1. An Unearthly Child?
A less likely, but still plausible, explanation for Hurt's appearance is that he is before the naming of the Time Lord known as the Doctor even begun - for this, we merely have to look at a clip from the Name of the Doctor again. Clara tells the First Doctor (William Hartnell) to steal a particular type of TARDIS, which implies that the Doctor is escaping Gallifrey for some sort of reason - maybe he has been framed, maybe he is on the run from the Master, or maybe it is something else altogether? Perhaps he has just regenerated, and needs to escape quickly before his people realise that this the Doctor, as he is now known, has stolen a TARDIS and fled the planet. This would make sense in the context of the show, but what discounts it as a very probable theory is that Hurt speaks of peace, sanity, without any choice - although maybe the Hurt incarnation could have done something incredibly bad which would have precipitated such a regeneration then robbery, it is unlikely that this would be the case. In later stories, particularly with the Fourth, Fifth and Sixth Doctor, the Doctor has an unsteady if not respectable relationship with the Time Lords, who know exactly who he is, and how his intelligence and actions can help them out of situations (like in the Deadly Assassin, 1976 and the Five Doctors, 1983) It is unlikely that the 'Hurt Doctor' stole the TARDIS and set off the original time line. Clara claims not even to have seen him, and an event like that would have been witnessed by her and hidden very carefully by the Doctor. But again, until the 50th is broadcast, nothing is certain. What do you, people of the internet, make of my theories? Time War, Valeyard, Eighth, Ninth? Or do you have any alternative theories? Please share them in the comments section below!