The Ninth Doctor actor has suggested that he would like to return to the character, and just in time for the 50th anniversary!

OMG! Daleks reports that Eccleston (who played the Ninth Doctor in series 1 of the revived show) made the comments while taking part in a Q&A for Antigone at the National Theatre. The site quotes a fan’s experience of the event, in which the actor confirmed that he felt he had more to do with his character.

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His comments are a bit of a turnaround, as Chris has repeatedly been cagey when asked about the prospects of a return. In fact, on several occasions the thespian has flat out refused to come back. However, when asked by an attendee whether he felt he took the Doctor as far as he could – his reply was (surprisingly) “no.”

“[He] felt that one series isn’t enough to get under the skin of the character,” the report reads. “And that if he’d had two or three series he’d have developed the role considerably. “He said that if you looked at the other Doctors (with the exception of Tom Baker) you can see them working out how to play the character through their first series because it’s such a complex and challenging role.” While those comments do appear positive, the blog’s final sentence is the one that got us the most excited: “He said several times that there was more for him to do with the character…”

While it doesn’t look like he’ll be knocking down doors to jump back into the TARDIS, the impression given is that Eccleston wouldn’t be completely against a return for the 50th anniversary. This means that all surviving actors whom have previously played the part would potentially be game for a reunion to celebrate the show’s milestone.

Would you like to see Eccleston come back, or is Doctor Who better off without him?