I'd figured Hurt was one of the later incarnations of the Doctor, perhaps one of the ones who became the Valeyard or the Storm or any one of the other names he might take as he goes on and gets disillusioned.

Yeah, but they keep mussing about with continuity (what is this, a superhero show?) so who knows what the Valeyard's deal really is. It's been a few decades since we saw him last and maybe he'll have changed his motives or that's just how he justifies it to himself in his own head or something?

Anyway, I'm looking forward to finding out.

Help me out, here, since I'm new to Dr. Who. What's the Valeyard?

I don't recall hearing his name; my hubby and I are wondering if the John Hurt "doctor" was the Original doctor, pre-first incarnation (I can't think of the term I want, sorry).

The doctor's name was never said out loud in a way anyone could understand or hear it in the episode, no. Which is juuuuuust fine with me. I would have been most cross if they demystified that. I like keeping some things vague, spaces in the story of the Doctor that we can let our imaginations fill in.

I think that the doctor revealed in the last episode is going to be a simultaneous Doctor to Matt Smith? At least I hope so, because that would be different and interesting and I like the idea. Plus, there was no regeneration scene, and I'm pretty keen to have one of those if my doctor goes away. Sometimes I hate the regenerations, but I want them anyway.

Some fan speculation I've seen suggests that the John Hurt Doctor comes between the Paul McGann movie doctor and Christopher Eccleston's Doctor. I've got no real theories - I do think he's either a past doctor, or an alternate timeline but still existing in a very real way doctor.

I'll confess that my Classic Doctor education is incomplete, although I am working on that over time. However this new twist in the action is very interesting.

There have been several episodes in the past where the current doctor crosses time-streams and meets his past selves, usually in response to some big crisis that needs him helping himself to resolve. (The Three Doctors, The Five Doctors, Time Crash...) However we have only ever seen the current doctor running into past selves, not the other way around. (Although "The Next Doctor" at first glance seemed to be that kind of episode...) I am wondering if the John Hurt Doctor is a future incarnation of the doctor that we haven't met yet? Although that theory makes it odd that the current Doctor knows about him...?

I've heard of the Valeyard, although I haven't seen those episodes. I think it was Colin Baker's Doctor who encountered the Valeyard who was supposed to be a bitter, dark version of his future self. A quick look at the Wiki's show there's a lot of backstory here that I'm not familiar with...

I've always been under the impression that William Hartnell's Doctor was indeed the "First" original Doctor...the only version of himself that lived long enough to die of old age and regenerate, rather than having regeneration thrust upon him through violence.

Or...here's a theory...someone above mentioned the possibility of this doctor happening between McGann's Dcotor and Eccleston's Doctor...which would make "Eleven" not eleven but twelve...but perhaps this is the Doctor that pulled the trigger on the Time Lords...OTOH then why the guilt and recrimination of later Doctors? And what about...and...and...

Moffat is an evil bastard. Get caught up as well as you can and enjoy the ride...that's my best advice...:D

The Doctor is a time traveler. Wibbley wobbley timey wimey and all that. May or may not be past or future or whatever. I'm going to wait for a few more hints from Moffat first.

Edited at 2013-05-21 01:43 am (UTC)

Was there a surviving Time Lord other than the Doctor? Or maybe it is some wibbly wobbly time stuff.