Most actors who land the role of The Doctor in BBC's 'Doctor Who' look upon their reign with a certain fondness, and many have reprised the role briefly in later episodes of the show. Christopher Eccleston, however, is not one of those actors, and in fact credits the show with almost ruining his career.

Christopher Eccleston outside the ITV studiosChristopher Eccleston outside the ITV studios

As hyperbolic as it may seem, the 54-year-old found himself forced to leave the country after departing from the 'Doctor Who' revival series in 2005, after just one season. It was a less than amicable situation to say the least, and he even claims it left him 'blacklisted'.

'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.'

The BBC had released a statement regarding Christopher's reason for departure without his consent, effectively breaking an agreement they had with the actor. There was all manner of speculation about his reasons for leaving, from being overworked to simply not getting on with the cast and crew. But the truth was he only planned to do one series from the beginning. 

'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', he continued. 'I was told by my agent at the time: 'The BBC regime is against you. You're going to have to get out of the country and wait for regime change.' So I went away to America and I kept on working because that's what my parents instilled in me.'

Indeed, following his 'Doctor Who' role, he appeared in 'Heroes', 'The Sarah Silverman Program' and 'G.I. Joe'. Though it wasn't long before he returned to the BBC with the John Lennon biopic 'Lennon Naked', an episode of 'Accused', 'The Borrowers' and the mini-series 'The Shadow Line'.

'My dad always said to me: 'I don't care what you do - sweeping the floor or whatever you're doing - just do the best job you can',' he added. 'I know it's cliched and northern and all that b*****ks, but it applies.'

More: Christopher Eccleston regrets leaving 'Doctor Who' so soon

Among his upcoming projects are the Nazi Germany drama 'Where Hands Touch', Tom Edmunds' 'Dead in a Week', a TV movie of 'King Lear' and live theatre version of 'Macbeth'.