Christopher Eccleston pulls out of 50th

Former Doctor Who star Christopher Eccleston turned down the chance to star in the 50th anniversary episode of the long-running sci-fi show, the BBC have confirmed.

Eccleston, who played the ninth incarnation of the Time Lord when the BBC revived the show in 2005, met writer Steven Moffat to discuss the anniversary after initially agreeing to be involved.

A BBC spokeswoman said: "Chris met with Steven Moffat a couple of times to talk about Steven's plans for the Doctor Who 50th Anniversary episode. After careful thought, Chris decided not to be in the episode. He wishes the team all the best."

It was revealed that former Doctor - David Tennant - will return for the anniversary special along with his co-star Billie Piper, who played companion Rose Tyler, will join the current Doctor, played by Matt Smith, for the 50th aniversary episode.

But fans might still get the chance to see Eccleston's portrayal of The Doctor as show bosses are rumoured to be planning to use old footage of previous doctors for the special show.

Update

The BBC have come out and denied speculation that Christopher Eccleston  quit his involvememnt in the 50th anniversary adding that he was never attatched to the show's special.