Who It All Again

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• Publication: The Mirror
• Date: 2005-04-01
• Author: Nicola Methven
• Page: 11
• Language: English

TV Tardis star has to re-shoot final scenes

CHRISTOPHER Eccleston was ordered back on set to re-shoot crucial final scenes, following his shock decision to quit as Dr Who after just one series.

The 41-year-old actor had already filmed one dramatic ending - in which the Time Lord escaped unscathed from the Daleks.

But after Eccleston's surprise announcement, BBC1 bosses hastily scheduled a specially re-written climax to pave the way for a new star to take his place in the next series.

The alternative ending is believed to show the doctor disappearing into the ether - watched by his horrified assistant Rose Tyler. played by Billie Piper.

An insider said yesterday: "The doctor and Rose escape to the Tardis and launch themselves into the Universe.

"Then he tells her, 'I've taught you all you need to know - now you can do it yourself .

"The Doctor is then sucked out of the control room into space.

'But, of course, given his alien powers, he can always come back in another form.

A Beeb spokeswoman confirmed: "We have filmed two different endings for the series finale, but we don't want to give anything away. You'll just have to wait and see.

Eccleston turned down a second series, claiming he did not want to be typecast.

He also hinted that he wanted to leave because of the long hours and gruelling schedules.

He said: "It's really hard work. You don't have any life, we've been working 12-hour days for eight months."

His decision to quit stunned Dr Who fans and sparked frenzied speculation about his possible successor. Bookies yesterday made Casanova star David Tennant 1/10 favourite, followed by comedian Alan Davies and Love Actually star Bill Nighy.

Tennant has spoken many times of his admiration for the cult sci-fi series.

He said recently: "I've never made any secret that I'm a big fan of Doctor Who and it's the reason I got into acting.

"It would be a really great role to play."

Billie is expected to remain in the show after the second series was commissioned two days ago.

The new-look Dr Who was an instant ratings hit - attracting nearly 10 million viewers as it returned to TV last Saturday after an absence of 16 years.

BBC drama chief Jane Tranter admitted she was delighted by the response.

She added: "Taking a national treasure and daring to bring it up to date is enormously risky.

"A lot of people were, frankly, peeing their pants about it."

I hate sex scenes: Pages 26&27

Disclaimer: These citations are created on-the-fly using primitive parsing techniques. You should double-check all citations. Send feedback to whovian@cuttingsarchive.org

• APA 6th ed.: Methven, Nicola (2005-04-01). Who It All Again. The Mirror p. 11.
• MLA 7th ed.: Methven, Nicola. "Who It All Again." The Mirror [add city] 2005-04-01, 11. Print.
• Chicago 15th ed.: Methven, Nicola. "Who It All Again." The Mirror, edition, sec., 2005-04-01
• Turabian: Methven, Nicola. "Who It All Again." The Mirror, 2005-04-01, section, 11 edition.
• Wikipedia (this article): <ref>{{cite news| title=Who It All Again | url=http://cuttingsarchive.org/index.php/Who_It_All_Again | work=The Mirror | pages=11 | date=2005-04-01 | via=Doctor Who Cuttings Archive | accessdate=22 May 2025 }}</ref>
• Wikipedia (this page): <ref>{{cite web | title=Who It All Again | url=http://cuttingsarchive.org/index.php/Who_It_All_Again | work=Doctor Who Cuttings Archive | accessdate=22 May 2025}}</ref>