Biografie

He is well-known to co-stars for being extremely clumsy. Producers have even taken bets on how long it will take him to break props.

He was the one who insisted on the Doctor wearing his trademark bow tie.

Before being cast as the Doctor, he auditioned for the part of John Watson on Sherlock (2010)' but was rejected for being too eccentric. Steven Moffat claimed that Smith would have been a good Sherlock if Benedict Cumberbatch had not been cast already.

At 26, he was the youngest actor to be cast as the Doctor in the long-running science fiction series Doctor Who (2005). The youngest had previously been Peter Davison, who was 29 when he was cast in Doctor Who (1963) in 1981.

When he found out Jodie Whittaker had been cast as the first female Doctor, he called her up and sang the entire Doctor Who (2005) theme into her voice mail.

[on his knowledge of past Doctor Who (2005)):] I'm very aware of the rich history of Chris [Christopher Eccleston] and David [David Tennant], and I've gone back and watched a lot of those episodes. And the previous history? I have to be honest, I can't claim to have watched the show in its entirety or have been a follower as avidly as some people are - and that's what I'm realising, that people love this show, people are avid, avid fans of it, and know it, and know its history and are part of it. I can't claim to know it as well as that, but I'm going to make it my business to do so, and fall into it in as much depth as I possibly can. [February 2009]

[on being the youngest actor to play The Doctor] I think the whole issue of me being the youngest has worked in my favour. I think there's an interesting contradiction of having a young face and an old soul. There's something funny about it, and it also allows you to reinvent being old. It's interesting because, when I first took the part on, obviously there was a bone of contention for some of the diehard fans.

As a character, the Doctor is excited and fascinated by the tiniest of things. By everything. By every single thing. That's what's wonderful about him as a character. It's why children like him, I think. Because he doesn't dismiss anything. He's not cynical. He's open to every single facet of the universe.

[on why he had no intention to become the longest serving Doctor Who] Tom Baker did it for seven years but he did it in different circumstances. I couldn't do this for seven years. I'd be run into the ground.

What struck me about Lis [Elisabeth Sladen] was her grace. She welcomed me, educated me, and delighted me with her tales and adventures on Doctor Who. And she also seemed to have a quality of youth that not many people retain as they go through life. Her grace and kindness will stay with me because she had such qualities in abundance and shared them freely... I will miss her, as will the world of Doctor Who and all the Doctors that had the good pleasure to work with Lis Sladen and travel the universe with Sarah Jane.