'Doctor Who' star: 'Matt Smith is magical'

Nicholas Briggs has praised Doctor Who star Matt Smith for his "magical" portrayal of the Time Lord.

Briggs, who provides the voices for many of Doctor Who's monsters, suggested that Smith's performances echo the whimsy that Patrick Troughton instilled in the second incarnation of The Doctor.

"My favourite Doctor is Patrick Troughton and Matt has drawn from Patrick quite a lot, because he's watched DVDs of his," he said, according to BANG Showbiz. "I think Patrick Troughton is the Doctor all the actors like, because it is just a great, great performance."

The actor continued: "I love the sort of anarchy in Matt's performance - I think it's quite magical actually. He has a charm, a kind of real charisma. He's not just sort of nuts and strange - he's nuts and charming. He's also fantastic to work with. He's a really nice bloke."

Like Troughton before him, Smith's 11th incarnation of The Doctor encountered both the Daleks and the Cybermen during his first full series in the role.

Doctor Who is expected to return for its sixth series this spring on BBC One in the UK and on BBC America in the US.