MONDO EXTRAS

TWoP: I mostly grew up with Tom Baker.
Smith: Tom Baker's great as well... mad as a hatter. You know, the Doctor's sort of a mix of Albert Einstein and the Mad Hatter and James Bond. He's a bit of everyone.

TWoP: A little Indiana Jones thrown in as well...
Smith: Yea! A little Indiana Jones! Definitely a little Indiana Jones. Indiana Jones was definitely a sort of subconscious inspiration in my costume... somewhere. Because he's a professor. And I wanted there to be an element of a professor to the Doctor.

TWoP: So, there's a new title sequence, a new TARDIS, a new man in charge, a new companion, a new Doctor. Will this still satisfy the fans who have watched all the seasons?
Smith: Yeah. Listen, the Doctor is still the Doctor. And it's still the same man having mad adventures -- That's always going to be the heart of the show.

TWoP: Okay, it's just that we panic. We don't like change.
Smith: Of course, everybody's the same. They were like "Oh god, is he going to be OK?"

TWoP: I did! I was a little wary, because I have to admit, it took me a few episodes to warm up to David Tennant after Christopher Eccleston left.
Smith: And that's how it sort of should be.

TWoP: But I enjoyed the premiere, and I adore your new companion.
Smith: Karen, she's wonderful, isn't she?

TWoP: The little girl who plays the younger version of her won me over immediately.
Smith: Isn't that an ingenious way to meet a companion? It's just incredible. But no, it's still got the same heartbeat. It's still about mad adventures. And we've got the Daleks, the weeping angels, vampires in Venice...

TWoP: Vampires? How appropriate for today's pop culture.
Smith: Yes, it's old vampires in 15th century Venice. It doesn't get any better. But I think what Steven's done is, as you see from the first episode in the way you get to meet the companion is, I think that's what made it one of the most popular shows in the country. I think Steven will make it the most magical, and he's turning it into a fairy tale. It's incredible, and that's what he can do. Time travel is such a magic concept.