Hi, I don't post often but this idea keeps turning in my brain. With a new boss coming in in 2018 I would love to see a return to basics. With that I mean the basic premise of the hartnell years with the Doctor the centre of mystery. The new show lacks that I feel.
The way round it in my mind would be the first story having the doctor newly regenerated or not having a previously unseen adventure where he's lost his memory whether wiped or traumatised by an act and we the audience follow his travels, he can't steer the tardis correctly by him learning who he really is piece by piece. I'll would scrap the gallifrey connection and just have him travelling getting into scrapes.
The companions would also be in the dark but follow him regardless like Ian and Barbara and slowly trust him. The trio would discover things about their selves slowly over the seasons. I think it would very character driver something I feel Chris would excell at.
Bring back the mystery and intrigue to the show.
Also there's a new audience waiting and they won't know who the doctor is and his history. That's my idea now blow it out of the water

I think the first adventure should have the companion already established but there already on the first adventure in the future and later down the episodes you get references or something to the introduction unseen episode

By effectively wiping the doctors brain as you are seeming to suggest, it would be no different than if the show had come back in 2005 a a complete reboot with no connection to Classic who, when doing it as a continuation, that fans could also jump on board with is seen as a big aspect of why the comeback was so successful.

I myself only found the show in 2005 and because of the writing being done in such a way where everything was explained enough for new viewers while respecting old one's I've never felt lost, despite the doctor's extensive history. It's a tactic they still use today and it works.

Wiping the doctors brain would be a slap in the face to not only Classic who fans, but also those who have supported the show and kept it on air for 10 years as well.

Also, regarding the doctor as a character, he has altered surface personality traits in different incarnations, but is the same person underneath and has main traits that shine through in every incarnation. Wiping his memory would mean the character we know and love would be gone. The person left would just be a two hearted empty shell might be nothing like before and could easily become evil even. It would be effectively as bad as if they just replaced the doctor with another character, because that is what the result of a memory wipe would now be.

Plus on any given episode, all the lines of I know this because I saw it on so and so planet, or anecdotes about famous people would never be able to happen, because the doctor would have nothing to tell. Again, no one would look to the doctor as the hero or protector, because he'd have no experience at anything and would be as clueless as anyone else in the room.

So basically, not trying to 'blow your idea out of the water' as you say, but just trying to simply explain that from my point of view, no doctor, no show, and the doctor with no memory is the same as no doctor.

There are many ways to have mystery, intrigue, and keeping the companions in the dark about the doctor, that don't include erasing the doctor's memory and everything we love about him.

I think its important that he, and for that matter any character are the sum of their experiences.

They change and grow - and in the case of a show like Dr Who theres an awful lot of history - many years of which we haven't seen on screen too.

Although I disagree with a memory wipe or reseting in any way... I do think that some of the older stories had a better feel to them.

Its really hard to put my finger on it - maybe I miss the 'doctor and companion land somewhere (mostly unintentionally) - stumble into some bad guy - and put it right and save the day - then leave'

Your name wouldn't be Stephen Moffatt would it?

Been done before...

Melanie Bush.

.. that didn't work out too well.

I now want to throw up.

Wiping the character's memory wouldn't create any mystery or intrigue, as the mystery is in the eyes of the viewer. Unless you reboot the character entirely and give him a completely different backstory, the cat is already out of the bag.

Watching the character spend a few series figuring out what we already know wouldn't be very interesting to watch.