When Doctor Who triumphantly returned to our screens in 2005, Christopher Eccleston was of course cast as the Time Lord by the man who brought the show back, Russell T Davies.
In recent months, Eccleston has opened up about his departure from the show, and how he fell out with certain people behind the scenes. He also said that he’d never work for Russell T Davies again.
In a new interview with SFX, Davies has responded to Eccleston’s remarks. And it’s a classy response, too.
“What has to be remembered when the show’s being discussed in the present tense, now, is that I was his employer – I was his producer”, Davies said in the new issue of SFX magazine. “I have a duty of care towards any lead actor I work with, so I have a duty of care towards Chris in that moment”.
He added that “he’s free to say and explore whatever he wants – that’s fine. This duty of care involves respecting him and listening to him at all times. That’s my job and that duty of care towards him will extend for the rest of our lives”.
“He will always be my Doctor and I always be his producer”.
Davies goes on in the interview to lavish praise on the risk Eccleston took in taking the role on in the first place.