Why Christopher Eccleston left ‘Doctor Who’: ‘I lost faith in showrunner, producers’

Christopher Eccleston has revealed more information about the reason he left “Doctor Who” after just one season, and it had something to do with a conflict between him and then-showrunner Russell T Davies. The 54-year-old English actor said his relationship with the producer and two more “broke down irreparably” during the filming of the first season.

Eccleston starred as the Ninth Doctor in the long-running series, which was rebooted in 2005. But after one season, he passed the title on to David Tennant.

Speaking with Radio Times, Eccleston said that he had an issue with his three bosses: Davies, the producer and the co-producer. The tension on set was so bad he had to leave soon.

“My relationship with my three immediate superiors — the showrunner, the producer and co-producer — broke down irreparably during the first block of filming and it never recovered. They lost trust in me, and I lost faith and trust and belief in them.”

Davies was the showrunner then, but there were a few who claimed the roles of producer and co-producers. He did not name the other two.

How he portrayed the titular character could also have contributed to the on-set difficulties. The Ninth Doctor was a comedic character, and Eccleston was not a “natural light comedian.” The fact that the actress playing his main companion — Billie Piper, who played Rose Tyler ­— did not have a lot of acting experiences then could also be a factor.

“Billie, who we know was and is brilliant, was very, very nervous and very, very inexperienced. So, you had that, and then you had me. Very, very inexperienced, possibly the most experienced on it, but out of my comfort zone,” he said.

It was heavily hinted that he had a falling out with the show’s bosses, and although he had occasionally mentioned that he did not get along with some people in the show, he never outright confirmed the reports.

There was a reason for that. He had promised not to do anything to damage the reputation of the show, revealing why he left apparently could be seen as doing such. Unfortunately, the BBC did not return the favour for him.

“When I left, I gave my word to Russell T Davies that I wouldn’t do anything to damage the show,” he said. “But they did things to damage me. I didn’t criticise anybody.”

The BBC allegedly blacklisted him, prompting him to find work in the US because the network wouldn’t allow him to find work in his home country.

“What happened around ‘Doctor Who’ almost destroyed my career,” he told The Guardian. “I gave them a hit show and I left with dignity and then they put me on a blacklist. I was carrying my own insecurities as it was something I had never done before and then I was abandoned, vilified in the tabloid press and blacklisted.”

Davies was apparently aware of the issues as well, he claimed. Because as the showrunner, Davies should know everything going around in the show. Eccleston said he “never will have” a working relationship with the screenwriter again.

Fortunately, Eccleston had a fruitful career after “Doctor Who.” He played on stage in the Royal National Theatre production of “Antigone” in 2012, and in the Royal Shakespeare Theatre production of “Macbeth.” He also appeared in several films (“Thor: The Dark World,” “G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra”) and TV shows (“The A Word,” “Ambulance”). He will be appearing in the upcoming BBC1 drama “Come Home.”