SFX Talks to Matt Smith

Matt Smith told SFX that his role is a "constant reference" when dealing with difficult situations.

"When I'm getting stressed about something, about a phone call or e-mail or whatever, I... try and be more like him," Smith explained. "He always gives people a chance. And I really have learnt a lot about myself from playing him, because when you spend time with someone who's so good, [you start] thinking in those patterns and those ways."

Smith also named Doctor Who showrunner Steven Moffat as another inspiration, describing the writer as "heroic".

"I definitely feel as though he's writing more and more for me," he claimed. "Which is really rewarding, to have a writer of that calibre writing for you. The rapidity and the craft with which he produces these scripts is quite heroic, I think."