Like many people I was surprised when the BBC announced the actor who would succeed David Tennant as Doctor Who. Not only had I never heard of Matt Smith, but when he appeared on Doctor Who Confidential in his first interview, he looked decidedly peculiar. Having watched the programme since it was first broadcast, I thought his looks best suited him to portray an alien rather than a dignified if erratic Time Lord from Gallifrey. This is a view I am now happy to rescind.
Last night I managed to watch the first episode of BBC's new cop show Moses Jones having Sky Plussed (is this a verb?) it on Monday. This slow-moving but atmospheric show set among London's Ugandan community has Smith as side-kick to the eponymous hero. With a convincing London accent, Smith showed himself to be an adept and accomplished actor. It was the realism of his acting without dialogue that convinced me that he would bring something of value to the legendary role of the Doctor. Of course, there are some four special episodes with David Tennant yet to be broadcast during 2009, to which I look forward with great pleasure.
Just one final comment for the BBC producers: why not bring back Paul McGann for a few special episodes of the eighth Doctor? He did a terrific job in the one-off movie, and it was always a shame that he did not do more shows. Time to dematerialise...
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