Why I Love the Eleventh Doctor…

Guest contributor Tayla Fonseca pays tribute to Matt Smith’s Doctor.

Was it the bow tie, fezzes and stetsons; the chin and floppy hair; or maybe even his love of fish fingers and custard, or his catchphrase (which everyone knows as Geronimo!) that made this Doctor stand out from the rest? The Eleventh Doctor burst onto our screens quite literally, and stole our hearts from there.

At the time of his casting it was widely known that Smith was the youngest actor to play the Doctor. Yet, at the tender age of twenty-six he defied his critics and proved that he was going to give the role as good as it gets, and from that point onwards he made his role his own. He became everyone’s raggedy doctor. Today, we’re celebrating Matt Smith’s 33rd birthday by remembering the Eleventh Doctor. So, let me choose some of the highlights of his era (well not all of them otherwise we will be here all day)…

”Hello, I’m the Doctor. Basically run.”

In his first full episode as the Doctor, Matt Smith had twenty minutes to save the world from an alien threat with the help of his new companion, Amy Pond; whom he met when he crashed into her back garden when she was a little girl. This set-up gave him licence to show us what he could do with in the shoes of a character as famous as the Doctor. As it turned out, because he brought so much energy, passion, and wonder to the role, by the end of the first episode (particularly when he was talking to the Atraxi), that’s when I (and the rest of the audience) knew there and then that he was the Doctor; and I knew he was going to be fantastic. He became MY raggedy Doctor, and has been ever since.

The Speeches

”We all change, when you think about it. We are all different people all through our lives and that’s ok…that’s good. You gotta keep moving so long as you remember all the people that you used to be. I will not forget one line of this. Not one day I swear. I will always remember when the Doctor was me.”

There are a few speeches from the Eleventh Doctor’s era I could choose from such as The Pandorica Opens, Day of the Moon, The Rings of Akhaten, The Day of the Doctor, and The Time of the Doctor. In truth, picking between them is difficult as in each of these moments Matt Smith delivers a truly exceptional performance. These speeches became a vital part of Matt’s Doctor; and in retrospect are probably what he is known for. It defines who he is. Smith gives them all he has got: injecting raw emotion into already powerful words, having a profound effect on the viewer. However, the one that got to me the most was his farewell speech from the fabulous The Time of the Doctor, which I quoted above…

I remember the Eleventh Doctor saying: ”Don’t forget me.” One thing for sure Matt, we will never ever forget you, raggedy man! This was never more apparent than at the end of the Twelfth Doctor’s first episode where I felt (and I’m sure that a lot of you will agree with me) that this was Matt saying one final goodbye to his fans.

Personality

The Eleventh Doctor had a complex personality, often masking his true feelings by being bouncy and excited. If he doesn’t maintain this persona the weight of the universe will crash down around him; as seen following the loss of the Ponds in The Snowmen. Matt said something awhile back about if he carried on with the role the Doctor would have become even darker because he doesn’t like to see people age and he has lost all of the friends that he cared about the most. This would have been an excellent continuation of the characterisation he’d already been given, but alas it was never to be. Having said that, I do think this side of his character was especially evident during the war on Trenzalore.

Eleven is known for his deep childlike wonder of the universe and was captivated by the mystery surrounding his new companion Clara Oswald: the woman who died twice. What I loved most about his character was the variety: Matt was able to convey so many emotions and alternate between different personalities. He can be your confidante, best friend, someone you trust, but he can turn on his enemies in a flash. You wouldn’t want to cross him when he’s angry, or on a warpath to save the people he loves (see A Good Man Goes to War). We also know he loves the simple things in life such as the fez, tweed jacket, bow ties, and of course fish fingers and custard. We also know that Earth is his favourite planet, it’s a place he can call home. Because of this I thought it was particularly nice that in the 50th Anniversary he found out that Gallifrey wasn’t destroyed after all, giving him his own home to search for.

Leaving Announcement

Matt Smith announced that he was leaving on the 1st June 2013. The news on his departure must’ve had us all in shock, and a lot us were heart broken.

”You know, when you gotta go, you gotta go, and Trenzalore calls.”

I think the Eleventh Doctor, throughout his travels, was always aware Trenzalore had to occur: it didn’t matter what else happened, he was always fated to end up there. In terms of the fans, we too were aware that Matt’s time as the Doctor had to end eventually, but that still doesn’t mean we were ready for it. The Name of the Doctor teased us with Trenzalore, in the future, as the place where his Tomb lay; meaning that no matter what he did he couldn’t change what was going to happen on the planet. He knew he was going to die, he knew he was on his last regeneration, and yet he still faced it head on with the bravery that was always a highlight of this incarnation. In The Time of the Doctor, Clara was able to save the Doctor, but to do so he had to regenerate, spelling the end of Matt’s Era. The Eleventh Doctor certainly experienced a range of emotions throughout his long life: from happiness to sorrow, Matt conveyed each perfectly until the very end. And I think it’s safe to say that we will never forget you, Matt Smith.

Conclusion

I hope that you enjoyed this reading article as much as I did writing it. I would love to take this chance to wish the man himself a happy birthday and express my hope to see him return to Doctor Who in the near future. All the best from Ireland and have a brilliant day, raggedy man…