Matt Smith Is The New Doctor Who
Jan 3, 2009 by Bruce SimmonsWith nothing but torment, the BBC1 teased people throughout the show with only the age of the new actor to play Doctor Who, as being …
With nothing but torment, the BBC1 teased people throughout the show with only the age of the new actor to play Doctor Who, as being 26. Tweeters and bloggers alike were going crazy. Some didn’t think it right that the new Doctor be younger than they are, but then, they just don’t get it then, do they?
What took me by surprise was that despite all the names that were thrown in the mix, a new one suddenly popped up as a favorite before the announcement: Matt Smith. I did my research and when it was announced, I was no longer surprised or saying what everyone else was saying: Who!?
Northampton-born actor Matt Smith has been officially announced as the new Doctor Who. Smith will appear in the iconic role starting in 2010, taking over the role from David Tennant. Smith is the 11th actor to take on the role and youngest actor ever to play the good Doctor.
Matt Smith is 26 years old and already has quite a bit of experience under his belt. Aside from Party Animals, his television experience includes the 2006 adaptation of The Ruby in the Smoke, the follow-up, The Shadow in the North, and in ITV2′s Secret Diary of a Call Girl. His stage experience includes a West End stint opposite Christian Slater in Swimming With Sharks, and other roles in the Royal Court and National Theater.
Smith was cast over Christmas. The moment the head of drama at BBC, Piers Wenger, saw his audition, he knew he was the one.
There will be a year and four specials before we see the new Doctor, but for Smith, filming starts this summer.
Now being run by a new creative team for the 2010 season, the show will be led by executive producers Steven Moffat and Piers Wenger. This casting was paramount to anything else, which obviously included the finalizations of scripts.
Though it hasn’t been quite the wait that we’ve had to endure like in other television series when they break up the final season, it was still a much anticipated announcement that the BBC1′s show, Doctor Who Confidential was going to announce the next actor that will portray the good Doctor.
The announcement was big enough that BBC1 simulcast the show live on their outdoor screens around the country in city centre locations including Hull, Liverpool, Rotherham, Swindon, Swansea, Norwich and Walthamstow.
Here’s an image of Matt as the new Dr.:
Matt Smith as the new Dr. Who
Head over to GallifreyOne.com for more and highr-res pictures of Matt as the Dr. (and thanks to regular SR reader Ash Ali for the tip on the photo above).
The web went quite stir crazy as reporters, fans and every Doctor Who site editor emailed each other and started scurrying around to decipher this information… and then we all had to wait. Wait until the Saturday broadcast to find out who will be replacing David Tennant. Arguably one of the more popular actors to portray the quirky Doctor.
The hard part was sorting through the noise of shameless websites and tweeters announcing the new doctor, incorrectly I might add, before it was officially announced. I presume to generate traffic. It does not help a harried entertainment reporter I dare say!
And now that we know who the next Doctor Who will be, the next obvious piece to this time traveling puzzle would be who will be his assistant? Could we possibly see Billie Piper again? I only ask that because she’s worked with Matt previously. Egads, the questions never stop, but that’s what I do. Stir up the pot.
Sources: BBC News, Northampton Chronicle,
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I’m 34 and all in favour of Mr Smith, so I’m afraid that Glenns sentiment is, to use the popular word, bollocks.
And he’s 26, he’s not a kid. But you know what, lets just wait and see what he delivers, and then we can all make an INFORMED comment about his abilities.
Very very disappointed with the new casting of Dr who.. what on earth are they thinking about? I agree with everything Glenn says. Far far too young. Seeing him stood outside the tardis looks like a student having their picture took at the Blackpool exhibition. Infact i myself have a photo of me stood outside the tardis,and i look more like a time lord than he does!!
I’m 21, which isn’t much older than 18, I suppose, but I’m enough of an adult to know that sometimes you can be pleasantly surprised. I do hope that this is one of those times.
I hope that Matt Smith has every success as the Doctor, and that he proves all of us who think he might not be appropriate for the role wrong. I would never wish that anyone flop in their acting, because that would harm the entire show.
The thing is, if you can’t argue your position like an adult, no matter if you’re fifteen or fifty, you shouldn’t be on a discussion forum, as you have no real skill in “discussing” anything.
Personally, I don’t think there’s anything that could keep me from watching Doctor Who, even if I don’t agree with the casting, because as a true fan, I *want* to be proven wrong about Mr. Smith. I want him to shove it in our faces with his amazing skills. That’s what being the Doctor is about. Each actor brings something different to the legend; he gives the Doctor’s character some new facet that no other person could. You might have your favorites, I know I do (*Tom Baker*), but the show would be dearly boring if all the actors were the same. It wouldn’t have lasted fourty-five years if it didn’t have that special brand of variety.
I agree with The Wasp. I will definitely be watching for the final Doctor, as the whole Valeyard mystery has been keeping me on edge since I saw the Master claim him to be the Doctor. If BBC doens’t incorporate that, I’ll have lost all faith in them, but I’ll still tune in. That is the one role I don’t think a younger man *can* play. Other than that, have at it. Surprise us and be fantastic!
P.S. Oh, and Glen, if you’re going to argue so passionately and so absolutely, would you please at least use proper grammar and punctuation. Your run-on sentences with no capitolization makes you seem like a child having a tantrum.
well said shelley. i think if we all boycott the show in 2010 like i am going to. then they will have to listen to us. and hopefully kill him off. then we can look forward to the 12th doctor. and as for steven moffat. he has gone down in my estimation. he is not the genius we all thought he was after this terible choise of actor to play the doctor.
amanda. i have a right to my opinion… i am dislecsic by the way and am triying. not used to complaining . but this i feal very pasionate about.
Boycotting anything only makes you look childish, and nobody will take you seriously. If you want to make a difference, send them a letter. It won’t do any good, because they’ve already made their choice, but if it’ll make you feel better, go right ahead.
After reading some of the childish bile that’s being spewed from the haters’ throats, I dread to think what their reaction would be if Moffat picked a woman or a black man to play the Doctor.
Get some perspective.
So what you’re saying Amanda is we should shut up and put up (especially if you cant spell).. Im sure they is no need to insult people who have a right to a opinion. We aren’t saying Matt Smith isn’t a nice person, we are saying “HE ISN’T THE DOCTOR” and some of us feel very strongly about this. We don’t need a 21 yr old girl who’s eaten a dictionary for breakfast telling us to shut up. Please play nicely.
amanda. Sending them a letter is pointless. I am boycotting the show because i will never ever recognise a small skinny poncey haird student as the doctor. I will find it inposible to watch. So ther for i am not going to watch. And yes i am not going to give him a chance to prove otherwise. As far as i am consered. Ther is no 11th doctor.
bradley.I was shocked to hear that the doctor could be a woman. But i would rather have a woman play doctor who than matt smith. And i loved the thought of the doctor being a black guy. Infact i was convinced that the 11th doctor would be black. Why does everyone think i am full of hate just because i think matt smith is wrong for the part ?
To everyone:
I am getting very, very close to shutting down comments on this post. I don’t like it when things get out of hand and personal – I don’t do it often but I just did it on another post and if people don’t ease up I’ll shut this one down as well.
Vic Holtreman, Owner and Editor-in-Chief of this site.
I feel that it might be worth pointing out that if everyone boycots Doctor WHo for the next series, then the show will be pulled off the air, and there will be no 12th doctor. What a spectacular own goal that would be.
However I have every confidence that it will be a massive success, and will no doubt gather many new fans to compensate for those people not prepared to give t a chance.
>>So what you’re saying Amanda is we should shut up and put up (especially if you cant spell).. Im sure they is no need to insult people who have a right to a opinion. We aren’t saying Matt Smith isn’t a nice person, we are saying “HE ISN’T THE DOCTOR” and some of us feel very strongly about this. We don’t need a 21 yr old girl who’s eaten a dictionary for breakfast telling us to shut up. Please play nicely.<<
Something tells me you’ve only been reading some of the comments posted here.
Well i have to say after reading all these comments that’s it’s obviously turned into a highly emotive subject….strong opinions on both sides of the space time continuum….(had to get that in somewhere) I do however have to agree with Glen on this. He’s just not gonna be taken seriously…..I don’t even think it is his ages (though he does look young) I think he just looks a complete twat (Sorry for the use of profanity but saw the use of bollox earlier and thought it’d be ok….) I recognise the guy from a few things so he’s not a complete unknown, however he doesn’t look a very credible Dr now does he? There are several actors out there that would have been far more suitable. Just think the BBC casting has buggered up on this one. Oh and if Matt reads this….no offence…..I’m sure you’re a really nice guy….lol
I’m not suggesting that at all, Glenn. I’m just pointing out that some of the more hardcore Whovians might take those kind of casting decisions a lot worse than, say, a slightly younger white male. Trust me, I used to post on a Doctor Who forum.
But I digress. You don’t want to watch Smith’s Doctor? Fine. The BBC aren’t forcing you to. You just need to put this all into perspective. It’s not the end of the world, you know!
Not the end of the world Bradley. Just the end of doctor who.. I know its just a program. And yes i am going a bit too far. I am sorry if i have upset enyone. But the fact of the matter is.I have never complained about enything before. At least not enough to wright about it on a web site. Maybe that gives you an insight in to how dismayed i am at this choice of person to play the next doctor. And by the looks of it i am not alone in this train of repulsion at matt smith.
Repulsion, Glenn? Really, don’t you think you’re overreacting just a tad?
I’m 36 and have been a fan of Doctor Who since the ’80′s and even though David is my favorite. I’ll watch just because I’m an overall fan of the show. Matt Smith wasn’t my first choice but I’m willing to give him a chance and reserve judgement until after I’ve seen him in the show and see what he can do with the role. As for age, David is 37 and he’s 26, that’s only an 11 year age difference. It’s not as if David’s 80 and he’s 20. I’ve known some people younger than 26 who have had a lot of wisdom and acted more mature than they were. IMO, Matt showed alot of courage to take on the role since I’m sure alot of people didn’t want to try to follow David.
And I agree about the uproar for Michael Keaton as Batman and Daniel Craig as Bond. The same thing applied to Tobey Maguire as Spider-Man or Liv Tyler as Arwen or Elijah Wood as Frodo. I remember when people said the Lord of the Rings was gonna be ruined by the casting choices and people quickly changed their minds when Fellowship of the Ring came out not to mention Return of the King won the oscar for Best Picture.
Just give the poor guy a chance, will you? The man is stepping into a role that is iconic and beloved by many people and i’m betting it’s nervewracking enough at the moment just trying to figure out what his Doctor’s personality is going to be without all this venom directed at him. He’s human being and has emotions like the rest of us and I’m sure it’s upsetting for him to read and hear comments about how much people hate and despise him for being the Doctor when he hasn’t even filmed a single episode yet.
Well said, Cheri.
And you’re right about other actors having reservations about filling David’s shoes. James Nesbitt himself said that it would be career suicide to try to follow David.
Also, to put an even smaller age difference into the mix, Peter Davison (the Fifth Doctor for all you youngins
) was only three or four years older than Matt is right now. I say three or four because some people say he was 29 and some say he was 30. And in my opinion, Peter Davison was one of the best Doctors. Not to mention he had the extremely hard job of following in the footsteps of an incredibly popular Doctor in the form of Tom Baker.
I dunno, maybe I’m a bit more protective of him than I might have been otherwise because I knew who he was ages before David even announced he was leaving, let alone when Matt was announced as his successor, and thought he was a great actor, but I fully agree that it’s just not fair to be quite so nasty about being disappointed. I mean, I absolutely did *not* think Paterson Joseph would have made a good Doctor at all (he doesn’t seem to have the acting style for it, IMO), but I wouldn’t have said such nasty things about him if he got the part. I’d give him a shot because I trust the Moff, who had a huge hand in the casting.
I knew someone said it would be career suicide but I didn’t know it was James Nesbitt, thanks for that.
I’m in America and I haven’t seen any of Patterson Joseph’s work. My personal choice was Ioan Gruffudd because I’ve been a fan of his since the first Fantastic Four movie and I’ve loved the other movies I’ve seen him in but I knew that was kind of a longshot. lol!
Peter’s my second favorite Doctor and I agree. He had some really big shoes to fill as well and I’m sure he was nervous trying to take on the role after him but he did an excellent job IMO. But like I said if you’re taking on this iconic a role there is always going to be naysayers because everyone has an idea in their head of who they’d want to see in the role but sometimes the dark horse candidate you least suspect of being able to handle the role can turn around and surprise you and it’s happened time and time again.
I wish the guy the best of luck. From what I’ve seen, he seems like a nice enough guy and this is the opportunity of a lifetime for him and I really do hope he is a success and this opens up more opportuinites for him like it has done for David . He has acting ability from what I’ve seen of him in clips and you’re right, it’s not just him, it’s Steven and all the other writers who will write the scripts and produce and edit the shows. I have faith in the people running the show. He must have proven himself enough to be chosen since this is Steven’s baby now and I’m sure they went through a long screening process before he picked him. I’ll be sad to see David go but we all knew this day was coming just like it came for every other actor who played him. I just hope he stays awhile in the role because they’re going through Doctor’s fast and if he only has 13 lives, they’re gonna have to find a way to get around that or the show will end in a few years.
I think people are forgetting that the casting of the Doctor (or any casting for that matter) cannot be definitively good or bad, right or wrong. Its a matter of a opinion. I don’t like this casting choice and don’t expect Smith will be able to win me over. Thats not a knee-jerk reaction, It’s my carefully considered opinion based on my assesment of his acting ability and suitability for the part. I will not ‘make up reasons why he’s bad’ to prove myself right JOSHI, because I cannot BE right, or wrong. It’s my opinion, I don’t think it’s definitive but I’m entitled to it and I’ll likely stick to it.
Whoa, okay, no need to bring me into this, I just said it might be a good idea if people waited to see him in action as the Doctor before deciding, but obviously I was wrong.
No, you weren’t wrong, Joshi. Most people who slag him off have not seen anything he’s been in at all. Those that have seen his previous work and aren’t impressed, well, at least they made their decision based on something more tangible than “he doesn’t look right”.
The only time someone’s wrong in this sort of discussion is the person who claims authority in a subject they’ve never researched. And research is more than just looking at an interview and having a reaction.
I’m glad John can make his opinion known without making inflammatory comments. I don’t agree with him, but at least I can respect his opinion, because he’s earned it.
Honestly I’ve got no notion to start another argument on this. If people want to believe I was right or wrong with whatever I said, I’m fine with that.
At first I was disappointed
Then I saw the interview and got excited.
Tennant has been a very exuberant and youthful Doctor. I suspect they may swing the other way and go with a serious Doctor, maybe with a bit of daredevil in him due to youth. Hmm, elements of the Third Doctor perhaps?
Shelly: I didn’t say to shut up or put up, did I? I said that acting like a child and playing the boycott card isn’t going to do anything. Matt Smith *is* the Doctor, and you’re only hurting yourself by not watching. It’s your choice, but know that it isn’t going to “show” them that you disprove. I’m glad you’re expressing your opinion. That’s what makes this forum so interesting.
And I didn’t “eat a dictionary for breakfast”, I studied the English Language intensely at college for four years. That you even say something like that proves my point. Ranting and raving is petty and unnecessary. My problem with spelling is that often on forums like this, you’ll find pre-teenagers who are shouting and obnoxious rather than civlilized, and usually, grammar is an indicator. Obviously, that’s not Glenn’s case, and I didn’t say anything further, did I? Please don’t imply that I’m somehow prejudiced against Dyslexics, because that would make me quite the hypocrite.
Saying “Matt Smith is NOT THE DOCTOR” is ridiculous, because he obviously IS. I don’t like their choice any more than you do, but I’m willing to wait and see how it turns out. I have seen Smith in “Diary of a Call Girl”, and he was pretty good. It’s just a matter of time.
When Tennant started Doctor Who, he’d only ever been in one major project, Casanova, which Davies was involved in, too. He proved himself right off. Who’s to say that Smith won’t be a smiliar case?
@ Vic
It’s probably best you go ahead and shut down the comments for this article. It’s clear most here cannot control themselves. It’s probably the best course of action.
I really agree with Ash Ali.
Folks:
We are obviously pretty impassioned about this choice of actor for the role. Obviously first impressions are pretty important to everyone.
It is what it is. I have never seen what Smith can do, so I am in a holding pattern about the actor.
BUT LET’S KEEP THIS TO OPINIONS ON THE ISSUE and NOT EACH OTHER.
Thanks gang. -Bruce