Matt Smith is "honoured" to return to the stage in London's West End in Thomas Ostermeier's latest production.

The Doctor Who star is set to return to the stage for the first time since 2019 to star in the German director's reimagining of Henrik Ibsen's An Enemy of the People.

Smith will play Dr. Thomas Stockmann, a medical officer who discovers that the public baths have been contaminated. The character then plans to publish his findings in the newspaper and demand that the city council re-route the water pipes. However, he faces opposition from his native spa town and is soon declared a public enemy.

The West End show will run for two months from 6 February at the Duke of York's Theatre in London.

The actor last appeared on the stage in 2019 when he starred opposite Claire Foy in Lungs at the Old Vic theatre. He has since starred in the TV series House of the Dragon and films The Forgiven, Morbius and Last Night in Soho.

"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," Smith, 40, has said of the director. "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 honor to be able to work with him on this great play and become part of this unique project."

Ibsen's 1882 play has been adapted by Ostermeier and Florian Borchmeyer. The production has been already staged in Europe, New York and at London's Barbican, but was previously only performed in German.