Dr Who-ops: Christopher Eccleston Left Sunday TV Viewers Stunned With Sweary Slip-Up

You know when you get a little bit too comfortable around the dinner table at a friend’s parent’s house and, despite your best efforts, let slip a little profanity? The soon-to-follow red face and shame bubble up as you back peddle — or in my case, laugh. 

I imagine that’s a little bit like how The Ninth Doctor, Christopher Eccleston felt after his appearance on Channel 4′s Sunday Brunch, where he was promoting his new performance in A Christmas Carol.  

Eccleston is playing the tight-first Ebenezer Scrooge at The Old Vic theatre, in a production adapted by Jack Thorne. 

The former Doctor and Emmy-Award-winning actor was amongst hosts Tim Lovejoy and Simon Rimmer, as well as celebs including Jason Donovan, Jason Isaacs and pop sensation Paloma Faith. 

Isaacs, who played Captain Hook in the 2003 adaptation of Peter Pan, recalled his disappointment upon hearing the news that the show he had starred in, The OA, had been cancelled back in 2016.

“Pathetic this, we were all crying together, me and the creators. It was one of the most beautiful things I’ve done, partly because of the effect it had on people. It was not only very entertaining, but a real spiritual show, where people felt that it touched them in ways that drama doesn’t normally,” Isaac remembers.

He continued to express that the show could be renewed, when Eccleston, 59, pointed out something, (quite funny).

“So, you went into a phone box with a mobile phone?”

The studio erupts into laughter at the irony, until Jason clarifies that he had gone to into the phone box to seek shelter from the rain. 

Not willing to let Eccleston escape unscathed, Isaac was quick to poke back, “I was hoping it was the Tardis,” he bantered. 

“Twat,” said the former Doctor. Then, the sudden realisation that he’d cursed live on air hit him. 

“Cut that,” interjected Jason, adding “Oh no, it’s live.”

The presenters were quick to apologise for the actor’s blunder to viewers, even though many viewers have since called it ‘peak British TV’. Another called the usually chilled Sunday TV show ‘rowdy’. 

Clearly, this bit of tongue-in-cheek banter has gone down a treat with viewers who found the whole thing *quite* funny.