The New Doctor Who

We have to admit that we were a bit worried about finally seeing the first ep of the new Doctor Who this evening. The BBC had hyped it up so much, and we were still pining for the Tennant; so the possibility of great disappointment seemed imminent. All I can say is that at the end of the show, the world's greatest DT fan sitting next to me said that Matt Smith wasn't that bad ... and the companion had great potential! Other early reviews:

"To millions of fanatical fans, changing the Time Lord is far more important than changing the Prime Minister. Parliaments are temporary… the universe goes on forever. So the good news is… you can all relax. After a fine performance in an encouragingly expensive and slick special- effects packed opening salvo, it’s crystal clear that Mr Smith is certain to be a sensation. The Beeb’s best franchise is in safe hands. Phew!"
The Mirror

"Essentially, the Doctor is meant to be a mad alien, and Smith looks like one before he even opens his mouth. By the end of episode one he was bedizened in a suitably daft public-school geography-teacher ensemble of bow tie and tweed jacket. It was ridiculous but it felt right: mad, alien, brand new but very old. A+ to the casting director. A+ to Smith."
The Telegraph

See? Not a spoiler in sight!

First View of New Doctor Who

Here is Matt Smith in his Doctor Who costume. His bottom half is rolled-up trousers and bovver boots. Glad to see he is continuing David Tennant's tradition of impossible hairdo.

Surprise, surprise - and the new Doctor who is:

MATT SMITH.

Who? The BBC reports:

"Matt Smith has been named as the actor who will take over from David Tennant in Doctor Who - making him the youngest actor to take on the role. At 26, Smith is three years younger than Peter Davison when he signed up to play the fifth Doctor in 1981. Smith will first appear on TV screens as the 11th Doctor in 2010. He was cast over Christmas and will begin filming for the fifth series of Doctor Who in the summer. Tennant is filming four specials in 2009. Smith was named as Tennant's replacement in Saturday's edition of Doctor Who Confidential on BBC One. He said: "I've got this wonderful journey in front of me where I've got this six months to build this Time Lord - and that's such an exciting prospect."

Piers Wenger, head of drama at BBC Wales, said that as soon as he had seen Smith's audition he "knew he was the one". "It was abundantly clear that he had that 'Doctor-ness' about him," he said. "You are either the Doctor or you are not." Wenger said a broad range of people had been auditioned, but they had not set out to cast the youngest Doctor.

Smith's TV debut was in the 2006 adaptation of Philip Pullman's The Ruby in the Smoke, which starred former Doctor Who companion Billie Piper as Sally Lockhart. He has also acted opposite Piper in the follow-up, The Shadow in the North, and in ITV2's Secret Diary of a Call Girl. In 2007, he had a leading role in BBC Two's political drama Party Animals, in which he played a parliamentary researcher. Smith's stage work has included stints with theatre companies such as the Royal Court and National Theatre. His West End debut was in Swimming With Sharks opposite Christian Slater. He was born in Northampton in 1982 and studied drama and creative writing at the University of East Anglia."

Hmmmm. I did like him in the Philip Pullman programmes. I also remember how we all said nobody could replace Christopher Eccleston and David Tennant did quite well. At least the wait is over. Still wish it would have been Colin Salmon!