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Christopher Eccleston has laid out the path to his return to Doctor Who – and it involves showrunner Russell T Davies being sacked.
The iconic actor, 60, helped bring Doctor Who back to life in 2005, where he starred as the 9th Doctor alongside Billie Piper as Rose Tyler.
At the time it was helmed by Russell – who is now back as showrunner for the Doctor Who 60th Anniversary starring David Tennant and Catherine Tate, as well as the next season where Ncuti Gatwa plays the 15th Doctor.
Christopher left after just one season as The Doctor, and has long suggested there were issues on set he was unhappy with, though full details have never emerged.
Now, as multiple characters returned to the show for the anniversary specials, the Come Home actor has been asked if he would ever do the same.
In a recent panel for fan convention For The Love Of Sci-Fi, the star was asked ‘what would have to happen’ for him to return as the Doctor.
To which Christopher answered: ‘Sack Russell T Davies.’
Christopher said he would ‘come back’ if the showrunner and multiple executive producers were ‘sacked’ (Picture: Getty Images Europe)
He then named executive producers for the show, going on without hesitation: ‘Sack Jane Tranter. Sack Phil Collinson. Sack Julie Gardner.
‘And I’ll come back. So, can you arrange that?’
His former co-star Billie, who was taking part in the panel with him, simply pulled an awkward face.
He went on to clarify that while he ‘loves being associated’ with the Doctor and Doctor Who as a whole, ‘I just don’t like being associated with those people and the politics that went on with the first series.’
‘The first series was a mess, and it wasn’t to do with me or Billie [Piper]. It was to do with the people who were supposed to make it, and it was a mess.’
Chris and Billie helped bring Doctor Who back to life along with Russell with the 2005 reboot (Picture: BBC)
It has long been thought Christopher would never return to his role as the 9th Doctor, with the actor previously quoted as saying: ‘I left because my relationship with Russell T Davies, Julie Gardner and Phil Collinson completely broke down during the shooting of the first series.
‘I think it’s fair to say… that the first series nobody knows what they’re doing and the politics are raging. The shooting of the first series was a nightmare.’
He added to Radio Times in 2018: ‘They lost trust in me, and I lost faith and trust and belief in them.’
Russell himself previously said he did not want to get into a ‘tit for tat’ exchange with the actor, but told SFX the ‘duty of care towards him will extend for the rest of our lives. He will always be my Doctor, and I will always be his producer.’
Russell has now returned to the helm with new Doctor and companion Ncuti Gatwa and Millie Gibson (Picture: PA)
The showrunner also praised Christopher’s performance, saying: ‘The thing I’ve got to say is that Chris is a magnificent actor and a magnificent man – he’s truly a leader of men – and he was a magnificent Doctor Who as well.
‘You forget what a brave move it was to take the part on when the press were quoting people like Paul Daniels as the next Doctor. It was a huge leap for Chris to make, and I love what he did.’
There is a silver lining for fans of Christopher’s brilliantly brash Doctor however, as while it’s unlikely he’ll ever return to the screen, he did return to the role for a Big Finish audio drama.
He said at the time: ‘It will be exciting to revisit the Ninth Doctor’s world, bringing back to life a character I love playing.’
Executive producer Nick Briggs added to Metro.co.uk of his performance: ‘He’s really joyous about it.
‘He said within two minutes of doing it, he was back in the zone, back there with the character.’
While it’s unlikely Chris will return to the screen, he has reprised his role as the Doctor in Big Finish audio productions (Picture: BBC)
Christopher’s most recent comments come after former Doctor Who star John Barrowman hit out on social media with a message for people who are ‘constantly s******g on me.’
‘You want to comment about something you think you know everything about but actually know nothing, because you were not there,’ he wrote.
‘The event you all constantly refer to, like you know what happened, is not in anyway what happened.’
John did not make clear what he was referring to, however two years ago he admitted ‘exposing himself’ on the sets of Doctor Who and Torchwood, apologising for ‘tomfoolery’.
Two former runners alleged that while on set, Barrowman would ‘would get his genitals out on a regular basis’, although stressed that it was ‘larking about’ and not sexually predatory behaviour.
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‘And I’ll come back. So, can you arrange that?’