Smith Greatest Doctor Who Ever?

[Rob McCow]

Digital Spy have been running a series of articles asking Who is the best Who!

I was interested in their Matt Smith article. There's a lot that I agree with in it, but does this make him the bestest Doctor Who ever?

On the face of it, Matt Smith should not work as the eleventh Doctor - 'He's too young!' they cried in January 2009 when a then-26-year-old Smith was unveiled to the world... clearly having learnt nothing from Peter Davison's time on the show...

Long before they were "cool", the bow tie, coupled with the tweed jacket, seemed a little try-hard too - like standard 'nutty professor' attire. The fact that it does work - that these disparate parts come together as a wonderful whole - is credit to Smith.

Replacing a leading man as monumentally popular as David Tennant would be a challenge for any actor - let alone an up-and-comer in his mid-20s with no real experience as a series lead and only a handful of UK TV credits to his name.

That we instantly accepted the eleventh Doctor is, again, credit to the power of Smith's performance - each of the 11 Doctors has their merits, but some understandably take a little while to hit their stride and pin down the specifics of their take on the Time Lord.

Matt Smith knocks it out of the park straight away - when he steps forward in 'The Eleventh Hour' and proclaims, 'I'm the Doctor' - you absolutely believe him, just as you were weeping for the loss of David Tennant one episode previous.

Heck, Smith is so good - so obviously a star - that he had me at 'Geronimo!'.

Unlike his predecessor, Smith was not a dyed-in-the-wool Doctor Who fan when he accepted the role of the Doctor - but just like Tennant, Matt now has a palpable enthusiasm for the show and its lead character.

It's a joy that you can see - than you can feel - every time he's on screen, any time he speaks about the show in interviews. Matt Smith isn't just the star of Doctor Who - he's also the show's greatest ambassador.

He's also arguably the first 'modern' Doctor with a 'classic' feel - Christopher Eccleston's moody ninth and Tennant's laddish tenth were absolutely necessary to respectively re-establish Doctor Who's credibility and then push it further into the mainstream than ever before.

Smith is mostly free of those pressures - Doctor Who is now an established hit and we all know exactly who the Doctor is.

In 2005, you couldn't have got away with portraying the Doctor as an awkward yet affable hero with a floppy fringe, a bow tie and a tweed jacket - but in 2013, in the show's 50th anniversary year, it feels absolutely right.

Taking on enough of what made his two immediate predecessors a hit, yet also channelling a more retro vibe and bringing his own unique style and talent to the role, Matt Smith could very well be the greatest Doctor of them all.

What is it about Matt Smith? I wouldn't describe him as an eccentric in the same way as Tom. Neither is he conventionally good-looking (for the laydeez) in the same way as David Tennant. But there's something about charming about him that meant he was totally convincing from... well, his first appearance in the Confidential Special!

[Jon Masters]

No.

That is all.

[Dino]

I suppose he's close, but I can't agree with the idea of "Greatest Doctor Ever". The show is still ongoing and all of them have brought something to the table.
And that's my final answer on it!

[SiHart]

I'm very fond of his Doctor. He's definitely one of my favourites.

[Stuart Wallis]

He's good, yes. Great? Well... IMHO it's also been a poor time for the series, which has rather distracted from his portrayal for me.

[Andrew Curnow]

I agree (I also agree with Rob's comment that he was good from that Confidential Show onwards, I loved him in that). For me, I think it's a shame that he's been largely saddled with arc-heavy tales - and it's maybe telling that my favourite 11th Doctor stories tend to be the standaloners: most of 7a, for example, and most especially 'Dinosaurs on a Spaceship'.

But I digress - is he the best ever Doctor? How can you say, really - it's hard (IMHO) to divorce the Doctor entirely from their stories. Colin is a great Doctor, but his (TV) era is not. Conversely, would Tom be as highly rated if he'd had Mark of the Rani and Timelash instead of Genesis of the Daleks and Talons?

For me, Matt's charm is an endearing clumsiness mixed with an enthusiasm, but with the resource of an intelligent, experienced old man. He's like Tom, when he's daft he's fun, when he's serious he's deadly, and we know to respond to the threat (or not) accordingly.

One thing I do feel, when Tennant announced he was going it felt right - he'd nailed it, consolidated the part, and made it his own. With Smith I feel that somehow he's just getting started, and although he seemed to be not always at the top of his game in 7b, I still feel there's a lot more to learn about his Doctor. But, alas, I guess it's now not to be.

[SpaceGandalf]

Mat smith has benefited massively from the fact the ship was being steered by Moffat, and the quality of production (cinematography, lighting, direction, sfx) have been so much better during his time.

The relationship between 11 and Amy, who he meets as a child, will be burnt into the consciousness of a generation, and he really will be their doctor.

The best ever? Capaldi is going to be even better