Doctor Who devotees are convinced Matt Smith’s Eleventh Doctor has a hidden cameo in the show’s final 60th anniversary special, “The Giggle.”
Matt Smith first appeared as the Eleventh Doctor in the final scene of 2010’s “The End of Time (Part 2).” He subsequently headlined Doctor Who Series 5 to 7.
Smith’s tenure also included 2013’s Doctor Who 50th anniversary special, “The Day of the Doctor,” which saw him team up with David Tennant’s Tenth Doctor and John Hurt’s War Doctor.
Many fans were hoping Smith would show up as the Eleventh Doctor in this year’s trio of 60th anniversary specials, however, that didn’t pan out – or did it?
Doctor Who fans ‘spot’ Matt Smith in The Giggle
It depends on who you ask, as the Doctor Who fanbase is currently debating whether Smith’s likeness briefly appears on screen in “The Giggle” on X.
The alleged nod to the Eleventh Doctor comes during the scene in which the Fourteenth Doctor (Tennant) and the Toymaker (Neil Patrick Harris) play cards. Here, the Toymaker flips his card to reveal a king who – according to some fans – resembles Smith.
“[A]ll of the ‘Matt Smith is totally, secretly in this episode’ [hype] was right!!” declared one X user. “I mean he is technically the 13th doctor soooo it works,” added another. “I had to pause and explain to my friends why this took me so f**king aback,” chimed in a third.
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Other fans weren’t convinced, though. Instead, they argued that the Toymaker’s card was actually a self-portrait modeled on either Harris or original Toymaker actor Michael Gough.
“Well it certainly looks like [Smith], but it’s the Toymaker,” opined one commentator, summing up this camp’s argument. “That’s why he can add the pun ‘I am the king.'”
The Giggle introduces Doctor Who’s new leading man
While Smith’s inclusion in “The Giggle” remains unconfirmed for now, one thing is clear: his most recent Doctor Who successor is officially here. Ncuti Gatwa’s Fifteenth Doctor makes his long-awaited debut in the final 60th anniversary special via a series-first bigeneration.
Gatwa’s first full Doctor Who adventure is the upcoming Christmas special, “The Church on Ruby Road.” The special will pair him with Millie Gibson, who plays the Doctor’s new companion, Ruby Sunday.
Doctor Who: The Giggle is streaming on BBC iPlayer (UK & Ireland) and Disney+ (everywhere else) now. For the latest Doctor Who news and updates, check out Dexerto’s full coverage here.
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