I'm scared stiff of taking over from David Tennant

NEW Doctor Who Matt Smith admits that he is jittery about taking over from hugely popular David Tennant.

The virtual unknown said he even thought about turning telly’s top role DOWN for fear he could not live up to the Scottish actor.

And he revealed that strangers have already approached him to warn he has big shoes to fill in the BBC1 hit.

Posh thesp Matt, 26, said: “You have the debate in your head at some point, whether or not you should say yes.

“It’s a big commitment, and there’s a huge fanbase, and all the responsibility that comes with it.”

In his first interview since he won the job, he told Doctor Who mag: “I was in the pub the other day, having Sunday lunch with my sister, and a lady came up to me. She told me that I have big boots to fill. I thought, ‘Well, it’s lucky I’ve got big feet!’

“But I just so wanted to be the Doctor. I’d have been mental to not do it, I think! I like the idea of a challenge.”

The star — previously best known for stage roles and smaller TV parts — also revealed he is nervous about how his life will change once he is seen on screen.

He takes over from David, 37, to become the 11th Time Lord next year — and says he was stunned when news of his hiring made front pages.

He said: It’s something that I’m having to adapt to. I go largely unnoticed, to be honest, I think, at the moment, which is quite nice. I’m enjoying my anonymity.”

Meanwhile Matt, who has a Brazilian girlfriend, is loving ploughing through scripts with show boss Steven Moffat and working on what his Doc will be like.

He said: “We’ll talk about my intentions, their intentions, how we feel it can fly, and sing, and be as brilliant and as Doctor-y and as excellent as it can be.

“That’s what’s lovely, there are all these exciting things — what’s he going to wear, what’s he going to do in his first scene with his companion, which monsters will he meet, will he meet the Daleks.”

He said he would be in the role for at least two series, and hoped to have “some time to develop it, and see how the Doctor develops on me.”

He added: “I think there’s a real prospect for change over the series, because I’m going to grow as a man, personally.

“I’ll hit 30 in 2012, and that’s an important stage of growing up, and how brilliant to do that as Matt Smith, but also as Matt Smith playing the Doctor.

(The SUN Newspaper)