Doctor Who's Steven Moffat says Matt Smith wishes he were back on show – 15 years on from debut

The roles catapulted both to international stardom, with Smith currently starring in HBO's House of the Dragon, while Gillan has found success in Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy and Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson's Jumanji films.

Nevertheless, Smith told Moffat that, 15 years on from his debut, he still fantasises about returning to the set.

In a scene from the latest Doctor Who: Unleashed, which celebrates two decades of revived Who, Moffat tells the audience: "Today, as I sit here, is the 15th anniversary of when the 11th Doctor fell to Earth and ate fish custard."

He continues: "I WhatsApp'd Matt this morning saying it was 15 years, and he said, 'I wish I was on that set now'. See? You see, Matt? Don't leave."

Alas, Smith did just that in 2013's Christmas special The Time of the Doctor, which saw his Eleventh Doctor regenerate into Peter Capaldi's Twelfth. But the actor has only had positive things to say about his tenure in the years since.

In March 2022, on the press tour for Sony's Morbius, Smith was grilled on the prospect of returning as The Doctor, describing it as "the best part in the world" and "all part of the plan".

Later that year, Smith recalled: "I was very lucky that I got the opportunity to work with brilliant friends like Karen [Gillan], Arthur [Darvill] and Jenna [Coleman]. We had such great chemistry and we had such a great time making that show.

"I'm so proud, to this day, to be part of that world. There is a huge amount of pressure that comes with it, just as there is with House of the Dragon, but it's very rewarding."

That said, he did confess that becoming famous overnight after landing the role of the Doctor was "discombobulating", as he quickly had to get used to being recognised in public after years of relative anonymity.

The next Doctor may be returning star Billie Piper, who was featured at the end of a regeneration sequence in the season 15 finale, although some viewers have theorised that her shock return could mean something else entirely.

Doctor Who: Unleashed is available to stream on BBC iPlayer.

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