Pre 50: The Night of The Doctor

Perpetual Man

Perpetual Man

Tim James
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With the actual 50th Anniversary looming the BBC has promised all kinds of surprises. As far as been announced all we know of so far is the Day of the Doctor on the 23rd and An Adventure in Time and Space during the week.

Well it seems that there are some surprises out there and this was the first.

A mini episode of Doctor Who set during the Time War serving as an introduction to next weeks special.

It's pretty much a one surprise tale, albeit a welcome one, and a nice bit of continuity.

It's available to view on the BBC red button.
 
Although it shows the origins of the Hurt character, it hasn't really yet shown the paradox of not being The Doctor (yet still being the physical Doctor).
 
I am extremely excited. They're building the suspense wonderfully. I'm pretty sure it's about the Time War. I'm pretty sure that Hurt is the Doctor who destroyed the Time Lords and Daleks and that this is the fate which the Doctor has been fleeing from in his youth all this time. I am curious to see how Rose is back. I really can't wait though. It looms like they're going to execute it perfectly. I how so!

If the Doctor truly dies here, they need not resolve any paradox. Or rather, death is the appropriate resolution.
 
Hmm. I have a thought about how he can be the Doctor, and not the Doctor, but if I were right (not quite sure it makes sense) it'd be King of All Spoilers... I've posted it below, in white font. So, highlight if you want to know my guess, and if not it'll stay hidden.

Edited extra bit: bah, should've watched the clip first as it disproves the theory entirely. I had heard the likely way things went before, and it does make sense. Also nice to see McGann get to come back. I'll leave the white bit below, just in case anyone was curious, but it's definitely not the case now.

The Doctor is the Other. The Other was a Timelord who, along with Rassilon and Omega helped construct Timelord society after they overthrew the cult that formerly ruled Gallifrey. However, the cult cursed the Timelords so that, subsequently, they were unable to have children (the Other, I think, would have lived before the curse and would therefore have been able to have kids, perhaps explaining why Susan called the First Doctor 'grandfather').

From then on Timelords were effectively woven on genetic looms (very similar to what happened to the Tenth Doctor to create his 'daughter'). Due to a dispute with the other leading members, I think the Other threw himself into a genetic loom and was recreated as the Doctor.

Hurt could be the Other. Both the Doctor, and not the Doctor. Guilt over what he did could explain his subsequent fleeing of the Timelords.


 
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I think the big surprise for me was seeing Paul McGann.

Between him and the BBC they did a great job of hiding the fact that he was going to be back, what with all his interviews him saying, "I would do it if asked..." the implication being he had not been asked. Of course he meant he had and was doing it.

Having just watched it again, my feeling is that McGann Doctor was critically wounded in the crash and was going to regenerate.

The Priestess of Karn (last seen in The Brain of Morbius) were able to control the nature of the regeneration, creating a harsher harder Doctor that would be prepared to do terrible things - perfect for fighting in the time war.

He is still the Doctor, but only in the sense that he is a direct incarnation, in personality, outlook and all else, he is totally different. It would appear as though he is being referred to as The War Doctor.

Thad, your speculation might still have some basis. The last Doctor Who novel published by Virgin (a long time ago now) was called Lungbarrow and dealt with all of the things you mention, and the implication was that The Doctor was indeed the Other. Time Lord society had stepped beyond the need for physical birth and their bodies were knitted together in an massive machine (3D printing?).

Unlike most of the Gallifreyans, the Other was discorporated and went through the machine, coming out the other side a Time Lord - the Doctor.

All the above is from memory and may well be a little shaky. The books are not considered cannon now, but it was one excellent adventure. It goes for silly money on ebay.
 
I'm still nervous, because of the "game-changer" type comments from main cast and Moffatt.
 
Could be making the Doctor a woman.
 
It's getting closer and although I'm sure there will be separate threads for these just a reminder that An Adventure in Time and Space is on on Thursday night (UK) and Me You and Doctor who on BBC 2 on Friday, with countless other things hidden away on various channels, including such delights as reshowings of The Unearthly Child and The Ultimate Guide.
 
Ice fyre said:
I understand i09.com produced a kind of overlook of the 50th events. Not looked at it yet so dont know how accurate it is...
Click to expand...

Could be useful/interesting.

Do I know you from somewhere? I feel like I am being stalked for some reason.
 
Having watched Who all my life, but not being a die-hard Whovian I felt I had missed something watching this. I understand the Time War and that there was this Time Doctor (who has been cast as John Hurt). Great for all, but especially fans, to finally see Paul McGann's Regeneration (and not to Christopher Eccleston but to John Hurt). I also know who the Sisters of Karn are (except most of the stuff online concerns books and audio books that I don't think are Canon -surely only BBC TV episodes are Canon? There is enough contradiction in those without introducing even more!)

Who was the woman who died when the spaceship crashed?

Is that the Doctor's daughter or Romana, another Companion, or River?

Is there more than one part to this? Did I only see one part? It was on the digital interactive Red button.

I'm going to be away for the Day of the Doctor, if that explains more. I'll have to catch it next week.
 
I don't think the companion was anyone important Dave, just a woman who the Doctor tried to save. (There seems to be some kind of hint that she was a companion when the sisterhood were talking to him, so maybe bits got altered to deal with the shorter time)

I agree as much fun and as good as some of the books might have been only what is seen on the screen should be cannon. Although McGann did reference companions from books and audio adventures, probably to give him a sense of history and there were not much else to draw from.
 
I think it's more important that she'd heard of the Time Lords and TARDISes, and perhaps even the Doctor, and that she had such a vehement hatred of them she was prepared to die...
 
That's an excellent point PTeppic it certainly insinuates that the war was massive, fought out in the open and that the Time Lords were seen as being as bad as the Daleks. Something that I guess was born out by the Doctor locking both away.
 
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