Is Matt Smith the One and Only 11th Doctor?

In the Doctor Who episodes “The Stolen Earth” and “Journey’s End”, David Tennant is shown regenerating into himself, something that had never happened before this moment. Over the previous 45 years, all other regenerations resulted in an entirely new appearance and personality. The unique situation this regeneration poses has created quite a divide among the viewers. Although many people believe that David Tennant should be considered the 10th and 11th Doctor, there are others who not only think that Matt Smith is the only 11th Doctor, but question if this is even an issue at all.

As stated earlier, according to the 1976 episode “The Deadly Assassin”, Time Lords are only able to regenerate twelve times. This limitation has serious implications for the future of the show, and means it is very important to know whether or not Matt Smith should be considered the 11th or 12th Doctor. Though the majority of viewers agree that this limitation is a set fact in the Doctor Who universe, there are those that think this is no longer applicable. The main thing fueling this line of thought comes from an episode of The Sarah Jane Adventures, a Doctor Who spin-off, where the Doctor as played by Matt Smith is asked how many times he can regenerate to which he replies, “507” (The Death of the Doctor). Many viewers take this to mean that either the 12 regeneration rule is no longer applicable, or it had been a limitation enforced by the Time Lords, who are now all dead. These are theories made up entirely by fans- they are not stated anywhere in the show itself, nor have the writers of the show confirmed them. That does not change the fact that Matt Smith’s Doctor does in fact say that the Doctor can regenerate 507 times, which would mean it really does not matter if David Tennant is the 11th Doctor as well as the 10th, leaving this entire argument pointless. However, these viewers are disregarding one of the most well-known facts about Matt Smith’s Doctor: “Rule one - The Doctor lies” (Let’s Kill Hitler). Unlike earlier Doctors, Matt Smith’s Doctor lies quite a bit, meaning nothing he says can really be taken as fact. Not only that, during an interview, Steven Moffat, the current show runner, was asked if he recognized the 12 regeneration rule, to which he simply says, “Yes” (Doctor Who Acknowledges Regeneration Limit). Clearly, the regeneration limit is still applicable, and therefore whether or not David Tennant is the 10th and 11th Doctor is still an important factor in the future of the show.

However, there is still the issue of those viewers who do acknowledge the 12 regeneration limit, but do not believe that David Tennant is the 10th and 11th Doctor. The main argument behind this is the fact that Matt Smith almost always referred to as the 11th Doctor. In the episode “The Name of the Doctor”, Clara says to Matt Smith, “You’re the Eleventh Doctor” (The Name of the Doctor). This makes it seem pretty clear that Matt Smith is the 11th Doctor, not David Tennant. Many people back this statement by saying the regeneration in “Journey’s End” was only a half-regeneration. This has resulted in many people referring to the Meta-Crisis Doctor as 10-2 or 10.5. However, once again these are all fan made theories, with no backing from the show itself or its creators. When Clara refers to Matt Smith as the 11th Doctor, she prefaces it by saying, “I saw all of you. Eleven faces all of them you. You’re the Eleventh Doctor” (The Name of the Doctor). By putting this quote into context, it becomes unclear whether Clara is saying Matt Smith is the 11th regeneration, or just the 11th face. David Tennant’s outward appearance never changed so whether he is the 11th Doctor or not, Matt Smith is undoubtedly the 11th face of the Doctor. Aside from this episode, the Doctor is never referred to by his number; any reference to Matt Smith being the 11th Doctor is made by spectators. Russell Davies, the writer and producer of Doctor Who at the time of “Journey’s End”, states that in the script the Doctor and the Meta-Crisis Doctor are referred to as “Doctor 1 and Doctor 2” (Journey’s End DVD commentary). Nowhere does he say that this regeneration was a half-regeneration making the Meta-Crisis Doctor 10.5, instead of a full Doctor. Catherine Tate, who plays Donna, even tells David Tennant at one point, “You’re the 11th Doctor” (Journey’s End DVD commentary). While not everyone giving the commentary completely agrees with this comment, none of them are entirely sure if the opposing view is right, either.

Many viewers automatically assume that Matt Smith is the 11th Doctor, but in reality there is very little legitimate support to back this claim.


Word Count: 807

Works Cited:

“Death of the Doctor: Part 2.” The Sarah Jane Adventures. BBC. October 25 2010. Televison.
“Journey’s End: DVD Commentary.” Doctor Who. BBC. 5 July 2008. Television.
“Let’s Kill Hitler.” Doctor Who. BBC. 27 August 2011. Television.
“The Name of the Doctor.” Doctor Who. BBC 18 May 2013. Television.
Harris, Jamie. "'Doctor Who's Steven Moffat Acknowledges Regeneration Limit." Digital Spy. N.p., 21 Aug. 2013. Web. 07 Nov. 2013. .

The Impact of Doctor Who on British Culture

November 23rd is the 50th anniversary of the first Doctor Who episode. After that many years, Doctor Who has left a clear mark on British culture. In 2012, the word “Whovian” was added to the Oxford Dictionary. A Whovian is “a fan of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who” (Whovian). Conversely, words like Whovian are nowhere to be found in any American dictionary. Doctor Who has become so engrained in British society that it has changed the nations’ vocabulary. This being said, the future of Doctor Who has a significantly greater impact on the British than the Americans. As previously discussed, the truth behind David Tennant’s “Journey’s End” regeneration could potentially decide how much longer the show will be able to continue. As Time Lords are only able to regenerate 12 times, if David Tennant did in fact use up one of those regenerations, the show is one step closer to having to end than many realize. The British take the idea of this show ending, and therefore this issue, much more seriously than many Americans are able to realize.

As Joachim Frenk explains, Doctor Who has become “part of British everyday life and popular consciousness rather than merely fictional characters…it is considered essential family viewing and reaches viewing figures of 9.8 million, or 47 percent of the total television audience, for a single episode” (81). Lynette Porter, the author of books such as The Doctor Who Franchise as well as many others, writes about the difference in the American viewer and the British viewer in her article “’Doctor Who’ and the Cultural Divide: Fandom in America”. She explains how in America, fans tend to come together in small groups, excited they have finally found someone with whom they can share their excitement. In the UK, however, “you can just do that at work” (Porter). Even Brits who are would not consider themselves fans band together and watch the yearly Christmas episode. “It’s just part of what you do. The Christmas special is part of the culture” (Porter).

While American fans are going to be rather devastated when the inevitable end comes, it will not impact them as drastically in their everyday lives. Holidays are not affected by the shows existence, nor are most conversations. It is only the fans that will one day see a difference when the day comes.

While there is not a distinct “British view” on the matter of David Tennant’s
“Journey’s End” regeneration, one thing is for sure: the Brits take the future of Doctor Who very seriously. As David Tennant’s “Journey’s End” regeneration has a significant impact on show’s future, it is a highly controversial to the majority of British people, fans of the show or not.

Word Count: 455

Works Cited:
Frenk, Joachim, and Christian Krug. The Cultures of James Bond. Trier: WVT, 2011. Print.
Porter, Lynette. "“Doctor Who” and the Cultural Divide: Fandom in America."Popmatters.com. PopMatters, 19 Jan. 2011. Web. 03 Nov. 2013. .
"Whovian". Oxford Dictionaries. Oxford University Press, n.d. Web. 03 November 2013. .