Once or twice, I heard of and was always fascinated by the idea of Doctor Who: an alien traveling through time and space battling injustice and observing history as we know it firsthand. I never managed to sit down to watch any episodes of it before I decided to sit and watch The Impossible Astronaut. I was a college freshman in America desperately trying to find my place when I came across a new friend who was a part of a Doctor Who fan club on campus. Flash forward to 24th April 2011 and I decided to finally sit down with some friends in the television lounge and give this Doctor Who a go, and enter Matt Smith as my Doctor. Before Smiths tenure as the last of the Time Lords, Doctor Who, which aired rather quietly on our public access television, had nothing more than a small cult following in America as well as many other countries around the world while remaining a staple of British television. In fact, Rose didnt premiere on BBC America until 2006, long after the transition between Christopher Eccleston and David Tennant. Same day airings in the United Kingdom and the United States didnt begin until quite recently either. However, the amount of press garnered by the news that The Impossible Astronaut, the premiere of Smiths second season would be filmed at Lake Silencio, Utah was astonishing albeit head scratching to say the very least. A relatively obscure British TV show in the eyes of Americans gaining this kind of momentum in the mainstream media meant that this was definitely worth taking a look. I sat and watched Impossible Astronaut completely confused by the plot (as most of us probably were in the beginning) but astonished by this amazing overgrown child who calls himself The Doctor. The first things I noticed about Smiths Doctor were his quirkiness, loyalty, wit and utter charm. I also noticed darker sides of him, most notably his awareness of mortality in the opening scenes before the Astronaut cuts him down at the lakeside (spoilers). The next day, the impact that the premiere had in my social circles as well as in my entire country was overwhelming. Anyone who was anyone watched the premiere and more than a few of us became instantly hooked, myself included, dying for the next six days to find out what became of the little girl in the spacesuit. With that, the Whoniverse expanded exponentially from relative obscurity to a worldwide phenomenon. Legions of Whovians came about by the millions as the longest running science fiction series of all time also became one of the most loved in the entire world. We watched in awe the adventures of the Madman with a Box, the Girl Who Waited, her faithful Centurion & the Impossible Girl galloping throughout space and time to lead a worldwide revolution against the Silence, fight and in turn aid pirates in distress, declare all out intergalactic war to rescue one of their own, take on an entire planet of insane Daleks among many other epic adventures while fans around the entire world, not just in Britain, came together through a common bond: their love for the Time Lord. What began as a childrens educational program in 1963 led to legions of fans gathering at conventions all over the world and spectacular performances such as the BBC Proms as well as the recent light show in Sydney, Australia. All of this began with Matt Smith and yet all good things must come to an end. The BBC announced this week that Matt Smiths role as the madman with a box will sadly come to an end on Christmas Day 2013.
The signs were all there from the start of the new midseason: new titles, new TARDIS, new companion; each previous regeneration was preceded by one or more of these changes. On top of that, Smith has never made his desire to move on from Doctor Who before too long a secret, a strategy that has been used by all but one Doctor: the incomparable Tom Baker with his legendary seven year run. He has also been quite vocal about his desire to try on Hollywood for size. The longevity of Doctor Who is largely owed to the concept of regeneration into a new Doctor when he is injured. Originally a cop out technique to keep the show going after the failing health of William Hartnell kept him from continuing the titular role, it also keeps the style of storytelling fresh with a distinct personality to each new Doctor, while they mostly retain some qualities of a past incarnation or two. One of the reasons that I consider it a blessing that I started with Matt Smith and hope others do as well is that he has qualities of most of his predecessors in some way shape or form. Smith possesses the First Doctors tendency to ramble (also a product of Hartnells failing health was his inability to remember lines so he improvised and rambled quite a bit), the childishness of the Second, Fourth & Tenth Doctors, the sophistication of the Fifth & Seventh Doctors, the temper of the Sixth Doctor, the list could go on and on. This is the very reason why Matt Smith will always be my Doctor. Some of you will agree, and some will undoubtedly disagree, and thats because each Doctor is like the rest of us: endowed with natural strengths and weaknesses. One thing I am certain of is that with this upcoming regeneration, because of the universal impact Smith left on the entire world of Who as we know it, number 12 (or 13 if you include John Hurt, which I wont quite yet) will have just as big of shoes to fill for Matt as his or her predecessor did for nearly universal fan favourite David. It is perfectly natural to feel sadness and disappointment over the departure of Matt Smith, but with the 50th anniversary fast approaching, let us not forget that Who is still going very strong today. When the late Sydney Newman helmed BBC Drama back in the 60s, I doubt anybody believed this childrens education program would turn into a cultural phenomenon spanning five decades. Earlier this afternoon, I listened to the I Am the Doctor sequence from the 2010 Proms at the Royal Albert Hall on my iPod, and I remembered watching the video on YouTube (if I could find it I would embed it). As the Judoon and the Cybermen among other adversaries of the Doctor marched through the crowd before Smiths epic Pandorica speech played over the big finish, the look of wonder on the childrens faces is indescribably beautiful. A look of wonder, of curiosity and of hope fills these childrens eyes as Elevens fearlessness against an entire fleet of warships inspires the next generation of Whovians for fifty more years to come. As long as that wondrous spirit remains intact, so will Doctor Who. Matt, if you are reading this, thank you. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for the last four years of adventures, especially the two years when I had the privilege of coming along for the ride. May you find success in all you do and everywhere you go from this day forward and I speak for all of us Whovians across the globe when I say we cant wait to see you again in November. Geronimo!