Ever since John Hurt’s introduction as “the Doctor” earlier this year, fans have been asking: Doctor who? Well, it appears that the answer has been slipped.


During yesterday’s royal visit to Cardiff, costume designer Howard Burden disclosed to the visitors that Hurt, briefly seen at the end of series finale The Name Of The Doctor, will play a “dark” version of the Time Lord, before going on to reveal… “There was a gap between Paul McGann playing the Doctor and Christopher Eccleston, when we didn’t see a regeneration, and John Hurt will fit into that gap. He is a past Doctor, not a future Doctor.”

The comments, picked up by The Telegraph, appear to confirm fan speculation of Hurt playing some sort of forgotten incarnation between the eighth and ninth ever since the actor was snapped on set wearing the latter’s leather jacket over Paul McGann’s Victorian-style waistcoat.


Also in a revelatory mood during Prince Charles and the Dutchess Of Cornwall’s visit was Jenna Coleman, who seemed to suggest that the only three Doctors to appear in the special will be Matt Smith, David Tennant and Hurt. She said: “We had three different Doctors in [the TARDIS]… John Hurt, David Tennant was back and Matt. Three different Doctors playing against each other.”