10 Doctor Who Episodes NOBODY Was Ready For

Excitement for Doctor Who’s 50th anniversary was at an all-time high when this episode aired a few months prior to the big day.

Fans all around the world were speculating about who would be returning in the 50th, and what the overall story was going to be about. But introducing a previously unseen incarnation of the Doctor, played by the legendary John Hurt, no less? Yeah - nobody saw that coming.

The Name of the Doctor dropped this bomb as a tantalising lead-in to the 50th, with the words “Introducing John Hurt as the Doctor” sending Whovians into a frenzy of excitement, confusion, and tons of speculation.

The reveal changed any and all theories people had about the 50th anniversary, with it now being clear that Moffat was planning something much bigger than we'd anticipated.

This moment changed Doctor Who forever, and fortunately, the actual 50th episode - The Day of the Doctor - was a roaring success, cementing Hurt's War Doctor as a crucial incarnation in the Doctor's life.