Doctor Who’s Matt Smith Nearly Breaks Neck on Horseback on Set of The Crown

Eleventh Doctor Matt Smith almost ended up with a broken neck in a reckless stunt with a horse on the set of The Crown.

In December of 2014, Dave Hill shared ‘Doctor Who: The Doctor and his Love of the Ponies,’ one of his signature satirical articles. It is a commentary on the story of a peculiar concept image of the Rosehill Gardens, a horse racing club in Australia. As we know, among various other animals, the Doctor is rather fond of horses. Just ask Arthur and Susan.

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Matt Smith was not able to channel his inner Doctor Wholittle on the set of his new Netflix series The Crown, in which he plays Prince Philip. In an interview with the Mirror, animal expert Luke Cornell recalls the harrowing tale of Smith on horseback. Both he and his co-star, Claire Foy (Queen Elizabeth), claimed that they did not have the ability to ride. This is rather strange considering Smith’s work in the Doctor Who episode ‘A Town Called Mercy.’ In an interview with Radio Times magazine, Smith discusses how he was a natural on horseback.

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Anyway, despite stunt doubles being used to shoot the episode of The Crown, Smith took it upon himself — on an apparent whim — to mount one of the horses while the cameras were not rolling. And he did so without wearing a helmet! Cornell says that the horse that Smith was riding “took off charging through the equipment, lighting stands, into cameras, at a terrific speed.” Smith “very nearly broke his neck” and “had a near accident which could have killed him.”

"“He was very lucky he didn’t get seriously hurt, but was very shaken, white as a sheet. He bit off more than he could chew.”"

Other animals used during filming of the show include cheetahs, baboons, wild buffalo, and a hawk. I certainly hope that all of the creatures were treated well. Awareness of the mistreatment and deaths of animals in the entertainment industry has been increasing in recent years.

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We are so very glad that Matt Smith came away from the experience relatively unscathed. After all, he only has one life.