In July 2012, Eccleston spoke positively of his time on "Doctor Who" during a talk at the National Theatre. This led to speculation he was considering making a return appearance as the Ninth Doctor for the show's 50th anniversary special, "The Day of the Doctor", in 2013. The Eleventh Doctor, Matt Smith, stated that he would have loved Eccleston to return but after discussing with executive producer Steven Moffat, Eccleston declined his role. However, in a 2018 interview Eccleston said that the BBC had "put on a blacklist" when he left.