BBC announces 11th Doctor Who

[bex77]

So the BBC finally released the name of the next actor and
it's...Matt Smith. Age 26. No, you probably haven't heard of him.

Here's some links with the announcement, photos and video.

Official Announcement
"New Doctor actor is youngest ever"
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/7808697.stm

Background article
"Who on earth is Matt Smith?"
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/7807996.stm

BLOGS

Gallifrey One
Complete article, photos, background, links
Interesting chart of who was bet on
http://www.gallifreyone.com/news.php

Crave Online
Quick announcement andcx
http://www.comingsoon.net/news/tvnews.php?id=51673

Trusty Plinko Stick
Bigger photo
http://trustyplinkostick.blogspot.com/2009/01/and-coming-in-at-number-11-its-matt.html

Shakesville
Good close-up photo
http://shakespearessister.blogspot.com/2009/01/doctor.html

Screen Rant
Complete article, photo, links
http://screenrant.com/matt-smith-doctor-who-brusimm-4842/



Watching him on video was the most encouraging...he does fiddly things
with his hands whilst talking.

My favorite comments were the ones about the young fans angsting because the
Doctor actor is younger than they are. And someone pointing out that if the
actors keep getting younger, the next one will be in 5th grade. It does seem
rather Benjamin Button-esque to go from Hartnell to Smith...

There was some kvetching over yet another pasty white boy...the betting
and many fans were ready for a black man or a woman. As one said,
"Sure...we can have a black president of the U.S. but NOT DOCTOR WHO!"

Reserving any judgement until I see him in the show next year.

Comments

[jimmystagger.livejournal.com]

This kind of sounds like when they went from John Pertwee to Tom Baker. I don't actually know how old Pertwee was in relation to Baker but Baker certainly looked much younger than Pertwee when he started.

Let's look at the ages and check it out:

01.) WILLIAM HARTNELL (1963-1966)
Aged 55 the start
Aged 58 at the end

02.) PATRICK TROUGHTON (1966-1969)
46 to 49

03.) JOHN PERTWEE (1970-1974)
51 to 55

04.) TOM BAKER (1974-1981)
40 to 47

05.) PETER DAVISON (1981-1984)
29 to 32

06.) COLIN BAKER (1984-1986)
41 to 43

07.) SYLVESTER McCOY (1987-1989)
44 to 46

08.) PAUL McGANN (1996)
37 to...yeah, 37

09.) CHRISTOPHER ECCLESTON (2005)
41

10.) DAVID TENNANT (2005-2010)
34 to 39

11.) MATT SMITH (2010-????)
26 at start

so the ages have varied from Doc to Doc.

[greenlily.livejournal.com]

I've heard of him! He was in the movie versions of Philip Pullman's Sally Lockhart novels (Victorian melodrama). I really liked him in the second movie, and can kind of sort of see him as the Doctor. The age thing...meh. People probably flipped out when Peter Davison was cast too.

[bex77]

Yeah. I watched those movies too, but I didn't, um, notice him exactly. Hard to see beyond the blinding blonde light of Billie in most scenes. ;)

[hermitgeecko.livejournal.com]

The fiddly hands were really entertaining.

[http://users.livejournal.com/urban_faerie_/]

all i know is that he's not david tennant!
*sob!*

[jimmystagger.livejournal.com]

It's gonna be ok. I got over Tom Baker and then Peter Davison, although grudgingly. ;)