Christopher Eccleston’s Doctor Who 50th anniversary scene published
We’ve known for a while that Doctor Who‘s 50th-anniversary special was meant to feature Christopher Eccleston returning as the 9th Doctor.
However, that the script had to be revised when he turned the down appearance.
But now the scene itself is being published in A Second Target for Tommy, as part of a fundraiser to support writer Tommy Danvaband in his fight with cancer.
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The book is a Target-style collection of Doctor Who short stories, including the original 50th-anniversary scene written by Steven Moffat.
It’s no secret that Christopher Eccleston has a difficult relationship with Doctor Who. The stress of the filming schedule and tension on set made his time as the 9th Doctor particularly difficult.
He has only recently begun to open up about his controversial departure after just one season, saying that on-set relationships were irrevocably damaged early in the filming process. He also claimed that he was blacklisted by the BBC after his decision.
It’s no wonder that Eccleston wants to separate himself from the show as much as possible.
It’s obvious, however, that the latest showrunner Steven Moffat wanted Eccleston involved in the 50th-anniversary special, The Day of the Doctor. When Eccleston declined, Moffat rewrote the part for John Hurt, who became known as the War Doctor.
The tone of the Doctor in the original scene is clearly written for Eccleston — the rhythm and his speech patterns instantly recognizable through the writing.
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