Christopher Eccleston to return to 'Doctor Who' for audio series

Christopher Eccleston is to return to the role of the Doctor in Doctor Who for the first time in more than 15 years.

He will play the idiosyncratic Time Lord in a 12-episode new audio book series called Doctor Who: The Ninth Doctor Adventures.

It will be released in May 2021, in a four-disc box set series.

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“After 15 years, it will be exciting to revisit the Ninth Doctor’s world, bringing back to life a character I love playing,” Eccleston said.

The Salford-born actor took up the role in the show's first revival series, when director Russell T. Davis brought the classic BBC sci-fi show back in 2005.

He played the Doctor for just one series, however, later revealing that he quit the show acrimoniously.

Speaking in 2018, he claimed that he was 'blacklisted' by the BBC over his leaving the series, and that his agent told him he'd have to wait until 'regime change' at the broadcaster before he would be able to return.

“What happened around Doctor Who almost destroyed my career,” he told The Guardian.

“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.”

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After quitting the show, Eccleston was replaced by David Tennant, with Matt Smith and Peter Capaldi following.

Most recently, Jodie Whittaker took over the role, becoming the first ever female Doctor.