text: Matt Smith was named as Tennant's replacement as the Eleventh Doctor and first appeared in "The End of Time". In the fifth series premiere, "The Eleventh Hour", Karen Gillan joined Smith and played Amy Pond. Gillan previously played a soothsayer in the series four episode "The Fires of Pompeii"  Rory Williams was introduced as a recurring character portrayed by Arthur Darvill. Kingston was re-introduced in the fifth series and was revealed as another time traveler who meets with the Doctor out of order. Darvill was then promoted to the main cast beginning with "The Impossible Astronaut", the series six opening episode. Kingston continued to recur throughout the sixth series as well.
  2011–2017
  Smith continued his role throughout the entirety of the seventh series and the following specials. Claire Skinner starred as Madge Arwell in the Christmas special that preceded series seven. This special also saw Gillan and Darvill make guest appearances. The two then returned for the first part of the series before departing in "The Angels Take Manhattan". Jenna-Louise Coleman was announced as a new companion, Clara Oswald, to succeed Gillan and Darvill. Coleman made an unannounced guest appearance (as Oswin Oswald) in the series opener, "Asylum of the Daleks", before joining the main cast from "The Snowmen". Alex Kingston continued to recur in the series. Beginning with the subsequent specials Coleman dropped "Louise" from her acting name. The first special celebrating the fiftieth anniversary of the series was titled "The Day of the Doctor" and saw the return of David Tennant and Billie Piper. Christopher Eccleston was initially set to return in the special as well but was later replaced by John Hurt, who played an incarnation of the Doctor not previously known. Gillan made a brief cameo appearance in the second and final special, "The Time of the Doctor". This episode also saw the departure of Smith.