Time after time he consistently appears as genuinely kind, intelligent, caring, funny, down-to-earth, and an all-around gentleman.

i know. that's so totally true. and its amazing, the wealth of opportunities to see the "real" him, too. i'm quite glad i got into Doctor Who rather late in the game (after the first two seasons had already aired) because there were so many interviews and whatnot to see (without fear of spoilers, yay). and the commentaries and confidentials just make me all swooney. and the show last week about his family...well that was almost too much to take (beard notwithstanding).