If you can believe it, it’s been nearly 13 years since Doctor Who was rebooted for modern audiences. In the years since, the likes of David Tennant, Matt Smith, and Peter Capaldi have helped to make Doctor Who the cultural phenomenon it is today. But, of course, we can’t forget the importance of the Ninth Doctor: Christopher Eccleston.

Eccleston’s reign as the Doctor was a short one — only one season, in fact — and as such, he is rarely looked back on as fondly as the others who have taken his place since. At the time, he departed the series due to creative differences regarding the character and (of all things) his accent. It turns out that that decision nearly ruined Eccleston’s career, as he revealed to The Guardian:

“What happened around Doctor Who almost destroyed my career. I gave them a hit show and I left with dignity and then they put me on a blacklist. I was carrying my own insecurities as it was something I had never done before and then I was abandoned, vilified in the tabloid press and blacklisted. I was told by my agent at the time: ‘The BBC regime is against you. You’re going to have to get out of the country and wait for regime change.’ So I went away to America and I kept on working because that’s what my parents instilled in me. My dad always said to me: ‘I don’t care what you do – sweeping the floor or whatever you’re doing – just do the best job you can.’ I know it’s clichéd and northern and all that bollocks, but it applies.”

While Eccleston may not be the biggest name out there, he’s luckily been able to keep on working. He secured a role in the then-popular TV show Heroes, as well as a villain role in Thor: The Dark World (though he’s arguably the weakest villain in the entire MCU, but hey, they can’t all be winners), and the important thing now is that he’s still hard at work, making a living.

It’s always disheartening when you hear about news like this, with producers taking things a little more personally than they should, and potentially ruining a career. The bright side here is that Eccleston’s made it through the other side, and was able to live to tell the tale.

Where does the Ninth Doctor on your list of favorite Doctors? Let us know your thoughts down below!

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SOURCE: The Guardian