Photo: BBC
Almost every actor who appeared in the BBC2 series set in the corridors of Westminster has gone on to greater things.
Although ratings were modest, the young cast won great acclaim and the show was likened to This Life, an ensemble drama which reached cult status.
Smith, 26, who played a young political researcher in the show, will become the biggest star of all after winning the role of the 11th Doctor.
However, his co-stars Andrea Riseborough, Shelley Conn and Andrew Buchan have also been marked out as major talents.
Riseborough went on to play a young Lady Thatcher in The Long Walk To Finchley, and appeared in the Mike Leigh film Happy-Go-Lucky.
Conn became a star of the BBC drama Mistresses, which returns this spring for a second series.
Eagle-eyed viewers will have spotted Buchan in ITV1's The Fixer and as Jem Hearne in Cranford.
Buchan said of Party Animals: "For our part, we all clicked and shared a massive enthusiasm for making the show the best it could be. We were a quality group of friends working on excellent scripts, and that meant we all looked forward to work every day. Hopefully that enthusiasm came over in our performances."
Speaking to The Guardian, Buchan said his old co-star would make an excellent Doctor Who. "It's a sublime bit of casting. He's got that huge hair, a twinkle in his eye - Matt's the king of geek chic. He is possibly going to be one of the best Doctors we've ever had."
TARDIS Actor Matt Smith will be the next to portray the Doctor on the BBC television program ''Doctor Who''.  Smith will be the eleventh incarnation of the Doctor, taking over from actor David Tennant who will end his time with the series after filming four editions of the program through 2009.  The Doctor comes from a race of Timelords, and has the ability to "regenerate" and change appearance when his health is failing.  William Hartnell was the first actor to play the Doctor, from 1963–1966.  Smith will become the new occupant of the Doctor's time machine and spacecraft the "TARDIS" in 2010.  


John Harper, founder of the Scarborough and Ryedale Astronomical Society and a fan of the series, called the decision to cast 26-year-old Smith in the role "wonderful". MP for Scarborough Robert Goodwill, also a fan of the program, told the ''Scarborough Evening News'': "David Tennant will be a very hard act to follow, but I’m optimistic that the new Doctor will be just as good."


Matt Smith, 26, portrayed researcher Danny Foster on the political drama ''Party Animals'', which aired on BBC Two in 2007.  Fellow actor Andrew Buchan from ''Party Animals'' told ''The Guardian'': "It's a sublime bit of casting.  He's got that huge hair, a twinkle in his eye — Matt's the king of geek chic.  He is possibly going to be one of the best Doctors we've ever had." 

After a back injury got in the way of Smith's goal of becoming a footballer, his drama teacher Jerry Hardingham at Northampton School for Boys encouraged him to pursue acting. Though Smith did not audition, Hardingham cast him in a school production of the play ''Twelve Angry Men''. Hardingham later convinced Smith to join the National Youth Theatre, and he landed the lead role in the play ''Murder in the Cathedral'', performing before members of the British Royal Family and other VIPs at the Westminster Cathedral.

David Tennant 
David Tennant, 37, has portrayed the Doctor on ''Doctor Who'' since taking over for Christopher Eccleston in 2005. A major feature of his character's stories involved a romantic interest in his companion in the TARDIS, Rose, played by actress Billie Piper. 

Tennant announced his exit from the program on October 29, 2008, at the National Television Awards in the United Kingdom, during his speech accepting the outstanding drama performance award at the program. ''Doctor Who'' was recognized with the award for most popular drama program. 


"I love this part, and I love this show so much that if I don't take a deep breath and move on now I never will, and you'll be wheeling me out of the Tardis in my bath chair," said Tennant in his address to the audience in attendance at the Royal Albert Hall. He was previously recognized at the National Television Awards for his role in ''Doctor Who'' with the award for most popular actor, in 2006 and 2007.

Tennant is currently performing the lead role in ''Hamlet'' with the Royal Shakespeare Company, and his engagement at the Novello Theatre in Westminster, London is set to end on January 10. He portrayed Hamlet 60 times with the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford-upon-Avon prior to the production's move to London.