14 Tales From The History Of Doctor Who From William Hartnell To Jodie Whittaker

6. The War Doctor Stepped Into Viewers' Hearts For The 50th

Doctor Who the War Doctor John Hurt
BBC Studios

The ending of The Name of the Doctor blew viewers' minds when the shadowy figure in The Doctor's timestream turns around...to reveal Sir John Hurt was playing The Doctor!

He had been announced as cast in special 50th episode The Day of the Doctor, though his role had been kept under wraps. With this reveal, the internet started to buzz about what this actually meant. Who was he really? Which version of The Doctor was he going to be? Long before Ruth and the Timeless Children, the numbering just didn't add up.

The creation of the role was, in part, a brilliant strategy devised by Stephen Moffat to work around Christopher Eccleston's refusal to return for the special. While Eccleston's Nine was missed by audiences, the chance to see John Hurt on-screen was simply too good to pass.

Along with Matt Smith and David Tennant, he is the main focus of the anniversary story - one which also features not just the preceding Doctors but also, for the first time in Doctor Who history, a future incarnation as well.

Hurt's name had, at one point, been attached to the Eighth Doctor, though in the War Doctor, he gave the battle-hardened Time Lord a new voice.

In this post: 
Doctor Who
 
Posted On: 
Contributor
Contributor

Seán is the host and head writer/presenter for TrekCulture, as well as a writer/presenter on WhoCulture and WhatCulture Horror. He has authored two novels, dozens of short stories, and hundreds of articles for WhatCulture. He holds a Master of Arts in Creative Writing from University College Dublin. As part of his work with TrekCulture, Seán has been invited to participate in collaborations with Roddenberry Entertainment, as well as contributing to several Star Trek community projects. An avid fan of Star Trek, Doctor Who, and the horror genre at large, Seán's expertise has helped develop these channels to the successes they are today. As host of the Ups & Downs series on TrekCulture, Seán has become internationally recognised for his positive yet critically informed approach to reviewing every episode of modern Star Trek, ensuring he is one of the go-to voices in the Trek community. Favourite Quote to describe himself: "I'm serious about what I do, just not always about the way that I do it"