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 | Why did Christopher Eccleston leave after one series of Doctor Who? |
The Ninth Doctor - Chris Eccleston
In 2005, Doctor Who came back to the TV screens. Today, the series is an open book, but in the beginning, everything was very vague. Was this the same Doctor who had last been seen fighting the Master in San Francisco or was it a reboot of the classic series? It wasn't until the Doctor picked up a Cybermen head from Revenge of the Cybermen and then met a Dalek that it became clearer... this was the same character with a new face. Even so, fans would have to wait until School Reunion to find out that the Doctor was from Gallifrey and in his tenth life cycle. In 2005, it was anyone's guess.
This was partly down to the tone of the BBC Wales version of Doctor Who, which seemed inspired by the 1978 series known for its zany off-the-wall humor. The new Doctor was by far the most wildly spontaneous version of the character that we had seen to date, throwing himself into the deep end of danger without a second though. However, he was touched by tragedy as well, reluctant to take an active role in saving a life or civilization. Instead, he attempted to push those he met to helping themselves.
Actor Chris Eccleston was the most popular and successful actor to take on the role of the Doctor since Peter Davison back in 1980. It made a bold statement when he was announced over several other possibilities (including Sir Derek Jacobi and Bill Nighy). It made audiences sit up and take notice that this was a serious attempt to revive the program that once commanded the attention of millions. Interviewed at the time, Eccleston stated that he sought to bring the character down to Earth, as it were, by making him more colloquial and less grand and part of the old regime. He spoke of the importance of gaining the attention of children with good material and shouted praise of Russell T Davies to the hills.
Just as the British public was warming to this alien with a Northern accent dressed in as battered leather jacket, the BBC announced that Eccleston was leaving. Furious, the actor fought the press who painted him as an exhausted man overwhelmed by the demands of the role. Ever since, he has been reluctant to talk about his stint as Doctor Who and maintained that he has no wish to ever return. Recently, he gave what could be the most direct statement regarding his departure...
Via Guardian UK:
Speaking at an acting masterclass at the Theatre Royal Haymarket on Wednesday, Eccleston reportedly revealed that it was on-set politics and principles that finally led him to resign. According to Bad Wilf, which has a transcript of the session, Eccleston said he left the show "because I could not get along with the senior people"."I left because of politics. I did not see eye to eye with them. I didn't agree with the way things were being run. I didn't like the culture that had grown up around the series. So I left, I felt, over a principle."
It's brought an end to a lot of speculation. Ever since Eccleston left the show in 2005 he has dropped several lukewarm hints that there was more to his experience as the Doctor than he was letting on – with fan assumptions being that the BBC either wasn't happy with him or that Eccleston feared he might never regenerate from Doctor Who's typecasting doom if he stayed longer. When asked recently whether he would return for the show's 50th anniversary in 2013 (an episode rumoured to feature past Doctors such as David Tennant) he was clear: "No, never bathe in the same river twice."
A shame, really. For Eccleston's Doctor may have had many faults – looking like an EastEnders extra and bellowing "FANTASTIC!" at every opportunity being two of them – but he was merely a reflection of a show that, at the time, still didn't know what it wanted to be. The first series of the revived Doctor Who – which featured farting aliens – was a world away from the intelligent, populist science-fiction we know it as now. But then, it is thanks to Eccleston that it got this far at all – a big, respectable name who laid the foundations for Tennant to swag away with the show.
At his worst, Eccleston was as cheesy as the lines that were written for him. "I think you need a doctor," he once said, before kissing his companion, Rose. At his best, however – in Steven Moffat's sinister two-parter The Empty Child / The Doctor Dances, for example – he brought warmth, wit and promise. Yes, he didn't really look right, but what he lacked in the Doctor's trademark 'quirk' he made up for with a formidable presence.
He painted a picture of a man always on the run for fear of looking back – who had purged two mighty civilisations and was paying for it every day with his conscience. In essence, despite all the hype of a man who burns at the centre of time, Eccleston's Doctor gave us something human. Given a second chance – or a second series – he could have given us a lot more.
Despite a promising headline, the article itself offers very little insight into why Eccleston left the program. At one point the story was that he had 'always planned to be in one series only' but that has since changed. What is interesting is that the article is followed by a slew of comments from readers praising him as the Doctor, something that rarely comes up in Doctor Who fandom more determined to deify his successor David Tennant. The Ninth Doctor was not perfect and his first series was far and away from the classic program, but it is interesting to see attention and praise heaped at his feet.
Of course that doesn't mean that we'll ever see him again as the Doctor, does it?
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| | Daredevil #1: 'Man w/o Fear' -review |
"It has been miserable the last few years. Every time I thought I'd finally hit bottom, God somehow founds a bigger shovel."
The latest issue of Daredevil is also the first. Figure that one out.
Daredevil was created by Stan Lee and veteran artist Bill Everett as a new kind of superhero. Combining soap opera drama with legal court plots and the regular wild and wooly action/adventure that Marvel was known for, the real defining characteristic of Daredevil is that he is blind. As Frank Miller pointed out, 'How many superheroes are defined by what they can't do?' Championed by readers and the blind community, Daredevil was a hit. Attracting some of the best artists in the business from Wally Wood to Gene Colan, the comic book was a success for decades until (like many titles) it eventually faded from the spotlight.
The character saw an upsurge in popularity in the 1980's when Frank Miller and Klaus Janson made him into Marvel's answer to Batman. Heavily influenced by Will Eisner's the Spirit and film noir, Miller transformed DD into a grim tragic hero. It proved to be a massive success and Daredevil has more or less been riding that wave ever since.
He's the Velvet Underground of comics where almost any creator worth the weight of an HB pencil is a devoted fan of the character but many outside of the field have no idea who he is. The 2003 movie didn't exactly help as it attempted to cram several years' worth of continuity into a single film with questionable actors and excessive 'wire fighting.' I don't want to come down too hard on Mark Stevenson's film since I think his heart was in the right place and it definitely has its audience as the opening weekend figures show... but it didn't do DD any favors.
When Brian Michael Bendis and Alex Maleev took over the reigns of the title, it was perfection. What many have called the pinnacle of the title's run, their issues were cinematic in their scope and utilized dialog traits straight from David Mamet. Bendis' over-arching story involved Daredevil getting outed in the tabloid press, a move that drove DD into dark places and revealed a more violent undercurrent in the character's psyche.
When Bendis wrapped up his run on the book, many readers pulled out, but they were soon searching for back issues to catch up. Following Bendis was Ed Brubaker of Captain America fame. Taking up the plot from Bendis, Bru placed the lawyer/crime fighter in prison. Joining Brubaker was Michael Lark, famous for his work on Scene of the Crime and Gotham Central. The pair enjoyed a successful run that was still very tense and dramatic as Matt Murdock's grip on sanity deteriorated along with his private life. The following creative team of Andy Diggle, Antony Johnston and Roberto De La Torre took Daredevil over the edge completely. It was a brave decision to have the character take up the position as the head of an international cult of assassins in hopes of turning them toward a greater good. In many ways, Shadowland was the culmination of Bendis' story of Matt Murdock's descent.
Mark Waid, Paolo Rivera and Marcos Martin are here to help Daredevil get back on his feet. It's a radical change from the character who has remained essentially the same grim tortured soul since Frank Miller introduced Elektra to the lawyer's life. It's also the only way forward.
Picking up after the events of Shadowland and Daredevil: Reborn, Waid's series sees the hero making an effort to turn over a new leaf, to reinvent himself and get beyond the darkness of his past. In order to sell the reader on this idea, Waid has one of the best artists in the business on hand to give the comic a unique and distinctively beautiful new look.
After a long period of time playing the angst-ridden vigilante, Matt Murdock's alter-ego is shown as a fun-loving swashbuckler, hearkening back to the John Romita/Gene Colan days. Daredevil has positioned himself at the scene of a wedding joining two criminal families. Having received a tip that a professional hit may be made at the event, his radar senses are acutely waiting for any sign of intrusion. When a pair of hands emerges from a black spot on the carpet, only Daredevil notices and swoops in to rescue the flower girl from the clutches of the Spot (traditionally a Spider-Man rogue). Using his amazing acrobatic skills, Daredevil engages in an aerial battle with an enemy who can emerge from anywhere at all.
The sequence establishes the tone of the series while also providing the reader with a new perspective of his trademark 'radar sense' way of viewing the world around him (something that Rivera and Martin both excel at). Daredevil even gets to lock lips with the bride before taking the perp down!
The remainder of the book centers on Matt Murdock struggling to get his life back on track as a defense attorney. His suspected double-life as the Daredevil is used against him, seemingly ruining any chance at regaining his previous reputation. Anyone thinking that this thread will be dropped quickly should think again as the point is hammered home during a rooftop sequence between DD and the assistant D.A. who urges Murdock to drop his legal career.
The final scene depicts Daredevil under attack from an enemy who knows him well enough to utilize high tech weaponry that drastically hinders his radar sense. As our hero readies himself for conflict, a familiar red, white and blue shield can be seen flying towards him!
The back-up feature drawn by Marcos Martin bridges the gap so expertly side-stepped in the opening tale. A passionate and exuberant Matt Murdock awakens from a disturbing dream in which he is no longer blind, but surrounded by flames in a massive graveyard world. Taking his rotund side-kick Foggy Nelson out of the office, Matt attempts to educate his friend on enjoying Manhattan for all its foibles and peccadilloes. Like myself, Foggy cannot understand how Matt's hyper-sensitive awareness cannot drive him mad in a city like New York, but Matt simply shrugs it off saying that he enjoys the varied sensations.
Their journey ends at Matt's father's grave where Murdock confesses to Foggy that his cheerful veneer is just that, an attempt to overcome his grim past. Foggy is not convinced and understandably worries about his friend's sanity.
The new Daredevil has apparently flown off the shelves, taking many a shop owner by surprise after the lackluster Shadowland and Reborn series brought in dwindling sales. This is a magnificent jumping on point and a great time for fans of old horn-head to see their hero in a new light.
Here's a preview of next month's tussle with Captain America!
And as for the big screen, a second Daredevil film is reportedly in the works from director David Slade (30 Days of Night)and screenwriter Brad Caleb Kane (Fringe). There have been rumors circulating on a possible reboot of Daredevil in film after 20th Century Fox realized they have the potential for their own Batman franchise in hand. The image below shows what may end up being the new DD.
Read the whole story behind this image here.
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