Doctor Who star, Matt Smith, will carry the Olympic torch!

The BBC officially announced today that actor Matt Smith from Doctor Who will carry the Olympic torch during the torch relay on Saturday, May 26, 2012.

"Matt has been given the honour of being named the lead runner for Saturday, 26 May. This means he is the first to carry the Torch on that day and will convey the Olympic Flame through part of Cardiff, close to BBC Wales’ Roath Lock Studios – the home of Doctor Who.

Matt was delighted to take part in this world-famous tradition. ‘To carry the Torch is an honour, one I thought I'd never get,’ he told us, adding, ‘I'm very excited!’

Matt’s run will begin at approximately 6.20am by the Norwegian Church Arts Centre in Cardiff (details below). He will wear the official Torch Bearer uniform and carry the Flame for a short leg of the journey before handing it to the next runner on the steps of the Senedd, often known as the Welsh Assembly Building."

The BBC is providing fans with a live feed of the torch relay, so for those that cannot go cheer Matt on in person, you can catch him around 1:20am EST (6:20am in Cardiff) on Saturday, May 26th on the Torch Relay site.

The news of "the Doctor" carrying the Olympic torch is definitely exciting Doctor Who fans around the world but there are many who are slightly disappointed that our hopes of a recreation of the 2006 season 2 episode "Fear Her" where David Tennant as the Tenth Doctor lights the Olympic flame will not happen. But this is a close second.

Tenth Doctor (David Tennant) in "Fear Her"

Source: BBC