Coming from audio drama and podcast producers Big Finish, the new 4-volume series will star Eccleston and a full cast in a set of stories whose details are currently being kept under wraps by the company. The rest of the cast has yet to be announced as well, though the return of the 9th Doctor may already be enough to ensure purchases from many faithful fans. “After 15 years it will be exciting to revisit the Ninth Doctor’s world," Eccleston commented on his return, “bringing back to life a character I love playing.”
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Eccleston left the show after one season following its newly revitalized relaunch in 2005. The behind the scenes drama causing his departure was widely suspected, if not outright confirmed at the time, and Eccleston would go on to hold a grudge against the franchise for years. “My relationship with my three immediate superiors – the showrunner, the producer and co-producer – broke down irreparably during the first block of filming and it never recovered,” he said during a 2018 interview discussing his departure.
Fortunately for him, as well as for the fans, the years away gave him some time to mend, and by 2019, he was already returning to conventions and happily interacting with fans. In his 2019 memoir, he even made sure to specify that his interactions with fans had been a driving force behind his newly mended view on life and Doctor Who. “It has healed something in me,” he wrote, “Forget producers, forget politics – here are real people who have seen me do my stuff and want to shake my hand.”
Eccleston’s run on Doctor Who is seen by many as underrated, and for good reason. While his tenure was short-lived and overshadowed to a degree by David Tennant, who took up the role in the following season, his performance successfully brought the classic British show into the modern age. It could even be argued that Eccleston’s mannerisms as The Doctor have been a jumping off point for each of the character’s subsequent actors, inspiring the characterizations from Tennant all the way to the current Doctor played by Jodie Whittaker.
Even among those who weren’t too keen on the 9th Doctor, Eccleston tends to command a certain amount of reverence. Whether it’s due to his unique energy in the role, or simply for his part in reviving Doctor Who for a new audience, it will be exciting to see what he does with his much-anticipated return.
The first volume of Doctor Who: The Ninth Doctor Adventures will release in May 2021.
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Source: Radio Times (Source 1, Source 2), Big Finish
