BBC Announces The Next Doctor
Well, what did you expect my first posting here at the website to be about??? On
Saturday, The BBC announced that actor Matt Smith had been chosen as the new
lead actor for "Doctor Who." I copy the official BBC statement here for your
pleasure:
"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 eleventh 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 on January 3rd at 17.35hrs. 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 Eleventh 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."
Ben Stephenson, Controller BBC Drama added "I am delighted to see Matt take on
this iconic role. It will see him continuing his relationship with the BBC
following his performances in Ruby In The Smoke and Party Animals, and his
upcoming role in Moses Jones. The combination of Matt, Steven and Piers will, I
know, take Doctor Who onto new and even dizzier heights."
Jay Hunt, Controller. BBC ONE said "Matt Smith will be a mesmerising eleventh
Time Lord, true to the spirit of the show. He is a worthy successor to David
Tennant who has been utterly remarkable in the role and promises to continue to
be in next year's four special episodes."
And if you look closely at the t-shirt he's wearing in the picture, it's Batman!
As much as I love David Tennant in the role, I've kept silent of his choice to
wait until the season would have started filming before he made the announcement
to leave the series. It leaves a bitter taste in the mouth of die-hard fans who
now have to wait an entre year for a full series, and are expected to be satisfied with the four specials Tennant will record and spaced out over 12 months' time. But does it mean Dan and I (and YOU! You know you're watching it lately!) won't watch those specials? Hell, no. LOL
And I'm not enough of one of those really die-hard fans who won't enjoy the new direction a new Doctor will bring to the series. I've always found that part of the joy of the show has been it's variety. I for one am looking forward to Matt's premiere and welcome him to the Doctor Who mythos.
