Q&A: Matt Smith talks 'Who' tour, Xmas

Doctor Who is about to get IN YOUR GRILL! The upcoming arena tour will give fans a chance to catch a glimpse of Daleks, Cybermen, Weeping Angels and other nasties in the flesh! The show also includes a brand new story written by head honcho Steven Moffat, which promises to feature all the usual timey-wimey goings-on. We caught up with the main man himself, Matt Smith, to chat about the tour, the upcoming Christmas special and those Johnny Depp rumours...

How does it feel to be the face of an arena tour?
"It's a privilege. It feels rather marvellous. It's one of those lovely things that you only get to experience when you play The Doctor, I suppose."

You've filmed brand new video scenes for the tour. What can you tell us about them?
"Basically, it's all narrative-based. Within that, there's a character which I can't name, and The Doctor has a lot of interactions with him. Also, you've got all the monsters - the Daleks, the Cybermen, the Weeping Angels, the Silurians, the Judoon, the Ood, the vampires. Churchill makes an appearance. [So does] Liz Ten. All of that is woven into this one narrative structure. On top of that, [composer] Murray Gold's music has scored a lot of the live-action that's taking place on the stage."

You've also filmed some new scenes for the DVD release of the last series. Can you reveal anything about those?
"Without wishing to give too much away, because I want them to remain a surprise, I can tell you that Steven Moffat has written them and they're extra little scenes and skits. They're self-contained and they're just very funny. He's not bound by any narrative so he can just write really funny skits. I think they're a wonderful bonus."

In addition to filming the series, you're involved with things like The Proms and The Adventure Games. Did you realise what a big commitment the role would be when you took it on?
"People explained that to me when I took the role, but until you actually put in the hours to voice the games, voice the arena tour and all that stuff, you don't really realise just how much is involved. But they're good things to be involved in, because it's quality stuff. I like playing The Doctor, so it's no chore!"

How did it feel to be up on stage playing The Doctor in front of so many people for the Proms?
"That was one of the seminal moments of my career, I think. It was the Albert Hall! It's just something I'll never get to do again. Of course, you're playing to a crowd that wants you to do well. It's not like when you're doing a play and it's press night and you think 'Oh God, what on Earth are they going to write?'. The audience just wants you to be cool and Doctor-y. I loved it."

We've had Doctor Who proms, video games and arena tours. How else do you think the show could expand?
"We could probably get our own planet! What's good about the things that are happening now is it's making it interactive for people. As opposed to just watching, you can be part of the experience of Doctor Who. I think that's the really interesting thing. If we can place people in the middle of a story and make them part of that story, then I think that's really wonderful."

There are always rumours about a film...
"Yeah, I think a Doctor Who film would be great. They'd probably get Johnny Depp or someone though."

How did you feel when you heard the Johnny Depp rumour?
"I think it's quite a canny piece of casting, really. I'm sure he'd be very good!"

Are you excited about the upcoming Christmas special?
"Yeah, I think it's going to be brilliant. Steven's written a belter. The Doctor meets this old Christmas miser, played by Michael Gambon. He was just brilliant. Perfect for Doctor Who. What a Doctor he'd have made in his day! I always wanted to do a Christmas Who episode. It's a real milestone, so I'm very pleased to have got one in the can."

Do you feel more confident now you're approaching your second series?
"Yeah, I know what to expect a bit more now. The first week of my first series was just a blur. It was so mad. Hopefully now I can approach it in a more measured way and push the boundaries of this part somewhere new. I think I'll be better equipped to hit the ground running, because I felt I got better as the series went on last year."

Got your tickets for the tour? Looking forward to the Christmas special? Leave your comments below!