Christopher Eccleston Has 'Clear Conscience' Over Doctor Who Exit

Christopher Eccleston has said he has a ‘clear conscience’ over his decision to leave Doctor Who in 2005 after just one season.

Eccleston played the 9th Doctor for one brief season in 2005 opposite Billie Piper as companion Rose Tyler. Eccleston was the first ‘canon’ actor to play the Time Lord on-screen since Paul McGann’s brief excursion in 1996. As we all know the 2005 revival of Doctor Who was a huge hit with audiences but it very quickly emerged that while the BBC had ordered a second series Eccleston would not be appearing in it.

At the time the BBC tried to claim it was because of the busy schedule of Doctor Who but were forced to admit they made that story up. The real reason why Eccleston left Doctor Who has never been emphatically stated though last year the actor did give some hints during an interview with the Daily Telegraph. He told the broadsheet ‘I left because I could not get along with the senior people. I left because of politics. I did not see eye-to-eye with them.’

In a new interview with the Daily Telegraph the actor has said he is at peace with his decision to quit. ‘My conscience is completely clear. I’ve lived my life, particularly my working life, on the basis that I have to be able to look at myself in the mirror about the way I behave. It wasn’t a bold move, it was an entirely natural one. I’m hugely grateful to the children who to this day come up and talk to me about the show’

While Eccleston may have a ‘clear conscience’ over his exit from Doctor Who that doesn’t mean he’s likely to return to the series anytime soon. Last year he ruled out completely returning even though fans would like to see him involved in the 50th anniversary next year. Since leaving Doctor Who the actor has managed to avoid the ‘type-cast’ curse with a wide variety of roles ranging from Heroes to Accused.