Former Doctor Who star Christopher Eccleston has called for change behind the scenes of the hit sci-fi series, which he has branded a “bit of a boys’ club”.

Christopher played the Ninth Doctor when the long-running show was rebooted in 2005, with David Tennant, Matt Smith, Peter Capaldi and Jodie Whittaker taking over as the Time Lord in subsequent series.

In a new interview with Doctor Who’s companion magazine, the actor said that while he welcomed the arrival of the first female Doctor, he thinks it’s important to “take that further in the way we look at history” and “look at it through a female lens”.

After suggesting a storyline in which the Doctor meets suffragettes, Christopher said (via Digital Spy): “It’s great that we now have a female Doctor, and I think we should take that further in the way we look at history. Look at it through a female lens.

“Russell T Davies writes the Doctor as one Doctor; Steven Moffat writes him as another; Rob Shearman writes him, he’s another. Bit of a boys’ club, though. We need to address that.” 

He continued: “We need female writers. It needs to be addressed, particularly as the Doctor has such a pronounced, for want of a better phrase, feminine side, and such an enthusiastic engagement with the female.”

In the same interview, Christopher also expressed his opinion that Doctor Who should introduce a Cyberwoman character in a future episode.

After stepping down from Doctor Who, Christopher turned down the opportunity to reprise his role in a 2013 anniversary special, which saw his successors David Tennant and Matt Smith coming face to face on screen.

He later claimed he was “blacklisted” by the BBC over his decision to quit the show, and vowed never to work with Russell T Davies again.

Christopher has since said that he took legal action against the BBC following his exit, after they put out a statement announcing his departure which he hadn’t signed off on.

Last year, Christopher surprised many fans when it was revealed he’d be reprising his role as the Ninth Doctor for the first time, in a new audio series.

Jodie Whittaker has played the Doctor since 2017, but it’s been widely rumoured she’ll be leaving the show after the forthcoming 13th series, though neither she nor the BBC has yet confirmed whether this is the case.