After surprising the Doctor Who fandom (and upstaging Dan Harmon) by announcing he would be leaving the show at the end of this year, Matt Smith has released a thank you message for the show’s cast, crew, and fans.
A possibly sleep-deprived Smith (“it’s late and we’ve just finished a night shoot”) filmed the video in Detroit where he is currently working on the Ryan Gosling-directed How To Catch A Monster. Presumably Smith just watched Love Actually, because his video features word cards that give shout-outs to the crew, his castmates (Karen Gillan, Arthur Darvill, and Jenna Coleman), showrunner Steven “Moff” Moffatt, and the show’s dedicated fans.
Even without his signature floppy hairstyle, Smith delivers a heartfelt thank you to “Doctor Who land,” explaining, “What makes this job truly spectacular is the fans and the support from the fans. It’s truly unique and it’s meant a lot.”
Smith’s 11th Doctor will appear in the 50th Anniversary Special (alongside a Shakespearean actor named David Tennant most Doctor Who fans are not familiar with) before regenerating into a new incarnation in the 2013 Christmas Special. BBC insiders claim the new Doctor won't be announced until the fall. After watching this video, a lot of the show’s fans may be echoing the 10th Doctor’s parting words and wishing Smith could keep the bowtie on for just a little longer.