Chris absolutely adores her. I love the fact that every time he is asked what companion he'd travel with if he could travel with anyone else he always says " no one. Rose is my Rose. We all know he's lost without her around." my heart.
I've always had mad respect for Chris for standing up for what he felt was right, and I have even more respect for him not only for finally feeling that he is able to come out and say what the issue was, but for the way he did so. The man didn't hold back, but crucially, he also wasn't an a-hole about it: he simply said "these are the people I have issue with, and this is the issue I have," in a frank but non-insulting manner. Mr. Eccleston is a class act and there are a lot of people out there who could learn a thing or two about how to handle a grievance from him.
as a lifelong people-pleaser, i adore that chris says what he means and means what he says! he isn't afraid to call out the bullshit, to speak truth to power. so much respect for him.
@@thiscityisreallylookslikea8340 I wish the interviewer asked Billie to respond to what Chris said about all the people he called out, would have been proper awkward. 😉
I find his honesty refreshing. Behind the scenes issues are commonplace, and even more so back then. Like any workplace, there's gonna be the occasional bad egg and the occasional failure to appropriately deal with it. The norm at the time was to do anything to keep any kind of negativity out of the tabloids. It has since become a bit more normalized to actively weed out bad behavior rather than underplay it, and it's become more acceptable to talk about it.
Christopher is an absolute class act. Could listen to him (and Billie, of course) for hours. I'll forever regret that the actor who was "my" Doctor only stayed for one season but I understand why it happened the way it did. The BBC may not appreciate his contributions for the show like he deserves but us fans do.
Christopher eccleston is a man of honor. A working class man who doesn't take the Hollywood type bullshit. A few men like him in the industry, a true talent and a true person. My all-time favorite doctor.
Christopher and Billie were MY Doctor Who. They were my introduction to the series, and they both completely sold me on it. I've been a fan ever since 2005. Great chemistry, and still one of my favourite Doctor/companion relationships
I love Billie. She looks so pretty! I was very disappointed that there wasn't more mention of her in the 60th specials. Its great to see Eccleston as well.
Well the reality is, David LOVES Doctor Who. Maybe he put the issues aside because of his love for the show? It was a dream role for him. Like Chris says, it was just another job for him. He didn't need Doctor Who, and wasn't as likely to brush off issues. Although it's clear he likes the show, there's a world of difference that could affect David's judgment vs Chris' I think.@@BritGirlJay
I was there to see this panel live and has to be my favourite, i admire Christopher honesty and bluntness and Billie piper told great stories too, think people forget Billie got alot of abuse when she was first announced as the companion by the press so applaud Chris sticking up for her.
Can I ask - it sounds like they're in an enormous airplane hanger with a crowd chattering away in the far corner, with no one listening to the panel. I'm hardly hearing any audience response to what they're saying. Is that just a weird false effect from the recording? Did it feel different actually there?
Chris is so defensive of Billie. You can tell he's a fan and follows her career. When he mentions Yerma, you can tell that she's so pleased - and probably slightly surprised - that he even mentioned it.
Mr. Eccleston is my first 'Doctor' and Ms. Piper is my first companion. They will always be dear to me. I really appreciate them talking about their memories of their experiences. 🤩
That used to be such a special thing, right up until recently - who was the Doctor when you were a kid became a way of placing you in the time line :) For me it was Jon Pertwee and Elisabeth Sladen.
@@dallassukerkin6878 After growing to love DOCTOR WHO, I've had the chance to go back and watch some older episodes, including some with Mr. Pertwee and Ms. Sladen. What an interesting start to Pertwee's run?! Not having use of the T.A.R.D.I.S. for a while must've been a budget-saving device, but it also made for interesting opportunities to develop U.N.I.T.
I love his passion. He clearly legitimately loves the association he has to the role and the work that both he and Billie put in. The distance he put between him and the people currently involved couldn't be clearer and to look at the current 60yr specials its obvious that cirlce jerk is still pumping away.
The two of them brought back Doctor Who, for so many of us. The stories were great for the most part, but it was the two of you who gave it a new life, and a new future. Thank you, from my heart to yours, thank you.
Chris is blunt, but he's real about it, honest about his opinions and how he was treated, and I really respect him for it. There aren't a lot of actors who, when asked if they would return to play a beloved character, will outright say "only if all the people involved in that era of the show aren't remotely involved." And given Davies seems to be running the show for the immediate future, that effectively rules it out. But that's better than leaving false hope with coy comments. And when he talks about how much he appreciates and loves being associated with the character and the fans, you know he isn't just doing the usual PR that actors get wheeled out to do, it means so much more because you know he wouldn't say it if it wasn't true.
It is the network's loss that Chris will never come back to the show. If you thought David's return boosted ratings, imagine the 9th Doctor making an appearance.
Here’s what I think I pieced together on the conflicts he had with RTD and co. As he said here, there were “atrocious” behaviors on sets probably towards actors and crews, which he tried to get rtd and executives to fix but was treated coldly or ignored. Then there’s what he said higher up politics which he probably saw and hated. Finally when he said he agreed to leave quietly rtd “forged” a quote from him saying he’s tired, which he got angry about and also thought affected his acting career (maybe high up blacklist). So really conflicts during and after the show became so great he’s sworn to himself never to work with the people involved again, which happens to be the very team rtd has brought back now. Feel free to add to this if you know more
Sounds correct. To add some bits. Chris has mentioned before it was the BBC who forged the quote, he didn't call out RTD in particular (there's a vid on YT of this), ofc idk if he has said it explicitly since. I've heard other casual folk say that the more junior staff and crew were mistreated by the higher ups and Chris spoke out and reported to the higher ups and got no response. The reporting part Chris himself said, but the rest of it is 3rd party source (i.e. casual forum comments etc) but I believe them, since Chris is a true gent and will stand up against bullying and mistreatment. This is where Chris would've had issues with RTD, producers and higher ups. And obviously there was the shooting of the first season which he said was a nightmare, producers and executives would've been in the position of overseeing the efficiency and smooth running of things of which it seems like they struggled to get a grip of. This with BBC politics no doubt could've made them more sour and led to lower staff mistreatment and poor attitude. Would love to hear Chris talk about this more in depth one day.
@@aidanlynnyes, i do find it quite mysterious how Barrowman can be reprimanded and yet Tennant, Russell T Davies etc. who openly joked about his behaviour haven’t been pressed on the issue. Because silence in the face of wrongdoing is compliance, but more than that the joking clearly shows people thought it was okay. Particularly want to see Davies answer about that point
@@hastyswept5486 I think we're seeing it with his new tenure on the show, overcompensating on issues and avoiding talking about the shit to save his own skin :/
@aidanlynn Yeah, that's definitely an aspect. It's been well known that Eccleston and Barrowman hated each other since basically immediately after series 1 aired. Eccleston didn't elaborate, but Barrowman has said he thought Eccleston was "uptight," so I think we can probably guess what his issue with him was.
While I can sympathise with Chris, even Colin Baker didn't hold a grudge for this long. While Eccleston may have been disgruntled with the production and feeling that no was listening to him when he voiced concerns, Colin Baker had to suffer the vitriol from the head and executives of the BBC deliberately trying to screw Baker and the producers over and get Doctor Who cancelled. Yet Baker still remained heavily involved with Doctor Who, went to the usual fan conventions and other events, and even acknowledged he was selfish and wasn't thinking of the fans when he refused to come back for his regeneration scene.
Being an old who fan (Jon Pertwee was my first doctor) I was looking forward to seeing new who. Christopher and Billie did not disappoint. If it was not for Christopher and Billie New Who would never have taken off. 15:19 - I think there are a lot of people feeling the same way!
@@whatyoulookingat595 and only getting hotter with the new 60th specials, the Donna plotline conclusion ruined, doctors regenerating into past incarnations removing completely any sense of stakes for an incarnation dying if it can just come back again and the crowning turd in the water pipe, the next regeneration can split off from the last and talk to itself all of a sudden, everytime I think the show has reached the bottom people like Davies manage to get to astounding new depths of the barrell. I was less than enthused about his return and I was right. The moment he started the romance bullshit and the leather jacketed doctor in 2005 I knew he had zero understanding of what the old show was about and this proves me right. I just want the show axed at this point.
Nice to see the original two main actors of New Who together after a long time. When the dust finally settles, Chris & Billie will be recognised as the best duo since the show came back. And yes, more so than Tennant.
Jesus, I love these two. Great people, love their honesty, love their chemistry and you can see that they really get along. And GOSH, I really gotta say it, she is such a natural beauty, blows my mind. And I adore Christopher's accent, haha. Aw, great interview
Eccleston has always been my doctor. Nobody else even comes close. Nobody. Rose and the 9th Doctor beat out everyone. Glad to hear Eccleston sticking it to the revolting politicising of Davies and co.
You know he's talking about the internalised workings of the BBC during production when he says "politics", not anything political in the stories right? He's pretty left-leaning himself.
I think it's really interesting the distinct difference between the two answers. Chris is a hard "no", that era was a mess, the people involved (aside from Billie) were terrible and I want nothing to do with them. Billie's response an enthusiastic "yes", noting that she's already been back several times over and would gladly do it again. As much respect and love as we all have for Chris, I can't help but feel that we're only getting one side of the story, and it would be a mistake to assume he's painting a complete picture simply because of how incredible he was in the role. He says repeatedly that it had "nothing to do with him", but he's absolutely the only person from that entire era who hasn't been desperate to come back, so clearly whatever happened was at least centered on him. We've all heard stories that he didn't like how people were treated on set, or how RTD ran the production, or how his departure was handled - but then why does Billie clearly love it all so much? I'm certainly not saying that Chris isn't telling the truth, however it seems far more likely that this all comes down to personal gripes between himself and specific members of the production team; I think the "truth" is likely that he and RTD are incompatible human beings and it was always going to come to blows. I also definitely buy in to the idea that he was personally treated poorly by RTD, that it affected his career, and that he holds a lot of (justified) bitterness about that. Here's hoping he gets more time with Billie in Big Finish.
I love Chris, and I think he’s a great human being. He also has a huge chip on his shoulder. He’s a typical Salfordian to me and I’m speaking as one myself. A bit moody, a bit rough, but ultimately a really good bloke who knows what kind of people he likes and doesn’t like.
They also mentioned early on in this interview that he protected her from a lot of the nonsense that was going on, so it could be that his time on the show was made decidedly worse than it otherwise would have been as he was playing double duty to make her's a lot better than it otherwise would have been, and thus why she might not share the same degree of trauma.
Ecclestone worked with Davies before and it was Julie Gardner that recommended him for the role of the Doctor. Chris even said in interviews that one of the two main reasons he went for the role is because RTD was writing it. They weren't incompatible, it's obvious something happened that drove a wedge there. People theorise that it was partly due to Barrowman sexually harassing people on set and the working conditions being awful for the cast and crew
The simple difference is that Chris has held a grudge whilst Billie hasn't. I don't condone or condemn that, people have their personalities and only Chris gets to decide if the way he and his colleagues were treated was forgivable or not.
Dare I say it but this is the real sixtieth anniversary special of Doctor Who. Eccleston looks like he could play the Doctor of the time war if the Ninth Doctor was used instead of the War Doctor as Steven Moffat had originally planned.
I love Christopher's honesty. But for those transphobic nutters in comments, CE has fighted for equality for his whole life, how dare you quote him for your nasty little mind.
Agreed. These losers saying "he knew RTD was woke!" are beyond stupid. Have they listened to him speak about class/gender/inclusivity? He would laugh in the face of anyone who used the word "woke" pejoratively.
It is ironic that both of them were considered the most normal looking main characters, yet still remained the most popular. I love the 10th doctor, but Chris definitely is the one who got me into the show.
Whenever I rewatch the first season I get so sad that Chris leaves, though I also love Tenant. Billie was wonderful and I felt for her so much from the very first episode. Rose and Martha were the best companions. Dr Who used to be so stunningly good.
He was MY Doctor. And even if Tennant was as good as it gets afterwards, I would've loved to see 2 more seasons with Chris and Billie, they had special chemistry together. It's a shame what Dr Who has become, in my eyes he died with Peter Capaldi, 12 was the last real Doctor. My heart is still bleeding for me getting clickbaited by Doctor Donna into watching the special...urgh. Imagine Chris and Billie working with that kind of budget... #RIPDoctorWho
It's amazing to see someone with such unbridled honesty and principle as Christopher Eccleston but I feel like I'd be terrified if I ever met him because I know he'd see through all my bullshit in seconds
Christopher Eccleston is up there with Tom Baker to me. Pure legends. Eccleston's era was before the Tumbr freaks got onboard, and the show still had that "indie punk" feel that I still miss.
I still feel it's so unjust that he had an unhappy experience during the show, because it was glorious watching him. I've lost interest in the show after him, but he grabbed me the second I saw him. Instantly, I knew he was THE Doctor. It seems so unfair that of everyone involved, he enjoyed it least. And I'm glad that I didn't have any of those preconceptions about Billie; in the US, we had no idea at all who she was, so we went in with no assumptions. And she was wonderful.
Wow, Chris E seems a bit distracted throughout (doesn't seem happy to be there). He names and shames, and there is obviously a lot that has gone on behind the scenes during his tenure. Billie seems to hold herself together during the rants, but is obviously worried.
I don't think he likes doing these sorts of things. He's a bit of an anomaly in the acting world from what I gather, in that he's very much a workman who's very skilled at his craft but hates all of the other bits that come with his job. He's been similarly vocal about how much he hated his role in Thor 2 because it was crap, but it was a well-paying gig and he needed the money after the whole Doctor Who fallout resulted in burnt bridges between himself and the BBC. I'm sure there's plenty of other actors out there who feel the same way as him, but he's the only one who doesn't pretend otherwise. There's probably a lot of terrible stuff that happens in the acting world that we don't hear about from other actors because doing so would be harmful to their career.
Every time I see Christopher, I always think "Lots of planets have a north!" He was a great choice to play the Doctor. I always tell people there's a three-way tie between who I think the best Doctor is. It's always 9-10-11. At the moment, the #2 spot varies between Ncuti Gatwa and Tom Baker. (I lean towards Tom Baker in this scenario at the moment.) Christopher is an excellent actor with strong values and is very blunt. As a fellow very blunt sort of person, I totally understand this. Bluntness like this is always polarizing: Either someone will love it or they will hate it. Rarely does anyone ever fall in between. And Billie, I had no idea she wanted to leave when Christopher did, but it makes sense. As does her staying on to help David. I think that was a great thing for her to do and the fact she wanted to pay forward what Christopher did for her is amazing. It increases my appreciation of her as a person and actress.
I absolutley love eccelston as an actor ....he was awesome as the doctor ....you can tell he was raised by great parents and dosent suffer fools gladly and he speaks his mind ...something that's sorley missing in todays climate .....I put Eccleston in the same vain as Paul mcgann when it comes to doctor who ..2 great actors that absolutley shone in the role but didn't get enough time
I'm puzzled as to why the BBC still hasn't apologized to him. And Russell said he loves Chris in a 2018 interview.. But not enough to apologize I guess?
This takes on much more meaning now we’ve had the first few episodes of RTD’s second run and can see how he’s focusing on the agenda instead of telling good stories. I think there were those of us who felt let down when Chris left originally and as he has opened up more in more recent times and his enthusiasm for the role has shone through, and we are now seeing the truth of the situation.
@@j.dmetalhead7517 By politics he means the poor treatment they had behind the scenes, nothing to do with worldy politics just to clear it up for some people I've seen misinterpret it
The two most striking things about Chris are 1. how uncompromisingly honour-driven he is, and 2. how viscerally he's able to make us share his passion, not just for his craft, but for the people and principles he respects.
He’s a proper northern gentlemen through and through. You can tell he’s working class to the core, from the roles he picked to how he speaks in interviews. You can tell he doesn’t care for the Hollywood facade and bullshit.
"snobbery rooted in the class system" is when i knew that this man is a league apart and the rest of this video just goes on to build that. This is the kind of honesty and transparency that everyone should have!
He is 60, I turn 59 at the end of this month and I am becoming the cranky old bugger he is. I understand his thinking when dealing with idiots perfectly.
He mentioned a phrase that's new to me, but makes sense. "Class revenge". I take that to mean a bitterness towards people that have more than you, and are in (supposedly) higher social circles. Chris IS classy.
It makes me sad to hear Billie acknowledge that fans were outright against her casting from the get go. Makes it all the more impressive that she was able to set that backlash aside and knock her first big role out of the park so hard that fans still talk about her character. Just goes to show that it's better to wait to see someone on screen before we make a decision about them or their role in the show. Let them all cook.
Well, at the time it was a risky move. She had only been a popstar up to that point. She was unproven. She did win people over quickly, and her performance in The Canterbury Tales showed she could do other things. To provide context.
I can honestly say when I saw Billie Piper was going to be in it, I did think 'Blimey can she act?' but she was my Britney as a kid so she was the main reason I tuned in.
im glad i was too young to have known there was any of that going on. the first time i knew about the reboot when it was being aired for the very first time and i was 6 years old.
Tbf she did seem like a bit of stunt casting at the time. She was mainly known as a pop star before doctor who. Obviously she made the audience eat their words in the end, but she’d hadn’t shown her acting chops before this. But yeah I think it’s safe to say people weren’t taking her seriously when she was announced
@@stephentaylor3756 it probably was, but you could call the casting of any star a stunt....but that's how u get people to tune into things they may not care about...eg the movie erin brockovich needed Roberts for it to sell.
I love that every actor embodies the doctor in their own way and Eccleston really embodies the strong morality of the doctor between his social and economic justice work to his calling out of the studios mistreatment. He really is the definition of 10's quote "they can shoot me dead but the moral highground will be mine."
When asked what would it take for him to return and play Doctor, Chris did not hold back: "Sack Russel T. Davies, sack Jane Tranter, sack Phill Collinson, sack Julie Gardner and I'll come back." He later said that Steven Moffat in "The Empty Child" episode embodied the vision Chris had for the Doctor. Great to see him and Billie together again.
@@topmandog1 He talked about it in a previous panel. He said it didn't feel right to come back at the time because the slander against him was still fresh in his mind. He met with Moffat out of respect before saying no. He seemed to have no regret and praised what the 50th did with John Hurt
I love Eccleston's honesty. Some fans put actors on this pedestal, as though they should be grateful to work on Doctor Who and do it for free, they forget that it's a job like any other. All I can say is that I would pre order an Eccleston and Piper Big Finish boxset the second it was announced.
"Sack Russel T. Davies, sack Jane Tranter, sack Phill Collinson, sack Julie Gardner and I'll come back." ....well said Chris, we see now you made this show what it was not them.
Billie Piper is just one of those human beings that when you are around her you cannot help but like her A LOT. Its great that we can still have people like that in this world.
I like Eccleston's honesty, that what u see is what you get really dismantles the celebrity parasocial relationship. He's rough an doesn't mince words and doesn't play to the camera, I think it's better for everyone's mental health if they stop putting celebs ina a pedestal
I love Billie. These guys got me into the show COMPLETELY. Chris and Billie as the Doctor and Rose were magnificent, unforgettable, perfectly paired, amazingly appealing and, well ... FANTASTIC. Such a memorable season - the BEST - and it was such a joy to watch this interview. Love ya Mr Eccleston but Billie ..... you're perfect 😊❤
God Christopher is so absolutely unfathomably aware of what's what, although I can't help but feel he's sick to death of having to answer the "will you come back to the show" questions. I think his answer is honestly not only him voicing his pain about what went down in the past but also like he's said before even when those people weren't working on the show anymore: "when hell freezes over"
Mad respect to Chris. The man dealt with horrible gender discrimination for an abusive wife. He’s a true gentleman who never retaliated, not against his domestic violence abuser or the mistreatment he experienced on set from show runners, producers, directors, etc. He stepped into the role of the Doctor like he’d been doing it all his life, and none of the BBC or long term Doctor Who staff have any appreciation of that.
@fgjsdfgjkl I think they mean in relation to an abusive female spouse. Male victims of domestic abuse (emotional or physical) are completely dismissed in the majority of cases, and are kind of just expected to 'suck it up' and 'take it like a man.' Just look what happened to poor Johnny Depp when he spoke up about being abused. No one believed him AT ALL until we all listened to a months worth of solid, conclusive proof, and even THEN the media turned around and was STILL trying to demonise him and side with his abuser.
@fgjsdfgjkl I don't know either, but I know his book 'I Love the Bones of You', while mostly about his relationship with his father, has a lot of the additional life details of his struggles with eating disorders and such. Possibly there.
This is fascinating. There are moments where Billie seems quite uncomfortable as it's not the typical love-fest that these panels often are but kudos to Christopher for being ruthlessly honest and the both of them for being so gracious. And how exciting at 43:00 that they BOTH leave the door open for a Big Finish audio reunion!
i don’t blame him tbh. they damaged his career in britain for quite a long time and he had to go over to america for decent work - all while his father had dementia. and they’ve still never apologised for it
Any further opinions? I loved Eccleston when I was a kid. But never really kept up with any BTS stuff from this era. Genuine question, not trying to sound condescending.
@@Ook-p4k ehh, that’s not really for any of us to say, is it? we weren’t there. do i think he’s perfect? no, of course not. everybody handles things badly now and then, but none of us know what was said and done on that set and beyond. i also don’t believe that everyone was a villain - i’m still a massive RTD fan, for example. but in the grand scheme of things, it’s fact that they attributed false quotes to him which tarnished his reputation and blacklisted him so he couldn’t get any more jobs with the bbc even if he wanted to. that, on top of his private issues, is worth valid anger in my opinion
Not seen this yet. But I wanna just say, I ADORE this man. You won't find a truer, more honest and sincere gentleman than Christopher Eccleston. Tremendous actor with a heartfelt upbringing. Read/listen to his autobiography, it's fantastic!
I always liked Christopher Eccelston but watching this video had made me respect and appreciate him more. I would still love to see him come back as the doctor, hopefully RTD and him can put their differences aside one day.
Chris says a lot of stuff about working in TV and movies that we all kind of know, but you never hear actors admit in interviews for PR reasons. On the one hand it's a little hard to listen to and I can sense a bit of cringe on Billie's part too, but on the other hand it's really fascinating to get a glimpse into that side of things you rarely do.
