Matt Smith | WellnessMaster

While the return of David Tennant and Catherine Tate to the Doctor Who franchise got everyone talking, viewers have also spotted another nod to the show’s past during the recent anniversary specials.

On Saturday night, the third and final instalment in Doctor Who’s 60th anniversary specials, titled The Giggle, aired on BBC One.

During the episode, the Time Lord came face-to-face with The Toymaker, played by Neil Patrick Harris.

Towards the end of the episode, the two characters played a card game using a split deck, with the US actor’s character drawing a King Of Hearts that Whovians couldn’t help but notice looked a little familiar…

We all screamed in our house and had to rewind to check that the king was in fact Matt Smith and we weren’t going mad 😂👑

— sarkydalek (@SarkyDalek) December 11, 2023

Matt Smith previously played the Eleventh Doctor between 2010 and 2013, and shared the screen with David in the 50th anniversary special Day Of The Doctor.

In the decade since, he’s notably played Prince Philip in the first two seasons of The Crown and Daemon Targaryen in the Game Of Thrones prequel House Of The Dragon.

As well as David, Catherine and Neil, Doctor Who’s recent anniversary specials also featured Heartstopper’s Yasmin Finney, as well as posthumous appearance from Bernard Cribbins, reprising his role as Wilfred Mott.

Years And Years star Ruth Madeley also joined the cast, while Miriam Margolyes lent her voice to the adorable (albeit terrifying) Meep.

At the end of The Giggle, The Doctor “bi-generated”, with Sex Education and Barbie star Ncuti Gatwa set to take over at the helm of the Tardis when the new season of Doctor Who launches in 2024.

Before that, though, there’s one more stand-alone episode, with Ncuti taking the lead in the sci-fi show’s upcoming festive special, which will air on Christmas Day.

The Crown stars Matt Smith and Tobias Menzies have paid tribute to the Duke Of Edinburgh, following his death at the age of 99.

Both actors have portrayed Prince Philip in the hit Netflix drama, which is based on the lives of the royal family.

Former Doctor Who star Matt, who played Philip in the first two series opposite Claire Foy as the Queen, described the Duke as “the man” in a statement.

Matt Smith as Prince Philip in The Crown

He said: “I’d like to offer my condolences to Her Majesty the Queen and the Royal Family.

“Prince Philip was the man. And he knew it. 99 and out, but what an innings. And what style.

“Thank you for your service old chap – it won’t be the same without you.”

Matt was replaced in The Crown by Tobias for series three and four, opposite Olivia Colman as the Queen.

Tobias wrote on Twitter: “If I know anything about the Duke of Edinburgh I’m fairly sure he wouldn’t want an actor who portrayed him on TV giving their opinion on his life, so I’ll leave it to Shakespeare.

“‘O good old man! how well in thee appears. The constant service of the antique world…’ RIP.”

.If I know anything about the Duke of Edinburgh I’m fairly sure he wouldn’t want an actor who portrayed him on TV giving their opinion on his life, so I’ll leave it to Shakespeare.

“O good old man! how well in thee appears
The constant service of the antique world…”

RIP

— Tobias Menzies (@TobiasMenzies) April 9, 2021

A statement from the show, written by Peter Morgan, said: “Netflix, Left Bank Pictures, Sony Pictures Television and the production team on The Crown are deeply saddened to hear of the death of The Duke of Edinburgh.

“Our thoughts are with the royal family at this sad time.”