BBC Official Press release -
Matt Smith to leave Doctor Who
The BBC is today
announcing that Matt Smith is to leave Doctor Who after
four incredible years on the hit show. Matt first stepped into the TARDIS in 2010
and will leave the role at the end of this year after starring in the
unmissable 50th Anniversary in November and regenerating in the Christmas
special. During his time as the Doctor, Matt has reached over 30 million unique
UK viewers and his incarnation has seen the show go truly global. He was also
the first actor to be nominated for a BAFTA in the role. Doctor Who is BBC
AMERICA's highest-rated series and premieres as part of the channel's
Supernatural Saturday programming block.
Matt quickly won over
fans to be voted Best Actor by Readers of Doctor Who Magazine for the 2010
season. He also received a nod for his first series at the National Television
Awards, before winning the Most Popular Male Drama Performance award in 2012.
Matt has played one of the biggest roles in TV with over 77 million fans in the
UK, US and Australia alone!
Matt 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.
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.
Of course, this isn't
the end of the story, because now the search begins. Somewhere out there right
now - all unknowing, just going about their business - is someone who's about to
become the Doctor. A life is going to change, and Doctor Who will be born all
over again! After 50 years, that's still so exciting!"
Having starred alongside
three different companions, Amy Pond (Karen Gillan), Rory Williams (Arthur
Darvill) and most recently Clara Oswald (Jenna Coleman), Matt's Doctor has
fought Daleks and Cybermen, as well as Weeping Angels in New York.
Regularly heard shouting 'run' and 'Geronimo', through Matt's Doctor fans
have been introduced to a new culinary combination - fish fingers and custard!
Matt's spectacular exit
is yet to be revealed and will be kept tightly under wraps. He will return to
BBC AMERICA in the unmissable 50th anniversary episode on Saturday, November
23, 2013 - TUNE IN!
Doctor Who is a BBC Cymru Wales production for BBC ONE
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