Photo: PA
The great thing about Doctor Who, as a colleague pointed out, is that you don't have to watch the show to feel part of it. Even when you've exhausted, or been exhausted by "Who will be the next Doctor?" and moved into "I'm sorry, who will be the next Doctor?", there's still a full cycle of gossip to come: you can speculate about the identity of the Doctor's companion, and then the guest stars, and then the year's big villain, and then – as a pick-me-up at the end – whether this season will be the Doctor's last. At this rate, by the time Matt Smith actually steps into the Tardis, in 2010, we'll probably be vigorously debating the merits of his successor.
The BBC certainly knows the value of the publicity to what is, according to audience satisfaction figures, its most-loved show. Whereas the Queen only gets 10 minutes over Christmas, the show's producers were offered a full half-hour on Saturday evening for their message to the nation. Even with all the careful priming, even with the drip-drip of comments that this was the youngest Doctor, that he was only 26, the moment when the boy himself popped up on screen was still a shock. Still, the BBC seems to have got away with it – according to the instant polling provided by a trawl through Facebook, groups such as "We hate Matt Smith as Doctor Who!!!!" are more than balanced by those willing to give him a try. Other internet commentators are taking the middle ground: they'll watch him in the role, as long as he gets rid of the Spandau Ballet hairstyle.
For some of us, there is something more personal at stake. Like the actor who must finally accept that he is too old to play the Dane, we have suddenly become Older Than The Doctor, forced to accept that even if we could go gallivanting around the universe with the time-travelling Gallifreyan, we'd be too busy worrying about our pensions to enjoy it.
The big winner, of course, is the man lucky enough to have played both the Dane and the Doctor. Only marginally better-known than Smith when he took the latter role, David Tennant is now a certified national treasure, able to pick and choose any role that takes his fancy. Whether Smith will become as beloved is a moot point: although obviously a talented actor, and from all accounts a bright and enthusiastic guy, he lacked, at least in that initial, unscripted interview, the articulacy and wit that defined Tennant's performance. Whatever his merits, he and new head writer Steven Moffat could find themselves in the collective shadow of Tennant and outgoing writer-producer Russell T Davies: the equivalent of the men who take over Manchester United after Sir Alex Ferguson retires and Cristiano Ronaldo is transferred.
Yet I am optimistic about the show's future – precisely because of how unusual a choice Smith is. Despite all the speculation about a black Doctor or a female Doctor, all the show's bosses had to do to keep the gravy train rolling was find a well-known name, a Bill Nighy or David Morrissey, who was prepared to spend a couple of years chained to the production treadmill down in Cardiff. That they went for a 26-year-old suggests either that they were blown away by his energy, or that they have a clear and interesting vision for the show, or both.
One word of warning, however: speculation is already cranking up over the identity of Smith's companion. As we reported yesterday, the suspicion is that producers want a "big name" to counterbalance their unknown Doctor, preferably from outside the world of acting. True, that thinking gave us Billie Piper as the Doctor's assistant – but it also gave us Bonnie Langford. Rather than risk that sort of thing again, the producers should ignore the focus groups, and follow their instincts. After all, the last time Doctor Who caused this much fuss was when its bosses plucked Tom Baker off a building site, and that certainly worked out.
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.