Chris Eccleston didn't enjoy the atmosphere on Doctor Who ...

[WhiteCrowNZ]

Sounds a bit like a non-news story really but ...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertain...s/10312426.stm

Actor Christopher Eccleston quit Doctor Who after one series because he "didn't enjoy the environment and the culture" of the show.

Eccleston, who is about to star in BBC Four biopic Lennon Naked, took on the role of the Time Lord when Russell T Davies revamped Doctor Who in 2005.

He told the Radio Times he was proud of the show but "wasn't comfortable" working on it.

"I think it's more important to be your own man than be successful, so I left."

Eccleston, the ninth Doctor announced he was leaving after just one series to be replaced by David Tennant.

"I was open-minded but I decided after my experience on the first series that I didn't want to do any more," he said.

"I didn't enjoy the environment and the culture that we, the cast and crew, had to work in.

"I thought if I stay in this job, I'm going to have to blind myself to certain things that I thought were wrong."

But the 46-year-old said the fact that he played the Doctor - and not that he had quit - was "the most important thing".

"I really feel that because it kind of broke the mould and it helped to reinvent it.

"I'm very proud of it."

BBC apology In an initial statement announcing his exit in March 2005, the BBC said the actor was afraid of being typecast and had found the series gruelling.

The corporation later accepted the statement was incorrect and that it had not spoken to Eccleston before releasing it.

"They handled it very badly but they issued an apology and I dropped it," he added.

[Llordllama]

Oh noes a hot news story...5 years ago. Surely the big news is Eccleston to play Lennon, and this it just a tit bit?

[Milky Tears]

He didn't like the gurning culture and BIG GAY AGENDA!

[Perry Vale]

"I was open-minded but I decided after my experience on the first series that I didn't want to do any more," he said.

Gasp. Shock. Horror. Finally, we get proof that RTD was lying about it "always being the plan"....thank god.

[SiHart]

Well there we go. That clears that little bit of intrigue up.

Si xx

[Si Hunt]

It's odd isn't it? No-one else seems to have had a problem. Billie was happy to return for many more seasons. Why did he find it so unprincipled? One of the few people in Doctor Who's long history to have found the series had a bad atmosphere, it seems.

Si.

[SiHart]

The other side of the story?



Si xx

[Rob McCow]

"I thought if I stay in this job, I'm going to have to blind myself to certain things that I thought were wrong."

Yes, such as? For example?

[Si Hunt]

Man on man sex?

Si.

[WhiteCrowNZ]

The other side of the story?



Si xx

Eccleston has carved out a sort of career for himself after appearing in the landmark 37-part BBC drama London is ****ing Shit, before going on to star in a series of miserable Jimmy McGovern classics including Bastards and Why Won't it Stop Raining?.

Love it!

I expect though it probably was quite tense on set for the first season, as the team were finding their feet. David Tennant always makes it sound like there is a positive team experience behind scenes. Although of course Billy Piper did decide quite early on into season two she wanted to leave as well ...

And Chris has done enough with RTD to know what he's generally like.

[Rob McCow]

Man on man sex?

Given that he said he was 'Uncomfortable' and 'didn't like the atmosphere', perhaps he's refering to the times when one of the directors took to sitting on Chris's head and farting?

[Perry Vale]

It's odd isn't it? No-one else seems to have had a problem. Billie was happy to return for many more seasons. Why did he find it so unprincipled?

Of course Billie was likely to want to stay, it was her big tv break. Whereas Eccleston was a well established actor who'd already been in many hollywood movies & critically acclaimed pieces.

Why? Well we still don't know for sure, they're still heavily guarded statements. I'm sure he has only come clean now since RTD has left the show, but for him to explain any further would, I suspect, involve critcising fellow professionals who are still out there trying to earn a living. Not the done thing.

It does seem to make it harder to dismiss the 'sofagate' rumours, and I suspect, the rumoured "you can make me say this shit, but you can't make me watch it" sound more plausible.

I do hope though, that the next time SFX (or similar) does a fawning RTD interview, they might press him further, or at least ask him to let us have a hint at how S1 was REALLY supposed to end.

[Simon R]

Didn't Russell and Phil Collinson say that the first recording block was very difficult and fell behind schedule to the point where some Executive Producer was dragged on as an emergency resort to sort things out? Maybe that's the "environment" of which Chris speaketh?

[Awesome Wells]

He's talking about the fans, isn't he?

[Andrew Curnow]

One day I'm sure we'll know - back in the day, DWM would never have dreamed of suggesting that people wanted Hartnell out, or that Pertwee left because of the money, now it's just accepted.

[Larry]

It's odd isn't it? No-one else seems to have had a problem. Billie was happy to return for many more seasons. Why did he find it so unprincipled? One of the few people in Doctor Who's long history to have found the series had a bad atmosphere, it seems.

Si.

maybe the "bad atmosphere" was because Chris, just wasn't prepared or expecting the intense scrutiny from both media and fans and he simply couldn't handle it. Also he probably failed to understand that after a gap of 16 years the production team with the money beeing spent would of been under huge preasure to make a success of Doctor Who and that might of contributed to "the bad atmosphere"

but in truth this dosen't really suprise me this article I saw several different interviews on tv with chris, around 2005 and he always seemed very uncomfortable talking about Doctor Who.

[Dino]

I'll always warm to Chris for dedicating a National TV Award (Or was it a BAFTA?) to a terminally-ill fan who had died. That has to go in his favour?
Although I am laughing at the thought of a future interview where Chris says "You know that John Lennon? He was a bit of a **** wasn't he?"

[Larry]

I'llAlthough I am laughing at the thought of a future interview where Chris says "You know that John Lennon? He was a bit of a **** wasn't he?"

considering the rivaly between the two cities I think it's more funny that they've chosen a Manc to play a Scouser...

[Perry Vale]

maybe the "bad atmosphere" was because Chris, just wasn't prepared or expecting the intense scrutiny from both media and fans and he simply couldn't handle it.

When he made his decision to leave, the first episode hadn't even aired. Given the huge workload that everyone connected to it admits to, I can't imagine Chris would have spent any of the spare time he did get reading internet forums, or The Sun. I can't see what scrutiny he'd have been aware of, tbh.

[Si Hunt]

You'd think he'd never worked in TV before. Whether it was the struggle getting the show on the road, or the media/fan interest (woe is me! All these people want my autograph!) or whatever, he's supposed to be a professional. I sort of think now as I did then - he seems like a bit of a pompous twit.

Si.

[Larry]

You'd think he'd never worked in TV before. Whether it was the struggle getting the show on the road, or the media/fan interest (woe is me! All these people want my autograph!) or whatever, he's supposed to be a professional. I sort of think now as I did then - he seems like a bit of a pompous twit.

Si.

may be your right but what ever his reasons for deciding to quit after one series he certainly did not deserve the vicious abuse he recieved on some of the Doctor Who forums.

[Perry Vale]

he's supposed to be a professional

What in your view was unprofessional, or pompous about his behaviour then?

[WhiteCrowNZ]

I just think Chris is one of those actors who likes to focus himself on the acting, and is less comfortable "promoting" his work. I think his Top Gear interview was interesting.

But with David Tennant, you did get someone who was much more into promoting and selling the show.

[Andrew Curnow]

I agree absolutely - in fact that was my first thought when I heard he'd been cast, that I always thought of him as being mainly interested in 'the work'. Certainly, when he appeared on the Ross show the night before Rose he seemed to be not too comfortable - that's not a criticism by the way, just an observation.

Whatever his reasons, I still can't quite work out why it should really annoy anybody - if the BBC, on being forced to recast so soon, had chosen somebody who was rubbish and the show ended up being cancelled again, then fair enough, but as it is he came in, he did the job, and off he went. Nothing wrong with that IMHO.

[WhiteCrowNZ]

And lets not forget, Chris as Doctor nine meant we were saved from Alan Davies as the Doctor!

It's odd actually cos Paul McGann was at Armageddon at Easter, and a bit like Chris, he very much came across as an actor focused on the business of acting, and uncomfortable fielding fan questions, and selling what he does.