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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

  • 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

  • #savetheday

    January 29th, 2014 - 8:06pm

    its peter capaldi

  • #savetheday

    January 29th, 2014 - 8:04pm

    Here comes Peter Capaldi…..!

  • karl

    July 1st, 2013 - 4:21pm

    i second that sandra.
    if we get a 3rd, do we get to keep matt?

  • 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.

  • the astronaut of death

    June 20th, 2013 - 7:22pm

    any one else

  • Doctor 3

    June 20th, 2013 - 1:30am

    Won’t that be a good thing, I mean you want a doctor to be unknown- adds to the mystery…

  • Dalek: the Supreme

    June 18th, 2013 - 1:43pm

    I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, what’s wrong with a black Doctor? He’d still look like a human, and if he was a good actor, then by all means cast him! It’s a girl I have a problem with playing the Time Lord, I bare nothing against girls but gender switching is way too awkward and disturbing for a family show. I just want a good actor who can look over a thousand years old.

  • 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 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

  • RYCBAR123

    June 15th, 2013 - 10:29pm

    I believe that as long as The new Doctor is a man, I have no qualms with what he looks like or what race he is. But that’s my opinion.

  • 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.

  • dalek galt

    June 15th, 2013 - 6:36pm

    I know mcoys my fav doctor

  • 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.

  • Dalek: the Supreme

    June 13th, 2013 - 1:08am

    I’m guessing you haven’t read the hundreds of thousands of comments that they would rather stop watching then see the Doctor regenerate into a woman, then.

  • Jamie McCrimmon

    June 12th, 2013 - 1:52pm

    Subscribe to Daveroper00 on YouTube for Doctor Who Videos everyday!

  • Deb

    June 12th, 2013 - 3:58am

    Just a common whovian since the 70’s when Tom Baker dragged his scarf across terrains local and universal. WHOm ever the next Dr. is I will embrace his chosen attire and his desire to save the universe from ourselves. I will most certainly miss Matt and the signature bow ties. My thanks for his years of being THE DOCTOR.

  • Anonymous

    June 10th, 2013 - 5:25pm

    ‘Adam’ is returning to Coronation Street this autumn

  • Anonymous

    June 10th, 2013 - 5:23pm

    The BBC look at viewers in a Saturday night they aren’t that bovered about merchandise sale.EastEnders dosnt make any in merchandise but it is the BBC’s most watch show that’s why they have it on 4 times week.13 million viewers watched Britain’s Got Talent:The Live Final,the Dr who anniversary will get nowhere near that

  • Anonymous

    June 9th, 2013 - 12:38am

    The Voice had only been around for 2 years if it gets going then the BBC will be sitting on a gold mine they only need the next Leona Lewis to walk in and that will be thay

  • Anonymous

    June 9th, 2013 - 12:35am

    There could be a twist

  • Anonymous

    June 9th, 2013 - 12:33am

    Really hopes he regenerates into Cheryl Cole.The only way there going to get viewers back.

  • Anonymous

    June 9th, 2013 - 12:31am

    I’d love Jenna Coleman to return to Emmerdale.Jasmine would fit right in with the Debbie storyline atm but I doubt she’d go back even though Emmerdale has some good storylines going at the moment.maybe she will return to her roots soon.

  • Anonymous

    June 9th, 2013 - 12:25am

    A One-off spectacular.Preeya Kalidas stars in Bollywood Carmen:Live,on BBC Three,Sunday 9pm

  • Anonymous

    June 8th, 2013 - 11:40pm

    Could see him returning to EastEnders in a year or saw though to cause drama with Janine and Kat.

  • Anonymous

    June 8th, 2013 - 11:34pm

    If it dosnt get BBC viewers they will axe it.They want a strong Saturday night line up along with Stictly and I’d Dr who isn’t bring the viewers in it will be axed with Britain’s Got Talent and The X Factor getting more than de who maybe it will be axed Dancing On Ice was huge once and is now been axed.

  • suleiman

    June 8th, 2013 - 11:54am

    I really like Matt smith as the doctor and John hurt is going to be the next doctoor

  • TheWhomobile

    June 8th, 2013 - 9:16am

    People keep saying how Doctor Who is racist for never having cast a black/Asian man in the role but yesterday when some friends and I were discussing the next doctor a black man said it wouldn’t be right for the Doctor to become black or female. It goes to show people are worried about offending these people when they are not being offended at all.

  • Sandra

    June 8th, 2013 - 1:09am

    I’d rather see Moffat leave!!!!

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