13 Earth-Shattering Doctor Who Moments From The Last 10 Years

7. Youngest. Doctor. Ever.

Fans were still recovering from the bombshells of 2008 but the show started as it meant to go on by kicking off 2009 with another almighty bang when it was announced that Matt Smith would be taking over the TARDIS as the eleventh incarnation of the show's titular Time Lord. It was a shock to say the least - not only because the preceding rumoured shortlist had been dominated by much older actors who were already well established in the universe and here fans were looking at a relatively unknown. As such, when his casting was revealed as part of a special Doctor Who Confidential - a first for the show - it didn't lake long for the press to pick up on the fact that, aged 26, he was the youngest actor to be given the coveted role. His age pretty much dominated the discussions until he made his official on screen debut, just over a year later in The Eleventh Hour, and it's safe to say that he managed to prove everyone (well, most people) wrong. He might have been the youngest Doctor but he was still just as "ancient and forever" as his predecessors and for some his portrayal of the Time Lord was as alien as he's ever been. He had us at 'fish fingers and custard'.