A place to update visitors with the latest news and information about Christopher Eccleston and his work and also to inform visitors about any updates/additions to my Chris related website.
After a single successful television series as Doctor Who, Chrisopher Eccleston is returning to battle cybermen and daleks, but this time over audio.
It all came flooding back in minutes. After 15 years Christopher Eccleston returns to Doctor Who in four new audio adventures. Words: Adrian Lobb Image: Tony Whitmore
May 29, 2021
By Adrian Lobb
"I'm currently sleeping in the Tardis, if that's what you mean?"
Christopher Eccleston acknowledges that he likes to work. And when he isn't working with great heart and enthusiasm for The Big Issue as one of our brand ambassadors, he likes to act.
It's a profession that has seen him travel the world and star in some great television – from Our Friends In The North and Cracker to Hillsborough and The Leftovers.
After more than 15 years away, he has now returned to one of his most famous roles. But no, says Eccleston, he did not need to wear his Time Lord's battered leather jacket to get back into character for four new Doctor Who audio adventures.
"Within minutes, it all came flooding back," he says. "How to do it, how I like to play him, how I like to work, the joy of it. It was all there."
"Tom Baker said it's not an acting role. And it's true"
So how is the Ninth Doctor when we meet him again after all this time?
"Charismatic, enigmatic, mercurial, witty, heroic, obstinate, fierce as ever," says the actor. "He's travelling alone. And I enjoy that element. Because sometimes the relationship dynamics can detract from the narrative. Here he's a lone wolf, always trying to locate decency and see if it resides in human or alien form. And he's having great fun.
"The emotional attachments are formed on the hoof, usually with women, and not for romantic reasons, just because women know a lot more about injustice than white males, let's be honest.
"We stayed away from the dark war Doctor, the damaged PTSD Doctor that I essayed a lot in the television series. It's very separate and distinct."
Eccleston has been impressed, he says, by the writing of the audio dramas. And he is enjoying the chance to work again following lockdown.
"These writers are top, top drawer," he says. "As with any other project with me, apart from when I do shite in America – and I mean film in America, not The Leftovers, which is one of the best things I have ever done – it's all about the writing. I'm amazed none of these ideas have been or will be screened. We've met Lady Macbeth, we've met the Brigadier and we met a Cyberman earlier. My Doctor is very enthusiastic, very excitable – all the things I remember.
"Suddenly the physicality, the energy levels I employed – which are very much mine, I think – came back. Tom Baker said it's not an acting role. And it's true. It's partly yourself, partly the writers."
Back in time Christopher Eccleston with Billie Piper as Rose, but this time the Doctor is flying solo Image: PictureLux / The Hollywood Archive / Alamy Stock Photo
It was Eccleston to whom former showrunner Russell T Davies first entrusted the keys to the Tardis and one of the most important, beloved characters in British television history when bringing the show back to the screen in 2005 after a 16-year absence.
It was a big success, re-establishing Doctor Who as a primetime sci-fi series for all the family. David Tennant, Matt Smith, Peter Capaldi and now Jodie Whittaker were all able to build on the foundations laid by Eccleston.
"I had a lovely, lovely, warm greeting from Peter Capaldi the other day," he says. "We just bumped into each other, which was very nice."
"I've always retained a deep affection for playing the role and what it means to people"
While Eccleston loved and still loves the character, after one successful season he left amid acrimony. Over the years, he has spoken many times about it and is keen to look forward not back.
"I've always retained a deep affection for playing the role and what it means to people," he says now. "I disconnected from the politics and the lies and the bullshit, but not my relationship with the people who love the show."
In recent years, Eccleston began attending (and enjoying) fan conventions, as well as watching some of his old episodes with his children Albert and Esme. So does he feel he has been on a journey back to the Doctor for some time?
"I never left him," says Eccleston. "From day one I was approached in the street by fans. And that's continued. Not a day of my life has gone by without me having to interact with people who are fans of Doctor Who. I've always embraced them, literally and figuratively, and they me.
"People come to the conventions because they have a relationship to the show, often quite profound. The Doctor is an outsider. Always has been – with a very strong, loyal and fierce following within the gay community, for instance. And you've also got a huge fanbase in neurodiverse communities. Because of the contents of my book, people at conventions have spoken to me about mental health issues and what the show meant to them at times of grief and loss – so there's been a great deal of human connection for me at them.
"It's also meant that I can travel. I went to Muhammad Ali's birthplace, I never thought I'd do that. I'd never been to Portland, a fantastic city. And I shook William Shatner's hand. I am a Star Trek fanboy and I met William Shatner, thank you very much. He had no idea who I was, which is just how I like it. But if my dad was still around and I could tell him I'd met Captain James T Kirk, he'd be a very happy man."
This return, we suspect, will have a similar effect on a lot of people.
"I like to make the fans happy," says Eccleston. "I have my passions as you know – reggae, rocksteady, ska, soul music – there's certain things that excite me. So I completely understand that in people. And I'm happy if they're happy."
Doctor Who – The Ninth Doctor Adventures are out on CD, download and limited edition gatefold triple LP vinyl at bigfinish.com
Christopher Eccleston's Ninth Doctor will encounter some old friends and foes in the forthcoming volumes of Big Finish's Doctor Who – The Ninth Doctor Adventures.
Following the exclusive premiere of the first trailer of the series (see below), today we can reveal that the Ninth Doctor will soon face off against one of his greatest enemies – the terrifying Cybermen, as voiced by Nicholas Briggs.
The final episode of volume three, due for release in November 2021, features one of the menacing Mondasian monsters on the set of Fritz Lang's celebrated 1927 motion picture, Metropolis.
Writer John Dorney said: "I know everyone was very keen for the Ninth Doctor to have an encounter with the Cybermen, and as they were the only Doctor and monster I hadn't written for at Big Finish, I was very keen to be the one to write it! It was a real honour getting to script their meeting... particularly as it gave me the chance to dive into my love for the movies and write a bit of a celebrity historical."
Then, in volume four, due for release in February 2022, the Doctor is reunited with Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart, as played by Jon Culshaw, in an adventure that takes the Time Lord to the Firth of Forth.
Writer Roy Gill said: "The Brigadier is an iconic character from the Classic Series, whereas the Ninth Doctor arrives at the very forefront of the New Series. They may initially seem very different, but there's an interesting connection: both forthright and deeply decent, they've been through conflict and are still fighting for what's right... It was a privilege to write their first meeting for Big Finish."
Producer David Richardson added: "It's been so enjoyable creating a whole new era for the Ninth Doctor, and I think the scripts really succeed in defining that bold new start. We are talking the Ninth Doctor pre-Rose. These are the adventures some time after his regeneration, travelling alone, starting to discover himself after all that time being the War Doctor."
Doctor Who fans worldwide can now pre-order all four volumes of The Ninth Doctor Adventures, which are available in three formats – collector's edition CD, digital download or limited edition gatefold triple LP vinyl – HERE!
Christopher Eccleston's return to Doctor Whomight have been announced back in August, but it's still rather exciting to get our first confirmation that the Ninth Doctor's big comeback is actually, properly, officially happening.
That moment has now arrived, with Eccleston proudly displaying a copy of a script from audio drama producers Big Finish in a new Instagram post, which they later shared on Twitter.
Eccleston's post came without a caption – not even a token "Fantastic!" – but eagle-eyed fans have been able to spot some details about the story he's recording from the script page on show.
As it stands, it appears that the first volume of the upcoming Ninth Doctor Adventures bears the subtitle 'Ravengers', with the first story (written by Nicholas Briggs) being called 'Sphere of Freedom'.
The page also reveals details of a character who appears in the story alongside the Ninth Doctor, a skilled chef from the Sphere of Freedom enlisted by the Time Lord to stop a dastardly plan.
Each of the four volumes in Big Finish's Doctor Who: The Ninth Doctor Adventures will be released as a 4-disc collector's edition box set or download containing three brand-new full cast audio adventures, plus a selection of behind-the-scenes extras.
Doctor Who fans worldwide can now pre-order all four volumes, which are available in three formats – collector's edition CD, digital download or limited edition gatefold triple LP vinyl (limited to a pressing of 1000 per volume) – exclusively from the Big Finish website.
In a quote released back in August, when news of his return to Doctor Who after 15 years away first broke, Eccleston said: "It will be exciting to revisit the Ninth Doctor's world, bringing back to life a character I love playing."
Eccleston was Doctor Who's leading man when the series made its grand relaunch in 2005. He departed the show after an initial series of 13 episodes.
Doctor Who: The Ninth Doctor Adventures – Volume One will be released in May 2021.
Warning: This programme contains strong language and reference to adult themes.
Known for roles in award-winning shows such as Our Friends in the Northand Dr Who, as well as films like 28 Days Later and Gone in 60 Seconds, Christopher Eccleston is one of the UK's best loved stars of stage and screen.
Lemn Sissay MBE is a BAFTA nominated International prize-winning author, poet and playwright. Roles such as the official poet of the London 2012 Olympics have solidified Sissay as one of Britains most recognisable poetic voices.
Both Eccleston and Sissay were born and raised in working class households in the north of England in the 1960's. Eccleston's autobiography I Love the Bones of You and Sissay's My Name Is Why were both published to critical acclaim in 2019.
Here we present a unique insight into the lives and experiences of two of our most loved and respected Northern artists, both of whom have overcome great hardship to join us here and tell their stories.
Christopher Eccleston is set to appear in a screenplay by A Clockwork Orange author Anthony Burgess which has never been produced before.
The drama, titled Schreber, was written in 1975 for Hollywood heavyweight Burt Lancaster and has been adapted for BBC Radio 3.
The story follows a 19th century German High Court judge, Daniel Schreber, who suffers a series of nervous breakdowns.
Former Doctor Who star Eccleston said: "I'm chuffed to bits to be playing Schreber in Anthony Burgess's unproduced screenplay.
"The role was originally meant to be played by a personal acting hero of mine – Burt Lancaster – and deals with male mental health and challenges traditional gender roles and thinking."
Schreber will be broadcast on March 22.
BBC Radio 3 has announced a string of other dramas featuring actors including Simon Russell Beale, David Suchet and Toby Jones.
The actor on struggling with body image, a painful battle with a zip and falling off stage in Macbeth
Sat 5 Oct 2019 09.30 BST
Christopher Eccleston: 'I am not anorexic now – but dysmorphia is still very present.' Photograph: Camera Press
Born in Salford, Eccleston, 55, trained at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama in London. He starred in the 1996 television series Our Friends In The North and was nominated for a Bafta. In 2005, he was cast in Doctor Who as the ninth Time Lord. He has just published a memoir about his father called I Love The Bones Of You. Divorced, he has two children and lives in London.
When were you happiest?
Now. I am father to Albert, seven, and Esme, six. I've never experienced happiness as complete as caring for them.
Which living person do you most admire, and why?
Elsie Eccleston, my mother, for her emotional intelligence, kindness, intense curiosity, and chicken and leek pies.
What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?
Not listening and insisting on being heard.
What was your most embarrassing moment?
Trapping my foreskin in the zip of my corduroy jeans when I was 14 and having my brother Keith release it; it took two hours. I was in an agony of existential embarrassment because, shortly before my brother came in, I'd been doing what teenage boys do and was surprised, pulled the zip up and nearly circumcised myself. I bear the scar to this day.
What makes you unhappy?
Greed, hypocrisy and lies.
What is your most unappealing habit?
Greed, hypocrisy and lying. Also, speed-eating leading to flatulence.
What is the worst thing anyone's said to you?
The mother of my children once said that I dance like I'm straight out of the box and recently assembled.
What single thing would improve the quality of your life?
A little more spiritual enlightenment.
What do you most dislike about your appearance?
How long have you got? I am not anorexic now – but I would say dysmorphia is still very present.
To whom would you most like to say sorry, and why?
To my children, because their mum and dad's relationship failed, and I know that has caused them great sadness.
What does love feel like?
I think I've only really experienced it on a parental level, and it feels like the rhythm of nature.
Have you ever said 'I love you' and not meant it?
No.
What has been your biggest disappointment?
Falling off the stage in the third preview of Macbeth at the RSC.
How often do you have sex?
It's not been a vintage year.
What is the closest you've come to death?
During my severe clinical depression in 2016. I was at Piccadilly station in Manchester and a train was coming.
What has been your closest brush with the law?
In about 1986, I spent the night in the cells for being drunk and disorderly.
What song would you like played at your funeral?
Hot Legs by Rod Stewart: I'm going to be cremated.
How would you like to be remembered?
As a loving father.
•For help and advice on eating disorders in the UK, contact Beat on 0808 801 0677; in the US, contact the NEDA on (800) 931-2237; and in Australia, contact the Butterfly Foundation on 1800 33 4673. In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org or jo@samaritans.ie. In the US, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is 1-800-273-8255. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. Other international helplines can be found at befrienders.org.
Christopher Eccleston has said that he sacrificed "some professional pride" by leaving Doctor Who when he did, suggesting that an actor needs "to do two seasons" to nail the lead part.
Eccleston took to the stage at New York Comic Con yesterday (3rd October) and spoke frankly about why he quit the BBC sci-fi show after a single series, detailing clashes with members of the production team.
"I left because my relationship with the showrunner [Russell T Davies] and the producers broke down – [it was] the politics of the show," he sad. "I left only because of those three individuals, and the way they were running the show. I loved playing the character and I loved the world.
"That's one of the reasons I've started doing these conventions, to make that clear – I loved playing the Doctor."
He continued: "I felt, 'I'm gonna play the Doctor my way and I'm not gonna get involved in these politics'… and that wasn't workable, so off I went."
BBC
Eccleston went on to detail instances where he felt the crew on Doctor Who were not being treated with respect, revealing that this led to a "difficult" situation on set.
"Because of my background, when I go onto a set it's very important to me that everybody's treated with respect, and that's because I come from a class of people who traditionally are not treated with respect," he said.
"I always look to the director and the producer… and if the director, for instance, treats a member of the crew badly and then comes to speak to me about my performance, I have no respect for them and I don't listen to them and that's difficult.
"There were certain things that went on. As an actor, you're working with a crew and you get very close to that crew, so there were things that I saw that I didn't like. The crew, I felt, could've been treated better. But I often feel that – it's a ruthless business."
Billie Piper, Christopher Eccleston and John Barrowman in Doctor Who (BBC, HF)
At NYCC, he explained, "I lost all my confidence as an actor and as a person as a result of what happened with Doctor Who," saying that "the gutter press" wrote "lies… about me betraying Doctor Who, and all that s**t."
Taking on the role of John Lennon in BBC Four's 2010 biographical film Lennon Naked helped restore his confidence, Eccleston explained. Looking back now on his performance as the Doctor, he says there are aspects of his performance that he would have tweaked if he'd carried on for a second series.
"If you really want to get your performance as the Doctor right, you need to do two seasons," he said. "Because you need to watch the first season and calibrate, and go, 'OK, that works, that works, that doesn't work, tone that down…' and I never got a chance to do that, so some professional pride was sacrificed with not doing a second season."
The Salford-born actor said financial and political forces were driving them out.
Christopher Eccleston has said that working class, black and brown people are not wanted in the arts anymore.
The Bafta-nominated actor said the theatre and television industry was at risk of becoming "metrocentric" at the cost of those living in less affluent parts of the UK.
Someone like me would not come through anymore
Speaking at the National Theatre's Up Next Gala, Eccleston told the Press Association someone like him would not be able to find success in today's climate.
He said: "We need to avoid being metrocentric. I'm very proud to be here tonight to raise some money, so we move out into the really important areas of Britain.
"Access to the arts is a particular issue at this time. I came through when it was easier.
"Someone like me would not come through anymore. Somebody like me would never have had a chance."
Eccleston, 55, was born in Salford, Greater Manchester, and has been a vocal supporter of working class access to the arts.
For financial and political reasons, people like me are not wanted in the arts anymore
He has also been critical of the creative industry's skew towards southern cities and middle-class actors and actresses.
He added: "The idea the National Theatre is putting forward is if we can perform in Salford, if we can perform in places all around Britain – Glasgow, Belfast, Liverpool, Newcastle – then somebody like me could do it.
"For financial and political reasons, people like me are not wanted in the arts anymore. If you come from a working class background, if you're brown, if you are of colour, you are not wanted.
"Obviously, the National Theatre, standing on the South Bank in London, it's the National Theatre's job to change that. I'm here tonight to help make access to the arts more democratic."
Eccleston – who played the ninth incarnation of the Doctor in the long-running series Doctor Who – has previously suggested he was not asked to audition for the BBC's Hollow Crown series because of class prejudice.
Award-winning actor lends his support to Preston-based ghostly thriller published by UCLan Publishing
Actor Christopher Eccleston is helping to bring the supernatural thriller book Cold Bath Street to life by narrating the novel's audiobook.
The award-winning actor who has appeared in a variety of British television dramas, including playing Doctor Who, has voiced the book written by New York Times best-selling author and Preston-born AJ Hartley, which is published by the University of Central Lancashire's (UCLan) own publishing house.
It marks another milestone for Cold Bath Street, which is set around the Miley Tunnels that lie under Preston and are supposedly haunted, after it was nominated for one of the most prestigious children's book prizes in the world, the Carnegie Medal, last November. The book was edited, project-managed, designed and produced by students on UCLan's MA Publishing course in the only student-led, student-run publishing house in the world, UCLan Publishing.
Christopher said: "Cold Bath Street is just a brilliant, brilliant, brilliant book. I was so happy to narrate the audiobook because I think Andrew's writing is superb. The book is an anthem for our times and it is wonderful that it is set in the North. I think what UCLan Publishing is doing, especially in improving regional diversity, is amazing and I was very glad to give my time for this cause."
The book is an anthem for our times and it is wonderful that it is set in the North. I think what UCLan Publishing is doing, especially in improving regional diversity, is amazing and I was very glad to give my time for this cause.
Christopher got involved in the Cold Bath Street project after playing Macbeth in Stratford-upon-Avon for the Royal Shakespeare Company and it was pointed out to him that the play draws many parallels with Cold Bath Street with themes of supernatural, ghosts and death.
In an interview with The Bookseller, Christopher said: "We did an event where Andrew [Hartley] talked about his book and his notion of the supernatural, and I spoke about playing Macbeth and my notions of the supernatural. It helps that the book is set in Preston, Lancashire, and I'm from Salford in Lancashire. We're from a very similar generation. We seem to have an odd understanding of each other."
The Cold Bath Street audiobook will be launched at the prestigious London Book Fair on the 11 March with an audiobook panel event fronted by AJ Hartley, Christopher Eccleston and UCLan Associate Professor of Publishing and Head of the Publishing House Debbie Williams.
Debbie said: "This is another exciting development for Cold Bath Street and I want to thank Christopher for lending his support to a book that's really put Preston and UCLan Publishing on the map. We're a small publishing company competing against huge, well-established publishing houses and the success that we've experienced with Cold Bath Street has been phenomenal."
Following the success of Cold Bath Street, AJ is already working on a sequel, due to be published in October, called Written Stone Lane that based on a ghost myth around the Written Stone near Longridge in the Ribble Valley.
UCLan Publishing is also working with AJ on another children's book, Monsters in the Mirror, due to be published on the 1 March and available for pre-order on Amazon. An author event with AJ to promote the book will take place at Preston Waterstones at 2.00pm on Saturday 9 March.
