Christopher Eccleston Says He Hasn’t Even Thought About Doctor Who’s 50th
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With Doctor Who celebrating its 50th anniversary next year, many secret things are being planned, and many fans are trying to figure out what those secret things are, and many people even tenuously connected with the series are being asked if they know anything about those secret things. While we still have very little concrete info about what sort of awesomness will be rolled out for the anniversary celebrations, folks such as current Doctor Matt Smith and Tenth Doctor David Tennant have been teasing fans about what they may or may not know, including possible returns or cameos from any of the surviving former Doctor or companion actors. One ex-Doctor who doesn’t appear to be terribly interested in the whole mess? Ninth Doctor Christopher Eccleston.
During an interview with RedCarpetTV, Eccleston was asked what he’d like to see from the Who celebrations, and if he’d like to be involved. You can see the interview below, and the relevant portion begins at the 0:37 mark.
If you’re at work and can’t watch the video right this minute, here’s how Eccleston responded: “Would I like to be involved? If I told you that, I’d have to shoot you … I’ve not even thought about it. It’s so long ago for me that I haven’t even thought about it.” He also added that “I’ve not seen [Matt Smith] as the Doctor, but I’ve seen him on stage — he’s an excellent actor.”
It’s a very diplomatic response, but you can still get the faintest hint that he’s probably tired of fielding questions like this, some seven years after his single season in the role of the Doctor ended. He’s obviously always going to be associated with the series — that’s just inherent in a show with a passionate fanbase like Who — but you get the impression he has very much moved on.
Does that mean he isn’t planning to return for the anniversary, or would decline the invitation if asked? Nobody can answer that but Eccleston himself. In the meantime, while he may have moved on to other projects, I’m sure there are Whovians out there who consider the Ninth Doctor their favorite. For their sake, here’s hoping Moffat and company can convince Ecclestone to participate in some fashion.
While he may not have any Who in his future, Eccleston has recently taken on an equally geek-friendly role: the villainous dark elf Malekith in Thor: The Dark World, due out in 2013.
