Doctor Who: 10 Great Ideas That Went Absolutely Nowhere
4. The War Doctor
First things first: John Hurt as the War Doctor looks absolutely incredible.
Rugged and worn down by the weight of combat, dressed in raggedy clothes and wearing a grizzled expression on his face, this version of the Time Lord gives off major John Wayne vibes - an old gunslinger, back in town for his final shootout.
The Elephant Man actor played the role as part of the show's 50th anniversary special The Day of the Doctor, where it's explained that he committed atrocities during the Time War, and that his future incarnations have shunned his memory out of shame.
A star like John Hurt was always going to be hard to tie down, but it would've been fantastic to see the War Doctor in more than one story. They managed to get him to commit to Merlin!
He was used brilliantly in The Day of the Doctor so this is more a case of untapped potential rather than a flat-out wasted idea, but just think how awesome it would be to explore his days in the Time War in greater detail.
Despite Hurt's passing in 2017, the role could be recast for a spinoff or standalone episode, like David Bradley as the First Doctor. Get it done Russell!