He may have only appeared in the hit series for about a minute so far, but the action figure of the former Northampton School for Boys pupil is selling so quickly, fans are being forced to order the toy in advance or face missing out on the eleventh Doctor's first official model.

Matt's mother, Lynne Smith, who works at the Chron, has managed to get hold of one of the sought-after figures.

She said she was amazed how much the tiny toy looked like her 27-year-old son.

She added: "The likeness is incredible. It's amazing, I think it's a really good model of him.

"And he's my son, so I've obviously looked at it really closely. It was fabulous to see his first model, it was really exciting for us all."

During David Tennant's four years as The Doctor, there were more than 20 types of action figures based on the star sold in the shops.

Matt's first figure is based on his first appearance in the show on New Year's Day, when he regenerated from Tennant's character.

The model shows him still wearing Tennant's torn suit, rather than the dickie-bow and tweed jacket he is due to wear when the new series of the programme starts in the spring.

While the model is on sale for £8.99 in shops, its rarity means many people who have managed to get hold of the toy are already trying to cash in on its scarcity.

On the internet auction site eBay, the Matt Smith models are currently being traded for between £20 and £30.

In Northampton yesterday, both Argos and Toys R Us said they were taking regular orders for the figure, but they currently had none in stock.

More than 10 million people watched Tennant regenerate into Smith in the New Year's Day episode.

Trailers for the new series of Doctor Who have already revealed the new Doctor will take on his old enemies, the Daleks, when the show returns.