Former ‘Doctor Who’ star Christopher Eccleston based his performance on Russell T Davies.
The 55-year-old actor – who took on the role of the Time Lord when the sci-fi classic returned in 2005 – fell out with the then-showrunner when he left the show, but he admitted he did take some inspiration for his performance from the head writer.
Asked at Rose Comic Con how he created his energetic interpretation of the Ninth Doctor, he explained: "That was a response to the writing – but also I based my Doctor on Russell T Davies…
"[Russell] wanted to get away from the foppish era, that kind of Victorian car crash with Spandau Ballet that was going on at one time. So he said the Doctor wears a leather jacket. And I remember thinking… ‘Russell, YOU wear a leather jacket’.
"And a conversation with Russell, you will go from…it’s very like a conversation with Damon Lindelof actually, who did Lost and the Leftovers. Those two have got hyperactive brains and imaginations. So the inner pace of my Doctor was taken from Russell."
While Christopher insisted he still hasn’t forgiven Russell for their personal difference, he did heap praise on his former boss for the impact he’s had on ‘Doctor Who’.
He said: "I think it’s fair to say [Doctor Who]’s gotten bigger since I did it, and he must get the credit for this – not me not David Tennant, but Russell T Davies.
"Now, me and Russell T Davies have serious personal difficulties and disagreements. We don’t get along. But he’s the man who’s responsible.
"He took the character of Rose, he feminised ‘Doctor Who’. The assistant is now just as integral to ‘Doctor Who’, the female role. And that came from Russell. He really did that, him and Billie [Piper]."
Meanwhile, the star revealed he decided to avoid conventions for a while and stop discussing his time on the show because of the way his exit was handled.
He added: "There was a great deal of anger in me about the politics and the way I was treated in the aftermath."
Christopher Eccleston based Ninth Doctor on boss Russell T Davies
