So, yeah, no more Eleventh Doctor after the 2013 Christmas Special.
Damn. I was hoping he would do Series 8, at least. It's a bit of a shame that in his four years of being the Doctor, Matt has only been able to complete three whole series. This also means that the 50th anniversary celebrations are now going to be overshadowed by the gloom of knowing about the Eleventh Doctor’s departure.
Still, while part of me is sad that Matt is going, the more rational side of me knows that I should respect his decision. If he personally feels that now is the right time to go then fandom should support him. It’s better for him to go out on a high and look for new opportunities than to get bored and feel trapped in the same old role
The first time I saw Matt Smith was in 2006 when he played 'Jim' in The Ruby in the Smoke. I thought he was okay in the role but I would never have considered him for the role of the Doctor.
A couple of years later, when he was revealed as the Eleventh Doctor in The Eleven Doctors confidential special, I was one of the doubters. How could this young man possibly play a 900 year old Time Lord? I imagined Series 5 would be full of scenes of him being overshadowed by his older, more experienced, more charismatic fellow cast members and unable to stand up to the villains. The promotional shot of him in the dark suit, standing by the Tardis did him no favours in my eyes. It made him look like an emo Doctor who had been tailored to appeal to the teenage demographic.
Then, in July 2009 we saw the first pictures of Matt in his tweed jacket and bow tie and I really liked it. It was a relief to see that he would not be an emo Doctor after all, and I was fascinated that Matt's had chosen to play the Doctor as a more of a professor than the previous new series Doctors. As the months went by I got more snippets about the new Doctor. Then, on 1st January 2010, the Eleventh Doctor made his screen debut in The End of Time. In only a few minutes of screen time Matt Smith proved that he could be quirky and funny. This new Doctor was starting to show great promise.
A couple of years later, when he was revealed as the Eleventh Doctor in The Eleven Doctors confidential special, I was one of the doubters. How could this young man possibly play a 900 year old Time Lord? I imagined Series 5 would be full of scenes of him being overshadowed by his older, more experienced, more charismatic fellow cast members and unable to stand up to the villains. The promotional shot of him in the dark suit, standing by the Tardis did him no favours in my eyes. It made him look like an emo Doctor who had been tailored to appeal to the teenage demographic.
Then, in July 2009 we saw the first pictures of Matt in his tweed jacket and bow tie and I really liked it. It was a relief to see that he would not be an emo Doctor after all, and I was fascinated that Matt's had chosen to play the Doctor as a more of a professor than the previous new series Doctors. As the months went by I got more snippets about the new Doctor. Then, on 1st January 2010, the Eleventh Doctor made his screen debut in The End of Time. In only a few minutes of screen time Matt Smith proved that he could be quirky and funny. This new Doctor was starting to show great promise.
Finally, in April 2010, “The Eleventh Hour” aired and any remaining doubts were dispelled. Matt Smith proved that he could act well with children, be funny and stand up to the enemies. Since then he’s got better and better and now I find it difficult to imagine anyone replacing him.
I became a fan during the Wilderness Years so I never got attached to any particular Doctor as I was watching all of their stories out of order. But once the new series started I was able to watch all of them in order, and Matt Smith is the Doctor that I have connected with the most. It’s going to take me a while to adjust to the notion of a Twelfth Doctor.
Still, it's not over just yet. Matt is still the Doctor until the end of the year. If I have any message for Matt Smith then it's this: Thanks for being the Doctor, Matt! They said no one could replace David Tennant but you managed it. You made bow ties cool. You’ve been brilliant and I hope you go on to do greater things!
No comments:
Post a Comment