Christopher Eccleston will return to Doctor Who on TV when 'Hell freezes over,' despite recent audio series

For the first time in 15 years, Christopher Eccleston is reprising his role as the Ninth Time Lord for new Doctor Who audio adventures from Big Finish — but don't expect him to return to live-action anytime soon. Recently speaking with Lorraine Kelly, the actor jokingly said that he'd return to the TV series "only when Hell freezes over."

First announced over the summer, the project was written by Big Finish creative director Nicholas Briggs, who has voiced the Daleks and Cybermen since 2005. At the time of the interview with Kelly, Eccleston was on his way to do the second day of recording; no plot details have been shared with the public yet.

"Working with Chris was a very special time for me. The beginning of my Doctor Who TV career. So, writing for and directing him feels incredibly exciting. He's such a powerful performer and it'll be amazing to work with him again," Briggs said in a statement.

"I first talked to Christopher about returning to the role of the Doctor at the Gallifrey One convention in February this year. Christopher said he was enjoying meeting the fans and was pleased that his Doctor was remembered so fondly. He indicated he would be open to discussing a project with Big Finish," added Big Finish Chairman Jason Haigh-Ellery. "And then the pandemic happened and time moved both quickly and very slowly. Over recent months, ideas have been exchanged and discussions had. I am so pleased that Christopher has decided to return to the role with us — and I'm excited to welcome him to the Big Finish family as we discover the new adventures of the Ninth Doctor."

You can pre-order Doctor Who: The Ninth Doctor Adventures right here.

The current Doctor (lucky No. 13) is played by Jodie Whittaker, who will return in the upcoming holiday special: "Revolution of the Daleks."