The next actor to play Doctor Who is Matt Smith, and he will be the youngest person ever to play the Doctor!
Matt is 26 years old, and will become the 11th Doctor when he takes the keys to the Tardis from David Tennant in 2010 after four more special episodes.
Matt will start filming on the fifth series in the summer. Tennant is filming four specials in 2009 as well!
Until now the actor who played the fifth Doctor, Peter Davidson, was the youngest ever to take on the role.
Matt said: "I've got this wonderful journey in front of me where I've got this six months to build this Time Lord - and that's such an exciting prospect."
Piers Wenger, head of drama at BBC Wales where the show is made, said that as soon as he had seen Smith's audition he "knew he was the one".
"It was abundantly clear that he had that 'Doctor-ness' about him," he said. "You are either the Doctor or you are not."
Matt's first appearance on TV was in the 2006 adaptation of Philip Pullman's The Ruby in the Smoke, which starred former Doctor Who companion Billie Piper as Sally Lockhart.
He has also acted with Billie in the follow-up, The Shadow in the North.
New Doctor Who boss
Tennant said in October that he would stand down from the show after filming four special episodes in 2009. The last of these special episodes is expected to run in early 2010.
The fifth series won't just be the first for Matt - it's also the first without current Doctor Who boss Russell T Davies.
Instead ace writer Steven Moffat will be in charge of the show, and he needed to find a new Doctor before he could finish the scripts.
The BBC today announced that Matt Smith has been cast in the role of the Doctor in the iconic BBC series Doctor Who.
Smith will be the 11th Time Lord and will take over from David Tennant who leaves the show at the end of 2009. He will be seen in the forthcoming fifth series that will be broadcast in 2010.
The fifth series will also have a new lead writer and Executive Producer in the form of the BAFTA award-winning writer Steven Moffat, who is taking over from Russell T Davies.
Moffat will be joined by Piers Wenger, who will be the new Executive Producer for BBC Wales making the show.
Following David Tennant's decision to step down at the end of 2009, the team behind the new series set about casting the new Doctor so that new adventures could be created and scripts written with Matt in mind.
The identity of the new Doctor was revealed on a special edition of Doctor Who Confidential that was broadcast on BBC One today (3 January) at 5.35pm (17.35 GMT).
In it Smith revealed his initial reaction at taking on such a legendary role and his thoughts on what direction the Doctor might now be going with him playing the part.
Matt Smith said of his new role: "I'm just so excited about the journey that is in front of me. It's a wonderful privilege and challenge that I hope I will thrive on.
"I feel proud and honoured to have been given this opportunity to join a team of people that has worked so tirelessly to make the show so thrilling.
"David Tennant has made the role his own, brilliantly, with grace, talent and persistent dedication. I hope to learn from the standards set by him.
"The challenge for me is to do justice to the show's illustrious past, my predecessors, and most importantly, to those who watch it. I really cannot wait."
Lead writer and Executive Producer Steven Moffat said: "The Doctor is a very special part, and it takes a very special actor to play him. You need to be old and young at the same time, a boffin and an action hero, a cheeky schoolboy and the wise old man of the universe.
"As soon as Matt walked through the door, and blew us away with a bold and brand new take on the Time Lord, we knew we had our man.
"2010 is a long time away but rest assured the 11th Doctor is coming – and the universe has never been so safe."
Piers Wenger, Head Of Drama, BBC Wales, added: "With two hearts, a ferocious mind and over 900 years of experience behind him, it's not every 26 year old actor who can take on a role like the Doctor but within moments of meeting Matt he showed the skill and imagination needed to create a Doctor all of his own.
"It's just the beginning of the journey for Matt but with Steven Moffat's scripts and the expertise of the production team in Cardiff behind him, there is no one more perfect than him to be taking the TARDIS to exciting new futures when the series returns in 2010.
Matt is 26 years old, and will become the 11th Doctor when he takes the keys to the Tardis from David Tennant in 2010 after four more special episodes.
Matt will start filming on the fifth series in the summer. Tennant is filming four specials in 2009 as well!
Until now the actor who played the fifth Doctor, Peter Davidson, was the youngest ever to take on the role.
Matt said: "I've got this wonderful journey in front of me where I've got this six months to build this Time Lord - and that's such an exciting prospect."
Piers Wenger, head of drama at BBC Wales where the show is made, said that as soon as he had seen Smith's audition he "knew he was the one".
"It was abundantly clear that he had that 'Doctor-ness' about him," he said. "You are either the Doctor or you are not."
Matt's first appearance on TV was in the 2006 adaptation of Philip Pullman's The Ruby in the Smoke, which starred former Doctor Who companion Billie Piper as Sally Lockhart.
He has also acted with Billie in the follow-up, The Shadow in the North.
New Doctor Who boss
Tennant said in October that he would stand down from the show after filming four special episodes in 2009. The last of these special episodes is expected to run in early 2010.
The fifth series won't just be the first for Matt - it's also the first without current Doctor Who boss Russell T Davies.
Instead ace writer Steven Moffat will be in charge of the show, and he needed to find a new Doctor before he could finish the scripts.
The BBC today announced that Matt Smith has been cast in the role of the Doctor in the iconic BBC series Doctor Who.
Smith will be the 11th Time Lord and will take over from David Tennant who leaves the show at the end of 2009. He will be seen in the forthcoming fifth series that will be broadcast in 2010.
The fifth series will also have a new lead writer and Executive Producer in the form of the BAFTA award-winning writer Steven Moffat, who is taking over from Russell T Davies.
Moffat will be joined by Piers Wenger, who will be the new Executive Producer for BBC Wales making the show.
Following David Tennant's decision to step down at the end of 2009, the team behind the new series set about casting the new Doctor so that new adventures could be created and scripts written with Matt in mind.
The identity of the new Doctor was revealed on a special edition of Doctor Who Confidential that was broadcast on BBC One today (3 January) at 5.35pm (17.35 GMT).
In it Smith revealed his initial reaction at taking on such a legendary role and his thoughts on what direction the Doctor might now be going with him playing the part.
Matt Smith said of his new role: "I'm just so excited about the journey that is in front of me. It's a wonderful privilege and challenge that I hope I will thrive on.
"I feel proud and honoured to have been given this opportunity to join a team of people that has worked so tirelessly to make the show so thrilling.
"David Tennant has made the role his own, brilliantly, with grace, talent and persistent dedication. I hope to learn from the standards set by him.
"The challenge for me is to do justice to the show's illustrious past, my predecessors, and most importantly, to those who watch it. I really cannot wait."
Lead writer and Executive Producer Steven Moffat said: "The Doctor is a very special part, and it takes a very special actor to play him. You need to be old and young at the same time, a boffin and an action hero, a cheeky schoolboy and the wise old man of the universe.
"As soon as Matt walked through the door, and blew us away with a bold and brand new take on the Time Lord, we knew we had our man.
"2010 is a long time away but rest assured the 11th Doctor is coming – and the universe has never been so safe."
Piers Wenger, Head Of Drama, BBC Wales, added: "With two hearts, a ferocious mind and over 900 years of experience behind him, it's not every 26 year old actor who can take on a role like the Doctor but within moments of meeting Matt he showed the skill and imagination needed to create a Doctor all of his own.
"It's just the beginning of the journey for Matt but with Steven Moffat's scripts and the expertise of the production team in Cardiff behind him, there is no one more perfect than him to be taking the TARDIS to exciting new futures when the series returns in 2010.
No comments:
Post a Comment