12 Moments That Have Defined The Last Decade Of Doctor Who

3. Introducing John Hurt (The Name Of The Doctor)

Just when you think you're finally getting your head around Doctor Who's ever expanding mythology, Steven Moffat goes and spoils it all by throwing an almighty spanner in the works. Such was the case at the end of the Series 7 finale, The Name of the Doctor, when, during a journey into the deepest realms of the Doctor's time stream, it was revealed that there's actually been a secret incarnation of him that nobody has ever known about. To add to the occasion's overriding sense of grandeur, this secret incarnation was played by none other than the mighty Sir John Hurt whose guilt ridden eyes alone managed to tell viewers more about the Time War than Russell T Davies and Steven Moffat had collectively revealed in the last 8 years. Seriously. This was a pretty big deal. Unfortunately, though, fans were then forced to wait six months to find out what would happen next but the climactic cliffhanger had left us with plenty to talk about in the meantime. An iconic moment because, well... it's John bloody Hurt for God's sake, and finding out that that your favourite character has been hiding something so colossal about himself is pretty defining, wouldn't you say? God knows what other secrets he's keeping from us. Now that's something to think about.