[jarschqua @replies]

Hey folks; been lurking since Outpost Gallifrey and been a DW fan for around 25 years now. And I just had to sign up to chat about John Hurt as the Doctor. Like many of you, I think he’s the Time War doc, an incarnation between McGann and Eccleston. But there’s some really thrilling symmetry here no one has mentioned yet.

In 2003 the BBC produced the flash animated Doctor Who series Scream of the Shalka on the Doctor Who website. It was originally meant to be official cannon and it starred the Ninth doctor… the Shalka Doctor or REG Doctor (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shalka_Doctor).

I can see Hurt being this REG Doctor. There are some similarities in wardrobe for one. But that’s nothing compared to the rest of the goodies under the surface here:

1) He’s called the REG Doctor… aka the Richard E. Grant Doctor. That’s right, the actor who plays Dr. Simeon/The Great Intelligence who just brought us face to face with Hurt was the voice of the Doctor himself back in 2003. That’s a pretty strong connection between John Hurt and Shalka. Symmetry!

2) Not only that, but the REG Doctor’s companion is an android body containing the consciousness of the Master. Who voiced this companion??? Oh, I can’t spoil it if you didn’t already know it, you gotta look it up! Symmetry!

3) And given that the Master is a very evil influence, isn’t it highly plausible that he corrupts the (John Hurt) Doctor with his very presence, perhaps goading the Doc into the horrible acts of War? In the short story Feast of the Stone,starring this REG Doctor, the Master’s evil actually awakens a psychic vampire within a cavern the Doctor must then fight; his influence was so strong and pervasive even then. This would be an excellent set up to bring back the Master next season, too… It makes sense that Matt Smith’s Doctor turns his back on the version of himself who teamed up with or was corrupted by the Master.

4) It appears that in the Shalka story, the Doctor’s travels are being forced upon him and that he resents it. If that’s the Time Lords controlling his path, it would fit with the idea that they were using him for the Time War. Another possible connection between current speculation and Shalka.

5) Even more symmetry – we know that David Tennant will be returning for the 50th special. But did you know that he actually had an uncredited voice part as ‘the caretaker’ in Shalka?!

All those tiny tidbits that connect Shalka to what’s happening now, 10 years later, in the tv series is really cool to me. Just had to mention them since they hadn’t been brought up yet.

So I don’t have a clue what happens in the 50th anniversary special. Considering the villains I imagine its got to do with the Time War (yet another reason Hurt is probably the 9th incarnation). However, I do think there’s some fun stuff for the Doctor to work through next season. Imagine the John Hurt Doctor earning his redemption by somehow thwarting the return of the Valeyard. You could weave that timeline through the whole series. The Master coming back and explaining his part of the Time War. Clara knowing the Doctor’s true name. And I’ll always be hoping for a comeback of a classic Doctor Who or two.

Anyway, just excited about the possibilities. Glad to read all of your thoughts on it!

 

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