Christopher Eccleston thinks the Ninth Doctor should have been a woman.
Christopher Eccleston
The former 'Doctor Who' star was the ninth actor to take the lead in the BBC sci-fi show when it returned in 2005, but he has claimed fans shouldn't have had to wait until current Time Lord Jodie Whittaker for a female performer in the role.
Speaking at Rose City Comic Con, he said: "It's ridiculous we weren't thinking of a female Doctor at that time. In 2004, in me they picked yet another white skinny male to be the Doctor.
"If somebody had said in 2004 it should have been a woman, there'd have been outrage. But only 14 years later it's acceptable. I think it's time for white middle-aged males to step aside."
The 55-year-old actor even admitted he would gladly return to the show as a companion if Billie Piper - who played Rose Tyler opposite his Doctor - decided she wanted to take charge of the TARDIS.
He added: "And if Billie Piper ever wants to play the Doctor I'll [be her companion]. Who wouldn't?
"I think that's what they should have done, I was saying backstage. Rose should have moved up to become the Doctor ... but it was just too early."
Christopher has opened up about his own experiences working on 'Doctor Who' in his upcoming autobiography 'I Love The Bones Of You', and revealed he batted with anorexia at the time.
He wrote: "The illness is still there raging within me as the Doctor.
"People love the way I look in that series, but I was very ill. The reward for that illness was the part. And therein lies the perpetuation of the whole sorry situation."
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