By James Hibbs

Published: Sunday, 17 July 2022 at 12:00 am


Christopher Eccleston has confirmed his involvement in Doctor Who’s 60th anniversary celebrations, as he has recorded a brand-new audio drama for the occasion.

Eccleston, who played the Ninth Doctor in 2005, was announced to be reprising his role for Big Finish audio dramas in 2020, with The Ninth Doctor Adventures then confirmed to be returning for a second series in September 2021.

However, Eccleston has also now confirmed a 60th anniversary special, saying at a fan event: “I’ve recorded something very special for the 60th anniversary. And for me it was all about working with this incredible actor and incredibly human being called David Warner.

“I think the 60th is my favourite and you’re gonna have to wait, but it’s gonna be worth the wait, because David Warner is extraordinary. And if any actor should have been the Doctor, it would have been David.”

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Christopher Eccleston
Big Finish

Eccleston has previously said it’s “very doubtful” that he’ll return to the TV version of Doctor Who so it’s perhaps unsurprising that his involvement in the 60th anniversary looks set to be strictly in audio.

David Warner, Eccleston’s co-star in the 60th anniversary audio drama, has appeared in Doctor Who a number of times over the years, both on TV and in audio – for instance, he appeared in Eleventh Doctor episode Cold War, playing Professor Grisenko.

We’re continuing to get more and more details about the plans for next year’s celebrations – on the TV side we already know that Russell T Davies is returning as showrunner, and bringing back with him David Tennant and Catherine Tate.

We also know that Ncuti Gatwa has been cast as the new Doctor, while Yasmin Finney will play a new character called Rose and Neil Patrick Harris will play the as-yet-unknown villain.

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