights, the 'leak' that Chris was off and the announcement that there would be a second series all in about 5 days! It was all happening...
RTD had the "jitters" and the undervalued (for her part in the return) Jane Tranter was hoping for 8ish million but thinking it might be nearer 4.So considering the cost and the massive hype, it wasn't a 'done deal'. That's probably why Eccleston was only contracted to do one series. |
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#31 |
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I don't think most people believed the revival would last more than a few years to be honest. If you said back then it would still be around in 2016, people would have thought your expectations were way too unrealistic.
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#32 |
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I don't think most people believed the revival would last more than a few years to be honest. If you said back then it would still be around in 2016, people would have thought your expectations were way too unrealistic.
But seriously, I remember discussing this with a friend at work in 2003 when the revival was announced and we said that at least there would be 13 new episodes of Who. No one was confident (although hopeful) that it would be a success. |
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#33 |
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Join Date: Jun 2006
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When you think of it, to hype it the way they did and to place it in prime time on a Saturday night suggests they were confident of the show lasting - not necessarily getting the ratings it got but they were confident enough the show would find an audience.
Eccleston said in interview that he would be using whatever voice/accent he used for "years" and at least one writer marvelled at how RTD was planning for the long-term with his story thoughts. Barring an unmitigated ratings disaster it was very likely going to continue. |
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#34 |
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Join Date: Dec 2005
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Nowhere in that article does he say he regrets his decision to leave.
He implies that it is a shame circumstances were such as they were that he didn't play the character for longer. That is not the same as regretting the decision he made to not play the character for a second series. This is the problem with the Internet... anyone can type anything and there is no filter for things written by people with lower levels of reading comprehension. And now many people will respond to what you wrote as if it is an accurate representation of what Christopher Ecclestone said... All I know is that this isn't the first time I've heard this from people who worked on the show back then. |
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#35 |
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To be fair, receiving scripts for the Aliens of London two parter wouldn't have filled him with much confidence. Those episodes stink of a lack of prepared ideas, an actual plan for the whole season and frankly were just filler which for a show in it's debut season, is pretty piss poor!
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#36 |
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Join Date: Sep 2014
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Quote:
When you think of it, to hype it the way they did and to place it in prime time on a Saturday night suggests they were confident of the show lasting - not necessarily getting the ratings it got but they were confident enough the show would find an audience.
Eccleston said in interview that he would be using whatever voice/accent he used for "years" and at least one writer marvelled at how RTD was planning for the long-term with his story thoughts. Barring an unmitigated ratings disaster it was very likely going to continue. |
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#37 |
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Join Date: Aug 2014
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To be fair, receiving scripts for the Aliens of London two parter wouldn't have filled him with much confidence. Those episodes stink of a lack of prepared ideas, an actual plan for the whole season and frankly were just filler which for a show in it's debut season, is pretty piss poor!
We British are usually known for having a somewhat wittier sense of humour than that. |
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#38 |
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Join Date: Aug 2007
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I could have told him this when he resigned.
Playing a doctor is the best. We still got McCann, Colin and Sylv thoroughly enjoying it and it's thirty years since they aired Get off your high horse and enjoy it. You are only the doctor once |
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#39 |
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We British are usually known for having a somewhat wittier sense of humour than that.
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#40 |
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Join Date: Aug 2005
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Doctor Who was still considered naff before it was announced it was coming back. It was seen as a cult show and no longer considered a prime time show. It was a huge gamble for it to return. It took a lot of persuading for the BBC executives to agree to bring it back. It could easily have flopped. I think the BBC were very suprised it got such high ratings for 'Rose'.
That's probably why Eccleston was only contracted to do one series. |
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#41 |
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Join Date: Jun 2006
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I think the BBC were fully committed to it continuing. Eccleston's casting was something which shook people's perceptions of what to expect because at the time people like Paul Daniels and Michael Fish were being bandied about. When Eccles was cast it was clearly setting a different tone.
I think the idea was simply get someone solid in at the start to hook viewers and then recast if they don't stay - which is why people like Hugh Grant were under consideration. |
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#42 |
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Join Date: Aug 2005
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I think the BBC were fully committed to it continuing. Eccleston's casting was something which shook people's perceptions of what to expect because at the time people like Paul Daniels and Michael Fish were being bandied about. When Eccles was cast it was clearly setting a different tone.
I think the idea was simply get someone solid in at the start to hook viewers and then recast if they don't stay - which is why people like Hugh Grant were under consideration.
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#43 |
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Join Date: Sep 2014
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Why must they?
Fan was not sure at all it was going to be a success. Even if the "fans" was sure it was going to be a success (and again they was not) the fans was never going to be enough to make it a success A actor like Eccleston is more then likely not going to sign a long term contract for a show and combine that with it being a massive risk long term contracts would have been not even on the table. |
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#44 |
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Join Date: Jun 2006
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Genuinely?? People really believed they would cast a non-actor in the part? I never realised the show had gained such a bad image...
![]() It was just the notion that the Doctor was a sort of eccentric uncle type so names which typified that were thrown into the ring. Eccleston, I would argue, wasn't famous - he was one of those faces a lot of people would recognise but I wouldn't have considered him a household name. However, those who did know him knew his body of work was pretty serious stuff and I think that casting him sent a clear message, certainly withing the showbiz industry, this was not going to be the avuncular eccentric of times past and the rest of the show would have more gravitas as a result. And then we got burping bins and farting aliens... |
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#45 |
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Join Date: Feb 2014
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Eccleston, I would argue, wasn't famous - he was one of those faces a lot of people would recognise but I wouldn't have considered him a household name. However, those who did know him knew his body of work was pretty serious stuff and I think that casting him sent a clear message, certainly withing the showbiz industry, this was not going to be the avuncular eccentric of times past and the rest of the show would have more gravitas as a result.
And then we got burping bins and farting aliens... I don't think Tennant would have had the reaction he did if the role hadn't been warmed up by Eccleston first (in fact DT pretty much admitted he felt confident in taking it because of CE). I still would have loved a 2nd series with the 9th Doctor though. |
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#46 |
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Join Date: Jun 2015
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I sympathise with him leaving the role, the atmosphere on set didn't sound nice and RTD pretty much procrastinated on all the scripts.
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#47 |
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Join Date: Jan 2016
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I sympathise with him leaving the role, the atmosphere on set didn't sound nice and RTD pretty much procrastinated on all the scripts.
Executive Producers will always damage shows just to get what they want. |
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