Tea In The Tardis (S1) - Two Matt's...

Here’s a bit of a different post, recently I met another Matt, namely Matt Elliott (ME) who makes a truly amazing Matt Smith lookalike.

The original picture Matt sent me

So here’s an interview/chat that we did for my blog about how he got into this crazy world of Doctor Who events...

MH: So then Matt, are you a lifelong Doctor Who fan or are you new to the whole thing?

ME: I've never really seen any of the original series as I'm too young, although I do remember being scared of the theme tune after hearing it at a very young age. I would try and catch episodes when I could of the new series but my appreciation for the series definitely increased after Matt Smith was announced as the new doctor.

MH: Ah, so a newbie to the world of Doctor Who then, from what you’ve seen of the show do you have a favourite Doctor and a favourite companion?

ME: It has to be the 11th Doctor but I probably am biased.

MH: I knew you’d say that!

ME: It's difficult, because I prefer the episodes that the 9th and 10th doctors have but I think Smith gives a better performance. Favourite companion would be Rose though.

For anyone who doesn't know. this is Peri

MH: Rose? Everyone knows the only right answer to favourite companion is Peri! (even if you have never seen any of her episodes...) Or is that just me...

ME: I have no idea who that is!

MH: *shakes head in disbelief* Oh well... So, I have to ask how did you get into the whole lookalike/cosplay/convention scene?

ME: Well during the first year of the 11th Doctor I was asked quite a few times if I knew who I looked like (mostly drunken people) but I never really thought about doing anything as I didn't see the resemblance myself.

MH: Ah, drunk people, many of us have them to thank for noticing a resemblance to someone!

ME: Then last year I was invited to a fancy dress Halloween party and I wanted to go as a zombie Doctor, luckily its relatively simple to put together a semi-decent outfit, I already had black jeans, boots and shirt, so all that was left to buy was a tweed jacket and bowtie. A jacket that fitted me was the hardest part as I'm proportioned similarly to a stretched Mr Tickle.

Anyway I got an outfit together and once I put it on and styled the hair I was a little bit freaked out and finally started to see a resemblance. I got my girlfriend to take some pictures of me and then did a search for other lookalikes and found you. From your Facebook page you seemed quite popular and friendly so I sent you an email asking for advice and an opinion on my photos.

Matt as Eleven. This is NOT Matt Smith, honest!!

MH: Yes, I remember, I was stunned by the likeness, especially as it was a first attempt! I’ve seen many Smith lookalikes, some good and some not so, you simply outshined them all! The response to your picture when I put it on my Facebook page was amazing!

ME: A friend then told me about MCM Expo which was happening a few weeks after we started chatting and we decided to go as it was something fun to do. I had no idea how popular this event was and I'd never seen a queue as long in all my life. Once I got inside the mayhem then began, I then spent the rest of the day posing for pictures and hugging people which I definitely wasn't expecting or used to!

MH: Your costume, where’s it all from?

ME: My Tweed Jacket I got from a flea market, which I was rather lucky with as it was the only one they had that was the right colour, and it happened to be a near perfect fit. The jacket I wore before that was from eBay but was much too short in arm length and I had to disguise it by having longer shirt sleeves.

 

The shirt I got in a charity shop I chose to try and get a shirt similar to the Paul Smith shirt as I believe it is more recognisable and iconic. My bow Tie was from a market stall, braces I got from eBay. The jeans I got in the sales in Zara. The boots I got in the sales in Topman, which was brilliant because I had read a guide to the 11th doctors outfit and it recommended those specific boots and they were dramatically reduced in the sales and with the help of student discount I got them for £13.50!

The Matt's at Expo...

MH: Awesome stuff, nothing beats being able to find a bargain when hunting for costume items! Have you got a favourite Doctor Who monster?

ME: I guess my favourite monster is the Dalek just because the scene with River always makes me laugh, MERCY!!!

MH: Ha! Classic scene. Although you’ve not been doing this very long what would you say have been your best moment while dressed as the Doc?

ME: Well when I went to the Doctor Who Experience it was brilliant because it was the first time I'd been somewhere in costume that had lots of small children attending and it kind of makes you feel good about yourself that someone is so excited to have their picture taken with you. Another favourite would be the moment when Colin Baker asked if he could have his photo taken with me at Cardiff Comic Expo, I was completely astounded by that.

MH: Colin is really great, have you met Matt Smith or any of the other Doctors?

Matt as Matt (Smith that is)

ME: The only Doctor I've met is Colin which was brilliant as we had a chat for a good 10 minutes or so. I'm currently planning on going to the 11th hour event and I hope to have a picture with Matt Smith as long as I save the funds. I really wanted to go to the 'official' convention but it was way out of my price range for just the one day.

MH: I know a lot of people have said the same with regard to the Official Con. It’s a shame it’s out of a lot of people budget, I’m sure the BBC will (hopefully) learn from it if they do it again. So, when you’re not being the Doctor what do you do?

ME: Well I'm currently in my final year of uni doing a degree in Graphic Design which I'm meant to be dedicating all of my time to I'm told, ha! I also spend 2 days a week on placement in a design studio as part of my course.

MH: Final question, have you got used to posing and having your photo taken yet?

ME: I don't think I will ever get used to posing. I have always hated having my photo taken and I'm normally an awkward poser. I have to have around 20 - 30 photos taken for me to get 1 that's usable, ha!

MH: Haha! Give it a few months and you’ll be posing without even realising you're doing it! Thanks for answering those few questions; I’ll see you at Corsham Sci-Fi Day in April if I don’t before.

If you haven’t already done so have a look at Matt’s page on Facebook and Tumblr page.