June 1st, 2013
479 comments
We earn a commission for products purchased through some links in this article.
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
The Doctor Who Site
Facebook
Twitter
Pinterest
Merchandise
Flickr
YouTube
Simon Ioioos
June 2nd, 2013 - 11:22pmHaven’t seen the name getting a mention, but could the next Doctor be in plain sight?
Richard E Grant.
He was popular for the job over the last 8 years, adds weight and age, and is clearly liked by Moffat.
How? The Great intelligence is now in the Doctors time stream. It would be easy to write a plot where his conciousness merges with the Doctor and he take the face of the next doctor.
A “Merge” of the Doctor and the great intelligence would also give a plot divice for the forthcoming creation of the Valeyard.
Anonymous
June 2nd, 2013 - 10:43pmI completly agree with you it’s like making wonder woman into a man or giving batman nip….. Wait a minute did already did thar. My point is if it ain’t broke don’t fix it
Anonymous
June 2nd, 2013 - 10:40pmI would like a older and lesser known actor to play the partof the doctor. Matt Smiths doctor was accasionaly dark but most of the time a clownish charactor. The next doctor should be darker and brouding but a nice person.
P.S I want Jason Isaacs to play the new who
Boxfish
June 2nd, 2013 - 10:34pmIf the BBC’s politically correct producer’s turn Doctor Who into a WOMAN, it will be even more farcical than turning him into Sylvester McCoy. Is nothing sacred anymore? No doubt the feminist bully brigade will shout us all down for daring to suggest that the Doctor’s gender should not be tampered with. Well, then how about we turn Jenny Murray into Jeremy Clarkeson and have him present Woman’s Hour? How about Buffy the Vampire Slayer metamorphising into a bloke? You wouldn’t like that, would you?!
If Doctor Who becomes a woman, that’s not a regeneration, folks – that’s the death of an icon.
Boxfish
June 2nd, 2013 - 10:33pmIf the BBC’s politically correct producer’s turn Doctor Who into a WOMAN, it will be even more farcical than turning him into Sylvester McCoy. Is nothing sacred anymore? No doubt the feminist bully brigade will shout us all down for daring to suggest that the Doctor’s gender should not be tampered with. Well, then how about we turn Jenny Murray into Jeremy Clarkeson and have him present Woman’s Hour? How about Buffy the Vampire Slayer metamorphising into a bloke? You wouldn’t like that, would you?!
If Doctor Who becomes a woman, that’s not a regeneration, folks – that’s the death of an icon.
Boxfish
June 2nd, 2013 - 10:12pmMatt Smith was the best Doctor since Tom Baker. Before him it was the “fantastic” Christopher Ecclestone. I prefer to ignore David Tennant, who was a completely awful lightweight and didn’t get the character at all.
Matt succeeded in portraying the Doctor’s deepest darkest complexities with beautiful subtleness and astonishing maturity. He is a great actor as I’m sure he will go on to prove in other roles. Very sad to see him go already.
ROCKSTAR
June 2nd, 2013 - 9:59pmBig D s right the show will lose a lot of fans if the next doctor is a female.
P.S I DONT WANT A FEMALE DOCTOR
ROCKSTAR
June 2nd, 2013 - 9:50pmI think series 6 is the worst series ever
ROCKSTAR
June 2nd, 2013 - 9:48pmI think series 6 was rubbish
ROCKSTAR
June 2nd, 2013 - 9:44pmI ve been thinking of that for a long time
olletsoc
June 2nd, 2013 - 9:14pmi’m rooting for Steve John Shepherd for 12th Doctor.
Anonymous
June 2nd, 2013 - 8:58pmBoth of them would be great choices…but I think as it has been throughout the shows history, they will choose an unknown, the only occasions I think they’ve went out and chose a name people would know was Peter Davison (as he had to follow Baker after 8 years) and Christopher Eccelston (as he had to relaunch the show)…the show is bigger than any actor…so they dont need a big name…just someone who can play the role, bring something new to it and be able to cope with the madness that comes with it and not throw a strop like CE did.
I hope for the sake of the show they stay away from famous names and avoid casting a female/non white european just becuase they feel thats whats “right”… rather than casting the actor who is actually the best for the part.
Alex
June 2nd, 2013 - 8:55pmIndeed
olletsoc
June 2nd, 2013 - 8:46pmAdam was alright. he got annoying sometimes.
callum simmons
June 2nd, 2013 - 8:35pmCorrect me if I’m wrong but I thought somewhere around the twelfth he becomes the Valeyard! That would be cool a series about a villain or a slow fall from grace over the series and have 12 turn into the Valeyard in the finale. A doctor who was a villain would really be something new and set the show on a new course never before ventured into. So sad to hear smith is leaving I’m sure that his final episode will give him a good send off and before that there is still the 50th to think about. I’d like to see them go down the hartnell route with an older actor especially if he is the Valeyard or even if he isn’t. I would love to see people’s faces if this was all an elaborate red herring and smith didn’t leave at the end of the year just to see the pure shock of people anticipating the 12th doctor! Most likely this won’t be the case though. I say good luck to whoever is continuing the role you have infinitely large Tardis sized boots to fill.
paolo
June 2nd, 2013 - 8:11pmRhys Ifans or tim roth? both aren’t under contract
matt9982
June 2nd, 2013 - 8:06pmI think Benedict Cumberbatch would be the best choice for the new Doctor! 🙂
Bye Matt Smith, you were the best 🙂
Anonymous
June 2nd, 2013 - 8:02pmGutted that Matt is leaving, you did a fantastic job. What about a lady Dr?????????
davidtenantrocks
June 2nd, 2013 - 8:02pmHow about Nigel le Vaillant as the new doctor.
Gallifrey Driving Services Limited
June 2nd, 2013 - 7:56pmKEEP DOCTOR WHO RUNNING FOR THE NEXT CENTURY !!!!
the mr master
June 2nd, 2013 - 7:53pmi liked it when it was the 9th doctor, rose and Adam
i wish Adam was in it longer he could have been good
the mr master
June 2nd, 2013 - 7:50pmi think the best companions where Adam and rose with the 9th doctor
who’s the man
June 2nd, 2013 - 7:49pmSorry to see matt Smith go, thought this years stories were the best of the new series. I think they should finish the 11th doctor stories without him regenerating, leave it open and next year do a season of 8th doctor stories , before the time war happened,something different. This web site is great by the way.
the astronaut of death
June 2nd, 2013 - 7:36pmI hope we see the 11th doctor and captain jack together before matt leavs
olletsoc
June 2nd, 2013 - 7:26pmit’s all about personal preference
Gallifrey Driving Services Limited
June 2nd, 2013 - 7:26pmAs this is the 12th reincarnation we have to think carefully from now on as to who we can get to act as the doctor so we can keep the series going, there is no point in getting an actor or actress who is only going to be around for one series and then leave, as this will only leave us with one more life, unless we can get around the problem of reincarnation anybody have any idea?
olletsoc
June 2nd, 2013 - 7:25pmyeah, i think he’s already filmed his Eastenders exit. he’s a brilliant actor, i’d love to see him become the Doctor
GregV
June 2nd, 2013 - 7:19pmIf they feel compelled to give the show more US appeal then all they have to do is shoot some episodes on location in the US. An on location episode in Las Vegas, San Francisco, New Orleans or Hawaii would be great. Los Angeles is a blighted, rundown eye sore, no point in going there.
Mat in Swansea
June 2nd, 2013 - 7:12pmOops I also meant to say:- Thanks Matt Smith you were brilliant!
TheWhomobile
June 2nd, 2013 - 7:12pmI have to say I agree with you Some Bloke. I don’t mean to be racist but if the Doctor had been black or Asian for 50 years then there would be an outcry if he became white. They should pick am actor for his skills not his skin colour. I am sorry if I cause offence and if I do it was not my intention