On Saturday 20 March 2004, Christopher Eccleston was formally announced as the actor wh

 Eccleston, who was born on 16 February 1964 (between “Inside the Spaceship” and “Marco Polo”, fact fans!), spoke exclusively to DWM, revealing: “I’m very excited, it’s one of the proudest moments of my career. I’m a fan of the series and Russell’s writing. The character is unlike anything I’ve ever done. I’m fascinated by his origins, and I want to honour his beginnings and bring something new.”

 A clearly-excited Russell T Davies, new series head writer and executive producer, told DWM: “I couldn’t be happier, this is exactly the man we wanted. And you wouldn’t believe his passion for the job - it’s energised the entire team. His reputation in British drama speaks for itself, and his flair for comedy - as seen in Clocking Off, Linda Green and The League of Gentlemen - means the Ninth Doctor will be capable of anything. Already, Chris’ casting has raised the bar for all the scripts, and we’re only just beginning. I’ll give DWM readers a full rundown of the events that lead to his casting in next month’s Production Notes column.”

 In a statement, Jane Tranter, BBC Controller of Drama Commissioning, said: “We are delighted to have cast an actor of such calibre in one of British television’s most iconic roles. It signals our intention to take Doctor Who into the twenty-first century, as well as retaining its core traditional values - to be surprising, edgy and eccentric. We have chosen one of Britain’s finest actors to play what, in effect, will be an overtly modern hero.”

 Davies further informed DWM that casting for the Ninth Doctor’s companion, Rose Tyler, can now begin. He laughed off recent press suggestions that actresses such as Billie Piper and Audrey Tautou have been cast, noting that no decision could be made until the new Doctor had been confirmed.

 Executive producer Julie Gardner spoke to website ICWales about Eccleston’s casting, enthusing: “He is just such a delight to work with. Chris is so professional and hard-working and he’s a very writer-friendly actor. He chooses his roles from the best scripts because his work is so important to him. We are very lucky to have such a great actor working with us. He loved the scripts and he loved the character, and it is sheer love of the work that convinced him in the end.” She added: “The excellent working relationship between Russell and Chris has been the key. He loved working with Russell on The Second Coming and that relationship was very useful in his agreeing to play such an iconic role.”

 Predictably, the UK Saturday papers had a field day, with The Mirror reporting that Eccleston had signed a “£500,000” three-year deal, while The Express upped the stakes with reports of a “£1 million” payment. Early editions of The Daily Mail erroneously claimed the part had gone to Bill Nighy, and went on to speculate that one of the new stories would revolve around Joan of Arc, with guests stars including Amelie’s Audrey Tautou and Alfred Molina. As ever, DWM would advise that all of the above be taken with an extremely large pinch of salt.

As Julie Gardner noted above, Eccleston has worked with Russell T Davies before. Last year the actor played the part of Stephen Baxter, a man who believes he is the Son of God, in Davies’ two-part award-winning drama for ITV - The Second Coming. He has also worked with new series writer Mark Gatiss, appearing as the cat-loving Dougal Siepp in How the Elephant Got its Trunk, the final episode in the third series of The League of Gentlemen (2002).

 Among Eccleston’s impressive list off film credits are: 28 Days Later... (2002); A Reuengers Tragedy (2002); I Am Dina (2002); 24 Hour Party People (2002); This Little Piggy (2001); Strumpet (2001); The Others (2001); The Invisible Circus (2001); The Tyre (2000); Gone in Sixty Seconds (2000); With Or Without You (1999); Heart (1999); eXistenZ (1999); Elizabeth (1998); A Price Above Rubies (1998); Jude (1996); Shallow Grave (1994); Anchoress (1993); Death and the Compass (1992); and Let Him Have It (1991).

 Eccleston has appeared on television in Flesh and Blood (2002); The King and Us (2002); Othello (2002); Sunday (2002); Wilderness Men (2000); Clocking Off (2000); Hillsborough (1996); Our Friends in the North (1996); Hearts and Minds (1995); Friday On My Mind (1992); Rachel’s Dream (1992); and Blood Rights (1990). His guest star credits include Linda Green: Twins (2001); Poirot: One Two, Buckle My Shoe (1992); Boon: Coverup (1991); Inspector Morse: Second Time Around (1991); and Casualty: A Reasonable Man (1990).

 Readers who wish to get a flavour of the new Doctor can see Christopher Eccleston performing as Jakey in Electricity, a new play by writer and composer Murray Gold, at the West Yorkshire Playhouse, Leeds. The run began on March 26 and concludes on April 24.

 More news on the Ninth Doctor next issue. And every issue thereafter, probably!


This article was printed in Issue 342 of The Doctor Who Magazine.