Christopher Eccleston rules out returning to Doctor Who for multi-Doctor story
"If you want me back, you’d get me on my own.”
Christopher Eccleston has said that he would not return to Doctor Who for a story involving multiple incarnations of The Doctor, the likes of which has been rumoured for the show's upcoming 60th anniversary.
The actor helped bring the show back from a long hiatus in 2005 when he made his debut as the short-lived Ninth Doctor, who teamed up with Rose Tyler (Billie Piper) for a set of thrilling adventures.
With Eccleston recently reprising his role for Big Finish audio releases and his original collaborator Russell T Davies returning as showrunner next season, some fans had felt a perfect storm was brewing for a Ninth Doctor comeback.
However, according to the latest comments from The A Word star, there's seemingly no chance he would return for a 60th anniversary team-up special currently rumoured for 2023.
He told crowds at Australian convention Supanova: “I’ve never been a fan of multi-Doctor stories. When I worked on the series, I had really strong ideas about what works and what doesn’t, and I always think that multi-Doctor stories are a bit of a cash-in, and a bit of exploitation.
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“Creatively, they never worked for me. I looked at the script for the 50th anniversary and I felt as soon as I said I wasn’t doing it it got better because, well, if I’m not in it, it’s better. The creation of the War Doctor introduced a whole new facet to the canon."
Interestingly though, a later comment from Eccleston suggested he would consider returning to Doctor Who in live-action for a solo storyline following the Ninth Doctor.
He added: “The Ninth Doctor, in particular, is a one-man band. Definitely. So he doesn’t work with other Doctors. If you want me back, you’d get me on my own.”
Russell T Davies has previously advocated for a Doctor Who shared universe of shows, similar to that which he masterminded in his initial run with the main series alongside spin-offs Torchwood and The Sarah Jane Adventures.
With the prolific writer, who wowed audiences last year with It's A Sin, now steering the franchise once more, a spin-off series or one-shot tale featuring Eccleston's incarnation of the Time Lord no longer seems out of the realm of possibility.
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