Why I’ll Miss Matt Smith
Guest contributor Liam Duke pays tribute to Matt Smith.
The day has come. That awful day when it was announced Matt Smith, the 11th Doctor, and my personal favourite, will be leaving Doctor Who. He’ll be leaving in the 2013 Christmas Special and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t upset. Matt is my favourite Doctor and will be hard to beat. Just as I think he’s showcased his best, it’s time to him to move on. Of course, we can’t expect him to stay forever and I respect him for wanting to try new things. We know Jenna-Louise Coleman will be in Series 8, so I wonder how she’ll react with the 12th Doctor? Wow, it feels weird writing that. By the year’s end we’ll have a 12th Doctor… Anyway, I’m here to pay my respects to Matt Smith and say why I’ll miss him when he leaves in six months.
First of all he took over from one of the most popular Doctors of all time, the 10th Doctor (David Tennant). He had some big shoes to fill and many people I know said they were going to stop watching the show. As soon as “The Eleventh Hour” aired it’s safe to say all of those people stayed glued to the screens as Matt Smith proved himself to be incredible, immediately settling into the role. He wowed fans and critics alike and completely won me over.
As Series 5 continued Matt Smith, that incredible man, made me stop missing David Tennant with his fantastic acting skills. His speech to young Amelia at the end of “The Big Bang” completely sold me on how incredible he was. He has gone on to bring some iconic speeches to life, including ones featured in “The Pandorica Opens”, “A Good Man Goes To War” and “The Rings of Akhaten”. He is one of my favourite actors at the moment and the way he steals the show in almost every episode is a testament to his wonderful acting ability. He inspired me to personally continue my drama work going as I intend to be an actor one day.
I’ll miss him also because of his passion for the show. He clearly loves the show and respects it, treating every episode with so much joy. He is also clearly fantastic to work with as all the cast and crew sing his praises. I’ll miss the joy and energy he brings to the show, seeing how much he enjoys it makes me enjoy it all the more.
He made the Doctor his own and showed how he can do comedy and tragedy so well; he always gets it so right. He has created a fantastic, loveable Doctor and has portrayed him perfectly; his performance in “The Name of the Doctor” was especially superb. I hope the 12th Doctor will bring as much joy, happiness and love to the show as Matt has done over the past four years.
Knowing the 11th Doctor only has two specials to go before he leaves us is a sad thought, but I’m happy in knowing Matt will bring the house down and break all our hearts as we see his face vanish in a flash of fiery light and become a new man. Who knows? He may return to our screens one day in another special; I honestly would love that.
I could go on forever about how much Matt has brought to the show, but I’ll finish by saying only a few things more…
Matt, I’ll miss you so much. Words cannot describe how much you’ve inspired me and became my favourite Doctor so quickly. I will always admire your incredible acting ability and your love of the show. I will continue to follow you as I know your future is bright; I can’t wait to see what amazing things await you. You deserve all the success you get. Thank you for making bow ties, fezzes and who knows how many other things cool. Thank you for making a nation fall in love with you. Thank you for looking after Amy, Rory, River and Clara. Thank you for making me love Doctor Who more than ever. Thank you, Matt Smith, for producing some fantastic episodes. I’ll treasure these last few months that you’re the Doctor and I hope to see you in that tweed again one day in the far future.
Good luck, Matt. Bow ties will always be cool and if I had to sum up how fun your era has been and say what your final line should be in one word, I’ll say this…
“Geronimo.”
