When a show has been on the air off and on since 1963 you have to expect a lot of turnover in key roles. Therefore it should come as no surprise that Doctor Who, one of the BBC’s most popular television shows, is already on its third Doctor since the show was restarted in 2005. It’s been rumored for a while now that David Tennant, the current and arguably one of the most popular Doctors to date, would be leaving the show after his third season as the tenth Doctor. When news finally hit that Tennant would film four final Doctor Who specials (instead of an official fifth season) to air throughout 2009 and part of 2010, the internet went crazy speculating who would fill the role of the Tartis flying Doctor.
And now we know…British Actor Matt Smith was officially announced as the eleventh incarnation of the popular space and time traveling Doctor last week. At age 26 he will be the youngest actor to ever play the Doctor and his casting in the role has led a full spectrum of emotions from rabid fans of the Doctor Who franchise. Since I prefer Christopher Eccleston’s ninth Doctor to Tennant’s tenth, Tennant’s departure is not as impactful to me as it has been to many fans. Therefore, I am reserving all opinions on Smith’s casting until I see him on TV with a sonic screwdriver in his hand.
In the U.S. you can watch new episodes of Doctor Who on the Sci-Fi Channel and repeats on BBC America.