Matt Smith Thanks Doctor Who Fans And Says Farewell In New Video
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While it probably shouldn’t have, the news that current Doctor Matt Smith was going to be leaving Doctor Who after the upcoming 50th anniversary special caught many fans by surprise. It makes sense though, really. He’s played the role for three seasons, the same length former Doctor David Tennant stuck with the role. And while Smith has his share of detractors, he’s also won over a lot of us who were initially skeptical about the too-young, goofy-looking Doctor with the bow tie. And it’s the 50th anniversary…what better time to take a bow and leave them wanting more before a new Doctor is introduced? So while we’ll still get one adventure with Smith in the 50th anniversary special, the actor took some time to post a new video online thanking his fellow cast, crew, and fans.
Smith cuts an odd figure, standing on a street in Detroit after a night shoot on Ryan Gosling’s upcoming directorial debut, How to Catch a Monster. Gone is the floppy hair we’re used to, replaced by a close-shaven pate that makes it look like the Doctor has either joined the military or embraced racism. And while the sentiments expressed in the video are undeniably sweet, the video of Smith standing in the street, showing his thanks through a series of hand-written messages, feels odd with nothing but the sound of Detroit traffic in the background. It’s obviously a tip of the hat to Bob Dylan’s video for “Subterranean Homesick Blues” (or possibly the movie Love Actually), but without any sort of musical accompaniment its just feels kind of awkward. Then again, I’m sure somebody on the Internet will splice some music under it in 3…2…1…
Thankfully Smith does finally speak up at the end of the video to offer his sincere thanks to the fans. It’s also kind of fun trying to guess who the various nicknames he uses refer to. Some are more obvious than others. “The Pen” and “The Scribe” both refer to Moffat, obviously, and I doubt any fans who watched the past season will have any trouble identifying the “impossible girl in the short red dress.” Also, based on his illustrations, Matt Smith apparently thinks all his fans are unibrowed vampires. I’m not sure what to think of that.
Smith will return to the TARDIS and the small screen for one last hurrah in the upcoming Doctor Who 50th anniversary special. Based on how the season finale left things, I have no doubt it’ll be a rousing good time, with Smith joined by the former Doctor/companion team of David Tennant and Billie Piper, not to mention John Hurt as…well, you know…
The special is set to premiere on November 23. The new Doctor — whoever it may be — will greet the world in this year’s Christmas special.
