Happy birthday Matt Smith! As he turns the big 4-0, there’s lots to celebrate. Starring roles in The Crown, an esteemed West End career and of course, being cast as the youngest doctor in the legendary BBC sci-fi show, Doctor Who.

Matt was only 26 when he landed the coveted role in 2010. He was the eleventh doctor and starred in the show until 2013 and was roundly praised for his “quick-tempered but compassionate” performance.

Birthday felicitations for Matt aside now seems a good time to take a look at some of the other Doctors in the modern era of Doctor Who.

READ MORE: Doctor Who fans 'in tears' minutes into Jodie Whittaker's emotional final episode

The show first aired in 1963 and to date has seen 15 incarnations of the iconic time-travelling alien.

So from the brilliant War Doctor who recently passed away to the first woman to take the role, here’s what the Doctors past and present are up to now.

John Hurt

One of the BBC’s biggest coups was probably casting British acting legend John Hurt as the War Doctor for the show’s 50th anniversary.

He has been described as “simply the greatest actor in the world” by director David Lynch and has shelves full of prestigious awards to his name.

Hurt, who starred in classics such as Midnight Express, Alien and The Elephant Man, was dubbed the War Doctor as he was reincarnated as the “forgotten ninth” doctor who fought in the Time War of the show's modern-day backstory.

He told the Guardian at the time he was afraid all Doctor Who fans – or Whovians – would be “loonies” but actually they were all “terribly charming”.

Sadly, Hurt, who was awarded an OBE in 2004, passed away from pancreatic cancer in 2017.

He managed to work throughout his illness and treatment but passed away at home in Cromer, Norfolk three days after his 77th birthday.

Matt Smith

As mentioned above, Matt turns 40 today. He's currently starring in House of the Dragon – the prequel to Game of Thrones – but has said that the pressure of playing the doctor was “extraordinary” and that the focus required for the role was “enormous”.

His other most noted role is playing a young Prince Philip in The Crown. Matt starred opposite Claire Foy as the Queen in the show’s first two seasons and was so successful – or even convincing – that Prince Harry once jokingly called him “granddad”.

He told the Today show: “I met Harry once, at polo, which sounds a bit grand, but it wasn’t that grand.

“And he walked up to me and went, ‘Granddad.’”

Matt added: “He watched the show! Well, I can’t claim to know if he watches it currently, but he watched a bit of it then.”

He also made headlines for dating actress and singer Lily James. The pair were together from around 2014 but despite living together in Primrose Hill, north London, never discussed their relationship.

They never officially announced it was over, either. The glamorous pair just stopped showing up to events together.

Since then Lily, 33, has been linked to Dominic West, Chris Evans and is now with rocker Micahel Shuman.

Matt is currently dating businesswoman Caroline Brady.

Christopher Eccleston

Christopher Eccleston played the ninth incarnation in the show’s revival in 2005 but left after just one season. At the time, the reason was widely debated with fears of being “typecast”, depression and exhaustion among them.

Eccleston, 58, who also starred in the likes of Gone in 60 Seconds, 24 Hour Party People and Our Friends in the North, later said that he was “overworked” by the BBC and that he "didn't enjoy the environment and the culture that the cast and crew had to work in".

He went on to say while he was proud of working on Doctor Who, “my relationship with my three immediate superiors – the showrunner, the producer and co-producer – broke down irreparably during the first block of filming and it never recovered”.

Eccleston has also previously opened up about being a “body hater” and his battles with eating disorders and depression.

He got divorced from his wife Mishka, 38, in 2005 and the pair co-parent their two children, Albert, 10, and Esme, eight.

Eccleston also came under fire when he slammed Queen Elizabeth II on his Instagram page, calling her a "parasite in chief in her idiot hat".

In another post, he was told by a fan to "leave the f***ing Queen alone," to which he replied: "The f***ing queen? Who's the queen f***ing? The killer in the land rover? The poor? The needy? The selfish? The greedy."

David Tennant

David Tennant is another one of the better-known doctors and is about to reprise his role as the 14th incarnation. Previously, the Scottish actor played the tenth doctor in 2005.

He is returning in November 2023 for three special episodes. Tennant is considered to be one of the most iconic interpretations of the role and was voted by the Radio Times as the “coolest character on television” in 2007. Billie Piper was also voted as the best companion.

A fun fact is that it rumoured at the time that Tennant, 51, was upset he was not able to play the doctor using his true Scottish accent – instead he spoke in an Estuary English accent.

But the Good Omens star said he “never wanted to” and show writers said they didn’t want the Doctor’s accent “touring the regions”.

Another cool fact about Tennant’s time on the show is that he met his wife there. He is married to Georgia Tennant, nee Moffatt – the daughter of the fifth doctor, Peter Davidson. They met on set when she was playing his genetically engineered daughter. Following?

They have five children and live in Chiswick, west London. and he has been involved in various TV projects since departing Doctor Who including Des and Inside Man.

Tennant's adopted son Ty, who his wife Georgina had from a previous relationship, is now starring in House of the Dragon as young Aegon II.

Jodie Whittaker

Jodie Whittaker played the 13th incarnation of the doctor and is especially important as she was the first woman to do so.

She had previously worked with one of the showrunners on Broadchurch and before being able to announce the big news, famously used the codename “Clooney” when referring to the role.

Jodie, 40, was worried that Doctor Who puritans would be put off by the fact she is a woman but told the Telegraph: "Doctor Who represents everything that's exciting about change.

“The fans have lived through so many changes, and this is only a new, different one, not a fearful one."

Critics were divided. Half said she was a great role model for girls while others moaned that it was political correctness gone mad.

She left the show earlier this year.

Peter Capaldi

Peter Capaldi is the third Scottish actor to play the Doctor and was the twelfth incarnation from 2013 to 2017.

He is also of course famous for playing the scarily acerbic Malcolm Tucker in The Thick of It and the film, In The Loop.

One of the older Doctors, Peter, 64, succeeded Matt Smith and said that he had no idea how much attention he would get from the role.

Unlike David Tennant, Peter, a longtime fan, spoke in his native Scottish accent and his debut appearance was kept top secret. He is also the first Oscar winner to play the Doctor.

Peter is currently starring in a “truly chilling” psychological drama called The Devil’s Hour on Amazon Prime.

Ncuti Gatwa

The next doctor is due to be Sex Education star Ncuti Gatwa and his episodes will air over Christmas next year. The Rwandan-Scottish star will be the first black actor to play the role.

The 30-year-old told the BBC: “There aren’t quite the words to describe how I’m feeling.

"A mix of deeply honoured, beyond excited and of course a little bit scared.

"This role and show means so much to so many around the world, including myself, and each one of my incredibly talented predecessors has handled that unique responsibility and privilege with the utmost care."

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