10 things you didn’t know about Matt Smith

With Matt Smith now confirmed as the new Doctor Who, what do we know about David Tennant’s replacement? Let’s take a look…

1. He’s the youngest Doctor Who ever, aged just 26. Peter Davison, the previous youngest Doctor, was 29 when he took on the role.

2.Smith wasn’t one of the bookies’ considerations for the role. Paterson Joseph and David Morrissey have long been the bookies’ favourites. Smith wasn’t even in the last list of odds published by William Hill, although he did casually pop up in the BBC website’s list of runners and riders…

3. Smith originally planned to be a professional footballer, before his career was cut short by a back injury. Hence, he went off to study drama instead and embarked on an acting career. He didn’t go to drama school, though, instead going to the University of East Anglia to study Drama and Creative Writing. 

4. Smith has a growing theatre pedigree. He has appeared in the West Wnd in Alan Bennett’s The History Boys, and also alongside Christian Slater in Swimming With Sharks. His work has previously attracted Olivier award recognition.

5. He made his television debut in The Ruby In the Smoke back in 2006, based on the Philip Pullman book.

6. He’s appeared three times alongside Billie Piper. Firstly, in the aforementioned The Ruby In The Smoke, then The Shadow In The North. He then also popped up in an episode of Secret Diary Of A Call Girl.

7. He had a brief film appearance in 2008’s In Bruges, and had also appeared in lesser known films Falling and Gotham, IL

8. Perhaps his highest profile television work to date was in the BBC Two programme Party Animals, where he appeared in the role of a parliamentary researcher. That was back in 2007.

9. Smith had to go through an audition process to get the role. New BBC Wales Head of Drama Piers Wenger said that he knew they’d got their man when he saw Smith’s audition. It all sounds a bit PR-y to us, but that’s their line.

10. Smith won’t actually be seen as Doctor Who until 2010. David Tennant will be finishing his specials off first, and then Smith will be in the role from season five in Spring of 2010. He has had no appearance or link with the show before.

And also…

11.He’s the first new Doctor Who to be revealed on an overblown instalment of Doctor Who Confidential. Was it just us that felt they were spinning that out as if they’d been on X-Factor pills?

See? You feel like you know the man now, don’t you?