How can unknown actor, 26, play the 903-year-old Time Lord ?

As the Time Lord, perhaps he should have seen the fuss coming.

Doctor Who devotees might suggest that's another good reason why Matt Smith, at the tender age of 26, should not be in control of the Tardis.

The announcement at the weekend that the actor is to be the 11th Doctor set internet message boards ablaze with complaints yesterday.
Many fans warned that Smith is far too young to convey the Doctor's desired universe-weariness.

One critic simply wrote on a BBC message board: 'Toddler in the Tardis! He is far, far, far too young. What is this obsession with going younger and younger?'Almost seven million viewers watched as the BBC revealed that Smith will soon begin filming his first episodes of the 46-year-old Doctor Who series.

His character is aged 903 - and the youngest of the ten previous incarnations of the Doctor, Peter Davison, entered the Tardis at 29.

Some fans suggested the BBC had chosen an unknown actor to cut down on costs, while others said they wanted to create love interest in the show. 'They say age is irrelevant so why not cast a 40-year-old?' one Whovian wrote.