Matt Smith Gives Fans The Story Of His Iconic Doctor Who Catchphrase

Doctor Who has had a lot of notable recurring habits plague its titular character in each of the different iterations of the Doctor, but some of them are a bit more memorable than others, and one of the most prominent alumni of the series reveals how easily his habit came about.

Doctor Who has managed to successfully stay in the business of dominating sci-fi on television for decades thanks to its ever-changing but notably singular protagonist. Utilizing a move that often kills off interest in lesser shows, this British stalwart has leveraged its regeneration gimmick to bring star after star to the fore of the series alongside new companions and new lore. Despite first debuting in 1963, the show is still going strong after a reboot in the 2000s, and things are still progressing well. Most recently, there’s even been talk of the franchise potentially getting a massive sci-fi crossover with Star Trek, another franchise in the genre that really made its name on the small screen.

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One of the biggest appeals of the Doctor Who revolving door is the parts of the show that mark each new Doctor’s tenure, and perhaps none comes to mind quite as quickly as the eleventh Doctor, Matt Smith, yelling “Geronimo!” before diving headfirst into even more danger. Appearing on a panel at the last CCXP event reported on by Popverse, Smith was asked by an audience member to say his Doctor’s iconic catchphrase, and this prompted him to share the origins of the line with the fans in attendance. “Weirdly, that came about in the regeneration scene,” Smith revealed. “It was kind of written once, and then I just kept saying ‘Geronimo.’ It sounded like quite a good line. I just kept kind of popping it in there.” And a good line it was indeed, as it’s become the calling card for his Eleventh Doctor. While it’s wild to think that one of the show’s most fun and memorable refrains came about so simply, it’s really not so strange for a project to pick up some of its best material in motion. Smith’s admission of imposing the catchphrase himself also aligns with franchise head and writer Russell T. Davies’ recent revelation about the writing process for the different iterations of the Doctor, highlighting how the same writing for the same character can become so unique to a particular actor as to seem divergent.

The writers for the regeneration scene weren’t doing anything new, as previous iterations of the Doctor had used the word in companion media for a while leading up to Smith’s run. However, there’s no denying that he owned it and made it into a mainstay of his own accord. The Geronimo line is now just as memorable as the Fourth Doctor’s iconic scarf and really helped to pin Smith’s time as the Doctor as one of the more iconic runs of the fifteen so far. It’s notable that he had the foresight to see the potential in the one-off dialogue and work it so well into the character. Since then, the Eleventh Doctor’s catchphrase has become a bit of a fan favorite, with Smith all but guaranteed to be badgered into saying it at fan events, as evidenced by the request that got the story out of him. The show has also paid homage to the quip via different characters also using the word, and notably having fourteenth Doctor Jodie Whittaker struggle to recall what it was onscreen as a gag.

Part of the reason the catchphrase worked so well was the balance between the humor and the more serious elements of the show. This balance is still essential for the show’s success and should be a prime concern for the creatives behind the scenes. However, recent comments from a Doctor Who writer seem to indicate otherwise. With the franchise’s new international expansion already facing some challenges, fans will have to hope that the current team can recapture that sort of magic going forward.

Doctor Who is available to stream on Disney+.

Doctor Who

Created by

Sydney Newman, C. E. Webber, Donald Wilson

Upcoming TV Shows

The War Between The Land and Sea

Latest Episode

The Empire of Death

Cast

William Hartnell, Patrick Troughton, Jon Pertwee, Tom Baker, Peter Davison, Colin Baker, Sylvester McCoy, Paul McGann, Christopher Eccleston, David Tennant, Matt Smith, Peter Capaldi, Jodie Whittaker, Ncuti Gatwa

Where to watch

Max

Spin-offs

Torchwood, The Sarah Jane Adventures

Creation Year

1963

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Source: Popverse