9:15 "After all, the opportunity to a part of Doctor Who doesn't come twice in a lifetime!" In 2022, this phrase about David Tennant has come to have a whole new level of meaning huh
Michael Grade when Dr.Who has low ratings: "It's rubbish, it always was!" Michael Grade when Dr.Who has high ratings: "It's great, love it, was always great, fantastic!" What an absolute character
Rewatching this whole retrospective series, I'm once again struck by the depth of Chris Eccleston's integrity. He may come across as this very serious, brooding man in comparison to the bountiful energy of his successors when they're interviewed, but his words speak of a deep compassion for both every person he worked with, no matter how small their credit, and for the audience at home receiving his performances. I may have mentioned this anecdote before in this comment section, but I'm always reminded of his interview for an anti-bullying organization, where he admitted to having been a bully as a little boy, and when asked what he had done, he tearfully described how "he'd stolen another boy's crisps". And despite how minor an eight-year-old stealing another's potato chips seems, he sounded genuinely regretful that he apparently hadn't gotten the chance to apologize for his behavior. That's the kind of guy Chris Eccleston appears to be.
Christopher Eccleston is such a fantastic man, following him on Instagram and seeing him constantly use his voice for the less privileged just cements his place as one of the best doctors
He seems to have curated his roles to support the less privileged to. Like in "Let Him Have It" "Jude" "Hillsborough". Even in this theres a hint of standing up for Norveners by being the first Northern Doctor
He's an incredible person, really an amazing example of what you can do if you don't take no for an answer. Also a brilliant example of how to use what you've achieved to help others.
@@ciaranward3559 Hardly the first Northern Doctor with Tom Baker and Paul McGann being from Liverpool, but if you mean in terms of regional accents then yeah
My two favorite lines from #9 were: “Lots of planets have a north.” And “Just this once everybody lives.” There are others but, for me, this encapsulates Christopher Eccleston’s doctor.
Given that at least half the country was north, and relatively neglected by the BBC, as a northern Doctor Who fan the concept of a northern Doctor was fantastic.
The "Just this once everybody lives" line hits hard man. Especially when you're aware of what the Doctor has been through as well as some future episodes, like the Season 1 two part finale.
Eccleston was absolutely fantastic in the role and it's a shame that he only did one series but I respect his decision as he wasn't happy at the time so he needed to leave. Ninth Doctor is one of my favourite incarnations and Parting of the Ways is best NuWho regeneration story as I thought the conclusion to the Ninth Doctor's life was satisfying. The Ninth Doctor's final words were optimistic which I loved.
Ecclestons doctor would have been out of place in series 3 onwards though, the tone of the show changed up for Tennant, series 2 would have been just about ok. But series 3 and 4 were more soap in space. Eastenders in space lol.
"Everybody Lives" is my favorite moment from the entirety of Doctor Who. The moment of pure joy and relief after having experienced so much pain and anger was awesome. It's a great counterpoint to the moment when he saw the captured Dalek earlier in the season. That was a moment of pure rage and grief.
For me my favorite moment is 12th's emotional speech about war. Where humans and zygons both have a big button and have to decide. The way he gets frustrated and hopeless when he screams that in the end they're just going to end up talking, why make millions suffer before you're going to end up doing the inevitable?
I've lost a lot of interest in Dr Who in recent years but this documentary reminds me why I used to love this series so much. Terrific work and brilliantly researched.
I stopped watching after David Tennant finished, I am so glad I did because now I've just started watching Matt Smiths run and really enjoying it, he seemed like a poor man's Tennant back then but now I realise that's wrong
Yep once the Doctor regenerated into a Chick I couldn't travel with the Doctor anymore. My imagination couldn't except that. Call me old fashioned and that's fine with me.
"Tennant was thrilled to play the part of Warehouseman Number Two. After all, it's not like the chance to participate in Doctor Who comes along twice." Kids, this is what we call, "Foreshadowing!"
9th was my first Doctor, and I was so attached to him that his regeneration left me very emotional. I didn't realize regeneration was a thing! At first I didn't see Tennant's Doctor as the Doctor, where was the wit and the sass? It wasn't until "The Satan Pit" where he makes a remarkable speech about his faith in Rose that I accepted him as the Doctor. I do wish we had more adventures with the 9th Doctor, but perhaps his brief tenure makes us all appreciate him more.
Everyone has that "moment" where you go from skeptical to accepting of a new Doctor. For me, it was: 9: "Lot's of planets have a north!" 10: ::Sycorax chieftan:::: "Witchcraft!" ::Tenth Doctor:: "Time Lord" (fucking chills) 11: Not a line, a moment. The Tardis is on its side in Amelia's garden. There is a big swelling orchestral music building up as 11 climbs out of the Tardis. I don't know why, but the moment he does is one of my favorites in the 11 era, and that's saying a lot. 12: The first time "A good man?" plays in the soundtrack for Deep Breath. Fucking chills.
The 4th Doctor was my first. And I felt the same way when he regenerated. And then our PBS station stopped playing the show. So my suffering separation anxiety from Tom Baker was abruptly switched to missing the whole series. Thank goodness the world is a much smaller place now!
It’s my first doctor too! I never really managed to become a big fan of the show because living where I live it was a bit difficult to get access to such content and I don’t have time to watch shows but I remember being a young child and seeing the intro to the season with the ninth doctor. Growing up on Soviet cartoons this was such an intense experience. All of these vibrant graphics going so fast of all sorts of colors. It was really really intense and years later I remember it as a very very interesting experience.
I have some things to say about 9's regeneration, particularly how he talks to Rose before regenerating. First he says he "Sang a song and the Daleks ran away", shielding Rose from any kind of guilt or blame for his death. Next he cracks a joke about dogs with no noses, having two heads (or no head), lightening the mood to prepare Rose for the coming news. When the process starts, he clutches his chest in pain before immediately telling Rose to stay away, protecting her from what's about to happen. He begins to explain the process, carefully choosing his words and trying desperately to not scare her, cracking another reassuring joke about his "daft old face", before saying his goodbyes. He goes out with a smile and gracefully regenerates into 10, and his last word is "Barcelona", reassuring Rose (and by extension, the audience) that he's still the same man. Every. Single. Line. of his Regeneration scene is selfless and kind. Not once does he consider himself as he dies. He continued to protect Rose even after sacrificing himself for her to live and a perfect reflection of how he's changed during the season.
9's is definitely an underappreciated regeneration. I think 10 earned the right to be a little selfish after having so short a life and his is perfect in it's own way, but 9 will always have a special place in my heart.
@@ericstahmer720 The 10th doctor's regeneration just made Matt Smith's job of earning the audience's trust even harder than it already is by portraying almost entirely in a negative light. Not to mention the episode its tied to is kinda just bad. I love 10 but his regeneration was a misstep in my mind.
Don’t forget how he spoke those lines until Rose smiled, too. He was holding that regeneration off until 9 saw her smile…one last time…as himself. Cried typing that.
The best two regenerations were David tenent’s and Matt Smith’s. My kids were close to adulthood with Matt’s and they were moved to tears by it, so was I, even when I watch it over and over. Matt Smith was my favorite doctor and his stories with Amy and Rory and River Song were just brilliant. It’s fun to watch the serious sci-fi of Star Trek TNG or DS9 and follow that up with some episodes of Doctor Who reboot seasons 1 through 7. What I though was very clever on the part of the reboot writers was to introduce the Time War as a way to explain the gap between 1996 and 2005. Very good attention to detail. The very different but same characteristics they gave to doctors nine, ten, and eleven was very cool, while paying homage to doctor who canonicity. Love reboot seasons 1 through 9. Peter Capaldi brought a return to an older and wiser doctor, yet he fell short a bit from previous doctors by leaning on a human to guide his ethic? A bit odd for The Doctor’s established history, but it grew on me. Then the wheels fell off and the show lost its way. Terrible writing and story telling replaced ten solid seasons with over the top preachy shaming stories. Then culminating in the total rewrite of Doctor Who canon in season 12. No wonder the show lost its audience. But I still watch the classic series and the reboot seasons 1 through 10. Love them. And Chris E’s Doctor lands at the heart of it, and he is not forgotten!
Christopher Eccleston leaving after one series is still one of the biggest tragedies on Doctor Who today. We can only imagine how popular he would have been compared to the others if he had more Time to set. No doubt he would have been one of the best to EVERYONE
Yes, but I think a regeneration after 1 series worked for The Doctor as a character. One of the best parts of Eccleston as The Doctor was the way he seemed to push people away. Aside from Rose, he didn't really let people get close to him. Tennant on the other hand was more open, which I interpret as Rose having changed The Doctor enough to make his personality do a complete 180. The regeneration wasn't just about him dying, but also about him changing
@@yeassttI like to imagine a part of the humanity inside Rose also transferred to the Doctor after he absorbed the Time Vortex and regenerated basically changing on an almost physical level
@@DeadlyDanDaMan not their , just legs of all new doctors. Previous ones are fine. Fans are just pretending that 13th doctor is just a bad fanfiction(in reality it is a bad fanfiction aprooved by the bbc.
You’re wrong! He was/is the best reiteration of The Doctor. After he left they reverted back to the middle class Doctor with its stupid like Sylvester McCoy humour. Can you imagine David Tennant giving the depth of anger,sadness or realness Eccleston gave? I can’t. I will sum it up easily imagine Eccleston’s Doctor acting with Catherine Tate’s Donna Noble! No way would Eccleston lower himself or the Doctor he created to such low brow humour of Tennant’s and Tate’s stories,one liners and piss poor acting from Tate! Eccleston would have walked before he put up with that! . Also Eccleston’s Doctor was fond of Rose he didn’t love her. That vile mess was left to Tennant to deal with.The closest we’ve come to an Eccleston like Doctor was Peter Capaldi’s but they ruined that by making him to quirky,I mean the electric guitar WTF Don’t even get me started on Mat Smith and Jodie Foster🤢 I think the BBC want rid of Doctor Who and they’re succeeding with a death by a thousand cuts. Make it so bad the viewing figures drop through the floor thus them justifying dropping a very expensive program to make ITV or Channel 4 should pick up Who and my beloved Torchwood,they’ve the money and technical teams to do a great job on both Who and Torchwood but the BBC will never sell the rights,they’d rather see both series rotting in a basement than give another channel a chance of bringing them back! Please someone kill of the Who franchise before we go back to Bertie Basset monsters and Sylvester McCoy type doctors
THIS IS NOT A HAPPY HOUSE You're full of shite mate. "Sylvester McCoy type doctors" Because as we all know, the seventh doctor is simply a comedic figure, no deeper parts, no sinister plans, no secret past, no manipulations.
It's true Eccleston really is a great incarnation, and it was quite frustrating at the time how a lot of naysayers in person and in the press felt otherwise... Just because of the fact he was leaving.
@@CashelOConnolly You have your opinion and like ayeholes, we all have one. I LOVE David Tennant. He has some serious acting chops and if you've missed that, you're not paying attention. Eccleston was a good Doctor too, but in a different way. As much as I liked him, I knew he wouldn't stay. He and the BBC were constantly at odds. Enough said.
In a way, just having him for one season maybe was a good thing. His story had been told, and he himself was a remnant of the Time War and the middle point between a violent and angry War Doctor and a back-to-normal eccentric 10th Doctor.
I remember when 'Rose' was broadcast. I was 8 years old and both my parents had, to one degree or another, loved Doctor Who as children. Dad was born in 1963, Mum in 1964. Dad's Doctor was John Pertwee and Mum's was Tom Baker. They had wanted to get me into it anyway... then the reboot was announced. From episode 1, I was absolutely hooked. I look back and consider David Tennant 'my' Doctor, but if the first series hadn't been so good, there's no way I would have carried on watching. Loved this retrospective because it's finally hit my childhood, I'm finally able to reminisce alongside everyone else.
@@a-random-human-being2311 I've known Doctor Who's been around for decades, but really wasn't very interested, especially since the episodes were far and few in between here in the USA. I began watching after meeting my U.K. SIL who's from Burbage. "Her" doctor was Tom Baker with that maddening scarf. We began watching together 20+ years ago. "My" doctor is David Tennant; however, once I got hooked, I started trolling the internet for earlier seasons to watch (without having to buy or rent). I'm determined to watch ALL of them. Now that I've ditched both satellite and cable and have gone back to OTA antenna to watch TV, one of the channels I discovered is RetroTV. They've got all the classic programs, including Doctor Who! When I tuned in they were showing Jon Pertwee (#3) through Sylvester McCoy (#7), then they started over again with the 1st Doctor, William Hartnell. I'd love to see the rest; however, I'm willing to bet contract rights are in play. As of today, the series is going through the Troughton era. I like him a lot, but not much of a fan of the "hobo" look - I think that was a very foolish mistake. Thankfully, Troughton transcends it. Now I understand why it seems like I missed some in-between episodes; I didn't realize a lot of them were missing. Between RetroTV, PBS, BBCAmerica and RU-vid, I'll eventually get to see all of them. On a side note - NOT a fan of Jodie Whittaker. She may be a decent actress, but she just SUCKS as The Doctor. Glad to hear she's leaving after this season. Hopefully, they'll find someone who embraces the Doctor character as it should be.
I feel like 9 was sometimes weirdly hostile towards the other male characters on the tardis. I kind of get it with the smartypants dude and his brain computer thingy. That guy turned out to be a bit of a jackass, but some of his treatment of Mickey felt a bit over the line. I feel it got a bit better after Captain Jack Harkness came aboard.
Thank you. Christopher Eccleston is just not given the credit he deserves for bringing Dr Who back. Just finished binge-watching his season for the holidays. Never disappoints. Good job.
Rose is the perfect opener. They only reference they make is just that the Doctor isn't human. Even the use of the Autons is pretty good because the original fans will get a kick from it, but it won't confuse new viewers.
The Episode Rose Isn't Perfect. Point 1: The Autons Were Done Dirty, they were Made Essentially into Generic robots that Aren't Even Scary. Point 2: Rose Is A BAD Character, Because She Doesn't Feel Like A Real Person As She Was Intended To Be Like. All The Other Characters Are One Dimensional, Except For The Doctor Which Is Sad. But again That's What Happens When You Rush Things Like This, I Just Wish It Was 90 Minutes Long that Would have Been Good. And I Haven't Even Talked About The TERRIBLE CGI, Which Fans of Russel T. Davies Work Don't Like to Talk about.
@@generalnapoleonbonaparte3186Unrelated, but you don’t need to capitalise every single letter. It makes your comments busy and annoying to read. 1 & 2) That’s because the entire point of ‘Rose’ wasn’t which aliens they were fighting, but who Rose and The Doctor were. And, we got that. We got Rose’s backstory, we see that she’s young and a little naïve, but she follows her heart and is very headstrong, in that she craves adventure. We see that the Doctor is a powerful, intelligent non-human, and that creates a mystery that keeps us watching. They weren’t *supposed* to be scary. They were supposed to be a hint of more to come with these characters, more, better aliens that these two dynamic characters would fight if we sat and let them week after week. 3) It was 2004, they were on a low budget. The first feature length CGI film wasn’t even a decade old yet. The tech was shoddy, and expensive. Of course it looked bad.
Christopher Eccleston to me was the working class doctor in an extremely good way. His portrayal bridged many of us that grew up the different doctors. 42:09 I was watching the episode with my mother who watched William Hartnell from the beginning, as soon as Rose says "If you're an alien, how come you sound as though you're from the North?" The Doctor's response was a classic. It made my mum spit out her coffee & she pissed herself laughing (Mum's a Mancunian). Eccleston's performance as The Doctor brought him more down to Earth & made the show more believable in sci-fi. The production values are out of this world.
@@iusethisnameformygoogleacc1013 I see you're using a troll account and that your understanding of my post failed when you used the translator. Production values of New Who were far better than Classic Who in line of the 21st Century. The technology used was more inline with modern sci-fi movies rather than the days of cardboard sets & cheesy explosions of Classic Who. The writing of New Who was far better. My mother watched Who from the start & I grew up on it. Christopher Eccleston made the doctor more down to earth. it was a pity that he left the series due to a fallout with the team who brought New Who together. You failed to understand my post & you should use a better translator in the future.
I always hear people talking about the Slitheen fart jokes and how bad they are, but even as a kid I never saw them as jokes, mostly due to how other characters react to it. I always viewed it as incredibly strange and alien, and (as stupid as it may sound) honestly very menacing and unnerving in how flippantly they'd act just before killing someone horribly
Agree! As a kid I found it unsettling and it enhanced the perverted humanity of the skin suits - to me they never felt like comedic moments but the opposite. The obviously unsettled or confused or horrified reaction of the other characters definitely helped this, and just the sense of wrongness from what were supposed to be elected authorities acting so strangely in a crisis - very unnerving to me as a kid.
And it's also part of the science of the show because they have to compress themselves in the skin suit they have to let out gas so they don't explode so yeh they aren't really jokes more terrifying and law friendly
That makes sense, although the people making a show have to take into account that it will unavoidably be interpreted as humor, or as something meant at least in part to be funny, to the audience.
Eccleston saved Doctor Who and gave the show life, after its death. He never gets the credit he deserves. He saved Doctor Who, no other Actor can say that.
I can't believe it's 15 years only. I first started watching during the Jon Pertwee era as well,but until the 2005 revival I'd barely seen any episodes this side of The Caves of Androzani bar ones the BBC re-showed in 1992-93,some UK Gold repeats and the TV movie. I had all my fingers and toes crossed it would be a triumph not a disaster when settling down to watch Rose on that early Saturday evening in late March 2005,and I have to say I thought the new series to be for the most part a rip-roaring success. I thought The Empty Child very good,too and the lone Dalek one interesting. I saw the majority of the series but there were a few I missed due to being out,at work or away; I remember getting plastered with friends on a day out in Brighton on the last day of April,getting home late at night via coach on a replacement bus service because the railways were up the spout undergoing engineering works,a couple of weeks previously I was at an away football match at Rotherham United's distinctive old Millmoor ground before dropping in on the Crucible Theatre on the way back through Sheffield and obtaining last minute tickets to watch Ronnie O'Sullivan open the defence of his title as World Snooker champion,and I spent most of May that year in Hong Kong. In those early series of Nu Who there didn't appear to be any repeat screenings,or there were I didn't know when,so it was a case of if I didn't catch it on the night I missed it,just like the good ole days.
Good luck. I am also in self isolation. My third week. Lots of doctor Who and time with my full scale Dalek called Derrick. He's 30 years old and New Zealands first and only
Still working,so I do get to see a bit of the outside world. It does feel almost like being in a Dr Who episode or something,driving on empty roads even at rush hour,making for an odd atmosphere. The unusually bright,clear skies are another thing I always notice,and the number of birds and animals encroaching.
This era of Doctor Who never fails to warm my heart. Everything was so nice and small and comfy and simple back then. Every Saturday expecting a new Doctor Who was such a comforting and exciting feeling.
I didn’t grow up with the show and didn’t catch it until it came to Netflix in the US around 2012 or so, so “Rose” was the first episode I ever saw. Once that line happened I thought to myself “okay I think I love this”
I’m truly amazed at how smoothly the transition between Old Who and New Who are was during Nine’s era. For a while before the premiere of the 2005 Doctor Who, I think we were all scared they were going to screw it up, and even worse, the advertisements (as well as the images of the leather-clad Ninth Doctor) for the new series seemed to suggest that the show would be preoccupied with the need to be COOL, ACTION-PACKED, EDGY AND XTREME (2000s-styled). I know a lot of Whovians like those adverts, but for me at least, that was a very real fear, and luckily when I watched the new series, those fears evaporated. It approached the kitsch aspects of Doctor Who in a tongue in cheek manner without feeling the need to insult the original program, and a lot of the darker elements of the show were handled with a lot of nuance and care. It’s one of the best reboots in my opinion, in that it doesn’t pander to the core audience and it also treats the brand with a lot of respect whilst doing something original and interesting with it.
Ecclestone's Doctor just had so much depth and raw emotion, which none of his successors could pull off. You could literally feel his regret and his sadness. He was the most humane out of all them which in retrospect was brilliant as it helped new fans get understanding of the character and show without it feeling like too "alien" and unknown. He was the perfect bridge between Classic and New who. Oh what I would give to have him do anything with Paul Mcgann's 8th Doctor, two very underappreciated Doctors.
My first Doctor. I still fondly remember watching “Rose” for the first time on Netflix (back when they had it) and got hooked instantly by the likability of Eccleston and the crazy stuff that goes on in each episode. Sure he only had one season but he will always stick out to me more than any of the other Doctors in the modern era.
Not in all countries mate, as a matter of fact it was pulled from amazon prime about a month back too. I just went ahead and ripped my dvds as I'm not an HD freak although I might get some of the earlier series on bluray eventually.
I had no idea Netflicks had been around so long. I only heard about it a couple of years ago, and still not really sure what it is to be honest. I don't get how anyone could enjoy watching an entire TV show on a computer screen. RU-vid clips, maybe, but not a whole episode.
No, not really! I quite liked that little parody, actually, but I needed another clip of people laughing at Doctor Who! The thing that annoyed me at the time really was that the joke was really about the costumes looking cheap, but the Foamasi's body is not the original costume!
Eccleston is probably my favorite Doctor of the new era (though Tennant is good, but he lucked into having some great stories too). The thing with Eccleston is that he sold the PTSD aspect of the Doctor post-Time War. It was great, and enjoyable (especially in the bit where Rose saves her father, and the Doctor is more than happy to enact a solution where he stays alive, despite the horrors of the paradox going on outside).
Eccleston series is special, being the first of New Who run and only lasting relatively few episodes. It was fresh and somewhat more consistent. I love Tennant more as a Doctor, but his run contained the seeds of a lot of the issues that would ruin Smith's run for me so... It's less simple.
This. My favourite New Who writing is in S3 & 4, but I can't get over my reservations about Tennant. Likewise I want to call Capaldi my favourite Doctor, but the writing really let him down. When taken as a whole, actor + writing, S1 is hard to beat.
@@Acidpunk101 Ah, 15 years. A drop in the ocean of existence... one pinpoint of light in the cosmos of eternity... Hello there, I'm the Physician. Time for a shot! >:}
Another excellent episode in this series. You've actually changed my mind on Eccleston with this video. He never felt 'Doctor' to me, but I'm now rewatching his series and realising that this was my narrow-minded view of who the Doctor was.
No offence to Eccleston, but he was the rebound guy... He was fun and a nice guy, but David Tenent was our soul mate, (until he died), and then Matt Smith was the one we grew old with...
My issue with Eccleston, is that he was promoted poorly by the BBC... He was a good transition Doctor... Tenent and Smith couldn't score without Eccleston getting on base...
Watching polished, incredible documentaries like this makes me realize just how much I want Chris Eccleston to come back for the 60th. It’s a far more realistic prospect than back in 2013, since the man himself seems to warm up more to his past role. Thirteen and Nine would fly off each other brilliantly (and since Jodie and Chris have worked together before, their chemistry would only be stronger).
Now that he's returning to the role in Big Finish audio dramas, it seems more possible than ever that he'll participate in a future production. If they can give him a good enough story.
I was 11 when Dalek aired. I was already very familiar with Doctor Who. I cried at Eccleston's performance. His hatred of not only the Dalek but inevitably himself when he became the thing he vowed to eradicate. That episode was incredibly well crafted. Excellent writing, vision and casting. Just wish we could have had one more series of this Doctor.
One thing I wish more writers understood is that the companion needs to be more than just the viewers perspective. The companion needs to also save the doctor in ways the doctor can't save the companion. The doctor has all this knowledge and experience but gets lost in it, drowned by the bigger universe that they sometimes can't see the need in front of their nose. While they can't be saved in every episode it is important to remind the audience why he doesn't travel alone and the times he does are so rarely shown. The two perfect examples are Waters of Mars and Heaven Sent. Two episodes where the doctor left to their own devices will go astronomically far without someone more down to earth to real then in.
YES! You're not dead! Oh, I always liked Eccleston's season, Rose, The End of the World, Aliens of London, Dalek, Father's Day, Empty Child, Bad Wolf. Can't wait to hear your thoughts on Smith.
The quality of your documentaries is absolutely outstanding. Your research is meticulous but it is the sheer coherence and the standard of presentation and delivery that makes your work peerless. I am at a loss as to how you do not have major mainstream channels beating your door down as these videos are superior to a great deal of output that is found on the satellite and cable channels and, with an increase in budget, could actually rival the high quality output of the BBC such as Brian Cox and Sir David Attenborough.
That line... "You would make a good Dalek"... still brings chills. How a voice actor (in this instance, Nicholas Briggs, I believe) speaking through a distortion modulator put such bleak bitterness into five simple words always blew me away. Of course it's the whole context of the episode and scene, but still. I also learned today that usually the lines were uttered live on set, through the modulator, to give the other actors something to work against. The new series Daleks are so much more terrifying than the originals, IMHO.
I had the privilege of meeting Christopher Eccleston at Louisville Galaxycon last year. My twin sister was super excited yet was scared of meeting him because she heard mixed things about him and his days of Doctor Who. So although I didn't have an autograph myself (which was against the rules) I snuck into the line with her to put her at ease. First I encountered his manager and asked how his flight was and how he was liking Kentucky. (Just to be friendly and to distract him from the fact I didn't have an item to autograph.) Chris heard and said "his flight wasn't as nice as mine" and smiled. When he saw my identical twin his smile widened even more. " Your twins! I have twin brothers! They're 8 years older than me!" And we chit chatted about the age gaps between our siblings. (My older sister was 11 years older than me.) My sister praised his work not only from Dr. Who but his work on The A Word and he happily gave my sister the autograph she paid for. He also told her to catch the next season on Sundance. At the photo session he was just as wonderful. He remembered us and had us stand on each side of him tilting his head on each side right before the photo. When we asked for a hug he was more than happy. He gave us each a Christian side hug and we thanked him we left him once again smiling. That was my experience with Christopher Eccleston and that's how he became my favorite doctor.
Just before Eccleston’s first episode aired, I remember the continuity announcer saying something like, “Get ready for the trip of a lifetime,” and, hell, he was right! Eccleston played the Doctor to perfection imo. Great review as always.
The 9th Doctor will always be my Doctor. He was the best, and I will always rewatch series 1 when I’m sad. He was sassy, clever, selfless, and he had an amazing relationship with Rose. He’s my favorite and deserves more love.
It's because of Christopher Eccleston's era that got me Into Doctor who that year of 2005 and I'll never stop loving it. This is why the 9th doctor is on my top 3 Doctors
'Everybody lives!' - is still may favourite moment of all New Who. I think Eccleston's only series was a little uneven (Dalek and the 'Are you my Mummy' double-header being the obvious standouts); I think a second Eccleston series would have been far better. Wherever the fault lies, we thank you Sir for lending your name and skills to help bring back the bestest show ever!
I think Eccleston staying would have meant a different series 2 than what we got. Tennants doctor was more childlike early on so the show became lighter and more fun going in tone.
The final two episodes of ecclestones reign was damn near flawless. Everything about these two episodes set up the next season for success. Just watched it again recently after about five or six years and its still damn good. Repeat viewings dont dull it at all...i rate it above anything in dr who in past decade since tenant left. So many small touches to it, that make it perfect. The writing was awesome, editing, music...much cheaper budget than dr who in 2020 but infinitely better in every other way. This why the series blew up and became the juggernaut phenomenon it became in UK for that brief time...rtd era was truly the golden era.
In the 90s, as a teenager, I wrote to the BBC urging a return of Doctor Who. In the States, PBS used to play it, and I remember watching 4th, 5th, 6th, and 7th Doctors. I was one of the few that watched 8th Doctor. So when the 9th told Rose to "run," I knew he was the Doctor. And as 9 grew over the course of the series, I was in awe. The "everybody lives" moment is still one of the greatest Who scenes.
I loved Murray Gold's score, he didn't try to reinvent the wheel, he updated the soundtrack to a point where it's still recognisable as Who, but it's also new.
Eccleston was my first Doctor, and I got immediately hooked into the show. Loved it back then. SCI-FI with clever characters and well written plots and an over-arcing idea was great.
Christopher Eccleston remains as my favorite New Who Doctor, followed closely by Peter Capaldi. This was a well done review of his season. I learned a lot from this presentation. Thank you!
I knew I was hooked to Doctor Who when I heard Eccleston's "We are falling through space you and I and if we let go... That's who I am". Who wouldn't want to go after him after such a phrase?
I'm surprised you didn't mention the music by Murray Gold. Maybe you're saving it for the next video when they actually could afford a real orchestra? The music in the first series is still amazingly written, but the instrumentation sounds like it was made in a MIDI tracker on a laptop computer.
I'd argue it's only for the better. It fits well with the "cheap looking" visuals. I'd compare it to the first three Deep Purple albums: Completely different to what came afterwards, but great nevertheless (in visual and musical style).
That’s because it was made with Logic Pro and VSTs. I personally really like all the music in the first series and wish they released it as a separate soundtrack.
I really liked the music in series 1. It was fun and emotional and fit what was onscreen. The music frequently became way too bombastic in series 3 and 4.
i think i read somewhere that they only got a orchestra for the second series, if you listen closely for example, to the first appearance of rose's theme in 'the end of the world', it is slightly different to the one on the soundtrack.
When I first heard that Eccleston was going to be Doctor Who, I remembered first seeing him in Shallow Grave with Ewan McGregor who would also become a sci-fi star as the young Kenobi in Star Wars. So I felt that it was fitting for Eccleston to also make his own mark on another sci-fi legacy.
The funny thing about the look of Eccleston's no nonsense style as the 9th Doctor, it was what intrigued me about the new show. My local PBS used to show old Who serials out of order so one week it was a tricky 7th Doctor and the next it's a friendly looking 6th Doctor choking Peri which basically traumatized 4 year old me from ever watching the show again and really the less said of 7 being gunned down in a gang land shooting then dying in surgery in the TV movie the better. Eccleston's 9th set the tone for modern Who and we're still grateful for it.
I started watching in 1963. My Father helped make the first Dr. I helped make a few more. I tried to put the colour back during the lost years. I cried when he came back. My kids saw him return. I hope their kids will be able to see The Dr continue.
Man this comment was seriously inspiring, you Sir migth be the oldest Whovian I have seen and yes The Doctor's Journeys will continue for entirnity no matter what happens :)
My parents werent huge fans of Sci-fi so while I was born in 88, I never grew up watching Doctor Who. When it was brought back with Eccleston, we were already fans of him in other movies such as Gone in 60 Seconds so we sat down to watch him. My mom and I fell in love with him and the series so hard that we would make it a weekly event to get munchies and watch Doctor Who. Im super glad he was the Doctor and still think he did the weary and sad Doctor extremely well. He had a sadness and rough edge to him that other Doctors havent matched.
I have my issues with individual elements of Russell T. Davies' writing - particularly his tonal inconsistently and often sloppy plotting - but his character work is impeccable, adding a level of genuine human emotion that was frequently missing from even the best episodes of the original run, and I don't think it's possible for Who to have had a better showrunner to bring it back to life. What particularly strikes me is how cannily, after stripping the program down to its basics, he reintroduced each classic wrinkle in turn, in an order almost mirroring the original: first a time-traveling alien, then the Daleks, then regeneration, then the Cybermen, then the Master, et cetera et cetera, giving the audience time to absorb each new wrinkle before moving on to the next. What a contrast to the TV movie, which must have been impenetrable to newcomers from the first 30 seconds with its monologue about Daleks and Time Lords and the Master and regenerations.
jacobkosh One part of his writing I weirdly love that doesn’t get talked about much: putting his characters into the most (seemingly) impossible to get out of cliffhangers.
My dream team would be Russell and Steven as co-showrunners. Moffat creates the most intriguing and intricate plots, but Davies grounds the characters and the world.
Harryhenry he’s great at the initial cliffhanger but he’s rubbish at resolution usually. Last of the Time Lords sticks out as his most egregious example of Space Jesus uses the power of hope and prayer to undo all the character moments and consequences of the previous two episodes.
I knew everything would be okay when Eccelston said the lines, “I’m the Doctor by the way, what’s your name? *Rose* Nice to meet you Rose....RUN for your life!” All...With a grin...
Yeah, that was how a lot of people felt before he did Big Finish. Clearly RTD didn’t share the same view as his character, as he was very clear to make Eccleston the ninth and not ignore the TV Movie.
Still wish when they brought the show back they'd carried it on with Paul mcgann and given him a series he never got back in the 90s it would've felt like more of a proper continuation as he was still the official doctor who hadn't regenerated wanted more of mcgann he was great as the 8th time Lord he was robbed twice of a full series.and just starting it with a new doctor without an on screen regeneration didn't look right but I still loved Christopher eccestons 9th doctor he was and all ways will be my favourite new who doctor. a spin off tv series with mcganns 8th doctor would be brilliant.
Paul McGann is really The Doctor of a special case, I guess. Despite how I really like him, and how amazing he is in the audio, I don't think the show could be revived as successful as it now if it wasn't Christopher Ecclestone, RTD's and 2005. The timing was perfect. Also honestly, the Big Finish scripts, as well as the EDAs novels, are really good it could bring out the best for the swashbuckling steampunk romantic Doctor, and I don't think television script-with a lot of demand to please "general" audience-could do that.
Started watching 'Who' in the '80's, when the Baker years was imported to the area by a visionary young station manager for the local PBS station. While not an absolute devotee, I have followed the Doctor, as much as possible, over his numerous incarnations since. I must say that your presentations of each period, all of which I have now watched, are superb. Thorough, informative, and engaging. What an undertaking! Look forward to your exploration of the Tennant Era.
I was five years old and I vaguely remember watching “Rose” when it was broadcasted and I was hooked. Every Saturday It became a tradition for me to visit my great grandmother and watch the latest episode of Doctor Who, all the way till Matt Smith’s finale. In those early days I remember my family telling me that they always hid behind the sofa especially when “Dalek” was broadcasted. Eccleston is such an underrated Doctor and one of my favourites. You probably won’t believe me but in the summer of 2006, my mum was dating Eccleston but later she ultimately dumped him. When I found out my stepdad could of been the Doctor I was pissed. In hindsight she was probably sparing him from me! Your videos have rekindled my love for the show and I’ve been eagerly awaiting for you to cover the modern era.
@@Urlocallordandsavior I can’t really say TBH, around half way through Matt Smiths run I just started loosing interest. I wasn’t really a fan of how Steven Moffat ran the show, but recently I’ve gained an appreciation thanks to Netflix. Plus around that time I stopped going round to my nans as much.
@@a-random-human-being2311 I started trying to watch season 8 but can't seem to enjoy it all that much, probably due to the love story involving Clara, twelfth barely makes his presence known in his early episodes. When does twelve become good again?
I recently watched Christopher eccleston’s comic con appearances and, in one of them (I can’t remember which), he specifically credited a break down in his relationship with ‘the show runner, the director and producer, those three individuals’, as his reason for leaving the show. I’m paraphrasing, but I’m pretty sure it was those three.
I dunno, he seems to have changed that story multiple times in the telling when it's come up. I really don't doubt that the BBC were not very pleasant to him but I think there is at least a little of an element of sour grapes to it. His assertion that he was 'blacklisted' in the UK media scene after the Dr Who fiasco sounds like a little bit of an exaggeration, and he seems to oscillate between blaming individuals in the BBC and the BBC itself
I almost met Eccleston at a con here in the KCMO area, but current events postponed it. If he's still going to attend, I'll make sure to bring this video up to him.
I actually like the daleks as they’re seen now. Like it’s implied that casing design emerged during the time war, suggesting to me that the reason they’re bolted together and stuff is because they had to rush a ton of daleks into battle in a short amount of time, thus having to make shortcuts with the casings
"The light that burned twice as bright burned half as long." I love that you set up Blade Runner as what Chris watched just before he took the role, then called it back. Brilliant work. Your videos should be extras on the official releases. Thank you for doing these.
In regards to the misandrist comment where in the 60th anniversary, apparently a "male presenting Time Lord cannot fathom letting go" - The Doctor actually did let it go... The 9th Doctor - (Christopher Eccleston) - a male presenting Time Lord absorbed the Time Vortex from Rose by kissing her. This was done with the sole intention to relive her and without any hesitation whatsoever, he gave the power back to the TARDIS.
Russell Trash Davies has revealed himself to be a worthless hack. It's a miracle that Chris Ecclestone's era was so good with that delusional, narcissistic idiot in charge. Steven Moffat must have been doing the heavy lifting since Ecclestone actually liked working with him and Peter Capaldi confirmed that Moffat had a habit of fixing inferior writers' scripts whilst still giving them full credit.
