Christopher Eccleston: Doctor Who bosses ‘did things to damage me’
CHRISTOPHER ECCLESTON has spoken explicitly for the first time about how bad things got on the set of Doctor Who.
The actor — who last week claimed to have been ‘blacklisted’ by the BBC — was cast as the lead opposite Billie Piper in Russell T Davies’s reboot of 2005, but only lasted one series.
Now, speaking to the Radio Times about that period, Eccleston has revealed he fell out with three of the show’s head honchos.
‘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,’ he said.
‘They lost trust in me and I lost faith and trust and belief in them.’
Eccleston acknowledged that he was partly to blame for the breakdown in relations, saying: ‘Some of my anger about the situation came from my own insecurity.’
He also admitted he is ‘not a natural light comedian’ and felt ‘out of my comfort zone’.
But in a clear dig at the creative team, he said: ‘I think if you’re setting up a huge series like that the director has to be impeccable in setting the tone.’
Eccleston also claims the show’s creatives ‘did things to damage me’, and points the finger squarely at Davies, saying: ‘If you’re the showrunner, you know everything. That’s your job.’
And it doesn’t look like Eccleston will forgive and forget any time soon. When asked if he has any sort of relationship with Davies now, his reply is straight to the point: ‘No. I never will have.’
The full interview appears in this week’s Radio Times
Author: Anna Thomson
