Perhaps the biggest surprise of the 50th anniversary was not the revelation of Gallifrey's survival but the welcome sight of a familiar, much loved face. The Curator, whoever he was, certainly bore a striking resemblance to the Doctor's fourth incarnation. He also seemed aware of Gallifrey and the Time Lords, and that knowledge of aliens and other planets didn't seem to phase him as it would the average person. It became obvious, though, that the Curator was not your average person when he practically admitted he was a future regeneration of the Doctor. He didn't come right out and state it, but the hints were blatantly obvious. When the Doctor saw him for the first time, he smiled and said, "I never forget a face," to which the Curator replied, "And in the years to come, you might find yourself revisiting a few, but only the old favourites." The Doctor's role as the Curator was foreshadowed earlier in the episode when Queen Elizabeth I, in a letter from the 1500's, named the Doctor as the Curator of the Undergallery. Little did the audience suspect that this was a glimpse of the Doctor's future. After centuries of exploring time and space, he regenerated back into Tom Baker and settled down to perform his duties as the Curator. Considering how Four is considered the quintessential Doctor, this seems like a happy ending for our favourite Time Lord, don't you think? The definitive article, you might say. What did you think of this list? Are there any other little known facts about the 50th anniversary special of Doctor Who? Join the conversation in the comments section below and don't miss our NuWho retrospectives for Series 1, Series 2, Series 3, Series 4, Series 5, Series 6 and Series 8.
Paula Luther hails from Pennsylvania and has been an avid Whovian since 2008. She enjoys writing (obviously), reading, dancing, video editing, and building websites. She has also self-published two books on Amazon, "Bart the Bard" and "Android Mae and Other Stories".
