10 Doctor Who Questions That Always Confused You
9. Where Does Jo Martin Fit In The Line-Up?
When Ruth was first revealed to be an unknown incarnation of the Doctor, various speculative theories were churned out by fan sites. Were they between Patrick Troughton and Jon Pertwee in a fresh spin on the long-held belief in the Season 6B theory? This theory posits that the Second Doctor was a Time Lord agent spawned from the fact that an older Patrick Troughton didn't dye his hair black when he returned to the role.
Whilst their story is confusingly related through the prism of a cosy Sunday night TV show about an Irish policeman, The Timeless Children makes it clear that Ruth is pre-Hartnell. Their memories were wiped and they eventually became the First Doctor we all know, which still confuses and outrages some corners of fandom.
The more militant fans believe that the very idea of Doctors existing prior to the First Doctor is tantamount to heresy. Doctor Who fans are boringly linear; Hartnell will always be the first Doctor that we, as an audience, encounter. The fact that the character had a whole mysterious life beforehand doesn't desecrate Hartnell's legacy, it ensures it's longevity as the show approaches its sixth decade.