10 Doctor Who Scenes Where Actors Weren’t Acting

8. Matt And Tom Geek Out

Doctor Who Dinosaurs on a Spaceship
BBC Studios

50th anniversary special The Day of the Doctor had plenty of nods to the show's past, but few were as memorable (or as surprising) as this cameo from one of the all-time greats.

Right at the end of the episode, as Matt Smith's Eleventh Doctor is musing about one day retiring, he is joined by the familiar, wonderfully mad face of Tom Baker.

The Fourth Doctor actor appears as a mysterious future version of the Time Lord called the Curator. Or maybe he didn't, it's not 100% clear. It was just cool to see him, alright!

In their conversation, the Curator makes a thinly-veiled reference to his time as the show's lead character. He then seemingly congratulates Smith on taking over the role, to which the younger star replies with a sincere "thank you very much".

This wasn't in the script - Baker genuinely was saying well done to Smith for helming the show. The subsequent thanks and handshake were all 100% real.

It's an incredibly sweet moment - one worthy of such a grand episode.

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Jacob Simmons has a great many passions, including rock music, giving acclaimed films three-and-a-half stars, watching random clips from The Simpsons on YouTube at 3am, and writing about himself in the third person.