On the tail of last week’s statement concerning Billie Piper and David Tennant signing on for the big 50th anniversary of Doctor Who this year, we can now confirm that the only other Doctor of the recent series will not be returning. The BBC announced today that, after speaking with Steven Moffat several times concerning the plans regarding the big show, Christopher Eccleston will not be returning to the mantle of the longest running TV, Sci-Fi protagonist.

Personally, I’m disappointed, but not surprised. Eccleston was ‘my’ Doctor. I picked up on Who in the last year of Tennant’s run, but started with Eccleston. At first I really preferred Tennant, but as I got further and further both through Tennant’s run and then into Smith’s, I’ve come to realize that Eccleston is likely my favorite actor to portray the most famous time traveler this side of Emmet Brown. After seeing how goofy, frankly, the tenth Doctor could get, the seriousness of the role and the drama that Eccleston brought to it really helped me to appreciate the series and its range. I could always believe Tennant’s elation and his sorrow but not quite ever his anger. Eccleston had real rage, and, to be honest, he was often not terribly pleasant. In a way, that’s something that I’ve missed since his departure.

No matter how you feel about Christopher Eccleston, I think most of us can agree that we’ll be a bit worse off for not having his foil against the much brighter personalities of Smith and Tennant. That leaves us with the possibilities of the other surviving Doctors that are of… how shall we say, appropriate age. I hate to say it, but Tom and Colin Baker are both a bit old, at 79 and 69 respectively. Peter Davison is distinctly possibile, and I might venture likely, considering he’s Tennant’s father in law. Sylvester McCoy is also possible, considering his recent high profile role in the Hobbit. Paul McGann is possible, but I really wouldn’t bet on him. He’s the only Doctor with less connection to the series than Eccleston and he’s had a very similar attitude.

If you have an opinion about this or any of the older companions you might like to see come back in the big anniversary this year, tell us in the comments, or tweet it to us at @Tosche_Station.