John Hurt: Doctor... Who?

john-hurt-doctor-whoWhat I did, I did in the name of peace and sanity.But not in the name of The Doctor. I suspect that we shall be discovering exactly why John Hurt's "Doctor" is a discarded regeneration soon enough, but I do so love throwing theories out there and hearing from other Who fans. In the episode "Dalek", the Ninth Doctor tells the Dalek about the Time War. He says "I watched it happen; I made it happen!" - which implies that good old Nine was the catalyst for the end of the Time War and the destruction of both the Timelords and the Daleks. He destroyed Skaro, and also his own planet of Gallifrey. Our Ninth Doctor is admitting to committing a war crime, so where does John Hurt fit in with all of this? It was Nine that committed genocide; he even admitted it. He was there; he did it. He watched the Daleks and Gallifrey die. He orchestrated the entire thing so that everybody lost. It was the best thing for the universe, after all. Or so he says. Is John Hurt's "Not Doctor" The Valeyard? I don't believe so. Could he be The Dreamlord from Amy's Choice? We still don't know who Eleven saw in "his" hotel room - we only know that he said "Oh yes; it had to be you". That could mean anybody or anything and we never did find out. Could it have been the rejected regeneration? The Valeyard? The Dreamlord? With Matt's imminent departure I doubt that we shall ever discover the truth about The Doctor's "room" - another inexplicable plot hole. But that's all right; I've been watching Who since I was old enough to walk, and plot holes are a major part of the show. For all we know, this plot hole might be solved by Capaldi! Who was in that hotel room? I have to know and I sincerely hope that we find out. However, I'm meandering away from my original subject. John Hurt as a forgotten Doctor intrigues me. I want to know who he is, and I want to know if he's a threat to The Doctor. This "rejected regeneration" appears to believe that - whatever he did - it was the right thing to do, so what did he do that disgusts The Doctor so much that he disowned him? Could it be that it was the right thing and yet it still went against everything The Doctor believes in, and therefore he wanted to seperate himself from the act in spite of it being the only logical choice? If I was asked to give just one reason as to why I love this show so very much, I think I would have to say that it's because each episode throws up more questions than it does answers. It's a non-stop cliff-hanger that can leave you guessing for months - even years. I have my own theories about John Hurt's "Doctor", but what do you think?
Contributor
Contributor

Blogger, writer, geek and rabid Doctor Who fan. Media Volunteer for Epilepsy Action UK and advocate for autism awareness. Probably too fond of White Zinfandel for my own good.