With Jodie Whittaker’s regeneration just around the corner in The Power of the Doctor, former Doctor Who star Matt Smith was recently asked how he feels looking back at his own regeneration in The Time of the Doctor.
Smith’s Eleventh Doctor bowed out in the show’s 2013 Christmas special, during which he fought against the Daleks and thousands of other alien invaders who were looking to attack the planet Trenzalore.
Asked at Motor City Comic Con whether he liked the ending his Doctor was given, Smith said: “Well, look, it’s always hard leaving that show because it’s such a wonderful part to leave.
“I knew I had to leave really but part of you goes, ‘Oh I could stay for a bit’. Regenerating is a tough… was it the best episode it could be? I dunno, maybe, maybe not.
“But I thought Steven [Moffat] wrote some really great stuff. And it was nice, I had Jenna [Coleman] and Karen [Gillan] there as the two companions and stuff so yeah – look, I was proud of the body of work up to that point. But I think everything can always be better.”
I get the vibe Matt Smith wasn’t very happy with Time of the Doctor as a story… pic.twitter.com/KwUWOBsu4l
— Bad Wolf Archives (@BadWolfArchives) October 19, 2022
With the series’ 60th anniversary in 2023 fast approaching, and David Tennant already announced as returning, Smith has previously said he would be up for coming back “if it was the right script”.
In an interview for his most current role in Game of Throne prequel series House of the Dragon, Smith said: “I mean, I don’t know if I’ve got too old now. It would have to be really right.”
Fans have certainly made it clear that they would like to see the Eleventh Doctor back on screen, with a poll earlier this year finding his the most sought after comeback for the 60th anniversary of the modern Doctors besides Tennant (whose return was already confirmed at the time of the poll taking place).
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