Matt Smith burst onto the scene as the 11th Doctor in 2010, fresh faced and bumbling, delighted by odd hats, bow ties, and fish fingers dipped in custard. But he left last Christmas as the Eleventh (or Twelfth, Thirteenth?) Doctor, after a rollercoaster ride that ended with the faintly incomprehensible Time of the Doctor on December 25. Following David Tennant the most popular Doctor of all time, according to a recent BBC poll was a difficult task, but Smith handled it with aplomb. From his whiling dervish entrance to his charming inability to pass up a fez, he quickly established himself as the funniest and most endearing Time Lord to step inside the old blue box. But for all Smith's youthful energy and childish quirks, it was his innate ability to shed the ridiculousness and own the stage with a heartrending monologue that established him as the finest actor to regenerate into our lives. With Peter Capaldi set to open series eight later this year, here are ten epic Matt Smith moments that the new Doc won't be able to top.
Mike Revell is the author of STONEBIRD (Quercus, 2015), and is an award-winning journalist. He has written for the Mirror and NFL UK. He lives near Cambridge, and has an unhealthy obsession with American football, Doctor Who, and Game of Thrones.
