Well we know that's not true since she saw him on a palm tree filled beach at one point (possibly on an adventure with the 2nd Doctor).

Clara was supposedly split into a million pieces (even if it wasn't really quite that many) she would have seen each Doctor 1000's of times.


Plus of course if all Moffat wanted was an older 8th Doctor he would have cast the now older Paul McGann.

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

If Moffat and BBC Wales didn't want the Eighth Doctor mentioned again, they simply wouldn't mention him again. Building the 50th anniversary special around an aged version of the Eighth Doctor would be a ludicrous way to sweep that incarnation under the carpet.

Yes, first a HUGE mention of him, then never again...

They have previously not really wanted to talk about the Eighth Doctor. Has nobody noticed that? Now he gets his day in the sun and goes out with a bang. You can't top that.


Sorry, man...but they've kind of been hinting about this since Nine took responsibility for what happened during the Time War's last days. "I MADE it happen!"

But John Hurt has already tweeted...

Not really. He's been referenced on screen about as much as every other classic Doctor, the BBC frequently have his Big Finish adventures on Iplayer, Matt Smith has said he'd like to work with McGann and Moffat was full of praise on the recent BBC America DW revisited documentary.

All of these adventures can take place between the TV Movie and "becoming" John Hurt's Doctor.

As for Hurt appearing again after the 50th Special, YES PLEASE!

Also, I claim no inside information.

The Daleks, Cybermen, Ice Warriors, Sontarans, Sarah-Jane smith, UNIT, the Brigadere, etc, etc all meant nothing to the casual viewer yet they have all featured in Nu-Who. There have been countless clips and mentions of previous Dr's, including the trailer for the 50th. It shouldn't mean that the whole previous 50 years should be swept aside and new Dr's shoe-horned in because someone somewhere might be confused.

I always believed that Ecclestone was sounded out about returning quite a while ago before the script was written so that Moffatt could get an idea of what story he could tell. Ecclestone said no thanks and so Moffatt has written a story that doesn't feature him. Shame it isn't for McGann but then I think Moffatt gets a kick at of changing the past. Basically when he finally hands over the role to somebody new he can look back and say that Doctor Who has his signature all over it, all the way back to Hartnell.

Personally I'd have squealed with joy & delight in much the same way as I did when Peter Capaldi was announced as the 12th Doctor.

And then I'd have done a little dance.

That sentence is so wrong. But it perfectly sums up what is wrong with fanoraks.

The member you were responding to has been banished. No need to get upset with him.

I'm not, to be honest. But one sees this attitude amongst a (thankfully) small number of fans. Of course, a 50th anniversary should have nods and winks to the dedicated fans and no-one would dispute that. The Corrie anniversary did. Skyfall did. But neither of those productions was made solely for the die-hard fans, nor should they. It's the same with Who. The last thing the show needs is references to the past shoehorned in so more casual viewers watch and think "What's this old thing, I'm watching?"

The day a long-running series starts making shows solely for the fans, is the day it enters its death throes. We've only to look at Doctor Who in the late 80s to see what happens when the monkeys take over the zoo! Fortunately, I believe the majority of intelligent fans know that.

In answer to the original poster...

Because maybe Paul McGann has another role to play in the Special?

I wasn't expecting the moment to look like a Rose, I must say.

Nice point.......I wonder if they intended that.
Any idea if Rose has the Tardis in her head, her eyes are glowing.
As for this threads original question, IMO they wanted a very old 8, ie (sorry John), someone who looks like they are waiting for the Co-op to deliver a box.
This is 8's last day, and of course they are still able to fill in with Paul at any time up to John if they want after Dark Eyes audio, last part I believe is released 2015.

Strange choice to put it on a plinth decorated with pictures of beer bottles, IMO.

From top to bottom we have

Rose + Crown + Beer Bottles = The Rose and Crown Pub.

It is true that the fanboy/girl stuff becomes a bit ridiculous in the overall context but there are surely touchstones,
that not just casual viewers, but basically most people will and did recognise.
Such as Daleks and Cybermen.

As for McGann... as much as it would work as a "nod" he is somewhat obscure to the general audience. Surely. ?

I agree, but, at some point for all the boys & girls out there in new who land, especially in other countries where they don't have access to all this info etc they will have to explain who John is in the story as he exists before Chris, just as Paul did.
I'm still sticking to the extremely old 8th doctor........I mean he wouldn't regen into somebody looking that old, he's been in the wars as the saying goes, literally, ie Waiter, may I order a coffin please.....(sorry John).

Yet clips and photos of 8th Doctor's face have appeared on-screen in montages since The Next Doctor. He bears no physical resemblance whatsoever to John Hurt.

If your right, then based on the leaked trailer Paul must have died and become John, and he's been fighting for ages to end up looking like that.

Well, the 11th Doctor has hardly aged in over 200 years. While Moffat has made it clear (in the recent interview) that the Hurt Doctor has been fighting for a long time, there's no evidence to suggest this incarnation would have looked significantly younger when he was 'born'. Jon Pertwee's Doctor was 'born' looking like a 50-something human and the same will soon happen with Peter Capaldi's Doctor.

So we agree then, as Moff said he's been at it a long time, and he's a regen of Paul because clara saw all 11 faces of him etc.

If Moffat had an idea for the story involving a "secret" Doctor, it wouldn't make sense writing it for the 8th Doctor, since we've aready seen him. As for your assertion that CE "turned them down" you're presuming an awful lot that we aren't party to. Just one hypothesis: SM wanted a regeneration scene between JH and CE and had a meeting with CE who decided that taking time out of other projects for what is actually a continuity scene wasn't worthwhile so they parted company. I like half full glasses

Am I the only one to bring up the elephant in the room here? Is this in regards to his regeneration? Is it an activity only done in the Tardis library? Another use for the sonic screwdriver, or just a Freudian slip?