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The Geek Inherits the Universe

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50th anniversary special
23 November 2013
2013-11-23 Radio Times cover.jpg
Radio Times anniversary specials
10th (1973) | 20th (1983) | 30th (1993) | 40th (2003) | 50th (2013) | 60th (2023)

2013-11-23 Radio Times p50.jpg

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MATT SMITH

Years 2010-13

Episodes 44 (including this year's Christmas special)

Who is he? Born in Northampton, 1982. In 2007 Smith won the Evening Standard Theatre Award for outstanding newcomer. After BBC2's Party Animals, aged 26, he became the youngest actor cast as the Doctor. He's soon to star in a musical version of American Psycho, opening in December at London's Almeida Theatre.

Doctor profile Geeky persona and elastic limbs hide an ancient spirit.

Key companion Amy (Karen Gillan), the little girl who waited.

Ultimate foe The Weeping Angels who separated him from Amy and Rory. Age now 31

SWEET, GEEKY, CHARMING and eccentric," was RT reader Perry Thomas's verdict on the new Doctor in our mailbag three years ago, continuing: "His tumbling fingers and bow-legged gait remind me of a cross between James Stewart and Patrick Troughton." Matt Smith told RTlast Christmas of other influences, too. "When I started, I watched loads of Some Mothers Do Ave 'Em, Peter Sellers and Blackadder - and somewhere betwixt the three lies my Doctor."

He admitted he was aiming for "geek chic", and almost overnight his Doctor made bow ties cool. For him, "the coolest thing" was being spotted in the street by children. "They'll see you and suddenly there's a silence and then, 'Whoa! You're Doctor Who. Are you real?" He enjoyed other perks of the job: "I travelled first class on a plane. Performed at the Albert Hall. Went on stage at Glastonbury [with Orbital]. It's the closest I'll ever get to being a rock star."

Despite being suddenly cool, Smith denied that his new-found Time Lordly fogeyness bestowed sex appeal. He left that to Karen Gillan, who played Amy. Gillan told RT that, thanks to Doctor Who, "I've turned into a real sci-fi geek." Rory (Arthur Darvill) was fully qualified on that score, too.

Smith has clearly loved playing the fogeyish Time Lord, but cooler projects await. This year he was invited to the USA to make How to Catch a Monster, a film directed by Ryan Gosling. It doesn't get cooler than that.


Battle of the bow ties

The Doctor may have single-handedly brought back bow ties, but producer Steven Moffat was not a believer - at least not to begin with. "Matt [Smith] said, 'I should be a boffin, I think I need to go with the bow tie,' and I said, 'No, absolutely not, you're not wearing a bow tie - that's a cartoon idea of what Doctor Who is... Oh, you are going to wear a bow tie - you look incredible in it." Sales of bow ties went up and the 11th Doctor's jacket, modelled below by Karen Gillan (who played Amy), did wonders for the tweed industry.

Of course, there is a long history of the Time Lord being a trendsetter - David Tennant's pinstripe suit and Converse trainers (inspired by an outfit worn on Parkinson by chef Jamie Oliver) became a hit with viewers, while Jon Pertwee's dandy designs summed up the early 70s.

And, for a whole generation, nothing says Doctor Who more than the 12ft scarf worn by Tom Baker's Doctor - and on occasion by Romana (Lalla Ward, below right). Must-see moment

THE PANDORICA OPENS (2010)

In a hugely exciting triple cliffhanger, River is trapped inside an exploding Tardis; an Auton duplicate of Rory shoots Amy dead and all the Doctor's enemies - Daleks, Cybermen, Sontarans, Silurians - form an alliance to imprison him in the Pandorica. Get out of that...


PICTURES FROM THE RT ARCHIVE

PHOTOGRAPHERS INCLUDE ALLAN BALLARD, MARC BRYAN BROWN, ANDY EARL RIC GEMMELL, DAN GOLDSMITH, MARK HARRISON, MATT HOLYOAK, PETER HOWE, MIKE LAWN, IAN McKINNELL, RAY RATHBORNE, CHRIS RIDLEY AND DON SMITH

OTHER CREDITS ALLSTAR, BBC, BONHAMS, FABIO DE PAOLA/EYEVINE, GETTY, JOHN FROST NEWSPAPERS, MIRRORPIX, PA, REX FEATURES


Where would you take the Tardis?

Matt Smith would opt for the 1966 World Cup, while David Tennant's choice is an early Beatles concert. But where would you go?

We asked readers...

"I'd visit the early 19th century and ask Jane Austen what she thought of Colin Firth in his wet shirt in Pride & Prejudice!" Margaret Cowling, Cambridge

"I'd go back to January 1976, when Viking 1 was due to land on Mars. I'd place a replica Tardis key for them to discover, just to confuse them!"

Sky at Night's Jon Culshaw

"1813 - I'd get Beethoven some therapy that would enable him to do much more composing." Bryn Hughes, Wrexham

"I'd go back to the Trojan War to find out if Helen existed. (The Doctor, don't forget, gave the Greeks the idea of the Wooden Horse - William Hartnell, that is, who was the Doctor for my generation!)" Historian Michael Wood

"London in the 1960s. I was there, I know it was good." Broadcaster Joan Bakewell

"I'd use the Tardis to hang out with our Stone Age ancestors. Could we persuade them to set the human journey on a slightly different course?" Historian Bettany Hughes

"Back to 23 November 1963 to watch the first episode of Doctor Who... and then I'd alert the BBC to preserve all its future recordings!" Dominic May, Harpenden


SITTING PRETTY

When Elisabeth Sladen was revealed as new companion Sarah in 1973, she posed at BBC TV Centre; RT copied the idea for Clara (Jenna Louise Coleman) in 2012 — Clara was Sladen's middle name

Disclaimer: These citations are created on-the-fly using primitive parsing techniques. You should double-check all citations. Send feedback to whovian@cuttingsarchive.org

  • APA 6th ed.: (2013-11-23). The Geek Inherits the Universe. Radio Times p. 50.
  • MLA 7th ed.: "The Geek Inherits the Universe." Radio Times [add city] 2013-11-23, 50. Print.
  • Chicago 15th ed.: "The Geek Inherits the Universe." Radio Times, edition, sec., 2013-11-23
  • Turabian: "The Geek Inherits the Universe." Radio Times, 2013-11-23, section, 50 edition.
  • Wikipedia (this article): <ref>{{cite news| title=The Geek Inherits the Universe | url=http://cuttingsarchive.org/index.php/The_Geek_Inherits_the_Universe | work=Radio Times | pages=50 | date=2013-11-23 | via=Doctor Who Cuttings Archive | accessdate=28 March 2025 }}</ref>
  • Wikipedia (this page): <ref>{{cite web | title=The Geek Inherits the Universe | url=http://cuttingsarchive.org/index.php/The_Geek_Inherits_the_Universe | work=Doctor Who Cuttings Archive | accessdate=28 March 2025}}</ref>


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