Christopher Eccleston Finally Reveals Why He Left Doctor Who

If you couldn't tell just by reading the blog, it's fair to say that most of the writers on Neatorama are big fans of Doctor Who. So, like most Whovians, we've been left to wonder what exactly caused the rift between Christopher Eccleston and the producers of the show given that Eccleston says he loved playing The Doctor and he was quite popular among fans.

Well, if you've been wondering the same thing, you can finally put your mind at ease. According to Christopher Eccleston, his choice to play the Doctor with his natural accent (he's from Manchester) was what drove him and showrunner Russell T. Davies apart. The actor claims Northern accents like his are looked down upon and that people consider those with those accents to sound less intelligent. Eccleston wanted to challenge these views while playing what is arguably the most famous character in all of England, but Davies was against it from the start.

Without hearing Davies' version of the story, it's hard to say if this is absolute truth or just Eccleston's take, but it is notable that the writers made a number of jokes about David Tennant's Doctor having a Northern accent after he replaced Eccleston.

Of course, now there are fans complaining that they can't understand a word that the very Scottish Peter Capaldi says, so I guess there's just no pleasing everyone.