In January of 2009, the BBC announced that Matt Smith would be taking over the role of The Doctor from David Tennant on Doctor Who. This immediately caused every newspaper in the U.K. to squeal in glee as they were all able to use that “Doctor Who?” headline they had been sitting on for years. While clearly an unknown commodity at the time, Smith helped usher in the most successful era of the show in terms of international popularity. His second season (season 6) was the first to premiere in both the U.K. and the U.S. simultaneously.
Smith left the show in 2013 to pursue a film career, but for many fans, even despite the grouchy charm of Peter Capaldi in the role, he will always be The Doctor. So, lets take a quick spin in the TARDIS and go back to look at Matt Smith’s most iconic turns of phrase as the time lord.
“Geronimo!”
Nine had “Fantastic!” Ten had “Allons-y!” So, clearly Eleven needed his own word to repeat, ad nauseum. “Geronimo!” reveals a fearless attitude, a willingness to jump into a situation, consequences be damned. Which makes his dread towards visiting Trenzalore all the more palpable.
The Doctor: “No, wait, hang on. I know what I need. I need… I need… I need… fish fingers… and custard!”
After what had been arguably the most… dramatic regeneration of his lives, The Doctor and the TARDIS crash land in front of the home of Amy Pond. Cheating death by regenerating every cell in your body can take a lot out of a guy, so we can understand why he’s positively famished. The repast he eventually settles on would be recalled numerous times over Smith’s run on the show.
“Who da man?!”
No screwdriver. No TARDIS. Twenty minutes to save the world. “Who da man?” indeed.
“Hello. I’m The Doctor. Basically… run.”
For most heroes, helping capture a intergalactic fugitive before an alien race of giant eyeballs can turn the Earth into a cinder would be enough for one day. This is The Doctor we’re talking about. You don’t threaten his favorite planet with annihilation and then just leave without first getting a serious talking to.
The Doctor: “Didn’t anyone ever tell you? There’s one thing you never put in a trap. If you’re smart, if you value your continued existence, if you have any plans about seeing tomorrow, there’s one thing you never, ever put in a trap.”
Angel Bob: “And what would that be, sir?”
The Doctor: “Me.”
Eleven’s first encounter with River Song also coincides with his first conflict with the Weeping Angels. Summoned to the planet of Alfava Metraxis by River to help with a crashed starship, they soon find themselves trapped by an oncoming horde of Angels. They clearly believe they have the Doctor trapped… and they do. There’s just one thing you never put in a trap, however…
“Bow ties are cool.”
After spending the episode wearing the tattered remains of Ten’s suit and tie, Eleven finally gets to don an outfit that’s more his style. The Doctor: Snappy dresser? Or snappiest dresser?
“I. AM. TALKING!”
When The Doctor talks, everybody (and we do mean everybody) stops and listens.
Every foe of The Doctor’s has converged on Stonehenge to get their hands on the Pandorica. It’s a prison that supposedly contains the “most dangerous man in the Universe” and is such a legend that even The Doctor doesn’t believe it’s real. That doesn’t prevent him from getting there first, however, cutting off his enemies at the pass and delivering this brilliant speech.
It’s also a nice call-back to “The Idiot Lantern.”
“It’s a fez. I wear a fez now. Fezes are cool.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=obnblNruPiU
Always the fashion plate, that Doctor.
The fez has become almost as iconic a piece of Eleven’s outfit as the bow tie. Unlike the stetson (which, to be fair, is also cool), the fez appeared on The Doctor’s head in numerous other episodes — most notably in the 50th Anniversary Special, “The Day of The Doctor.”
“Hey, of course I’m okay. I’m always okay. I’m the king of okay. No, that’s a rubbish title. Forget that title.”
This particular scene perfect illustrates just how weird it can be to be a friend of The Doctor. His best friends just watched him get murdered by an astronaut that climbed out of a lake — only to find him alive and well hours later.
Another nice callback, this time to a moment between Tennant and Donna Noble (Catherine Tate) in “The Forrest of the Dead.”
The Doctor’s “Rings of Akhaten” speech
Brilliantly written, and perfectly delivered. A high point from Smith’s run on the show.
“The name I chose is ‘The Doctor.’ The name you choose is like a promise you make.”
The Doctor’s shame is revealed in the run-up to the 50th Anniversary Special. Serious Matt Smith is a little scary.
Amy: “I thought… Well, I started to think you were just a mad man with a box.”
The Doctor: “Amy Pond, there’s something you better understand about me ’cause it’s important and one day your life may depend on it: I am definitely a mad man with a box.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bHD0iTeJDgQ
If there’s one quote that sums up Eleven, this is it.
