Doctor Who: 10 Rumours About The Day Of The Doctor We Hope Are True

5. The 8 1/2 Doctor

The final scene of The Name of The Doctor left fans with the most tantalizing of cliffhangers. John Hurt introduced as The Doctor. But which Doctor? Initially fans argued that he was a pre-Hartnell Doctor or perhaps he was the Valeyard or maybe even a future Doctor. As the anniversary draws closer however, more and more signs point to this incarnation as a previously unspoken of Doctor between Mcgann's 8th and Eccleston's 9th Doctors. Costume designer Howard Burden is quoted as saying that Hurt's wardrobe is to indicate that he is a "dark Doctor" existing between the 8th and 9th incarnations. This has never been officially confirmed. Regardless of who he is, the theory that he is a Doctor after the one the audience has never seen regenerate is compelling. Imagine the 8th Doctor captured by the Time Lords (in a callback to Troughton's capture in The War Games) dragged before the High Council of the Time Lords and over his protests, once again forced to regenerate. As McGann's face erupts in regenerative energy, John Hurt's face forms and the Time Lords have themselves another hand crafted "perfect warrior for a Time War."