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June 1st, 2013 479 comments

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Official – Matt Smith To Leave Doctor Who

Matt Smith To Leave Doctor Who

The BBC is today announcing that Matt Smith is to leave Doctor Who after four incredible years on the hit BBC One show.

Matt first stepped into the TARDIS in 2010 and will leave the role at the end of this year after starring in the unmissable 50th Anniversary in November and regenerating in the Christmas Special.

During his time as the Doctor, Matt has reached over 30 million unique UK viewers and his incarnation has seen the show go truly global. He was also the first actor to be nominated for a BAFTA in the role.

Matt quickly won over fans to be voted Best Actor by Readers of Doctor Who Magazine for the 2010 season. He also received a nod for his first series at the National Television Awards, before winning the Most Popular Male Drama Performance award in 2012.


Matt has played one of the biggest roles in TV with over 77 million fans in the UK, USA and Australia alone!

Matt Smith says: “Doctor Who has been the most brilliant experience for me as an actor and a bloke, and that largely is down to the cast, crew and fans of the show. I’m incredibly grateful to all the cast and crew who work tirelessly every day, to realise all the elements of the show and deliver Doctor Who to the audience. Many of them have become good friends and I’m incredibly proud of what we have achieved over the last four years.

“Having Steven Moffat as show runner write such varied, funny, mind-bending and brilliant scripts has been one of the greatest and most rewarding challenges of my career. It’s been a privilege and a treat to work with Steven, he’s a good friend and will continue to shape a brilliant world for the Doctor.

“The fans of Doctor Who around the world are unlike any other; they dress up, shout louder, know more about the history of the show (and speculate more about the future of the show) in a way that I’ve never seen before, your dedication is truly remarkable. Thank you so very much for supporting my incarnation of the Time Lord, number Eleven, who I might add is not done yet, I’m back for the 50th anniversary and the Christmas special!

“It’s been an honour to play this part, to follow the legacy of brilliant actors, and helm the TARDIS for a spell with ‘the ginger, the nose and the impossible one’. But when ya gotta go, ya gotta go and Trenzalore calls. Thank you guys. Matt.”

Steven Moffat, lead writer and executive producer, says: “Every day, on every episode, in every set of rushes, Matt Smith surprised me: the way he’d turn a line, or spin on his heels, or make something funny, or out of nowhere make me cry, I just never knew what was coming next. The Doctor can be clown and hero, often at the same time, and Matt rose to both challenges magnificently.

“And even better than that, given the pressures of this extraordinary show, he is one of the nicest and hardest-working people I have ever had the privilege of knowing. Whatever we threw at him – sometimes literally – his behaviour was always worthy of the Doctor.

“But great actors always know when it’s time for the curtain call, so this Christmas prepare for your hearts to break, as we say goodbye to number Eleven. Thank you Matt – bow ties were never cooler.

“Of course, this isn’t the end of the story, because now the search begins. Somewhere out there right now – all unknowing, just going about their business – is someone who’s about to become the Doctor. A life is going to change, and Doctor Who will be born all over again! After 50 years, that’s still so exciting!”

Having starred alongside three different companions, Amy Pond (Karen Gillan), Rory Williams (Arthur Darvill) and most recently Clara Oswald (Jenna Coleman), Matt’s Doctor has fought Daleks and Cybermen, as well as Weeping Angels in New York. Regularly heard shouting ‘run’ and ‘Geronimo’, through Matt’s Doctor fans have been introduced to a new culinary combination – fish fingers and custard!

Matt’s spectacular exit is yet to be revealed and will be kept tightly under wraps. He will return to BBC One screens in the unmissable 50th anniversary episode on Saturday 23 November 2013 – TUNE IN!

Doctor Who is a BBC Cymru Wales production for BBC One


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479 comments

  • #savetheday

    January 29th, 2014 - 8:04pm

    Here comes Peter Capaldi…..!

    Reply
  • karl

    July 1st, 2013 - 4:13pm

    Thank you Matt – I have enjoyed you as the Doc. For me you are best eating fish fingers and custard – Geronimo..!
    Each new season the writers wrote Matts Dr differently. went from geronimo..! to evil time lord hated by the universe. lost the fun of the adventure. Matt as fab. the writers need to stop listening to viewers and start writing science space and time adventures and get away from the soap-opera, cliff hanger, lowest common denominator, P.C., drivle and start having fun and taking risks with the Doc. And bring back the adventures of scary fun.

    Reply
  • the astronaut of death

    June 17th, 2013 - 7:40am

    everyone what do you think matt smiths best scene in doctor who is so far

    mine is his speech to the old god in the rings of akhaten

    Reply
    • Dalek: the Supreme

      June 18th, 2013 - 1:39pm

      He’s had a lot, “Is this world a threat to the Atraxi?”, “I am the Doctor and you are the Daleks!”, “One thing you never out in a trap”, etc., but so far I think it’s either his speech to the Old God or the Pandorica speech.

    • the astronaut of death

      June 20th, 2013 - 7:22pm

      any one else

    • The five doctors

      January 25th, 2015 - 1:46pm

      ” Hello Stonehenge who takes the Pandorica takes the universe but bad news everyone cause guess who, ha you’re all speeding up there in your silly little spaceships with your silly little guns but could you all stay still a minute because I AM TALKING !!! So the question of the hour is who’s got the pandorica answer I do next question who’s coming to take it from me look at me no plan, no backup no weapons worth a damn and something else I’ve not got anything to loose. So then one last thing let somebody else try first !!! ” is my favorite

  • RYCBAR123

    June 15th, 2013 - 10:27pm

    As much as I love Matt and believe he is one of the best actors to play The Doctor as of the revival (fairly new fan here, about 5/6 years watching, 5/4 fangirling about it, 1 episode of Classic watched, I’m ashamed), I understand that every Doctor must regenerate. It is a mechanic that the show leans heavily on (apart from the whole timey wimey, wibbly wobbly, spacey wacey stuff, of course). It is a curse that Whovians must learn to live, and regenerate, by.

    Reply
  • Enigmauk

    June 15th, 2013 - 4:58pm

    I personally feel the actor Steve John Shepherd would make an awesome Doctor Who! He would certainly bring a lot more depth to the character and appeal once again to adults. Matt Smith was too much of a child’s Doctor and I only stuck with him and the show out of loyalty, as much as I tried to get behind Smith he just wasn’t my kind of Doctor I guess.

    Reply
    • #savetheday

      January 29th, 2014 - 8:06pm

      its peter capaldi

  • Jamie McCrimmon

    June 12th, 2013 - 1:52pm

    Subscribe to Daveroper00 on YouTube for Doctor Who Videos everyday!

    Reply

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