People Are Just Noticing This Sneaky 'Matt Smith Cameo' In The Latest Doctor Who Special

"We all screamed in our house and had to rewind to check..."
Neil Patrick Harris and David Tennant in The Giggle
Neil Patrick Harris and David Tennant in The Giggle
Alistair Heap/Bad Wolf/BBC Studios

While the return of David Tennant and Catherine Tate to the Doctor Who franchise got everyone talking, viewers have also spotted another nod to the show’s past during the recent anniversary specials.

On Saturday night, the third and final instalment in Doctor Who’s 60th anniversary specials, titled The Giggle, aired on BBC One.

During the episode, the Time Lord came face-to-face with The Toymaker, played by Neil Patrick Harris.

Towards the end of the episode, the two characters played a card game using a split deck, with the US actor’s character drawing a King Of Hearts that Whovians couldn’t help but notice looked a little familiar…

IS THAT MATT SMITH???? IS THAT 11??? https://t.co/qXsjYtRQHf pic.twitter.com/YADpZ8Jqu2

— coralie ˚ ༘✬ (@sambeerg) December 12, 2023

I screamed so loud at 8 but MATT SMITH?? https://t.co/EmPdfQnCfv pic.twitter.com/AUQpAK6zjb

— Emily-Jane (fallen): Paul McGann’s friend!🎄 (@willbondspeare) December 11, 2023

hold the fuck on that's matt smith https://t.co/HegYmRylYc

— alice 🏳️⚧️ (@stonesofblood) December 11, 2023

Okay yeah, that's deffo Matt Smith as the King. What a lovely little detail. https://t.co/tlEx6uHPAe

— Mister JD (@misterjaydee) December 12, 2023

Oh my god it is actually Matt smith on the card 😍 https://t.co/Nu8eJ659YT

— Will Savage (@wsavage_dcfc) December 12, 2023

Is that matt smith face on the king card ?!🤯 https://t.co/fjmTKmOnTb

— Luke (@lukexavix) December 12, 2023

Matt Smith pictured on the card, right? pic.twitter.com/Z42l55u1a1

— Vitaliy Luchinkin (@VLuchinkin) December 12, 2023

We all screamed in our house and had to rewind to check that the king was in fact Matt Smith and we weren't going mad 😂👑

— sarkydalek (@SarkyDalek) December 11, 2023

Matt Smith previously played the Eleventh Doctor between 2010 and 2013, and shared the screen with David in the 50th anniversary special Day Of The Doctor.

In the decade since, he’s notably played Prince Philip in the first two seasons of The Crown and Daemon Targaryen in the Game Of Thrones prequel House Of The Dragon.

Alberto Rodriguez via Getty Images

As well as David, Catherine and Neil, Doctor Who’s recent anniversary specials also featured Heartstopper’s Yasmin Finney, as well as posthumous appearance from Bernard Cribbins, reprising his role as Wilfred Mott.

Years And Years star Ruth Madeley also joined the cast, while Miriam Margolyes lent her voice to the adorable (albeit terrifying) Meep.

At the end of The Giggle, The Doctor “bi-generated”, with Sex Education and Barbie star Ncuti Gatwa set to take over at the helm of the Tardis when the new season of Doctor Who launches in 2024.

Before that, though, there’s one more stand-alone episode, with Ncuti taking the lead in the sci-fi show’s upcoming festive special, which will air on Christmas Day.

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