At Melbourne's Supanova the weekend before last - yes, sorry, we've been a bit slow getting to this one - Christopher Eccleston ruled out returning for a multi-story Doctor Who story because he regards them as creative exploitation. Cashing in.

Seeing stories run with his name and exploitation in the title immediately set off alarm bells given events surrounding his departure.

He did not enjoy working on the show and quit after one season but entered into an agreement with the BBC to keep that under his hat to prevent it from damaging the show.

Which the BBC promptly broke by falsely claiming he left because he found it physically tiring - which obviously made it more difficult for him to find other work - and then falsely quoted him in a statement:

The audience's response to the new Doctor Who has been incredible. I'm really proud to be part of it - and I hope viewers continue to enjoy the series.

He threatened to sue and they were forced to make a public apology.

Interestingly he ended his response to the question at Supanova with:

If you want me back you get me on my own.

Previously he indicated that he would never work with returning showrunner Russel T Davies again:

Asked if Davies was aware of the issues, Eccleston says, “If you’re the showrunner, you know everything. That’s your job,” adding that he “never will have” a working relationship with the screenwriter again.

This year's second of three Doctor Who specials might be on our screens soon.

An Easter release date was seemingly accidentally leaked by the episode's director but quickly deleted so we think should be treated as unconfirmed.

[ Main Image: Doctor Who - Christopher Eccleston & Billie Piper. Credit: BBC via IMDb.com. ]

References

anais [@whittckers] (March 6, 2022). chris on multi-doctor stories and the 50th anniversary. Twitter.

Bond, Kimberley (November 15, 2018). Former Doctor Who star Christopher Eccleston threatened to sue the BBC after quitting show. Radio Times.

Brook, Stephen (April 5, 2005). BBC apologises to Eccleston over Doctor Who spin. The Guardian.

Craig, David (March 7, 2022). Christopher Eccleston rules out returning to Doctor Who for multi-Doctor story. Radio Times.

Radio Times (March 19, 2018). Christopher Eccleston says he “lost faith and trust and belief” in Doctor Who bosses while filming.

Selcke, Dan (March 8, 2022). Christopher Eccleston thinks Doctor Who reunion specials are “exploitation”. Winter is Coming.