Matt Smith Regenerating in Next Series

[Nerys Myk]

I don't think Matt Smith has attained anywhere Tennant's popularity and if anything IMO he's pretty bland. He was in The Ruby In The Smoke and I didn't even remember him.

And Tennant was in Harry Potter and I didnt remember him when he got Doctor Who.

 

[DWF]

I don't think Matt Smith has attained anywhere Tennant's popularity and if anything IMO he's pretty bland. He was in The Ruby In The Smoke and I didn't even remember him.

And Tennant was in Harry Potter and I didnt remember him when he got Doctor Who.

He was very memorable to me in GOF but then it did come out after he was cast as the Doctor.

 

[Nerys Myk]

I don't think Matt Smith has attained anywhere Tennant's popularity and if anything IMO he's pretty bland. He was in The Ruby In The Smoke and I didn't even remember him.

And Tennant was in Harry Potter and I didnt remember him when he got Doctor Who.

He was very memorable to me in GOF but then it did come out after he was cast as the Doctor.

The character stood out but I never made the connection until after I saw GOF again on DVD. Same with Robert (Diggory) Pattinson and Twilight. Took me a while to realise he was in that. Though I've only seen commercials for Twlight.

 

[Starkers]

I don't think Matt Smith has attained anywhere Tennant's popularity and if anything IMO he's pretty bland. He was in The Ruby In The Smoke and I didn't even remember him.

I went to see Doctor Who live in October, you wouldn't believe how many little kids (and some not so little kids) were dressed up as Eleven, or the reaction he got from the crowd when he appeared on screen.

Of all the things I can imagine people saying about Smith, bland's really not one of them. He doesn't eat the screen like Tennant did...but then I think that's a good thing!

 

[DWF]

I don't think Matt Smith has attained anywhere Tennant's popularity and if anything IMO he's pretty bland. He was in The Ruby In The Smoke and I didn't even remember him.

I went to see Doctor Who live in October, you wouldn't believe how many little kids (and some not so little kids) were dressed up as Eleven, or the reaction he got from the crowd when he appeared on screen.

Of all the things I can imagine people saying about Smith, bland's really not one of them. He doesn't eat the screen like Tennant did...but then I think that's a good thing!

The current Doctor always ends up being the most popular, but their popularity quickly fades as soon as there's a new Doctor.

 

[Satyrquaze]

I'm trying to figure out how a thread got this far with a title so misleading.

 

[The Borgified Corpse]

I also disagree with the OP's assertion that Matt is copying Tennant's Doctor. They're similar in so much as every Doctor is similar, but to me Matt's Doctor is much less 'human' than Tennant's. If there's an obvious influence for Matt's Doctor it's got to be Troughton.

I somewhat agree with the Troughton comparison, although I haven't quite been able to put my finger on why. In some ways, Matt Smith best reminds me of Tom Baker, particularly the way they both seem very alien and are frequently in the own worlds.

Meanwhile, I would say that all 3 modern Doctors--Eccleston, Tennant, & Smith--all have a very similar energy, though I think that maybe comes from the galvanized energy of the show itself. But where I think Tennant & Smith are very different, even opposites of each other is this: Tennant's Doctor is a loud lunatic because he's a hammy child who treats the entire universe as his audience. Smith's Doctor is a loud lunatic because he forgets anyone else is watching.

He was supposed to play himself but I think it's safe to say that Pertwee was a very humourous man. They joked so much on the set (apparently, Nicholas Courtney and Roger Delgado were also quite funny) that the producer told Pertwee once that he wished he'd take his work more seriously. (see "Return to Devil's End" for more)

Considering the dialogues full of witty and joking remarks, the costume deliberately chosen because it looked the most absurd and the weird car, I can't really comprehend people saying that Pertwee's Doctor was played in a serious and straight fashion, or even calling him the most serious and straight Doctor. Surely, Eccleston was a lot more serious as a character? But whatever, this is a subjective question and people will come to different conclusions. However, I would urge you to rewatch the show sometime.

Pertwee played the role in, if not always a serious manner, at least a subdued manner. His humor was more akin to James Bond quips than to the broad clowning that other Doctors are known for.

Eccleston could play dark but also had lots of moments of wide-eyed grinning and weirdness. "Air from my lungs" is a perfect example.

But for my money, when it comes to dark, serious Doctors, no one can play intense drama like Paul McGann. I'm not sure any of the other Doctors could have pulled off something like "Scherzo" or "The Natural History of Fear."

The team of Matt Smith, Karen Gillan and Arthur Darvill is the best team Doctor Who has seen in years. Loved Rose and Martha and Donna, and Sarah Jane and Leela ... the current grouping ranks right up there. I'm in no hurry for any of them to go.

When I read comments like "the Doctor has become the least interesting part of the show" I really have to ask what show they're watching, because I get the feeling maybe they sat on the remote and changed channel without realizing it. Matt Smith has done what I thought was impossible, and that's almost instantly attain the popularity level Tennant had. I had every confidence he would, but maybe after a year or so. Watch the rock-star treatment he gets at the Prom and at the Cardiff lighting ceremony. It's the same as Tennant got. And Karen Gillan is a treasure; I don't expect her to stay long because she's going to be following Carey Mulligan to movie stardom very soon. Arthur Darvill, meanwhile, went from being a character I initially rolled my eyes at as being Mickey 2.0 (at least the Mickey of "Rose", not the later "Children of Time" Mickey) to becoming Harry Sullivan 2.0 and that's not a bad thing at all.

Amen to that! And it's so gratifying to see someone else singing the praises of the criminally underrated Harry Sullivan!