Christopher Eccleston might be the first Time Lord to truly kickstart the revival of Doctor Who but the Thor: The Dark World actor was sadly missing when it was time to celebrate the show's 50th anniversary. As it turns out, Eccleston had a very particular reason for avoiding the special episode.
Eccleston recently opened up about skipping the 50th anniversary special The Day of the Doctor when he attended the Rose City Comic Con in Portland, Oregon (via RadioTimes). The former Doctor Who star stated that he had two reasons, with the first being that "I didn't feel that what they were asking me to do did justice to the Ninth Doctor." However, his second reason still had a lot to do with the feud with the BBC.
"I liked Steven Moffat a lot. I considered it. But it had an enormous emotional impact on me, what happened with Doctor Who," Eccleston said. "As the series was going out, as the series was being celebrated I was being vilified in the press in the UK because of the statement that the BBC issued. And it caused quite a depression in me that year. While everybody was going ‘Doctor Who's great – he's great and he's gone'. Because they [the BBC] kind of smeared me and told lies about me."
It's sad to see that the feud continues to have a negative effect on Eccleston to the point that he can't even consider reprising his beloved role. Hopefully, things will eventually be resolved in the future.
Eccleston recently made news when he unveiled in his autobiography I Love the Bones of You that he has struggled with life-long anorexia.
Doctor Who is set to be back on the screen in 2020.
Related: Doctor Who And Thor Star Reveals His Struggle With Anorexia And Mental Health
Explore new topics and discover content that's right for you!
Fantasy & Science Fiction