As the 2012 Olympics draw closer, Whovians around the world have been hoping to see the Doctor carry the Olympic Torch as seen in the 2006 episode ‘Fear Her.’ Now, in what would be the epitome of life imitating art, BBC has announced via their Doctor Who twitter page that the 11th Doctor (Matt Smith) will be carrying the Olympic Torch through Cardiff.
Smith will begin the relay once the Torch reaches the capital on Saturday, May 26th. According to the BBC Torch Relay site, the torch is to arrive there at 6:29am (BST). From there, he will take it to Swansea. Throughout the day, the torch will then travel through the communities of Barry, Merthyr Tydfil, Rhondda and Bridgend.
Upon the announcement of his involvement, Smith had said, “To carry the Torch is an honor, one I thought I’d never get, I’m very excited!”
It may not be too much of a surprise that Smith was selected. Not only does the iconic ‘Doctor Who’ series film in Cardiff, but Smith also stars in the BBC film ‘Bert and Dickie’ about 1948 British Olympic gold medalist rower Bert Bushnel, due to be released this year.
Social media outlets have been exploding with news of Smith’s participation to the point that he was trending worldwide! Many fans, however, would still like to see the 10th Doctor/David Tennant bring the torch into the arena during Opening Ceremonies just like in ‘Fear Her’ but so far no news of if he will be part of the event has been mentioned (but we can always hope and there’s still time to add him in!)
Although it’s not the exact scene shown in the episode, it’s still exciting to know that the ‘Doctor Who’ franchise will have a part in Olympic history. If you’d like to see Smith run the relay, you can watch him via live stream from the BBC Torchcam on the Torch Relay site.
I, for one, will be there cheering him and the other participants that will be carrying the Olympic Torch that day!
