Matt Smith

26-year-old Matt Smith has been named as the next Doctor. He will take over from the departing David Tennant, who will begin filming the first of his final 4 specials later this month. Filming for the next full season; the fifth, of Doctor Who is expected to commence in the summer.

Smith, who becomes the youngest actor ever to portray the Doctor, got his big break in the 2006 adaptation of Philip Pullman's The Ruby in the Smoke, it's follow-up, The Shadow in the North, and in The Secret Diary of a Call Girl. He also played a leading role in BBC Two's political drama Party Animals.

He has also appeared on stage in the West End opposite Christian Slater in Swimming With Sharks. He has also appeared on stage in Fresh Kills, On the Shore of the Wide World and portrayed Lockwood in Alan Bennett's The History Boys.