Doctor Who: Make Way for the Eleventh Doctor
New Actor Steps Into the Pivotal Role
When BBC America presents the April 17 Season Five U.S. premiere of the BBC’s venerable science-fiction series Doctor Who, viewers will have a new actor playing a new Doctor who fights all manner of evil and weirdness with two new companions.
Not a single episode of the latest season has aired stateside, and already Matt Smith (The Street), the most recent actor to fill the signature title role, has made Doctor Who history. At 27, he’s the youngest person ever to play the era-defying Time Lord, besting the former record holder, the fifth doctor Peter Davison, by two whole years. Nice achievement.
Joining Smith in the roles of the Eleventh Doctor’s new companions are Karen Gillan (The Well) as adult orphan Amy Pond and Arthur Darvill (He Kills Coppers) as Amy’s boyfriend Rory Williams. Two are apparently better than one.
Season Five of the current version of Doctor Who opens with “The Eleventh Hour.” True to the title, the premiere focuses on the Doctor’s experiences immediately after he regenerates into his new incarnation. The episode also introduces Amy and her interesting backstory, which shows she met the Doctor long ago.
Sneak a peek at the fifth-season premiere below if you want to meet Doctor #11 and Amy in advance. The 67-minute installment bows at 9pm ET, preceded by the much-needed hourlong special “Who Is The Doctor?” at 8pm.
Doctor Who will air Saturdays on BBC America at 9pm ET
Karen Gillan and Matt Smith/Doctor Who photo courtesy of The BBC
