An Interview with Jacki Smith

Part of a series of interviews with Doctor Who community members! This time I Spoke with Jacki Smith about all sorts of things relating to her place in the Doctor Who fan community!

This is the main interview for the fan experience zine!

Theodore Powers: Hello, Jacki! Firstly I’d like to ask about the productions you’re in that you can talk about of course! Which is your favorite? How many Doctors and other characters do you play/have you played? And are there any story arcs that mean something to you personally?

Jacki Smith: Oh wow...throwing me in the deep end, huh? Hahaha!!

Well, currently I've been in a couple productions here and there - I've played the companion Pulse for the Eccentric Doctor's New Year's Special back in January. I played a manic captain opposite your adorable self for The Extinction Factor over at Origin Productions, along with playing the backstabbing showman that is Walter Progress

Of course, most folks here know me for being cast as the Doctor...currently six times over. I'm best known for playing the Philosophical Doctor for the PRISM Universe, and the Trinity Doctor for What Fourth Wall. Oh, and the Midnight Doctor for your production; Quantum Rhythm.

There are quite a few others, such as Dilettante for Beyond Master Plans, and Kaleidoscopic for Origin - but honestly, I think most people know me the most for Phil, given she's the first Doctor I got cast as and is currently the only one with any live action footage.

In terms of favourites...well, I always adore playing the aimless wanderer themselves, but I do get a kick out of more morally grey characters, like Professor Harken from Into the Wanderer's Library - something about intelligent cultured souls who don't mind crossing a few lines to get what they want is always a fun thing to explore.

In terms of story arcs that mean something to me? Well...Philosophical and Trinity are two Doctors that get to embody some quite unique aspects of myself; most notably, Philosophical being a story of gender identity and transition. It's hard to sum up, given that their era is still in construction while production on the Irish Doctor's final adventure (The Doctor Lost to Time) is almost complete. However, I feel confident in letting that key detail of Phil being trans be known. I'd rather fans go into her era knowing this aspect of her identity and mythos, rather than saving it for a simple plot twist.

Theodore Powers: That was such a wonderfully written response, thank you! How does it feel being a transgender person in the Doctor Who community?

Jacki Smith: I wouldn't have had the confidence or reassurance to come out if not for this community. For a British institution that's been around for over 60 years, Doctor Who has amassed a global fanbase of people from all walks of life. And while some will remain entrenched in bigotry or cruelty, the vast majority of people I've encountered have been some of the kindest, warmest and most talented people I've ever had the fortune of meeting. I have one of the best chosen families I could ask for and have made friends and allies with people I never thought would even acknowledge my existence. People like Jed Rhodes, George Guidera, Lucy Smith (no relation), the Celestial Mechanic, James York and, of course, your good self, Theodore Powers! I never feel like I need to mask or hide with you lot as much as I do with some people in my real life.

I feel so content and safe here, even as the world around us does a pirouette back into tyranny and hatred. Because all of us here want to be as kind and as noble and as heroic as the eccentric traveller that inspired all of us.

If you are trans or queer, or if you just feel different than those around you in a way you can't truly sum up - then you will always have a friend in the Doctor. Always.

Theodore Powers: When did you first get into Doctor Who and start watching it? How much of an impact did it have on you?

Jacki Smith: I was 4 years old, when I first watched Rose back in March of 2005. My dad must've been about 73 or so? He remembered seeing the old Hartnell and Troughton era episodes back in the 60s, and Doctor Who being something of a mainstay of British television during his lifetime. So he tuned in, I sat on his lap to watch it with him...

And I was hooked from the moment I saw that chaotic blue vortex, with an odd blue police box doing its mad little dance down the rabbit hole. Christopher Eccleston as the Ninth Doctor was my first Doctor, and still remains one of my favourites! The tortured war veteran with a northern working class charm and a heart of pure gold. Billie Piper too as Rose made for an amazing first companion, as a young girl I could so clearly imagine meeting and crushing on as a kid.

Growing up with Eccleston and Tennant, then later with Smith and Capaldi as a teenager - I basically carried this obsession with me as a key part of my identity. To this day, it's defined the way I dress with my love of costume design, the way I talk and carry myself, my desire to write and act too...

Actually, funny story here; an old school friend of mine once pointed out that I used to change my run to copy who the current Doctor was. So I had a more athletic run when Tennant was in the role, and something more gangly and frantic with Smith, and the classic 'penguin with his arse on fire' run for Capaldi! Never even realised I did that! I just thought the influence extended to fashion and maybe bits of personality, but here we are! Hahaha!

Theodore Powers: Which do you prefer classic or modern who? Which inspires your incarnations of the Doctor the most?

Jacki Smith: Hmmm...

In terms of aesthetic, it's a mix between classic and early RTD. As much as I enjoy the polished special effects of contemporary sci-fi, I find something effortlessly charming about telling exciting science fiction on a low budget. The mummy costumes from Pyramids of Mars, the wobbly Daleks from Rememberance of the Daleks, also the original TARDIS interior too. And that first title sequence from the Hartnell/Troughton era will always embody the surreal dreamscape of Who in a way a standard time tunnel can't quite.

In terms of character? A lot of them look to classics like Troughton and McCoy. Philosophical in particular has a lot of the 80s Doctors (Peter Davison, Colin Baker, Sylvester McCoy) in her general persona, coupled with my own eccentricities and occasional bouts of hyperactive joy.

This may seem a tad old fashioned, but I tend to prefer my Doctors to err on the side of "weird space bohemian". Some modern Doctors like Tennant and, at times, Ncuti Gatwa, feel a touch too human and too relatable. The Doctor as a concept should always feel just a little out of reach. They experience human emotions like grief and love and loss, but they're so old and so advanced that their responses and their overall actions and persona is always just a touch...off. It's what makes them so relatable to the outsiders, the social pariahs, the weird kids in school.

Theodore Powers: What got you into the fan audio drama community?

Jacki Smith: A lot of people really! I got into fan films through the works of people like Chris Hoyle, Sebastian Bird and Thomas Rees-Kaye back in the early 2010s, and of course the works of Luke Newman from DW2012, which led me to discovering Daniel Patton's Irish Doctor Series, and Connor Chadwick's Cravat Doctor.

The latter two are now my predecessor and successor in the PRISM Universe. I'm quite literally working alongside people who's works I've been listening to since high school! How cool is that?!

Of course, the space is a little different now, with so many people wanting to don the long coats and running shoes of our favourite Time Lord. It's one of my favourite things about fan works - you don't need a massive budget or a full TARDIS set. If you have a good script, a decent microphone, and some cool friends and fellow nerds to work with, you can become your own Doctor Who! Or become Doctor Who's companion - always gotta give love to the other Protagonists of this franchise. #teamcompanion

But yeah, having a version of Who that is attainable and reachable for anyone and everyone - that's something really special to me.

Theodore Powers: What is your favorite part of being a writer and voice actor?

Jacki Smith: Getting to lose myself in my stories and my roles.

As an actor, I put a lot of myself into the roles I get given; be it my insecurities and anger like with Pulse, or some of my more vain arrogant showman tendencies with Walter. It's the ultimate form of make-believe!

As a writer too, especially for Doctor Who - I get a chance to play in the sandbox, so to speak. I get to choose where and when the Doctor and their friends end up, what adversaries they face. You can have a fun little romp in renaissance England one day, and a heartbreaking betrayal with a battle against a malevolent childish God the next. Doctor Who is limitless, and the few limits there are only to keep it feeling recognisably Doctor Who, like having a pacifist hero, a focus on kindness over anger, the occasional return of familiar enemies like the Daleks or Weeping Angels. The sky is the limit, and we have a ship that can soar even higher!

Theodore Powers: What has been a defining moment for you being in the Doctor Who community?

Jacki Smith: Two things.

One was meeting you. I think meeting you and getting to meet people like Maddie (our good friend, The Celestial Mechanic) and Gracie Pedini and everyone on your side with Quantum Rhythm and getting me out of my shell even more.

You were my canon event.

The second happened a few days ago actually! I was immensely fortunate enough to accompany Lucy Smith and James York (Charley Challis and the Queer Doctor, respectively) to Hull for a few days, where I finally met Jed and Sue Rhodes along with Hayley and Matthew Mills (alumni known for their works on Man-At-Desk and What Fourth Wall). I even got to meet my beloved George Guidera too; one of the many fan Doctors that inspired me as a teenager! So getting to meet and befriend these amazing people; some of the most genuine and sweetest souls I've ever encountered...

Yeah, that is something really special to me.

Theodore Powers: You also make logos and photo edits. How does it make you feel when people use your logos for productions?

Jacki Smith: Really really happy! All my edits I tend to do for fun; just a lil thing to do on my phone when I'm bored or have the free time.

So hearing that people like and want to use the things I make is remarkable to me. Hell - the majority of Doctors over at Quantum Rhythm now have logos made by yours truly! That's inherently really cool!

Theodore Powers: If you had to choose one Doctor from modern who and one from classic who as your favorites who would they be and why?

Jacki Smith: Oooo, that's a tricky one...

One Doctor from the Classic Era? Currently I'd go with Pertwee or Tom Baker. Effortless charm, style and sophistication with the former - and manic bohemian charisma with the latter. Both different but both definitively Doctor. Hell, the syndicated reruns of their eras during the 90s and early 2000s were probably what helped keep Doctor Who in the public eye after it's cancellation in 1989.

For new Who? Hmmm...probably Eccleston or Smith currently. Again, we have a very classically masculine, tough guy with a tortured soul in the Ninth Doctor. And we have a more classic-inspired, quirky Fairytale hero with the Eleventh Doctor. I think Eleven in particular influenced a lot of things about the Jacki of today, such as my love for tweed and my tendency to talk with my hands when I'm excited.

Theodore Powers: Are there any specific people that inspire you the most?

Jacki Smith: Honestly, I'm inspired by everyone I've met thus far in this mad little community of ours. You're all incredible people!

Hell, one of my new friends is a cool bean called Rowan (@wondering.jackalope on instagram) who made the iconic bit of Starlit Saga that you've used for cover art here!

Splendid fellows, all of you!

Theodore Powers: Finally, I’d like to ask your thoughts on current events surrounding trans rights!

Jacki Smith: At first, I was heartbroken. Now, I am currently angry.

The rest of the world knows and understands that trans women are women, that trans men are men. The laws that protected us, while not perfect and often ignored, were done fairly and justly.

The state of the UK and the US currently is terrifying, and it's easy to feel alone. To feel like the only way to be safe is to remain hidden. To remain scared.

But the Doctor wouldn't do that. You wouldn't do that. I wouldn't do that.

Right now, we have the chance to use our interconnectedness for more than just bickering about our respective nerdy interests. We need to come together, as a community, to push back against the old guard who chose pseudoscience and snake oil over actual fact.

They label us as fascist just because we point out their bigoted language. They call us evil and orwellian because we dare to speak out when our brothers and sisters get killed or lose their jobs, friends and families due to transphobia.

It's shameful and disgusting and cruel.

But it isn't permanent. We will fight back. We will push those bastards back to the hellish corners they plot from. We'll grab their lit cigars and shove them up their Chamber of Secrets.

We aren't alone. We never will be.

And if you're reading this, and you feel scared about the world and the people in power, then just remember this.

You are beautiful, you are valid, and you are loved.

Stronger together!

Theodore Powers: And add a closing remark something you want others to know can be as in depth as you want!

Jacki Smith: In conclusion;

If you've ever wanted to be a part of this. If you've ever wanted to act, or write, or direct or compose music for a Doctor Who fan project, or any fan project for that matter...

Just do it. Nothing is stopping you, really. You can write scripts on Google Docs, record audio and video with your phone. If you need folks more experienced to do the music and editing, or just want to ask about their creative process or the tips and tricks of the trade, there are plenty of folks here who'd be happy to share what they know!

You can do it! Doesn't matter if it looks amateur at first, or if the writing is a bit janky. All of this is work, yes...but it's work that pays off.

I never thought I'd get here. I spend so much of my life seeing these fanfilms, listening to these audios, wishing I could have the talent or luck or resources these wonderful folk have.

And then I met a lot of these people and found out that they're all just nerds like me. Nerds with jobs and families and a hobby that makes them all so very happy.

So, what I'm trying to say really is - in the immortal words of my favourite Doctor...

"All of time and space! Everything that ever happened, or ever will..."

"Where do you want to start?"

Tara na!