Dr Who is half the role for David

The next Doctor Who, David Tennant, has been forced to accept a cut-price deal from the BBC to appear as the tenth timelord, it emerged yesterday.

The 34-year-old actor is being paid around half the £600,000 the present incumbent, Christopher Eccleston, earned for playing the Doctor in the current series of the revived children's show.

With the corporation laying off thousands of staff in a programme of cutbacks, the producers are under intense pressure to cut costs. So the news that Eccleston, 41, had decided to quit after one series was not entirely unwelcome.

A source close to the production said: 'There was some relief that Chris went as he was so expensive. The show was only going to be recommissioned if the costs were cut.'