BBC Names New Doctor

LONDON, January 5: The
26-year-old British actor Matt Smith has been cast as the new Doctor on the
BBC's Doctor Who, replacing
David Tennant, who leaves the show at the end of this year.

Smith joins season five of
the iconic show, slated for launch in 2010. His first season will also feature
a new lead writer and executive producer, Steven Moffat, who takes over from
Russell T Davies.

Smith was revealed as the
new Doctor over the weekend on a special edition of Doctor Who Confidential on BBC One. "I'm just so excited about the
journey that is in front of me," Smith said. "It's a wonderful
privilege and challenge that I hope I will thrive on…. 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."

Moffat added: "The
Doctor is a very special part, and it takes a very special actor to play him.
You need to be old and young at the same time, a boffin and an action hero, a
cheeky schoolboy and the wise old man of the universe. As soon as Matt walked
through the door, and blew us away with a bold and brand new take on the Time
Lord, we knew we had our man. 2010 is a long time away but rest assured the
11th Doctor is coming—and the universe has never been so safe."

Beginning his career on
stage, Smith's TV work has included Phillip Pullman's period detective stories
on BBC One, The Ruby In The Smoke
and The Shadow In The North, as
well as BBC Two's Party Animals.
He also played a lead role in BBC One's The Street, and recently wrapped up work on BBC Two's Moses
Jones.

—By Mansha Daswani