The end of Eleven is coming this year. In an official release, the BBC has announced that Matt Smith will be leaving Doctor Who in this year’s Christmas special.
In a statement released by the BBC, 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 realize 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 showrunner 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 honor 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 behavior was always worthy of the Doctor.”
Stepping into the TARDIS after perpetual fan favorite David Tennant, Smith won over audiences quickly with his new catchphrase (“Geronimo!”), quirky clothes (fezzes are cool) and unique tastes (fish fingers and custard, anyone?). He has co-starred with three companions, Amy Pond (Karen Gillan), Rory Williams (Arthur Darvill), and, currently, Clara Oswald (Jenna Coleman). Having faced the Doctor’s greatest foes, the Daleks, the Cybermen, and the Weeping Angels, Smith also introduced audiences to the Silence, the Snowmen and many more monsters.
Smith will of course be around for the 50th Anniversary episode, which co-stars Tennant (the Tenth Doctor) and Billie Piper (Rose Tyler), airing on November 23, 2013. He will exit the show in the following episode, the Christmas special.
As fans around the world take in this news it is perhaps Moffat who has best summed up Whovians’ feeling. “This Christmas prepare for your hearts to break, as we say goodbye to number Eleven. Thank you Matt – bow ties were never cooler.”
How do you feel about Smith leaving? Who would you like to see as the Twelfth Doctor?
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