I’ve seen it suggested that the BBC wouldn’t go for McGann for the 50th, but who knows if that’s true. If anyone is to be blamed for the War Doctor, it’s Chris Eccleston. Though he’s well within his rights to want nothing to do with the show, it’s obviously different than every other actor who has had the role.
I disagree. He knew when he took the part of the Doctor what kind of role he was taking. He knew about the Three Doctors, The Five Doctors, and The Two Doctors. He knew about the legacy surrounding that part. If you are unwilling to take part in anniversary specials, you shouldn’t take the role in the first place. His absence from the 50th anniversary special is glaring.
He’s just an actor in a role. His responsibility is for the length of his contract.
I disagree. For normal roles, that is the case. The Doctor isn’t a normal role. Doctor Who isn’t a normal tv show. There is a legacy surrounding this show and that part. IMO, if you agree to take the role, it is your responsibility to appear in the anniversary specials. You don’t want to do that? Don’t take the role in the first place.
Fans might see it differently, but he is of course not a fan of the show and had a bad experience working on it.
If I am not mistaken, whatever people he had the bad experience with, were probably no longer with show by the time of the 50th anniversary. Btw, just what was the bad experience? Does anyone know?
As highly as we regard it, it is still just a TV show,
It is not a just a TV show, anymore than Star Wars is just a movie. The Fallguy was just a TV show, Falling Down was just a movie. Doctor Who and Star Wars are bit different than that.
He has no moral or contractual obligation.
contractual? no.
moral? yes. He knew about Doctor Who. He knew about the anniversary specials. He knew about the legacy of the show. He took the part of the 9th Doctor. No one forced him to do.
We’d prefer it if he got involved, but he’s not that type of actor.
Then he shouldn’t have taken the role in the first place.
As far as what happened during his time there, allegedly Phil Collinson was a total dick to a lot of the people on set (lighting crew, etc) and Chris stuck up for them and it caused tension. But who knows. Chris has taken the high road so far and not named names.
Phil Collinson was no longer part of the show by 2013.
I can’t find the interview right now, but I believe there was also one that stated that in Chris’s talks with Steven about returning, he had a condition that he got to choose the director (which had already been settled). Not clear if that was a dealbreaker, as I’m sure Chris didn’t want to do it for plenty of reasons.
Don’t why it was so important that he choose the director. Why should he alone have chosen the director and have no say from Matt Smith and David Tennent? Surely they would have just as might right to say over the choice of director? That sounds primadonna-ish. Maybe if he’d open his mouth about the other reasons, I would understand better. I’d love to know what those reasons are.