The Doctor Who 50th Anniversary Special – The Day of the Doctor will be broadcast on 23 November (Picture: BBC/Adrian Rogers)

Doctor Who is full of unanswered questions. Here are some of the critical loose ends Steven Moffat must answer in the 50th anniversary special in November.

Why did the Tardis explode?

Remember that crack in the wall? The painting by Van Gogh? The end of the universe? All the stuff that happened way back when Amy Pond was travelling in the Tardis. There was a crack in the fabric of space and time caused by the Tardis exploding.

It’s been forgotten. But on The Day of the Doctor poster there’s an exploding Tardis. Who caused that? It could be the Silence, or the Great Intelligence or the Doctor himself. And there’s that new crack in the Tardis window too. We should be told.




What is the Doctor’s name and why does it matter?

Steven Moffat has been obsessed with the Doctor’s name ever since he took over from Russell T. Davies. Actually it started before that. Moffat wrote the story in which River Song told him his name to win his trust back in the library when David Tennant was still the Doctor. It was the first time he met her and then she died and was uploaded to the database. Wibbly wobbly timey wimey.

We know the Doctor has a name. Remember the prophecy from Dorium Maldovar: ‘on the Fields of Trenzalore, at the fall of the Eleventh, when no creature can speak falsely or fail to answer, a question will be asked – a question that must never be answered.’

The question was asked in The Name of the Doctor and River answered it but we didn’t hear what she said. Hopefully not Derek. But the big question is why is the Doctor’s name is so secret.

Who exactly is John Hurt’s Doctor?

Bam. Bam. The end of The Name of the Doctor was clear: Introducing John Hurt. As The Doctor. But that really does present more questions than it answers even if it is such a thrill to have the brilliant John Hurt in the Whoniverse.

The garb in The Day of the Doctor poster does suggest a transition Doctor between 8 (Paul McGann) and 9 (Christopher Eccleston). He’s wearing a leather jacket over what looks like an urbane velvet waistcoat. He did what he did in the name of peace and sanity but not in the name of the Doctor. But who is he and why did he do it?

How did the Doctor die?

The Doctor and Clara ventured to Trenzalore and the Tardis didn’t like it one bit. Then again the Tardis doesn’t seem to much like Clara generally. But we have a tomb and the Doctor’s foreboding. How did the Doctor die? Was it in the Time War? Is it the tomb of the Dark Doctor?

Is Hitler still in that cupboard?

Hopefully we’ll find out what happened in the Time War. But one thing has been bugging me for months. How did Hitler get out of the cupboard?