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Matt Smith Will Be The Eleventh Doctor
 Matt Smith has been named as the actor who will take
over from David Tennant in Doctor Who.
At 26, this makes Matt Smith the youngest
actor to take on the role – he is three years younger
than Peter Davison when he signed up to play the Fifth Doctor
in 1981.
Even though he is not due to appear on our television screens until
the spring of 2010 he was cast over Christmas and will begin
filming for the fifth series of Doctor Who in the
summer. David Tennant is due to start filming the first of
four specials to be broadcast during 2009.
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| Matt Smith |
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Matt Smith was named
as David Tennant's replacement on Saturday 3rd January 2009
during a
special edition of Doctor
Who Confidential that was screened on BBC One. The programme
was watched by an audience of 6.9 million people at its peak,
according to official overnight figures.
With a new creative team in place for
the 2010 series led by executive producers Steven Moffat and
Piers Wenger, the casting of The Doctor was the first job to
be completed before scripts could be finalised.
The actor said: 'I feel proud and
honoured to have been given this opportunity to join a team
of people that has worked so tirelessly to make the show so
thrilling.
David Tennant has made the role his own, brilliantly, with
grace, talent and persistent dedication. I hope to learn from
the standards
set by him. The challenge for me is to do justice to the show's
illustrious past, my predecessors, and most importantly, to
those who watch it. I really cannot wait'.
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. It's just the beginning of the journey for Matt.
With Steven Moffat's scripts and the expertise of the production
team in Cardiff behind him, there is no one more perfect to
be taking the TARDIS to
exciting new futures when the series returns in 2010'.
Matt Smith's television
debut was in the 2006 adaptation of Philip Pullman's
The Ruby in the Smoke, which starred Billie Piper
who played former Doctor Who companion Rose Tyler.
Matt also acted opposite Piper in the follow-up,
The Shadow in the North, and in Secret
Diary of a Call Girl.
Matt 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.
Matt was born in Northampton in 1982 and studied drama and
creative writing at the University of East Anglia.
He is now following in the footsteps of one of the most
popular actors ever to play The Doctor. David Tennant has
said Smith's 'life is about to change in so many ways'.
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| Next UK TV Broadcast |
| Planet
of the Dead |
Easter 09 |
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| Next UK DVD Video Release |
The
Last Doctor
10th Dr |
Jan 09 |
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| Next Big Finish Audio Release |
The Judgement
of Isskar
(Simon Guerrier)
5th Dr & Amy |
Jan 09 |
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| Next UK Book Release |
"Beautiful
Chaos"
(Gary Russell)
10th Dr & Donna Noble |
Dec 08 |
"The
Story of Martha Jones"
(Dan Abnett)
10th Dr & Martha Jones |
Dec 08 |
"The
Eyeless"
(Lance Parkin)
10th Dr |
Dec 08 |
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| Next Doctor Who Magazine |
| Issue 404 |
8 Jan 09 |
| The Next Big Finish Audio Release |
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The
Judgement of Isskar
(Simon Guerrier) |
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David Tennant Confirms He Is To Stand Down As
The Doctor
David Tennant made the announcement after winning the
Outstanding Drama Performance prize at the National Television
Awards.
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| David Tennant |
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‘When Doctor Who returns
in 2010 it won't be with me’, he said. ‘Now
don't make me cry", he added. "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. I'll miss it’.
‘Three years was about the right
time to play the role’, he has revealed. ‘I
think it's better to go when there's a chance that people might
miss you, rather than to hang around and outstay your welcome’.
His stint in the show had been ‘the
most extraordinary time, it's been bewildering,
life changing, very exciting. And just
so much fun, such a great show to work
on. That's one of the reasons I think it's
right to take a deep breath and bow out
when it's still fun, when it's a novelty.
I don't ever want it to feel like a job,
so I want to move on when it still feels
exciting and fresh and that means I'll
miss it’.
David Tennant stepped into the TARDIS
in 2005, and will leave the role after four special
episodes are broadcast during 2009 as well as the
2008 Christmas special, titled "The Next Doctor",
before filming on the four specials starts in January.
‘They'll be the four last stories
that I do’, David Tennant has said.
The Current Executive
Producer Russell T Davies has said: ‘I've
been lucky and honoured to work with David over the
past few years - and it's not over yet, the Tenth
Doctor still has five spectacular hours left! After
which, I might drop an anvil on his head. Or maybe
a piano. A radioactive piano. But we're planning
the most enormous and spectacular ending, so keep
watching’.
A fifth series of the
show is scheduled for 2010 – but of course
we now know that a new actor will be playing the
part of The Doctor - The Eleventh Doctor. |
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Doctor Who - Top Trumps Video Game
Until recently very little has been known about this
new video gane, which is currently being advertised inside
the new Doctor Who card pack of the popular Top
Trumps card game.
The game is being developed, for 1-2 players, by Ironstone
Partners studio for Eidos using the classic Top Trumps card game
as its template. It has been described as being "extremely
loyal to the Top Trumps brand."
The aim of each round is to outwit your opponent using memory,
chance and your knowledge of the deck. As you progress
ability cards can be unlocked to give you an edge in
battle by revealing your opponent’s cards or boosting
your hand. But this isn’t your average game of
Snap as the developers reckon that the tactical nature
of the game could mean tougher opponents will slug it
out during rounds as long as 15 minutes.
In addition to the traditional card gaming elements the
developers have included mini-games that require
feats of memory and observation. Success will
allow you to tip the balance in the next round
by swiping one of your opponent’s cards.
Further thrills are to be had be winning and
collecting 38 cards for storage in the TARDIS’ data
banks. Each of these collectibles profiles a
character from the series complete with images
from the live-action show.
Style-wise, the developers have drawn heavily from the series
and fans will recognise a multitude of characters,
the famous theme tune and sound effects from the
show. Visually it borrows from “The Infinite
Quest”, the stunningly animated Doctor
Who serial from this year’s CBBC’s Totally
Doctor Who series.
There is a huge variety of Top Trumps card games with pop-culture
themes, including famous football players, Star
Wars, and Harry Potter. In each,
cards feature characters or vehicles with scores
for attributes such as speed and stamina. The starting
player chooses a category and uses his or her top-scoring
card, and all other players must try to beat it
with one of their cards. The winner then collects
cards from all other players, and the ultimate
winner is the person who ends up with the whole
pack of cards.
It is due to be released in Spring 2008 for the PC, PlayStation
2 and DS. There are hints that other Doctor
Who video games could be released in the future. |
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