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"Matt Smith has set Doctor Who&amp;#039;s fans around the world abuzz with his announcement that he will be leaving the series at Christmas. The actor took over the role of The Doctor from David Tennant in 2010, and most recently wrapped up the seventh series with the shocking finale &amp;#039;The Name of The Doctor&amp;#039;.  Smith is due to appear with Tennant, Billie Piper, Jenna-Louise Coleman and John Hurt in Doctor Who&amp;#039;s 50th anniversary special, and then bid his farewell to the sci-fi series in the annual Christmas episode. Digital Spy presents a collection of Doctor Who&amp;#039;s former castmembers, writers and celebrity fans paying tribute to Smith&amp;#039;s tenure on the series. Thank you, Matt Smith. It was an honour and a delight to write scripts for you: you never did what I expected. bbc.co.uk/blogs/doctorwh\u2026 \u2014 Neil Gaiman (@neilhimself) June 1, 2013  To those kind people who have suggested I should return as the Doctor - thank you but DON&amp;#039;T BE SILLY!Be fun though.... \u2014 Colin Baker (@SawbonesHex) June 2, 2013  Desperately sorry to see Matt Smith go. A truly wonderful Doctor Who, a gifted actor &amp;amp; a lovely man. It&amp;#039;s the end. But ( altogether now!)... \u2014 Mark Gatiss (@Markgatiss) June 1, 2013  I&amp;#039;m sad that Matt Smith is leaving. I&amp;#039;ve loved his Doctor. I wish him and thank him for his time.:) \u2014 Nicola Bryant (@thenicolabryant) June 1, 2013  Anyway. End of an era. Start of a new one. It&amp;#039;s why we love the show- laughs, tears, surprises. Also: explosions! \u2014 James Moran (@jamesmoran) June 1, 2013  Very sad Matt Smith will depart from Doctor Who. A brilliant actor and a good man. \u2014 Gareth Roberts (@OldRoberts953) June 1, 2013  Farewell Matt Smith. A very very good Doctor. But it feels like the right time for him to leave. \u2014 Kumail Nanjiani (@kumailn) June 1, 2013  I am very sad to see Matt Smith leave. He has been a brilliant Doctor Who, as well as being a kind and generous man. Thanks from all at DWM. \u2014 Tom Spilsbury (@TomSpilsbury) June 1, 2013  It feels impossible to think that anyone could be as good as Matt. Still, I thought that when David left. \u2014 Edward Russell (@edwardrussell) June 1, 2013  Yes, Matt Smith is leaving Who and I will miss him but this is the nature of the show! nerdist.com/2013/06/breaki\u2026 #chinup #NoTearsNow \u2014 Chris Hardwick (@nerdist) June 1, 2013  Oh, Doctor Who fans, we&amp;#039;re at that shared moment of the numinous again. The band is splitting up, long live the band. \u2014 Paul_Cornell (@Paul_Cornell) June 1, 2013  "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.digitalspy.com/tv/doctor-who/news/a486421/matt-smith-leaving-doctor-who-celebrity-reactions/>