1. Who Is Hurt?
Though raised in the series seven finale, the big question coming out of the trailer is still who exactly the John Hurt incarnation of the Doctor is, in terms of both his actions and where in the Doctor's personal timeline he falls. Interestingly, he appears alongside Tennant and Smith and doesn't appear to be the villain of the story as such. Even with one trailer claiming that the Doctor's "greatest threat" is himself; Hurt doesn't appear to be doing anything threatening. He doesn't even look threatening, more so a man who knows that he must perform a terrible task. While Smith and Tennant brandish sonic screwdrivers and Daleks whizz around the screen, Hurt seems very passive. He is more tagging along with the other two than leading the way and otherwise we see him simply standing in front of what could be 'the Moment'. Two important questions should be considered with the way Smith behaves towards Hurt at the end of the series seven finale along with the footage we have from these trailers. 1) If the Doctor readily admits, throughout the entire revamped series, that he ended the Time War, why does it matter which incarnation of him did it? The character has lived and dealt with that responsibility through his past three lives, so why is the Hurt Doctor locked away? 2) Doesn't the idea that what Hurt did "in the name of peace and sanity" was ending the Time War seem a bit too easy? We know the Doctor does it, so why wouldn't Hurt's actions be out in the open? Combine these two questions with the fact that he's an obviously unseen life of the character, but isn't considered an 'actual' Doctor because of his actions; it's easy to find yourself running round in circles looking for ways to fit him in. In reality, all fan-theorising aside, at least we can be thankful that we don't have long to wait until 'The Day of the Doctor' hits our screens. It looks like it's bringing a monumental amount of action, drama, classic moments and important decisions into a show that will go down as one of the greats and I, for one, cannot wait. What questions do you have from the Doctor Who trailers? Do you have answers for the questions raised here? What are you most looking forward to seeing from the anniversary special? Post a comment below!