Leave it to Steven Moffat and crew to pick the unexpected. After months of speculation, with a bevy of names mentioned (including former companions Billie Piper and Catherine Tate), the crew picked the relatively unknown Matt Smith for the show's top post. Here's what the BBC has to say.
Smith is the youngest Doctor ever -- at 26, he's three years younger than Peter Davison when he first took the role -- but does come with a body of work, including turns with Piper (in a pair of Phillip Pullman adaptations) and on stage, where he has picked up excellent notices in a number of works. Still, he's not been on my radar, so impressions of his acting will have to wait.
Moffat gave some clues as to where the character may go: "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."
Hmm, athletic (Smith wanted to a professional footballer), young and rocking an emo haircut? I venture to guess that romance isn't going away from the TARDIS anytime soon.
