An actor is like a balloon - nothing, no one, until someone else breathes air into him.

He is dependent upon the writer, the director and the lesser members of the cast who support their star on his or her imaginary pinnacle.

And there is another element in the creation of an actor - the audience. An actor looks pretty silly without one.

In the case of Dr Who, a cult programme which is the longest-running TV series in the world ever and has many millions of loyal fans from Shepherd's Bush to the Australian bush, fandom is absolutely crucial.

This new series of Dr Who would not have happened at all but for the continued pressure of fandom since the programme was axed ten years ago by Michael Grade.

I have been sustained artistically, spiritually and financially by fandom since the Seventies when I appeared constantly with Jon Pertwee on the programme as Mike Yates, the captain of U.N.I.T.

I have travelled through Britain, Canada and the US for years at their invitation.

I would have been a spent balloon ages ago if the fans hadn't breathed life into me.

Christopher Ecclestone clearly regards his tenure of the role of Dr Who as no more than a stepping stone.

I find this insulting and ungrateful to the fans, who would have taken him to their hearts, and to the BBC, who have given him the accolade of a unique television role in a stunning new series.

His departure is not much thanks for a leg-up most actors would have given their right arm for and a glaring example of the greed, selfishness and cult of celebrity which blights modern Britain.

Humility in actors is a rare quality but when any successful person does possess this quality, it is inspiring.

It is also realistic. Shakespeare's wisdom, as usual, whispers in the ear - "A poor player that struts and frets his way upon the stage, and then is heard no more".

-Richard Franklin, Brighton