It's been a busy year for the distractingly handsome Matt Smith
It's been a busy year for the distractingly handsome Matt Smith. So busy in fact that when we catch up with him a day after filming has completed on the Doctor Who Christmas special, he lets out a cracking yawn. Not that we're dull company, you understand.
"We were doing nights," he explains of their shooting schedule. "It's like having permanent jetlag. Quite a tough shoot. I think it's looking really good though. It's looking quite strong." Considering the BBC covered a forest in fake snow during the well documented Indian summer (ie it was very hot) and then filled huge studios with real Christmas trees, we'd have to agree – it is looking quite strong. This year's special – traditionally one of the most-watched programmes at Christmas – is a Narnia-esque tale where people travel through a mysterious gift into a festive, yet dangerous world. Guest stars include Claire Skinner, Bill Bailey and Arabella Weir, so how has it been without his regular assistants?
"I think that Doctor Who would always survive any transition of Doctor and companion, but I had a really wonderful time on the Christmas special. It was a wonderful cast but I always miss Karen and Arthur because I like having them around. Me, Matt misses them," he pats his chest to enforce his point, "and I think the Doctor misses them too. Which I think this episode touches on slightly." Fiddling with his hair, he stretches out, unfazed at exposing his stomach when his faded Beastie Boys t-shirt rises up. He either realises its nothing we haven't seen before, or more likely doesn't give it a second thought. "There's no show quite like Doctor Who. I always come back and go 'nothing's really ever as good as making this'. Because after month eight on this show you're just so tired," he says, flopping forward sending hair crashing down, "but when it's Christmas – and the sets are so brilliant at Christmas, I don't know why, maybe they spend more money on it, I've no idea. There's great scale to it."
Is it hard to get into a Christmas frame of mind so early in the year?
"It does it for you really, because of all the snow. And also the pine trees! Just having the smell of Christmassy pine trees is lovely."
Does the Doctor believe in Christmas?
"Yeah, he definitely believes in Christmas. I think it's the day you catch him on fire really. It's sort of like 'what's not to love about Christmas' and he invests in it."
And what about Matt himself, where does he stand on all things festive?
"Yes, I love Christmas, I can't wait." He motions at the elaborate rings on his fingers when we ask what he'd like to find under the tree. "I think I want some more jewellery... I'm not very good at asking for presents, at being specific. I think because it involves making a decision and I'm just not very good at making decisions."
That's the kind of question parents ask in September, isn't it?
"Yeah, I need to know NOW! I'm genuinely getting to the stage where I like it about being with the family and stuff. That's kind of why I like Christmas. But it's funny, isn't it, I don't know if you find it but the older you get do you like giving presents as much as you like getting them? You start to enjoy going 'look at what I've bought you'. Yay! It's a completely selfish and vain thing I suppose..."
When he's not in a giant hangar in Cardiff filming the world's biggest science fiction show, he's been getting blisters on his fingers creating the role of British rower Bert Bushnell in Bert and Dickie. It's an eagerly awaited film for 2012, following the critical response to Christopher and His Kind (the movie about gay writer Christopher Isherwood, which finally aired earlier in 2011).
Mention of Isherwood sees talk turn to his second GT cover – following his debut as the Doctor, and gracing our magazine in full costume, he later came back in nowt but a pair of vintage trunks for Christopher and His Kind.
"Me getting upstaged by Doug Booth!" he laughs. "He's a handsome specimen isn't he? He's quite something. Cool photo though I think, that."
He says he's back filming Who in February – twisted wordplay means now everyone seems to think he's leaving.
"I mean I know I'll shoot 14, which will be a Christmas special and 13 episodes," he says, confirming that which is signed and sealed. Still exciting though?
"But it is," he enthuses. "Even the titles of episodes you sort of go 'wow, that's cool', and they're just..." he trails off. "Episode four of next year, I'm really excited about it..."
Hearing him say that after nine months of shooting...
"Hearing Steven [Moffat, head writer] talk about it, just knowing that you have Doctor Who to look forward to... You know, I'm newer to it than you are. For me, I've become a fan, you become a fan of things, just classic things. Classic monsters and stuff. And to hear about different monsters that they're thinking of introducing, you go, 'oh wow, that's so exciting, that could be amazing'."
Wait. Did he say introducing or reintroducing?
"I said introducing. But maybe I'm just clever with my words," he says with a cheeky look.
Finally, as it's our naked issue, we can't help but mention – obviously – that Matt's stripped down to a toga in a recent episode, as well as being nude in another. Does he think as the show progress his Doctor might wear less clothes?
"I hope so. Hopefully when we talk about the 500th edition of Gay Times there'll be a reference to me having stripped in Doctor Who. I guess so. I don't know actually, when am I naked in episode one?"
We explain that it's in the opening moments of the first episode, when the Doctor is immortalised as a naked painting (now available from all good shops).
"Oh of course! I thought that they were very generous in my painting actually..."
Doctor Who is on BBC One, Christmas Day
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