John Hurt's spectacular turn as a war-wearied disowned incarnation of the Doctor was the jewel in Doctor Who's 50th anniversary crown. Though people may balk at the clumsy retcon or the fact that Paul McGann's Doctor was once again brushed aside, nobody seems unhappy with John Hurt's involvement. Though, sadly, we'll likely never see him reprise the role on screen (he's a busy man, not to mention pricey) the adventures of his incarnation will be realised in book form. The BBC has announced
Engines of War - a novel set during the Time War featuring the War Doctor - as the start of what, we expect, will be an ongoing series. Depicting the Time War onscreen was always going to be tricky, and ultimately disappointing, with the budget and visual effect limitations of a television show. In book form, the only constraint is the writer's imagination. Adding to the Who mythos with a fresh new incarnation is a great opportunity for those contributing writers to build their own version of the Doctor. Whilst the Eighth Doctor also exists mostly in book and audio form, his tenure as one of the most overexposed incarnations (ironically) means that his nature and personality is quite firmly established. Whereas the War Doctor is an almost completely blank slate. Though it's not yet certain if
Engines of War will kick-off a series (which may depend on the success of the first book), this setup has a lot of potential to tell new stories of the Doctor unlike anything before it. So here's five possible story elements they could work into these novels.