Former Doctor Who star Christopher Eccleston, who played the Ninth Doctor, recently helped a couple get engaged. While Eccleston dined with his wife in a New York cafe, a young man asked for his help in surprising his girlfriend with a marriage proposal. Eccleston agreed to play the Doctor for the occasion.

Eccleston tells the young lady it’s “fantastic” to meet her. She says she feels a bit “starstruck” and laughs. Eccleston then tells her he has the Tardis with him and will be back with his assistant. Returning with her boyfriend, she accepts her boyfriend’s marriage proposal and begins crying tears of joy. Eccleston smiles along with the couple and appears happy in helping with the special moment.

While Eccleston was a hit with audiences when the BBC brought back Doctor Who, he played the Doctor for one season only and reportedly quit after an alleged fallout with Russell T. Davies. The former Ninth Doctor is rumored to dodge questions about the series in interviews. He’s also reported to have declined in taking part in the Doctor Who 50th Anniversary special.

Taking time out of his day to help with the Doctor Who-themed proposal, however, suggests reports of Eccleston’s lackluster feelings toward the series could be exaggerated. Otherwise, why would he have helped out?

While Eccleston has left his Doctor Who days behind, he now stars in Sky Atlantic’s new crime drama, Fortitude, playing the role of Professor Charlie Stoddart, head of the Arctic Research Institute. Set in Iceland, Fortitude premiered on January 29. In a recent interview with the Lancashire Evening Post published close to the series’ premiere, Eccleston admitted he doesn’t like watching himself act.

“I don’t like watching myself back. What happens is, you’re watching something, and you think, ‘This is great, but who’s that idiot?’ And it’s you.”

Kasterborous, a Doctor Who news and reviews website, reports that one of the directors for Fortitude, Nick Hurran, also directed several Doctor Who episodes, including the 50th Anniversary special The Day of the Doctor which Eccleston declined to appear in.

“It seems top talent moves in similar circles!” wrote James Lomond for the website.

Having a hard time waiting for the new season of Doctor Who to begin? With very few details being released about the upcoming season, which is currently filming, you and your fellow Whovians can look forward to whetting your appetites with the Ninth Doctor in comic book form.

Writer Cavan Scott talks to @PREVIEWSworld about the brand-new Ninth Doctor mini series http://t.co/Y27aL39lyF pic.twitter.com/27PJwS50ct — Titan Comics (@ComicsTitan) January 6, 2015

Titan Comics announced they’re publishing a new Doctor Who five-part mini-series called Weapons of Past Destruction starring Christopher Eccleston as the Ninth Doctor. Cavan Scott, co-author of he bestselling Who-ology, will write the series with Blair Shedd as the artist. Titan Comics released the following synopsis on their website.

“Leaving World War II behind, The Ninth Doctor, Rose and Captain Jack discover that Time Lord technology, lost in the wake of the Time War, is being sold on the intergalactic black market! Now the threat of a NEW temporal war brews on the horizon. Can the Doctor stop history repeating itself? Comes with four covers to collect including a brand-new painted cover by ​fan-favorite ​artist Alice X. Zhang​!”

The first issue of this new Doctor Who series will be available March 11, 2015. Don’t forget –​ you can also keep watching Doctor Who on Netflix until it’s time for the new season!

[Image courtesy of BBC]