And now for a completely different take on Christopher Eccleston’s departure from Doctor Who, an article on the national website of Wales:
The news Christopher Eccleston has quit as Doctor Who just days after the new series started may have come as a shock to fans, but the show’s writer says the actor had never intended to stay long term.
And Russell T Davies says he wrote the scripts for the 13-part series around Eccleston’s decision to leave once it had been filmed.
It was revealed yesterday that Eccleston has quit as he doesn’t want to become typecast as the Time Lord. But with a second series commissioned earlier this week, the search is now on for a replacement.
“This had all been planned,” said Swansea-born Davies, pictured, about the announcement Eccleston is leaving.
“You will see the story [of his departure] unfold on screen and it’s brilliant.
“We’ve got 13 episodes of the best Doctor in the world – he [Eccleston] worked himself to death on the show.”
If true, and given the source in the show’s producer there’s little reason to think otherwise, then Eccleston’s departure needs to be seen in a completely different light. Add to this a recent revelation–that the BBC wasn’t supposed to have said anything at all about Eccleston’s departure, even though they knew in January that he wouldn’t be available for a second season.
I’m starting to understand how Beatles’ scholars felt in 1970 as the Beatles broke up. We’re getting bits and pieces of news, not necessarily in order, not necessarily in context, and opinions are being formed in absence of all the facts. We may still get the full story, but given the backlash against Eccleston in some quarters of fandom that full story may be a long time in coming.