 SPOILER: On Thursday 31 March 2005, the day after the show was  picked up for a second season, the BBC Press Office announced that  Christopher Eccleston (qv) was quitting the series, citing a fear  of being typecast and long working hours as reasons for his  departure. The BBC later apologized for issuing this statement, as  they had done so without consultation with Eccleston. In fact it was  agreed by mutual consent some months earlier that Eccleston would  only do one season, with the BBC holding off announcing the news  until after the series was finished. This would have allowed the  death of Ecclestons character in episode 13 to be a surprise for  the audience. Unfortunately, the BBC Press Office jumped the gun  under pressure from the British Press who were concerned that a  second season had been announced, but it had not been confirmed that  Eccleston was returning. Fan reaction to Eccelstons departure was  violent and the debate reached such a fever pitch that Outpost  Gallifrey, the biggest Doctor Who fan site on the Internet, was  forced to close down its forum for days.