Saturday, June 1, 2013

Doctor Who: The Doctor Will Regenerate Again

The BBC announced today that Matt Smith is leaving Doctor Who. The 2013 Christmas special will be his last episode. I'm sure a great sound of dissent is happening 'round the world.

From Matt Smith, about his departure:

"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."

From Steven Moffat, Doctor Who showrunner:

"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.

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."

I am sad that Matt is leaving, but it is the nature of Doctor Who that the lead actor leaves. It's happened many times before. The happy thing is - Doctor Who goes on. And now, the search is on for the 12th Doctor. It will be interesting to see who gets the part. Will it be someone we know, or someone not well-known now? Whoever it is, he'll have large shoes to fill, just as each new Doctor has. I look forward to getting to know the new Doctor and coming to love his personality and take on the Doctor.

We still have two more episodes with Matt, but I miss him already.

Thanks for a great run, Matt.

No comments:

Post a Comment