In a recent interview with VH1, current Doctor Who star Matthew Smith declared that he was going to quit the show after the next season. That’s a shame. I’ve come to really enjoy Smith’s 11th Doctor quite a lot. He had some fantastic episodes in Season 6, rivaling some of the best of 10th Doctor David Tennant’s work. I know my own plucky female companion hasn’t been as won over with Smith as I have, but his ‘Colonel Runaway’ monologue is quite possibly my favorite scene in the entirety of Doctor Who.

Matthew Smith will be missed.

Here’s a quote from the interview video:

“I’ve got another year of Doctor Who, but then I’m certainly going to come and give it a shot, come and hang out in LA.”

Apparently Smith wants to try his hand at Hollywood. More power to him, I say. Tennant went on to play Barty Crouch Jr. in one of the Harry Potter movies, and he was pretty creepy and fantastic in the role. So who knows what Matt Smith can accomplish, even with his weird Frankenstein face.

And that come-hither bow tie

I kid. I kid cause I love.

For those not in the know, the character of The Doctor is an alien who can regenerate and heal whenever his body is mortally wounded. But the regeneration gives him a new body, a new face and some new personality quirks. He maintains all of his memories and his mind, just the outer shell changes. Very convenient for a show that’s been on the air for 50 years and has gone through nearly a dozen different actors in the role.

Matthew Smith played the 11th regeneration of the Doctor. So his successor will be the 12th. The next season, Season 7, will be aired in 2012/2013. That means the regeneration into the 12th Doctor in 2013 will coincide with the show’s 50th anniversary. Neat.

If only this existed...