Doctor Who: Christopher Eccleston Calls Jodie Whittaker the Best Doctor
Christopher Eccleston says Jodie Whittaker is the best Doctor on Doctor Who. The British sci-fi adventure series first ran from 1963 until 1989 before its revival in 2005, and follows a time-traveling alien called The Doctor who explores the universe in a police box called the TARDIS. Since William Hartnell first portrayed the character in 1963, there have been 13 incarnations of the Doctor depicted in the series.
Russell T. Davies led the 2005 Doctor Who revival as showrunner, and the relaunch was a direct continuation of the series' original run. Davies brought on Christopher Eccleston as the Ninth Doctor, however the actor left the show after one season. He was followed by David Tennant, Matt Smith, and Peter Capaldi as the Doctor's next regenerations. Jodie Whittaker currently portrays the Thirteenth Doctor and as the first female regeneration in Doctor Who's long history, but her run as the iconic Time Lord is coming to an end this year.
At the recent Supanova convention in Melbourne, Australia (via Twitter user @whittckers) Eccleston revealed some thoughts on his fellow Doctors during a panel. Asked whether there are any past or current Doctors that Eccleston would like to collaborate with, the actor shared his view that the Ninth Doctor simply wouldn't work with other Time Lords, admitting he has also "never been a fan of multi-Doctor stories." However, Eccleston did end his comments by praising current Doctor Whittaker:
"The father of us all is William Hartnell, but the greatest Doctor is Jodie Whittaker."
For Whittaker to be named the "greatest Doctor" is especially high praise coming from Eccleston, who was voted "Most Popular Actor" at the 2005 National Television Awards for his own portrayal of the role. However, Whittaker's time as the Doctor will regardless be coming to an end this year. Both Whittaker and the current Doctor Who showrunner Chris Chibnall are leaving the show after the upcoming final feature-length Doctor Who special, in which Whittaker's Doctor will regenerate. Despite initial rumors that the BBC may cancel Doctor Who after Whittaker and Chibnall's departures, Davies was later confirmed to be returning to lead season 14, though the actor set to play the Fourteenth Doctor is yet to be revealed.
Although Whittaker will not be returning for Doctor Who season 14, she still has a few more adventures to finish. The two upcoming specials set to air this year will spend time on the Doctor's relationship with her companion Yaz (Mandip Gill), who recently admitted her feelings for the Doctor, and see the return of the classic Doctor Who adversaries, the Sea Devils. While there has been no official word yet on who will be taking over from Eccleston's favorite Doctor, anticipation is high to see where the decades-long series will travel next.
Source: @whittckers