Wycombe based cameraman gives verdict on Matt Smith

12:38pm Tuesday 6th January 2009

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ONE of the cameramen on the first ever Doctor Who says he thinks the BBC is taking a chance in recruiting 26-year-old actor Matt Smith to play the Time Lord.

John Smithson, who lives in Green Hill, High Wycombe, was one of the cameramen on the first ever episode of the sci-fi series in , gave the Bucks Free Press his views on the eleventh Doctor.

He said: “The BBC is taking a calculated chance. The question is can they arrange the scripts so they can transport him to a parallel universe and replace him if it all goes wrong?

“People seem to be quite pleased with the format, it has always been a great idea, getting into a phone box and getting out in another universe.

“The BBC is quite good at fantasy land without letting it get silly, but it will be interesting to see if they can take on a 26-year-old playing a 900-year-old Time Lord.”

As a relative unknown Matt Smith was a surprise choice for the role, replacing current Doctor David Tennant, having only done a handful of TV acting jobs before.

Mr Smithson, who is now the president of the High Wycombe Film Society, admitted he never expected the show, which is one of the most popular on British television, to take off.

He said: “On the first shoot one of the producers said to me 'If we get this right this show could go on forever'.

“I thought 'Yeah we'll see', but here we are more than 40 years later and it's more popular than ever.”

He continued: “I have to admit I don't watch the show religiously, as I'm not a big fan of the fantasy stuff.

“However I have a granddaughter in the Netherlands who loves it.”

The first episodes featuring Matt Smith as the Doctor are set to be screened in Spring 2010.

What do you think of the new Doctor? Leave your comments below.