Even that few minutes at the end did not inspire me.

Post regeneration scenes never seem to be good, after all remember how unimpressive DT was at the end of TPOTW.

Give the lad a chance. We always have this fear when a new Doctor appears, and we'll just have to wait and see.

Well its difficult to judge on 20secs - it did come across as being a manic version of a younger looking Tennant.

Best to give him a few full episodes!

Exactly.

It'll come down to the writing anyway, he's a good actor, give him decent stories and good lines and he *should* do a good job of it.

I will give him a chance but it seems silly giving the role to a mid 20's man, seems far too young

Why "fear the worst" now? A bit of an over-exaggerated reaction, surely?

I thought it was all over when William Hartnell regenerated as Patrick Troughton, only to find that it had got even better.

I was VERY underwhelmed with David Tennant's few seconds on screen after Christopher Eccolstone regenerated. But once the series started with him in the driver's seat, he proved me wrong.

Not only do we get a mere few seconds of him in the role, but clearly no-one has sat down and thought about how the new doctor is going to be as a character. You can deduce that from the fact that different writers are going to be making that change.

In fact, many actors require a few episodes to really bed in to the part and then become great. Heck, look at someone like Patrick Stewart, as Jean-Luc Picard, on Star Trek: The Next Generation. It was probably a year before he really fitted into the role and then he became spectacular. When you consider things like that, it's hard to honestly make a judgement based on a 20-second sequence.

He definately deserves one whole episode and preferably deserves the whole next series, before we start passing an honest judgement.

Frankly, you aren't really giving him a chance, because just starting this thread shows a certian mindset.

I thought he came across better than Tennant did in POTW by a long chalk, and the series 5 trailer was brilliant.

Not much younger than Peter Davison.

If you watched confidential, you would have seen the amount of pressure on him for that scene. The studio was emptied of lots and lots of people trying to see it (even Timothy Dalton!), but then Matt Smith had to walk through everyone who had been kicked out to get there! I can't wait for Series Five

I noticed that his voice and manner were TOO MUCH like DT. I wonder, if, as a younger actor, he can't help but be over awed by DT and re invent his portrayal?
? i guess i'm also saying - will MT be disctinctive enough? he has a tough act to follow in experienced actors like CE and DT.

He's a respected actor in his own right.

If his mannerisms were anything like DT's then that's down to the writing and the direction he's been given, nothing else.

I'm sure he'll be fine when he settles into character under Moffat's new regime.

But surely at the "moment" of regeneration, history shows that the new Doctor always apes the mannerisms of his predecessor?

Its a given, innit?

Which diehard Dr Who fans will surely understand and take in their stride?

Well I thought from the 30 seconds after the regeneration and the trailer I am really looking forward to Matt.

Exactly!

I presume they cast a younger actor so they can hang on to the younger mainstream audience (fan-boys&girls!) and be able to develop some sort of love interest with the delectable new companion (sorry can't remember her name without checking).

Give him a chance, he'll be ok. I think the days of the forty-fifty year old playing the lead for the doctor are long gone. It's all about marketability.

I love DT as the Dr, but i liked Matt once i saw him in Party Animals after it was annouced he was the new Dr, and i do think he would make a good Dr

At one time it seemed a given that the Doctor would appear younger with each regeneration but then Colin Baker and particularly McCoy messed that up.

Good points, guys. I will keep the faith in MT

As someone in their mid-20s this is something I'm finding difficult. The fact he's only three years older than me just feels more than wrong. I keep thinking back on School Reunion where David Tennant had that line about be "being so old now" - obviously I understand the Doctor is meant to be 900 odd years old but that was strange enough to match to the characters looks and manerisms when it was David Tennant and I think it's going to be even harder to accept with Matt Smith.

Totally take the point about marketability, but I don't necessarily think that the producers of the show are that confined or that rigid in their decision-making.

Thinking ahead, an older Doctor after DT and MS might be just whats called for to 'steady the boat' and link with the past.

It all depends whether the right actor - of whatever age, gender or race - is available at the right time.

I do think they need someone who'll do the role for a similar amount of time to DT as well, hopefully MS will be willing to do that.

Not many regenerations left, though i could see them getting around that if they needed to.

I have to admit I found his acting a bit 'camp' in those last few seconds after the regeneration scene, but the same could've been said of DT following his regeneration. I'm willing to give him a chance.