Doctor Who star Matt Smith returns to stage in An Enemy of the People

Smith will star as doctor Thomas Stockmann, who the play revolves around after he is tasked with inspecting the public baths and finds them to be contaminated.

He's soon faced with opposition from the townspeople as the prosperity of the town depends on the public baths and refusing to be silenced, he tries to publish his findings in the newspaper to demand a re-routing of the town's water pipes. The drama follows him as he is soon declared an enemy of the people.

Speaking about his new role, Smith said: "Thomas Ostermeier pushes the form and boundaries of theatre; I have been a fan for quite some time. Seeing his Richard III with Lars Erdinger was electric.

"When I heard he was interested in coming to the British stage for the first time, with Ibsen's classic An Enemy of the People, I was delighted to say the least. It is an honour to be able to work with him on this great play and become part of this unique project."

Smith added: "We're beginning an exciting casting process, and I very much look forward to returning to The Duke of York's Theatre early next year."

An Enemy of the People will run at the Duke of York's Theatre for two months from 6th February 2024 and marks Smith's return to the West End stage after his last performance in 2020.

Read more:

• House of the Dragon director explains why season 2 will be shorter
• House of the Dragon and Industry to remain filming despite SAG strike

Speaking about the new production, director Ostermeier said: "As we face the immediate impact of climate change and global warming, and our seeming incapacity to change these burning threats, Ibsen's An Enemy of the People is unfortunately more relevant than ever.

"This is an urgent reason to create an English version of the production for London, and I look forward to collaborating with Matt Smith, an actor whose body of work I greatly admire."

Since his time as the Eleventh Doctor in Doctor Who, Smith has gone on to star in numerous acclaimed roles such as Daemon Targaryen in Game of Thrones spin-off, House of the Dragon, and as Prince Philip in The Crown alongside Claire Foy.

Despite the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike, production on House of the Dragon will continue due to the fact that the actors in the series are working under Equity contracts – the UK union – rather than SAG-AFTRA ones.

While it remains to be seen just when new House of the Dragon episodes will land on our screens, we do know that the series will be shorter than the first, with eight episodes instead of season 1's 10-episode run.

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