Top 10 Eleventh Doctor (Matt Smith) Moments

Following on from the Tenth Doctor, Matt Smith’s first episode had a lot to live up to – and boy, did it deliver. The story sees Eleven take on the Atraxi, before banishing them with a belting speech. But the most memorable scenes centre on the Doctor and Amy Pond, showing how, when and where they first met. A fateful moment for Smith’s incarnation, Amy’s Raggedy Man seems quirkier and a little more child-like than those before him – with truly individual tastes.

Not every alien invasion is a fast-paced or chaotic affair. And after the sudden (but seemingly civil) appearance of thousands of small, black cubes, everyone’s left scratching their heads. There’s a puzzle to be solved, but patience is needed to solve it – and that’s just not the Doctor’s style. This scene sees Smith let loose his comic credentials, as he wrestles with cabin fever after four days in one place. His cheeky, chirpy energy is exactly what sets him apart.

To a standout Matt Smith story, and an adventure alongside one of history’s most celebrated artists. Written by Richard Curtis, “Vincent and the Doctor” sees Van Gogh travel in the TARDIS, meeting the Doctor and Amy just weeks before his own suicide. But Amy’s devastated when the events of this episode fail to prevent a tragic but fixed point in time. Cue the Doctor at his most insightful and articulate. Smith’s a funny fellow a lot of the time, making moments like this even more poignant.

Of course, the Matt Smith era gave us two main companions; Amy and Clara. But Jenna Coleman’s “Doctor Who” debut saw her play Oswin, another incarnation of the soon-to-be-labelled ‘Impossible Girl’. However, here we see the proverbial penny drop, as Oswin and the Doctor realise that she’s not the human she thought she was – far from it. Cornered by a Dalek who was until this moment helping him, it’s a tight spot for Smith. But he and Oswin make amends mere seconds before extermination.

Neil Gaiman takes over writing duties here, exploring an integral but rarely examined relationship in the show; between the Doctor and the TARDIS. Suranne Jones won widespread critical acclaim for personifying the iconic police box, while Smith’s Doctor has never seemed quite so excitable. There’s a fair bit of fabulous bickering, but as with many Matt Smith storylines, it has an emotional ending – leaving the Doctor seeming lonelier than ever.

If bidding farewell to the TARDIS broke your heart, then this next scene surely had you in bits. A defining moment for Smith’s spell as a Time Lord, here’s when he suddenly loses Amy forever. The “Angels Take Manhattan” story seems to be all wrapped up, but then a rogue statue captures Rory, and Karen Gillan’s character has a gut-wrenching choice to make. Despite Eleven’s desperate attempts to persuade her otherwise, she follows her husband – and the Doctor is devastated all over again.

In fairness, this two-parter at the end of series five is stacked with memorable moments, but here’s where the action really gets started. We’re at Stonehenge in Ancient Roman Britain, and the Pandorica has brought a bunch of the Doctor’s enemies to orbit the Earth – but Eleven’s having none of it. With a steely and dramatic delivery, it’s one well-timed mic-drop away from being one of the most badass scenes in “Who” history. Come on, was Amy really going to forget this guy??

It’s not every day that even the Doctor seems none-the-wiser over what will happen next, but that’s what we get here. Season six begins and ends on Lake Silencio, and in this episode the unthinkable happens – Matt Smith gets shot by an unknown assailant before his body gets cremated on a burning boat. That’s it. All over. Regenerations won’t save him now. But, is he really dead? If he is, who killed him? And if he isn’t, how’d he escape? It’s those sneaky spoilers all over again!

The writers continually rejigged what we thought we knew about regeneration throughout Matt Smith’s tenure, but never more so than in his final scenes. “The Time of the Doctor” sees old age catch up with Eleven, as he stares down a Dalek siege, ready to meet his fate on Trenzalore. But then Clara puts in a good word with the Time Lords, and Smith’s left spinning his cane in victory. Of course, the rule-breaking doesn’t prevent his standard regeneration, but it does give him time to mount a majestic final address.

When it comes to epic speeches, no Doctor does it better. We finish with Eleven at the mercy of Akhaten, a parasitic planet which feeds off of memories and sentiment – and Smith’s well-stocked with both. Sure, this scene doesn’t quite defeat the demon, but it gives glorious, inspired insight into the Doctor’s monumental burden. He has seen friends, families and worlds disappear, but continues on his quest regardless. By baring his soul, he saves an entire system of planets. It’s all in a day’s work for the Doctor.