The Doctor From Gallifrey 

Matt Smith is making his directing debut on Sky Arts programme Playhouse Presents. The current Doctor is directing the one-off drama entitled Cargese and was written by award-winning playwright Simon Stephens. 

Sky Arts describe the drama as a "unique piece of poetic realism which mines the tragic seam of adolescent love and loss". It stars Craig Roberts (Submarine), Joe Cole (Skins, The Hour) and Avigail Tlalim (The Town) as a group of disaffected teenagers in south London. The name comes from a village on the West Coast of Corsica which one of the characters mentions. 

“Sky Arts offers creative opportunities that many other channels don’t," Smith said. "To collaborate with Simon Stephens in this capacity was a thrilling and rare opportunity and one we both were keen to embrace.” 

The drama starts filming next week and is due to air on 25th April 2013. Idris Elba (Luther) and Marc Warren (Elton Pope in Love & Monsters)  are also making their directing debuts for the new series of Playhouse Presents, which starts in March and features Anna Friel, Vanessa Redgrave, Ricky Tomlinson, Suranne Jones (Idris in The Doctor's Wife), David Harewood, Ian Hart, Mathew Horne and Kylie Minogue (Astrid in The Voyage of the Damned).  

We think this is great news and look forward to the time Matt Smith directs an episode of Doctor Who itself. If he is sucessful as a directer than surely that is inevitable isn't it? 

[Source: Radio Times]