OK, I won’t panic — but I’m still disappointed.
I’m utterly confused WHY Chris Eccleston would want to give up one of the best acting jobs in the world?
He says he’s worried about typecasting—but that’s not a given. Look at Peter Davison, who played the fifth Doctor at the tender age of 30, back in 1982. Doctor Who turned him into a star, but he’s never been typecast — far from it. He’s gone on to become one of British television’s most acclaimed actors, in roles ranging from At Home with the Braithwaites to The Last Detective to A Very Peculiar Practice. Between all these roles, he’s managed to bring to life THREE iconic characters: the Doctor in Doctor Who, Tristan Farnon in All Creatures Great and Small, and Albert Campion in Campion. I’m convinced it won’t be long until we’re officially calling him SIR Peter Davison.
So this typecasting guff is ridiculous, especially for someone of Chris Eccleston’s caliber.
Perhaps the reason is the grueling schedule. But if that’s the case—why bother signing on to the role in the first place? Did he think it was going to be easy? Even at 13 episodes, there’s a lot of filming, a great deal of special effects work, and heavy promotion. It’s a prestige, flagship series, for god’s sake—how can you not know this stuff ahead of time before signing on to the role?
I suppose what makes me VERY angry is that the reviews of Eccleston’s performance have been universally positive. He makes you WANT to invest emotionally in the program and the character. But how effective can this be after only one year? It boggles my mind!
So that’s all I’ll say today. I’ll sit back, wait for the production team to comment, and take it from there…
SIGH…
UPDATED at 10:30am
The CBC Doctor Who website has expanded tremendously. It’s a superb site, and I highly recommend a visit. It’s a nice counterpoint to the BBC version, and it’s got its own documentary for download.
