XPost: rec.arts.drwho 
 From: john_e_russell@hotmail.com 
  
 "The Doctor"  wrote in message 
 news:d93p99$9hs$19@gallifrey.nk.ca... 
 > In article , 
 > Andrew Oakley   wrote: 
 >>On Sun, 19 Jun 2005 08:12:03 GMT, "Karis"  
 >>wrote: 
 >>>Just to clarify: RTD knew CE was leaving. 
 >> 
 >>I have to agree. Whilst I am quite happy to also agree with: 
 >> 
 >>>It was all planned - right from the very start. All the publicity, all 
 >>>the 
 >>>'stories' were planned to increase awareness of Doctor Who. 
 >> 
 >>...yes, and the fact of the matter is that the BBC cannot, and could 
 >>never, afford to hire CE for more than one season. 
 >> 
 >>>Really, there's no other conspiracy. CE was only signed up to do 1 
 >>>season, 
 >>>which he did. He enjoyed it, but a regeneration was ALWAYS planned for 
 >>>the 
 >>>end of the show. 
 >> 
 >>CE cost the BBC half a million pounds for one series. He would 
 >>certainly command double, four times or more for a subsequent series. 
 >> 
 >>There are only around six BBC people who command those kinds of fees. 
 >>They are the headline radio breakfast & drivetime show presenters like 
 >>Terry Wogan that bring in tens of millions of listeners every single 
 >>day. CE brought in 8 million a week, which is superb for TV, but the 
 >>numbers simply can't justify the Beeb doubling his fee. BBC TV shows 
 >>just can't justify breakfast radio salaries no matter what the viewing 
 >>percentages are. 
 >> 
 >>The BBC is not a commercial organisation, they are government funded. 
 >>They have to justify every pound they spend. They usually rely on 
 >>home-grown talent and, with only very few exceptions, leave the 
 >>high-fee celebs for the commercial channels to pour money over. 
 >> 
 >>Tennant will cost less than half of CE's fee, he is a home-grown 
 >>talent and familiar enough to carry a primetime TV role. 
 >> 
 > 
 > Canada's CBC put some money into this.  Was CE that unaffordable? 
  
 Why should it come down to money? Some actors don't want to be tied to a 
 long running series, and are quite happy to lose money in order maintain 
 their freedom of choice. Eccleston was written out of Cracker, and one 
 wonders if that wasn't at his request. 
  
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  * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)