Absolutely! Although I still have to wonder why Hurt's character is called the "War Doctor". He's not the Doctor anymore and his predecessor asked the Sisterhood of Karn to make him a warrior so why not call him "the Warrior"?
That's what I love about his appearance at the end of Name of the Doctor - I don't usually follow all the news and rumors, so had no idea that it was the back of John Hurt until that fabulous gravelly voice said: "What I did, I did without choice. In the name of peace and sanity."
“Calling the war council of Gallifrey. This is the Doctor” gave my grandad chills. He was a massive Who fan when he was younger and has supported it all his life, to the point of getting my grandma to make notes on everything done and said in episodes he missed because he was in meetings, so he could effectively read the episode when he got back. I’ve never seen a 90 year old man go from laid back and almost asleep to focused like a fucking hawk.
I just love the idea that the National Gallery being the Curator's TARDIS means that the Doctor finally *finally* got around to fixing that Chameleon Circuit.
That’s now my head cannon. I always loved that having a broken chameleon circuit was the reason the Tardis is a police box and him finally fixing it in order to curate paintings is a great reason.
@@beesree39 brings the story back to it's roots, right? First Doctor stole the original TARDIS, maybe some future Doctor will steal a new TARDIS. Of course, knowing British humor, it's probably going to be another broken one if that DOES happen.
i've always interpreted Night of the Doctor as setting up that the War Doctor started young. The War Doctor we see by the Final Day of the war has spent a lifetime in the war, regardless of how long it took 'objectively' speaking, working in several places at once, not quite crossing his own paths (though he wouldn't have cared near the end of it) and by the Day of the Doctor he's a veteran who has reached for the last option he can think of to end it.
He did start young. We saw the newly regenerated War Doctor as a young John Hurt in a reflection, which means he fought the Time War long enough to age to where we saw him in the special. The Time War took many, many, many centuries, possibly millennia before its conclusion. The Time Lords were desperate enough to resurrect frigging Rassilon, for crying out loud, the man almost everything in Time Lord society is named after, a known psycho.
@@Tim_Belay A bit, but its hard to mask Sir John Hurt's aged timbre to his voice and pass it off as young. Other Doctors have pulled it off, but Hurt's voice is gravel by default. I dunno, I'm just glad he at least had a crack at the audios before his unfortunate passing. Any other Time War shinanegans we want to experience would be done through The War Master (Sir Derek Jacobi's Master we briefly saw in Utopia) audios.
@@Tim_Belay Big Finish have recently announced they're doing a new boxset featuring a freshly regenerated War Doctor. They found a voice actor who sounds very much like John Hurt. www.bigfinish.com/releases/v/doctor-who-the-war-doctor-begins-forged-in-fire-2363
One of my favorite little tidbits, is how Eleven says that since the timelines are out of sync, the younger regeneration is unable to retain the memories of interaction with the older. So; going forward, Eleven won't remember that Tommy Boy sent him on the journey to find Gallifrey, it's just a seed planted in his mind. "I dream of where I'm going." The idea just 'comes to him in his dreams.'
That's practically canon. In "Day of" 11 meets the Curator who tells him he saved Gallifrey, and 11 is planning to go back "the long way round." But by the beginning of "Time of" 11 doesn't even know whether he has saved Gallifrey or not; that information has faded from his memory.
I disagree with your statement that it was generally agreed that the 9th Doctor was the doctor that fought in the Time War. In fact it was heavily hinted at in the first episode "Rose" that the Doctor had recently regenerated enough that he commented on his own ears as if he had only seen them for the first time. As such it was always assumed that the 8th Doctor had fought for most if not all of the Time War and the outcome caused him to regenerate into Nine.
It was... weird. I honestly don't think RTD throughly planned that out (he really isn't the God of writing I see a bunch of loyalist declare). In Rose 9 acted like he just regenerated, but throughout series 1 (which was apparently just a year or so) he acted like he personally acted in the time war and was familiar with that regeneration. I always assumed that 9 fought in the time war because it felt like that was suggested throughout his run; without that one scene in Rose, I'd never assume it was 8. At that time (series 1) the Time War was only ever mentioned and used as a plot device to push the story along, so I really don't think RTD knew or cared which Doctor fought in the time war (and TBF it didn't matter much for the story).
@@vullord666 To be fair- going back to the whole theme of this episode- at the end of the day, The Doctor is still The Doctor, regardless of regeneration. Even if it was 8 who actually pushed the button, it would still be fresh on 9's mind; just as it hasn't really left during 10's time either.
I thought that he was already quite a while around, travelling the world and time after the war. He was so ashamed of himself that he wouldn't look at himself for years. I think that actually adds up with the age but I'm not sure about that.
@@JacktheRah the doctors age is bullshit because of a variety of reasons. Beyond that there are a few comic and prose that talk about 9’s adventures post the time war
I think a lot of that was more that the Doctor was being introduced to a new era and new audience, and at that point it wasn’t even clear if Nu Who was even going to be a clear continuation of the classic series. I don’t think it’s necessary to read into it too much, as the early Ninth Doctor’s tenure is a bit ambiguous (remember that in the same episode it implies that Nine has already been around for a while without Rose).
Yes the Eighth Doctor fought in the Time War and wiped out the Daleks and the Time Lords and then regenerated into the Ninth. He stumbles out of the TARDIS in a vacant lot mumbling incoherently while still wearing the Eighth Doctor's costume in the "Have you Seen this Man?" website (which is shown in Rose) testimonials section. It's implied that he goes on a few adventures but Rose is the first time he gets a look at his own face. He also may have suffered post-regenerative amnesia or other side effects during this time, so it's VERY plausible that he's been around for a while AND is still adjusting to his new body by the events of Rose.
Unless you consider the very first episode of new who where we are shown through the website who is the doctor that he had at the very least a dozen or, so adventure.
Basically how it goes, is that when Nine first met Rose he'd only just freshly regenerated at that point, then had 100 years' worth of adventures after taking off, and when he returned he told her "By the way, did I forget to mention it also travels in time?" which is when he's confirmed "900" years old.
@@danmenard6917 but how in the hell could he have fought in the time war and been all jolly when he came back, the war doctor makes more sense than the 9th doctor as the doctor who fought in the time war
I love John Hurt but my perfect version of the story doesn't involve him at all. We meet the 8th Doctor as a Time War veteran, one who was dragged into the conflict unwillingly and now has blood on his hands. He's seemingly killed and becomes the 9th, a new man hell bent on ending the conflict. He takes the final timelord weapon, the moment to end the war and is propelled along his own timeline to meet his latter incarnations, 10 and 11. Together they fend off an invasion from the Zygons and he returns to press the button. End the very end he is joined by his two future selves. As a trio they do it together. Essentially, the big change is that we have McGann passing the torch as the longest serving Doctor and the one who bridges the gap between classic and Nu Who and we celebrate all that has come after with the three actors who have done it. Again, I love Hurt, but in a perfect world, this is how it should have played out. And oh, the time war is shown a bit better than this. Awesome reality warping weapons, we see other timelords like warped versions of the Doctor using their genius to commit large scale destruction. We see bizarre techno-organic monsters clashing with desperate warriors barely holding their own... just... something more than the typical lasers.
@@braddsfx8921 I wasn't denying that. Also a lot of times people who hide great pain hide it behind jovial personalities. Nine was born thinking he had killed everyone he'd ever known and cared about, and his home. He still comes off as the soldier freshly returned home from war. Really though it was War Doctor who did(n't) destroyed Gallifrey, and that is fine with me.
The novelisation of the episode reveals that the Doctor stole the moment by convincing security that he was already in the vault and thus they had to open it to get in and stop him.
Night of the Doctor was great, too. I’ve said it before elsewhere and I’ll say it again: In 8 minutes they packed more than some TV shows do in a whole season.
Fun fact: the doctor actually talks about his relationship with Elizabeth 1st in the end of time part 1, to one of the oods , so for the tenth doctor, the anniversary took place in between the waters of Mars, and the end of time
I actually really like idea of him forgetting he did it right, because in a strange sense - him thinking that he killed the time lords is the reason why he didn’t!
I like that the 9th Doctor regenerated as soon as he went back into his TARDIS because Hurt's content performance in his final scene shows that his memories were still intact. He deserved a happy ending after the hell he went through in the Time War. And just to clarify, Hurt is the 9th Doctor, Ecclestone is the 10th, Tennant is the 11th, Smith is the 12th and Capaldi is the 13th.
@@tomnorton4277 they’re still referred to as tenant being 10, smith 11, and capaldi 12. Hurt is considered the war doctor instead of a genuine iteration
The intro of Smith hanging off the tardis still hits me hard. It's so epic and I think the cast names appearing on screen just makes it even more epic, setting the scale for the experience that's about to happen. The music is probably the best track in Who and mixes perfectly with Smith floundering around trying not to fall to his death. I really love this opening and think it sets the tone of the episode perfectly. It might just be nostalgia, but it's great. I remember going in blind and not knowing Tennant was going to be in the episode and absolutely losing my shit when I saw his name appear on screen.
If I had a quarter every time an episode started off with Smith hanging off the tardis I would have two quarters which isn't a lot but it's weird that it happened twice.
One thing I love about this episode, is the fact it didn't overdo the fan service. It was there, when it needed to be, but it didn't rely on it to tell the story.
Obviously this isn't really fleshed out in the episode itself, but my interpretation of the War Doctor as he is portrayed, is that this is the end of the Time War. The Time War went on for many many many years, & the War Doctor was fighting for much of it. Here we see him when he is at the end of his rope, his body has grown old & weary to match the weariness in his soul. He is old, & tired, & he just wants an end to it all, hence no more. I too would've loved to see Eccleston come back, or Mcgann have a go at it, or maybe a younger grizzled warrior Doctor actually do some fighing, but I like what we got, & this characterization made sense to me for the reasons above. Hurt may once have been the warrior Mcgann asked to become, but so many years of war has physically & mentally aged him.
Honestly my interpretation of him being a "Warrior" is more a willingness to break his rules - the doctor has always been somewhat superhuman, be it his intelligence, or his two hearts. He doesn't need to physically power up. Instead the idea that he was always capable of doing all of those things, the war doctor was simply the first incarnation that removed the limits he placed on himself, is far more powerful to me.
Time war would’ve been raging for centuries. Hurt’s doctor starts off young as seen in his post regeneration reflection and we know it takes timelords centuries to age to death
I really love the idea that the warrior doctor is an old man. Its similar to 12 (no offence to Capaldi), the fact that he doesn't have ti be the young rogue to be the doctor.
In response to 25:33, Billie Piper wasn't playing Rose. She was playing the Moment and the Moment was just using Rose's face. She didn't need to act the same way because she wasn't playing the same character. If anything, her performance as the Moment showed off her versatility.
I loved her as the moment! I always found Rose an annoying character, and I held if against Billie Piper, figuring she was playing herself. Then when I saw her playing such a different character as the moment, I realized that before I had been witnessing a talented actor intentionally playing an irritating character. And she totally sold it! Withe the Moment I gained new respect for the actors skill and abilities!
My mother squealed when she heard Tom Baker's voice. All i heard from her was "Shut up. No. They didn't. They did." I was just saying OMG over and over.
I really didn’t expect this essay to make me cry - the bit where John Hurt hears the Tardis just destroyed me… again! Great essay Matt - I too went to the cinema to see this - wish current Who could reach even half way to this level. You earned your Patreon sub this month just for this upload.
That bit really gets me too! I got choked up in the edit in fact. I do miss it being this level of quality, and I think the worst thing is I don't think it's going to be good anytime soon!
@@FullFatVideos Excuse me Cattle Man. If I may ask, if you ever watched Forrest Gump, and if you would ever consider a Review. If you haven't, just know it's beautiful.
I like how the “older” Doctor characters defer to the oldest actor / youngest Doctor in the same way that classic Who specials always deferred to the Hartnell Doctor even though technically he was the youngest of all of them.
I lost it when we saw Calpadi, really didn't expect it and that whole part of the special is easily in top 5 best New Who moments ever. Hurt was amazing as the War Doctor and had you sold as soon as you saw him, its sad we will never get a proper episode with him again.
I absolutely loved Billy's acting as the sentient box. Couldn't get enough of those scenes! Her expressions, the mannerisms, the way she speaks, etc. It was really fascinating for me
To the point that even the Time Lords would rather try to work with him than try to capture or reign him in. He is a rogue agent with a good heart, and something like that is an unstoppable force. Better to try and get on its good side than to get in their way.
I can just imagine him strolling in there. Not even sneaking just materializing outside (I assume the time lords have some kind of TARDIS block). The guards see the Police Box, put down their weapons, and open the door for him.
I must say I actually really like smiths second costume. Especially within that tardis as well. Does very much suit him and captures his quirkiness but also his darker side too
Imagine an after credit scene where Clara's tidying her classroom and in the door way, "travelling again miss Oswald?", Ian Chesterton standing in the doorway. Cheesy I know but still.
@@Ordoabchao-x9k There are 36 series or "seasons" of Who so far, as there have been since the hiatus began in 2017. The one between S12 and S14 is Tom Baker's second (although it began not long after the slightly shorter S12) from Terror of the Zygons through The Seeds of Doom!
@Luvjeet SINGH they decided that the follow up to this story bringing back Gailfrey was to declare that since then Gailfrey has been utterly destroyed. they had one apareance between these 2 events and that wa sbrief(and kinda not good) and now they are gone for good again.
'The Day of the Doctor' is in my top 5 personal favourite Doctor Who stories, as well as my second favourite Moffat-penned story behind 'Heaven Sent'. Saw it at the cinema in London and it wad an amazing experience. I love how this story is solely all about the Doctor and how he overcomes his torment and guilt over the Time War. Both Matt Smith and David Tennant were excellent, this was the first time Clara really clicked for me as a companion, and John Hurt was absolutely amazing here, giving one of the best performances of his career. He genuinely wanted to be the Doctor and was elated when Steven Moffat told him that he's not just the War Doctor, but an official Doctor. As sad as it was that Christopher Eccleston didn't come in for the 50th, I think it turned out for the better both in terms of the script and the final product that Steven Moffat then had to invent the War Doctor and thus bring in John Hurt. To this day, I think he and Paul McGann are the two most underrated Doctors.
John Hurt always maintained a childlike enthusiasm even in his old age. When you see that wizened old face beaming and laughing joyfully whilst shouting "That is good! That is brilliant!" it somehow works. John Hurt wasn't an old man trying to pretend that he's young. He was an old man with a young spirit. Retaining that spirit of youth at Hurt's age is something that precious few people can pull off.
Boy didn't he. It was like watching a classic E-Type Jag heading for a brick wall in slow motion. Didn't know whether to look away to avoid watching it happen or keep looking to save those last moments for when I had to remember to remember the good stuff too.
Sometimes it's nice to watch a show not knowing the background. I started watching who and none told me about it and none of my friends watched it I just came across it several years ago. I just enjoy every episode for what it is, but game of thrones which I was into since day one I nitpick constantly. When you become a serious fan you have invested so much emotion into the show that it makes it feel like more than a tv show.....idk if that makes any sense
U know what I think Matt Smith was absolutely fantastic in the 50th. I don’t think he’s way to goofy I actually think he’s pretty subtle, he rlly stood out to me. The emotion he just Chanels and how completely the doctor he is. It’s as if he’s been hiding behind a smile but is always completely in control. U can tell he’s the oldest doctor in the youngest body which is crazy to me cuz it’s all in his performance.
It never made sense to me that 9 was supposed to be the war doctor when it was clear from the first episode "rose" that he had just regenerated before the episode (he hasn't even checked a mirror yet) and he was already scarred from the war.. It would either have to be 8 or something new that was the war doctor
In the novelization Moffat wrote for Target Book range I believe it was said that there was nothing special in the drink 8th Doctor drank on Karn, that it was basically a placebo, for him to give in to the warrior he always had inside him. And, i think you didn't mention it, there was nice foreshadowing in the prison scene, where Three Doctors tried to sonic the door to the molecular structure and make the sonic counts for hundrets of years, before checking if the doors are actually closed. This mirrors nicely the Gallifrey problem, where Doctor thought for years that the fact that he used The Moment so this part of the War is locked and he couldn't enter, so he never even tried. He assumed it was time locked.
Dalek Caan went mad breaking the time lock and the High Council confirm they are trapped in the time lock, so the retcon just forgot to account for that.
From what I've heard, Moffat was kind of pressured into picking John Hurt. He thought out loud about creating an entirely new unseen Doctor in front of some BBC producers who latched onto the idea, even though he wasn't sure about it himself. I think ultimately he would have preferred to go with Eight or Nine, which is why his justifications for the War Doctor come off as so incoherent. Nine was an impossibility, but I think nonetheless Eight would have been a great Doctor for the Time War. Seeing the sweet romantic hero turned into a bitter war criminal would have been a fascinating arc. In the end, for all the talk we got about the War Doctor being a shameful warrior, we never actually get to see this. It remains just talk. For all intents and purposes he is the Doctor, and this remains true in John Hurt's Big Finish adventures.
I think the 8th doctor would have been a better choice than John Hurt. I really like the John Hurt but It would have made more sense to have it be the 8th doctor.
If I remember correctly, Moffat didn’t want Paul McGann to take on the role of the War Doctor bc he claimed that he wasn’t “good enough” of an actor to take on such an intense role
@@hannahmerlino2462 I don't know where you heard that, but that's plain untrue. What he has said on record is that he just couldn't see Paul's 8th Doctor being the one to commit double genocide. Given how he was the romantic, joyous, heroic Doctor even through the Big Finish episodes (which NOTD canonised, so Moffat was aware of them). And he retains this romantic, tragic hero trait even in NOTD. 8 says he helps were he can and refuses to fight in the War, and I think that's Moffat's thinking on 8's role coming out. I personally don't know if I agree with him, but it definitely wasn't because he knocked McGann's acting. He's one of the best British actors today, and he has been for decades
I kind of get the critique that War doesn't feel tangibly different from a standard Doctor, just with more self-loathing. But at the same time, that's kind of the thesis statement of The Day of the Doctor. As Ten said, "Pretending you weren't the Doctor when you were the Doctor more than anyone." This is the Doctor reckoning with the fact that they've *always* been capable of doing horrible things. Given that Ten is fresh off The Waters of Mars in his timeline he knows that better now than ever. So War was no less the Doctor for his participation in the Time War. One could even argue that this ties into Twelve's internal struggle in the immediate next season about whether or not he's a "good man."
"Just once more. Everyone lives. Even if I don't remember, that's ok. Even if I believe myself a monster, I can recover from it. They wouldn't otherwise. The price being my recollection, then, is worth it, for the day I will see them again."
For all its issues, The Day Of the Doctor was fun to watch. That's what has been missing from the recent seasons. The 50th Anniversary was cheesy, exciting and fun. It was just an experience. Doctor Who has always been a very campy show so when it tries to do more down to earth or 'realistic' stuff, it feels boring and bland. The campyness has its charm and that was on full display in the anniversary episode. The episode didnt care for the plot holes, logic or anything and while watching neither did I, cause I was just having so much fun.
42:39 that scene where the 3 doctors incinerate that Dalek inside the painting with their sonics screwdrivers is actually really clever, people ask how they were able to do that but airlier in the episode when they were trying to break out of the prison (with an open door lol) they had established that the sonics could do that because their external hardware changes but the software inside always stays the same, meaning they could start and finish disintegration calculations that would usually take centuries practically instantly
I so wanted Paul McGann to have a run in the 50th. It could have added some real internal conflict to the Doctors. Imagine having a Doctor present who would never consider that the War Doctor would be possible. Imagine his terror at finding out that he destroys the Time Lords and Daleks. Imagine another 20mins of runtime for the episode. A real missed opportunity to my mind.
They had to use War Doctor and 10-1 plus 10-2 to push Eleven's regeneration count from ten (First was zero regenerations, remember) to twelve ("last one"). There was no way for previous writers to predict that Chinball's Timeless Child would take a wrecking ball to the whole concept of limitations, even so much as "full cycles being bestowable by the Time Lords" first presented as a reward for the Master in The Five Doctors. Timeless Child is "solving" a writing problem Dr Who would have maybe had somewhere around its 75th Anniversary (assuming the pattern of actors staying in the role roughly three years remains)
Sometimes when I feel a bit nostalgic or sad, I would re-watch The Day of the Doctor. Each time I watch it I'd find myself smiling and for a little while I'm happy again. It reminds me why I love this show so much and no matter what happens I'll always love Doctor Who (yes even the latest seasons I know someday it'll improve).
I was 12 when this came out on my birthday this was the best bday ever, felt like it was for me. Now nearly 10 years later love it. Love Matt , and love David. Best years for who
One of the best (if not the best) Doctor Who story of all time. The perfect blend of old and new, respecting the past, redefining the present and setting course for the future.
Honestly? The 50th succeeded for me on basically every level. DOTD was great television and was very satisfying, 5-Ish Doctors was funny as hell and Adventures in Space and Time was gratifyingly awesome. Oh, and Night of the Doctor? What a nice surprise.
Look don’t get me wrong, I love the 50th. I saw it in theatres, we had a great laugh, I re watch it all the time. But damn, I am still fuming that Paul McGann only got an 8 minute special and wasn’t the “war doctor” - my inner Big Finish Stan will never be satisfied (no matter how great John Hurt turned out to be)
Yeah tbh it's kinda dirty how Paul had a couple minute video showing us his regeneration, meaning we may never see our beloved Mcgann on screen again And on a side note as much as I was super excited to see my Doctor again (Tennant) I still prefer to watch The 3 Doctors...
The scene where the three Drs emerge from the painting of gallifrey into the under gallery was brilliant they’re like, “Don’t worry we got this” like the bosses we are.
I remember how David Tenant took me his entire first season to get use to him and when it was Matt Smiths turn his portrayal of The Doctor quickly grew on me and he is my favorite
Well, yes. But the comparison is a bit unfair, Mat got one of the best written new who episodes as his introduction while David’s introduction and subsequent episodes were a bit bland. I think it was mostly in the writing. When David got well written episodes he was superb.
To be honest I felt like it was a reversal in how I appreciated the doctors. Smith drew me in immediately but I felt that the quality of his run declined with each passing season whereas I felt Tenants last season is easily his best
Matt had a better writer for his episodes and bigger budget. But i like both doctors. Both are my favorites. I don’t compare doctors they are all great to me.
Fun fact about the 8th doctors regeneration it was confirmed in the Day of the doctor novel that the elixir for his regeneration was just iced lemonade. I know it’s no excuse for it not to be included in the actual episode but it seems like the whole episode was pointing towards the war doctor being no different from any other incarnation.
Honestly it’s so sad how Series 7 was so bad. The Day of the Doctor gives you an idea of exactly how incredible Smith’s final season could’ve been, but instead we got nothing from River, two seconds of the Silence, and Turkey being cooked on Trenzalore
The novelization of this book is really really brilliant. The chapters are all numbered out of order(Chapter 9 is very cleverly placed) and the narrator is the Doctor and it is never said which Doctor is narrating in what chapter and the Dungeon Chapter with all three of them drifting into each other's memories is amazing.
As a massive Moffat fan I was looking forward to reading the novel. I wondered how-or if-his genius for subverting form would translate to prose. I knew I wouldn’t be disappointed when I saw the “first” chapter was Chapter 8.
14:40 Actually, Chris said: "Yes, as long as you use this specific director", who was heavily implied to be Euros Lyn (a lot of problems with Chris and Doctor Who stemmed from the director who filmed Rose, Aliens of London and World War 3 who was quite shitty. Every single fault he caused, Lyn fixed). The director chosen by Eccleston couldn't film in the movie-esque style Moffat wanted for the episode, so he said no, and Eccleston said no.
Actually it’s clear in the first episode of the 9th doctor’s run you can see that he regenerated some time close to the events of the episode because he hasn’t seen his face.
My impression of the 11th Doctor was always that he was intentionally goofy... Sure, he was eccentric and weird by nature, like most incarnations of the Doctor, but I always imagined he played it up more, embraced his own insanity as a way of dealing with his various personal issues. In that sense, it wasn't so much that he was ridiculous, rather he made a point of seeming ridiculous, both to those around him and to himself. It may just be my head canon, but it always seemed to me, that he spent most of his time pretending to be something else, lying and deceiving those around him and even himself, by playing the role of someone far more childish and erratic than he actually was. After all, rule 1: The Doctor lies.
Having Galifrey return was genuinely so insane to me as a kid and the idea of having the time lords return to doctor who in a bigger way had me so excited, I felt absolutely devastated when Chibnell destroyed that. I’m really hoping that when RTD becomes showrunner again somehow Chibnell’s era could be retconned somehow
This is possibly my favorite piece of media of all time. it makes me happy I became a fan when I did. Sitting down to watch it as it aired was a feeling I’ll never forget
I'm really hoping now they've got Eccleston returning as Nine that they do a story about Nine assuming he went through with his plan and destroyed Gallifrey and making the choice that he can now become The Doctor once more. I know The War Doctor accepts the title of Doctor by the end of the 50th, but he would have forgotten the moment he left Ten and Eleven behind and changed into Nine.
15:09 Moffat's comments about 9 being a new regeneration at the beginning of series 1 are actually supported by a brief scene in Rose where 9 looks in a mirror and is surprised by his own appearance. It's a very brief scene so it's hard to miss, but it's there
in the book of day of the doctor, it's revealed that for the warrior version of the elixir the sisterhood didn't change anything except adding a bit of honey, so the war doctor was actually a placebo
Am I the only one that thinks it would have been more interesting keeping 8 as the war doctor? A hopeless romantic, transformed into a war hardened general. Goes from loving and caring, to a man forged in war. It would be a completely different “doctor.”
Since John Hurt died a few years ago and we will never see more episodes with him, it would be cool to see a comic series or book series with more about the time war instead. Feels like a story that needs to be told, even if it can’t be in the preferred medium
Fun fact: in the novel they explain the entire regeneration into the war doctor thing. The group just gave the doctor lemonade and made him think the next regeneration was his choice to be what he wanted. That gave War doctor the excuse needed to be a warrior while in reality he isn’t any different than the others at all
On your point about bringing back McGann: I'd love to see his Doctor play alongside Jodie Whittaker in a multi-Doctor story. I think it would be fascinating to see how his Doctor reacts to knowing what 13 has gone through since 8 and it would be a nice tie in to the classics
@@HowDoIMakeAUsername We've seen 8 go from the bouncy charming romantic to the broken suicidal wreck steadily through his audio adventures from Big Finish (which Night of the Doctor confirm are canon, as he recites his audio stories' companions by name), so we know he spent 800 years mourning the death of one of his companions by isolating himself on an oceanic planet not going anywhere. Eight's been through a LOT of shit leading up to the Time War, Big Finish loves to torture the poor man. I'd totally love to see McGann come back for a Multi-Doctor special with Whittaker's Doctor, too. Perhaps Eight during his time travelling with Molly (where he's wearing his WW1 era clothes, before he swaps to his Night of the Doctor/Time War outfit)
@@doctorwho786 if Chibnall starts playing to his strengths more, rather than just doing a bunch of "headline stories" then it can absolutely work. Look no further than Broadchurch to see how good of a writer Chibnall can be when he wants to
These are the types of videos I love. I’ve never watched a Dr who episode in my life. But, your passion, effort, writing, and editing inspires me to want to watch it. Love the content you produce. Gladly be here to watch more Dr. who breakdowns and video essays
Not only do David and Matt play well against eat other on film but they play well against each in real life as well. There was a special panel with them and Alex Kingston on the Friday night of NY Comic Con the weekend that Jodie Whitticker premiered as the Doctor. It was wonderful and hilarious. They were so fun together and when you added Alex in, it brought it up a level. I would pay to see it all over again.
This was a brilliant special, probably my favourite. It really portrayed the different feelings of the Doctors regenerations. 10 was the was the one who remembered and felt all of that guilt and anger over what he had done and 11 was the one who forgets and had become somewhat disconnected with how he felt. This episode really brought these 2 doctors together and helped them to come to terms with what they had done and accept the responsibility of their actions, before throwing that curveball of them working together to come up with a new plan to try and save the children even if it meant they failed.
I remember my brother taking me to the cinema to watch the 50th. We've always both been into doctor who (even competitively sometimes) but it was great to be able to celebrate a show that shaped both our lives so much. I went with a fez and Bow tie and the cinema was packed with fellow fans. One of my favourite memories. Happy birthday doctor who!
I really don't think 9 as the War Doctor can work from a timeline perspective, because of 1 tiny little moment in Rose, 9 looks at himself in the mirror, and reacts to his new face, as though he's never seen it before, if he fought in the time war, there is no way that this is the first time that he has seen his own face, it doesn't make any sense. I think 9 also works better as the Doctor who knows what he's done in his previous form and is completely ashamed of it, and has become a Nihilist due to it, his season to me feels almost like he's in shell shock over what he did in a previous form, he never really felt like the specific incarnation that fought in the Time War, rather the one that had to look back upon and live with the fact that he did those things in his previous life.
@Mohamed Abdalle Depends if Chibnall celebrates it I guess, I mean he let the show lose it's Christmas Day slot, I can kind of him just doing the 60th anniversary as the finale date for Series 14 rather than a proper special.
I know it’s not really your sort of dr who theory, but I’ve always felt that the three main Dr Who races, Dalek, Cybermen and time lords best represent the 3 ideologies of the 20th Century. Time lords - liberal democracy with a hind of aristocracy, cybermen communism trying to make people one class and creed with Dallek clearly baced off fascism and being a self appointed superior race. Just thought It was cool wonder if anyone wants to add to it?
The laser/visible beam coming out of the screwdriver has been shown before this in NuWho, but it's easy to miss, since it was a very short bit in Rose, when 9 tells her to mind her eyes before shorting out the elevator controls.
@@basementguy7281 I made it to... I think the episode was called the fugative? The Captain Jack one. Literally the first time it felt even a little like doctor who since Moffat (and that was only during his cenes) Don't know whose bright idea it was to give the job of showrunner to the dude with the lesser liked episodes under his belt. Anyone else remember "41"? Bet some of didn't even notice that I wrote the wrong number.
15:40 Ironically, in the wake of Time War plots being solved (as well as them getting the license to it within 2 years time), Big Finish actually did a ton of development for the 8th doctor in audios, pretty much turning him into the man who could've pressed the button.
Time War 8 is much darker and more conflicted than War. I was disappointed by his run for the reasons pointed out in the video. War just has no teeth as the Doctor.
Having John Hurt play the War Doctor was a stellar choice. Having Tom Baker show up at the end, well that was just the jelly baby on top of the cake.
I legit used to have jelly babies on top of my birthday cakes
Tom Baker is the best. I wish he was my Grandfather and jelly babies on cakes is that good
Absolutely! Although I still have to wonder why Hurt's character is called the "War Doctor". He's not the Doctor anymore and his predecessor asked the Sisterhood of Karn to make him a warrior so why not call him "the Warrior"?
He is called the doctor of war within the series, and the warrior doesn’t really like that
I swear I cheered when I heard his voice the first time I watched it.
"Great men are forged in fire. It is the privilege of lesser men to light the flame" Oof, chills. Every time
Have you seen this? th-cam.com/video/LutkLN0P0PM/w-d-xo.html
Same mate, same ❤
That's what I love about his appearance at the end of Name of the Doctor - I don't usually follow all the news and rumors, so had no idea that it was the back of John Hurt until that fabulous gravelly voice said: "What I did, I did without choice. In the name of peace and sanity."
Capaldi's first appearance: eyebrows
His last: Eyebrows
More like
First: EYEBROWS
Last: eyebrows
@@RileyHarrisVFX yep
And then the show died
AMAZING
Matt smith be like “i angy”
“Calling the war council of Gallifrey. This is the Doctor” gave my grandad chills. He was a massive Who fan when he was younger and has supported it all his life, to the point of getting my grandma to make notes on everything done and said in episodes he missed because he was in meetings, so he could effectively read the episode when he got back.
I’ve never seen a 90 year old man go from laid back and almost asleep to focused like a fucking hawk.
That’s honestly really wholesome.
Grandad sounds super cool.
Grandma too.
Grandad and Grandma are wholesome ❤
That touches the heart in the best way.
Good man 🫡🤫
"I didn't know I was well off, all 12 of them. No sir, All 13!!" That moment still gives me chills
Dude this moment still makes me need to stand up and clap whenever I see it
I moved on from doctor who a long time ago but than I saw this and instantly got chills that I couldn’t comprehend
can we forget 13...
@@haz3yrs93 no
Chris be like 'no sir all 3456 of them'
I just love the idea that the National Gallery being the Curator's TARDIS means that the Doctor finally *finally* got around to fixing that Chameleon Circuit.
That’s now my head cannon. I always loved that having a broken chameleon circuit was the reason the Tardis is a police box and him finally fixing it in order to curate paintings is a great reason.
Or he was given/stole a new one from Gallifrey?
@@matthiasnagorski8411 can't be a new one why would it??
@@beesree39 brings the story back to it's roots, right? First Doctor stole the original TARDIS, maybe some future Doctor will steal a new TARDIS.
Of course, knowing British humor, it's probably going to be another broken one if that DOES happen.
Colin Baker fixed it once lol
i've always interpreted Night of the Doctor as setting up that the War Doctor started young. The War Doctor we see by the Final Day of the war has spent a lifetime in the war, regardless of how long it took 'objectively' speaking, working in several places at once, not quite crossing his own paths (though he wouldn't have cared near the end of it) and by the Day of the Doctor he's a veteran who has reached for the last option he can think of to end it.
He did start young. We saw the newly regenerated War Doctor as a young John Hurt in a reflection, which means he fought the Time War long enough to age to where we saw him in the special. The Time War took many, many, many centuries, possibly millennia before its conclusion. The Time Lords were desperate enough to resurrect frigging Rassilon, for crying out loud, the man almost everything in Time Lord society is named after, a known psycho.
It's weird that we clearly see that War Doctor was young but Big Finish also went straight to the old one
@@Tim_Belay A bit, but its hard to mask Sir John Hurt's aged timbre to his voice and pass it off as young. Other Doctors have pulled it off, but Hurt's voice is gravel by default. I dunno, I'm just glad he at least had a crack at the audios before his unfortunate passing.
Any other Time War shinanegans we want to experience would be done through The War Master (Sir Derek Jacobi's Master we briefly saw in Utopia) audios.
@@Tim_Belay Big Finish have recently announced they're doing a new boxset featuring a freshly regenerated War Doctor. They found a voice actor who sounds very much like John Hurt. www.bigfinish.com/releases/v/doctor-who-the-war-doctor-begins-forged-in-fire-2363
Completely agree with you
One of my favorite little tidbits, is how Eleven says that since the timelines are out of sync, the younger regeneration is unable to retain the memories of interaction with the older. So; going forward, Eleven won't remember that Tommy Boy sent him on the journey to find Gallifrey, it's just a seed planted in his mind. "I dream of where I'm going." The idea just 'comes to him in his dreams.'
Yes I love that.
A beautiful explanation from 1973 and it still holds up.
That's practically canon. In "Day of" 11 meets the Curator who tells him he saved Gallifrey, and 11 is planning to go back "the long way round." But by the beginning of "Time of" 11 doesn't even know whether he has saved Gallifrey or not; that information has faded from his memory.
I disagree with your statement that it was generally agreed that the 9th Doctor was the doctor that fought in the Time War. In fact it was heavily hinted at in the first episode "Rose" that the Doctor had recently regenerated enough that he commented on his own ears as if he had only seen them for the first time. As such it was always assumed that the 8th Doctor had fought for most if not all of the Time War and the outcome caused him to regenerate into Nine.
I remember that vicerally. He had clearly just regenerated, it's how they introduced him. And I thought that was great.
It was... weird. I honestly don't think RTD throughly planned that out (he really isn't the God of writing I see a bunch of loyalist declare). In Rose 9 acted like he just regenerated, but throughout series 1 (which was apparently just a year or so) he acted like he personally acted in the time war and was familiar with that regeneration. I always assumed that 9 fought in the time war because it felt like that was suggested throughout his run; without that one scene in Rose, I'd never assume it was 8. At that time (series 1) the Time War was only ever mentioned and used as a plot device to push the story along, so I really don't think RTD knew or cared which Doctor fought in the time war (and TBF it didn't matter much for the story).
@@vullord666 To be fair- going back to the whole theme of this episode- at the end of the day, The Doctor is still The Doctor, regardless of regeneration. Even if it was 8 who actually pushed the button, it would still be fresh on 9's mind; just as it hasn't really left during 10's time either.
I thought that he was already quite a while around, travelling the world and time after the war. He was so ashamed of himself that he wouldn't look at himself for years. I think that actually adds up with the age but I'm not sure about that.
@@JacktheRah the doctors age is bullshit because of a variety of reasons. Beyond that there are a few comic and prose that talk about 9’s adventures post the time war
Moffat was right tho. The Ninth Doctor heavily implied he had just regenerated. When he looked in the mirror it was the first time he saw that face.
I think a lot of that was more that the Doctor was being introduced to a new era and new audience, and at that point it wasn’t even clear if Nu Who was even going to be a clear continuation of the classic series. I don’t think it’s necessary to read into it too much, as the early Ninth Doctor’s tenure is a bit ambiguous (remember that in the same episode it implies that Nine has already been around for a while without Rose).
Nice point! Well done that man!
Yes the Eighth Doctor fought in the Time War and wiped out the Daleks and the Time Lords and then regenerated into the Ninth. He stumbles out of the TARDIS in a vacant lot mumbling incoherently while still wearing the Eighth Doctor's costume in the "Have you Seen this Man?" website (which is shown in Rose) testimonials section. It's implied that he goes on a few adventures but Rose is the first time he gets a look at his own face. He also may have suffered post-regenerative amnesia or other side effects during this time, so it's VERY plausible that he's been around for a while AND is still adjusting to his new body by the events of Rose.
Unless you consider the very first episode of new who where we are shown through the website who is the doctor that he had at the very least a dozen or, so adventure.
@@joshuareynolds23 But for a time traveler, those could’ve easily happened in just 24 hours
The ninth doctor didn’t even know what he’d looked like in the first episode, he had to look in roses mirror to find out he had big ears
Basically how it goes, is that when Nine first met Rose he'd only just freshly regenerated at that point, then had 100 years' worth of adventures after taking off, and when he returned he told her "By the way, did I forget to mention it also travels in time?" which is when he's confirmed "900" years old.
@@danmenard6917 but how in the hell could he have fought in the time war and been all jolly when he came back, the war doctor makes more sense than the 9th doctor as the doctor who fought in the time war
I love John Hurt but my perfect version of the story doesn't involve him at all.
We meet the 8th Doctor as a Time War veteran, one who was dragged into the conflict unwillingly and now has blood on his hands. He's seemingly killed and becomes the 9th, a new man hell bent on ending the conflict. He takes the final timelord weapon, the moment to end the war and is propelled along his own timeline to meet his latter incarnations, 10 and 11. Together they fend off an invasion from the Zygons and he returns to press the button. End the very end he is joined by his two future selves. As a trio they do it together.
Essentially, the big change is that we have McGann passing the torch as the longest serving Doctor and the one who bridges the gap between classic and Nu Who and we celebrate all that has come after with the three actors who have done it.
Again, I love Hurt, but in a perfect world, this is how it should have played out.
And oh, the time war is shown a bit better than this. Awesome reality warping weapons, we see other timelords like warped versions of the Doctor using their genius to commit large scale destruction. We see bizarre techno-organic monsters clashing with desperate warriors barely holding their own... just... something more than the typical lasers.
@@braddsfx8921 I wasn't denying that. Also a lot of times people who hide great pain hide it behind jovial personalities. Nine was born thinking he had killed everyone he'd ever known and cared about, and his home. He still comes off as the soldier freshly returned home from war.
Really though it was War Doctor who did(n't) destroyed Gallifrey, and that is fine with me.
@@danmenard6917
or maybe he was depressed and isolated himself in the tardis for a 100 years, and didn’t want to look at himself
The novelisation of the episode reveals that the Doctor stole the moment by convincing security that he was already in the vault and thus they had to open it to get in and stop him.
That is exactly how the doctor would do it
@@Tonatsi Yeah, it definitely does sound like The Doctor
@@welkingunther5417 well it was written by Moffat. It's a really good read if you watching this video
Night of the Doctor was great, too. I’ve said it before elsewhere and I’ll say it again: In 8 minutes they packed more than some TV shows do in a whole season.
Yeah and I think it’s highly rewatchable. One of the best regens!
Fun fact: the doctor actually talks about his relationship with Elizabeth 1st in the end of time part 1, to one of the oods , so for the tenth doctor, the anniversary took place in between the waters of Mars, and the end of time
I actually really like idea of him forgetting he did it right, because in a strange sense - him thinking that he killed the time lords is the reason why he didn’t!
I like that the 9th Doctor regenerated as soon as he went back into his TARDIS because Hurt's content performance in his final scene shows that his memories were still intact. He deserved a happy ending after the hell he went through in the Time War.
And just to clarify, Hurt is the 9th Doctor, Ecclestone is the 10th, Tennant is the 11th, Smith is the 12th and Capaldi is the 13th.
@@tomnorton4277 they’re still referred to as tenant being 10, smith 11, and capaldi 12. Hurt is considered the war doctor instead of a genuine iteration
@@WarpSpeedGames Hurt won people over in a single episode. I think it's insulting to not include him as a proper incarnation. He's the 9th Doctor.
@@tomnorton4277 No let's just stick with the offical numbering, it's less confusing
When The Weapon as Bad Wolf says to the War Doctor “That sound gives hope to anyone who hears it [...] even you.” gets me every time!
Absolutely. "It makes that noise because he leaves the brakes on." "I LIKE THAT NOISE!"
Every TARDIS makes that noise. River Song is a moron.
I think I cried when I first saw that bit.
The reason why the 11th stays 11th not 12th and so on is Because John hurt is not the doctor but the doctor of war
*The Moment
The intro of Smith hanging off the tardis still hits me hard. It's so epic and I think the cast names appearing on screen just makes it even more epic, setting the scale for the experience that's about to happen. The music is probably the best track in Who and mixes perfectly with Smith floundering around trying not to fall to his death. I really love this opening and think it sets the tone of the episode perfectly. It might just be nostalgia, but it's great. I remember going in blind and not knowing Tennant was going to be in the episode and absolutely losing my shit when I saw his name appear on screen.
I think that the shepherd's boy is the best track in Doctor Who
I don’t necessarily agree with this but it makes me happy seeing someone so happy about something
It was ridiculous, and they had to top that moment by having Thirteen even more ridiculously fall out completely.
If I had a quarter every time an episode started off with Smith hanging off the tardis I would have two quarters which isn't a lot but it's weird that it happened twice.
One thing I love about this episode, is the fact it didn't overdo the fan service. It was there, when it needed to be, but it didn't rely on it to tell the story.
Obviously this isn't really fleshed out in the episode itself, but my interpretation of the War Doctor as he is portrayed, is that this is the end of the Time War. The Time War went on for many many many years, & the War Doctor was fighting for much of it. Here we see him when he is at the end of his rope, his body has grown old & weary to match the weariness in his soul. He is old, & tired, & he just wants an end to it all, hence no more. I too would've loved to see Eccleston come back, or Mcgann have a go at it, or maybe a younger grizzled warrior Doctor actually do some fighing, but I like what we got, & this characterization made sense to me for the reasons above. Hurt may once have been the warrior Mcgann asked to become, but so many years of war has physically & mentally aged him.
Honestly my interpretation of him being a "Warrior" is more a willingness to break his rules - the doctor has always been somewhat superhuman, be it his intelligence, or his two hearts. He doesn't need to physically power up. Instead the idea that he was always capable of doing all of those things, the war doctor was simply the first incarnation that removed the limits he placed on himself, is far more powerful to me.
When 8 regenerates into the War Doctor, the reflection is clearly of a young John Hurt so you are probably right.
Yeah defiantly! That’s why we see the reflection of younger John hurt in the reflection
Time war would’ve been raging for centuries. Hurt’s doctor starts off young as seen in his post regeneration reflection and we know it takes timelords centuries to age to death
I really love the idea that the warrior doctor is an old man. Its similar to 12 (no offence to Capaldi), the fact that he doesn't have ti be the young rogue to be the doctor.
In response to 25:33, Billie Piper wasn't playing Rose. She was playing the Moment and the Moment was just using Rose's face. She didn't need to act the same way because she wasn't playing the same character. If anything, her performance as the Moment showed off her versatility.
I loved her as the moment! I always found Rose an annoying character, and I held if against Billie Piper, figuring she was playing herself. Then when I saw her playing such a different character as the moment, I realized that before I had been witnessing a talented actor intentionally playing an irritating character. And she totally sold it!
Withe the Moment I gained new respect for the actors skill and abilities!
@@jayanderson9375 OMG i thought I was the only one who liked her as the moment more!
It also made sense because Rose was the companion that helped the 9th doctor out of his grief from the time war situation. So it felt very fitting.
I think back when i was younger, i missed that it wasnt rose, but deeply appreciated billies performance
Bad Wolf.
10 and 11 are very different but what do they have in common? They're reliable with the LADIES!
Those ladies love proximity to power, but I guess the opposite is also true
Only ladies around the doctor that way should be TARDIS and River... and maybe Missy/Master.
You gotta admit when Rose and Amy met him they were pretty helpless
I'm not sure if this is not supposed to be a Hamilton reference and if it is good job man
You are literally everywhere
My mother squealed when she heard Tom Baker's voice. All i heard from her was "Shut up. No. They didn't. They did." I was just saying OMG over and over.
I really didn’t expect this essay to make me cry - the bit where John Hurt hears the Tardis just destroyed me… again! Great essay Matt - I too went to the cinema to see this - wish current Who could reach even half way to this level. You earned your Patreon sub this month just for this upload.
That bit really gets me too! I got choked up in the edit in fact. I do miss it being this level of quality, and I think the worst thing is I don't think it's going to be good anytime soon!
@@FullFatVideos Excuse me Cattle Man.
If I may ask, if you ever watched Forrest Gump, and if you would ever consider a Review. If you haven't, just know it's beautiful.
I like how the “older” Doctor characters defer to the oldest actor / youngest Doctor in the same way that classic Who specials always deferred to the Hartnell Doctor even though technically he was the youngest of all of them.
I lost it when we saw Calpadi, really didn't expect it and that whole part of the special is easily in top 5 best New Who moments ever. Hurt was amazing as the War Doctor and had you sold as soon as you saw him, its sad we will never get a proper episode with him again.
I absolutely loved Billy's acting as the sentient box. Couldn't get enough of those scenes! Her expressions, the mannerisms, the way she speaks, etc. It was really fascinating for me
I actually really like the way the Moment gets stolen. Shows how much of a force the Doctor can be when pushed.
To the point that even the Time Lords would rather try to work with him than try to capture or reign him in. He is a rogue agent with a good heart, and something like that is an unstoppable force. Better to try and get on its good side than to get in their way.
I can just imagine him strolling in there. Not even sneaking just materializing outside (I assume the time lords have some kind of TARDIS block). The guards see the Police Box, put down their weapons, and open the door for him.
@@vullord666 He managed to convince the guards he was already inside, so they had to open the door.
I must say I actually really like smiths second costume. Especially within that tardis as well. Does very much suit him and captures his quirkiness but also his darker side too
sonic screwdrivers are powered by kyber crystals. that's my headcanon now
Well, whose to say Star Wars and Doctor Who aren't in the same universe?
@@ShadowKamehameha32 now you're making me wanna see a movie where Davros and the Empire team up
@@ShadowKamehameha32 Wouldn't that mean that Star Trek takes place in the Star Wars universe as well? Lmfao
@@killernyancat8193 I mean, there was a comic where the Cybermen and Borg joined forces against the Doctor and the Next Generation crew I think.
That word makes me want to weep.
That "No Sir! All Thirteen!" unlocked an emotion I had not felt before in my life and also have not felt since 2013.
Imagine an after credit scene where Clara's tidying her classroom and in the door way, "travelling again miss Oswald?", Ian Chesterton standing in the doorway. Cheesy I know but still.
That would have been brilliant!
If you read the target novelisation you might find a surprise little nugget for you 😜 if you know what I mean.
@@AlexEdwards funny you should say that now, it just arrived today 😄
@@adamfreddo5703 it’s sooo good, enjoy!
@@HandlesTheCyberman but Doctor, it’s about you 😂
I'm glad they brought Galifrey back!
Now there's more time lord stories that can be told!
*Season 13 coughs awkwardly
what season 13?
never heard about it.
@@Ordoabchao-x9k There are 36 series or "seasons" of Who so far, as there have been since the hiatus began in 2017. The one between S12 and S14 is Tom Baker's second (although it began not long after the slightly shorter S12) from Terror of the Zygons through The Seeds of Doom!
@@them1ghtyalex indeed!
Ah too bad the show already ended, hopefully one day they can the good old mr doctor back
@Luvjeet SINGH they decided that the follow up to this story bringing back Gailfrey was to declare that since then Gailfrey has been utterly destroyed.
they had one apareance between these 2 events and that wa sbrief(and kinda not good) and now they are gone for good again.
I thought it was series 12
'The Day of the Doctor' is in my top 5 personal favourite Doctor Who stories, as well as my second favourite Moffat-penned story behind 'Heaven Sent'. Saw it at the cinema in London and it wad an amazing experience. I love how this story is solely all about the Doctor and how he overcomes his torment and guilt over the Time War. Both Matt Smith and David Tennant were excellent, this was the first time Clara really clicked for me as a companion, and John Hurt was absolutely amazing here, giving one of the best performances of his career. He genuinely wanted to be the Doctor and was elated when Steven Moffat told him that he's not just the War Doctor, but an official Doctor. As sad as it was that Christopher Eccleston didn't come in for the 50th, I think it turned out for the better both in terms of the script and the final product that Steven Moffat then had to invent the War Doctor and thus bring in John Hurt. To this day, I think he and Paul McGann are the two most underrated Doctors.
John Hurt always maintained a childlike enthusiasm even in his old age. When you see that wizened old face beaming and laughing joyfully whilst shouting "That is good! That is brilliant!" it somehow works. John Hurt wasn't an old man trying to pretend that he's young. He was an old man with a young spirit. Retaining that spirit of youth at Hurt's age is something that precious few people can pull off.
"Time can be rewritten"
Well ... Chibnall took that to heart
"Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!" - Chibnall writing The Timeless Children
"Remember that time I said I don't really care for the writing on Doctor Who? I still don't."
-Chris Chibnall, writing Doctor Who
Boy didn't he. It was like watching a classic E-Type Jag heading for a brick wall in slow motion. Didn't know whether to look away to avoid watching it happen or keep looking to save those last moments for when I had to remember to remember the good stuff too.
"I wouldn't change it", he says, after just telling us how he would change it.
Sometimes it's nice to watch a show not knowing the background. I started watching who and none told me about it and none of my friends watched it I just came across it several years ago. I just enjoy every episode for what it is, but game of thrones which I was into since day one I nitpick constantly. When you become a serious fan you have invested so much emotion into the show that it makes it feel like more than a tv show.....idk if that makes any sense
"To be honest, I didn't know how big Doctor Who was, I thought it was a cult!"
Get yourself a fandom who can do both.
"does this happen a lot in the future"
"It does start to happen, yeah"
U know what I think Matt Smith was absolutely fantastic in the 50th.
I don’t think he’s way to goofy I actually think he’s pretty subtle, he rlly stood out to me.
The emotion he just Chanels and how completely the doctor he is.
It’s as if he’s been hiding behind a smile but is always completely in control.
U can tell he’s the oldest doctor in the youngest body which is crazy to me cuz it’s all in his performance.
It never made sense to me that 9 was supposed to be the war doctor when it was clear from the first episode "rose" that he had just regenerated before the episode (he hasn't even checked a mirror yet) and he was already scarred from the war.. It would either have to be 8 or something new that was the war doctor
In the novelization Moffat wrote for Target Book range I believe it was said that there was nothing special in the drink 8th Doctor drank on Karn, that it was basically a placebo, for him to give in to the warrior he always had inside him.
And, i think you didn't mention it, there was nice foreshadowing in the prison scene, where Three Doctors tried to sonic the door to the molecular structure and make the sonic counts for hundrets of years, before checking if the doors are actually closed. This mirrors nicely the Gallifrey problem, where Doctor thought for years that the fact that he used The Moment so this part of the War is locked and he couldn't enter, so he never even tried. He assumed it was time locked.
Dalek Caan went mad breaking the time lock and the High Council confirm they are trapped in the time lock, so the retcon just forgot to account for that.
@@DeplorableMinecrafter Hah, I guess they did :D
From what I've heard, Moffat was kind of pressured into picking John Hurt. He thought out loud about creating an entirely new unseen Doctor in front of some BBC producers who latched onto the idea, even though he wasn't sure about it himself. I think ultimately he would have preferred to go with Eight or Nine, which is why his justifications for the War Doctor come off as so incoherent. Nine was an impossibility, but I think nonetheless Eight would have been a great Doctor for the Time War. Seeing the sweet romantic hero turned into a bitter war criminal would have been a fascinating arc. In the end, for all the talk we got about the War Doctor being a shameful warrior, we never actually get to see this. It remains just talk. For all intents and purposes he is the Doctor, and this remains true in John Hurt's Big Finish adventures.
McGann's performance in The Night of the Doctor makes me wish he were the war Doctor.
I think the 8th doctor would have been a better choice than John Hurt. I really like the John Hurt but It would have made more sense to have it be the 8th doctor.
If I remember correctly, Moffat didn’t want Paul McGann to take on the role of the War Doctor bc he claimed that he wasn’t “good enough” of an actor to take on such an intense role
@@hannahmerlino2462 I don't know where you heard that, but that's plain untrue. What he has said on record is that he just couldn't see Paul's 8th Doctor being the one to commit double genocide. Given how he was the romantic, joyous, heroic Doctor even through the Big Finish episodes (which NOTD canonised, so Moffat was aware of them). And he retains this romantic, tragic hero trait even in NOTD. 8 says he helps were he can and refuses to fight in the War, and I think that's Moffat's thinking on 8's role coming out. I personally don't know if I agree with him, but it definitely wasn't because he knocked McGann's acting. He's one of the best British actors today, and he has been for decades
I kind of get the critique that War doesn't feel tangibly different from a standard Doctor, just with more self-loathing. But at the same time, that's kind of the thesis statement of The Day of the Doctor. As Ten said, "Pretending you weren't the Doctor when you were the Doctor more than anyone." This is the Doctor reckoning with the fact that they've *always* been capable of doing horrible things. Given that Ten is fresh off The Waters of Mars in his timeline he knows that better now than ever. So War was no less the Doctor for his participation in the Time War. One could even argue that this ties into Twelve's internal struggle in the immediate next season about whether or not he's a "good man."
"Just once more. Everyone lives. Even if I don't remember, that's ok. Even if I believe myself a monster, I can recover from it. They wouldn't otherwise. The price being my recollection, then, is worth it, for the day I will see them again."
I love that Hurt got to play as the doctor, it’s a great performance... but I still wanted to see Eccleston, his time was too short :’(
And we got John because Christopher didn't want to come back.
@@EatinPaste yeh, glad he's coming back to do more stories now tho
ikr like imo christopher is such a good doctor, even better than 10 imo,, and he got just 1 series ?? i hate that sm
i forgot just how good this special made me feel and just how important doctor who is to me. thank you
For all its issues, The Day Of the Doctor was fun to watch. That's what has been missing from the recent seasons. The 50th Anniversary was cheesy, exciting and fun. It was just an experience. Doctor Who has always been a very campy show so when it tries to do more down to earth or 'realistic' stuff, it feels boring and bland. The campyness has its charm and that was on full display in the anniversary episode. The episode didnt care for the plot holes, logic or anything and while watching neither did I, cause I was just having so much fun.
42:39 that scene where the 3 doctors incinerate that Dalek inside the painting with their sonics screwdrivers is actually really clever, people ask how they were able to do that but airlier in the episode when they were trying to break out of the prison (with an open door lol) they had established that the sonics could do that because their external hardware changes but the software inside always stays the same, meaning they could start and finish disintegration calculations that would usually take centuries practically instantly
“You’ve redecorateDI don’t like it!” Nod to Doctor #2 from the Five Doctors!
he said it with a bit different wording in Three Doctors as well. Patrick and Jon were so great together
a much better anniversary special than this overrated piece of shit
@@MichaelM28 Pfft. Three Doctors is better, but Five? Cmon. I love it, but it's not a good story.
I love John hurt I think he played the war doctor very well, I just wish he was still with us R.I.P John Hurt
I so wanted Paul McGann to have a run in the 50th. It could have added some real internal conflict to the Doctors. Imagine having a Doctor present who would never consider that the War Doctor would be possible. Imagine his terror at finding out that he destroys the Time Lords and Daleks. Imagine another 20mins of runtime for the episode. A real missed opportunity to my mind.
Not a missed opportunity per say. The BBC just simply wouldn't let the DW team have Mcgann reprise his role.
@@killernyancat8193 That is a terrible decision to make. Its horrible, and quite detrimental to the story itself.
They had to use War Doctor and 10-1 plus 10-2 to push Eleven's regeneration count from ten (First was zero regenerations, remember) to twelve ("last one"). There was no way for previous writers to predict that Chinball's Timeless Child would take a wrecking ball to the whole concept of limitations, even so much as "full cycles being bestowable by the Time Lords" first presented as a reward for the Master in The Five Doctors. Timeless Child is "solving" a writing problem Dr Who would have maybe had somewhere around its 75th Anniversary (assuming the pattern of actors staying in the role roughly three years remains)
Sometimes when I feel a bit nostalgic or sad, I would re-watch The Day of the Doctor. Each time I watch it I'd find myself smiling and for a little while I'm happy again. It reminds me why I love this show so much and no matter what happens I'll always love Doctor Who (yes even the latest seasons I know someday it'll improve).
As someone who regards Smith as the best of the modern Doctors, I'm happy that the 50th anniversary took place in his era 😊
I was 12 when this came out on my birthday this was the best bday ever, felt like it was for me. Now nearly 10 years later love it. Love Matt , and love David. Best years for who
That. Was. Brilliant.
Didn't feel like 55mins at all. Thoroughly enjoyed.
Well done.
I swear I'm not crying by this man's ability to bring a story together like a piece of art
One of the best (if not the best) Doctor Who story of all time. The perfect blend of old and new, respecting the past, redefining the present and setting course for the future.
It’s completely fine if it’s your favourite. But the best New Who episode is Midnight.
And personally I thought DotD was not that good
You really reminded me of why I love this Show and why I now have a better soft spot for this episode and Moffat’s era on the show.
Honestly? The 50th succeeded for me on basically every level. DOTD was great television and was very satisfying, 5-Ish Doctors was funny as hell and Adventures in Space and Time was gratifyingly awesome. Oh, and Night of the Doctor? What a nice surprise.
Look don’t get me wrong, I love the 50th. I saw it in theatres, we had a great laugh, I re watch it all the time. But damn, I am still fuming that Paul McGann only got an 8 minute special and wasn’t the “war doctor” - my inner Big Finish Stan will never be satisfied (no matter how great John Hurt turned out to be)
Preach👏👍
Yeah tbh it's kinda dirty how Paul had a couple minute video showing us his regeneration, meaning we may never see our beloved Mcgann on screen again
And on a side note as much as I was super excited to see my Doctor again (Tennant)
I still prefer to watch The 3 Doctors...
This episode is truly a love letter to the whole of the Doctor Who fans
Imagine Charles Dance as an old General type Doctor, cold and calloused. God damn I want that.
"its a machine that goes ding"
The scene where the three Drs emerge from the painting of gallifrey into the under gallery was brilliant they’re like, “Don’t worry we got this” like the bosses we are.
I remember how David Tenant took me his entire first season to get use to him and when it was Matt Smiths turn his portrayal of The Doctor quickly grew on me and he is my favorite
Well, yes. But the comparison is a bit unfair, Mat got one of the best written new who episodes as his introduction while David’s introduction and subsequent episodes were a bit bland. I think it was mostly in the writing. When David got well written episodes he was superb.
My first Doctor was Tom Baker.
To be honest I felt like it was a reversal in how I appreciated the doctors. Smith drew me in immediately but I felt that the quality of his run declined with each passing season whereas I felt Tenants last season is easily his best
@@fivestarman5130 that actually puts it in way better words than what I was tryna say
Matt had a better writer for his episodes and bigger budget. But i like both doctors. Both are my favorites. I don’t compare doctors they are all great to me.
Fun fact about the 8th doctors regeneration it was confirmed in the Day of the doctor novel that the elixir for his regeneration was just iced lemonade. I know it’s no excuse for it not to be included in the actual episode but it seems like the whole episode was pointing towards the war doctor being no different from any other incarnation.
Honestly it’s so sad how Series 7 was so bad. The Day of the Doctor gives you an idea of exactly how incredible Smith’s final season could’ve been, but instead we got nothing from River, two seconds of the Silence, and Turkey being cooked on Trenzalore
Series 7 was a mess overall but it did have a few really good episodes.
The novelization of this book is really really brilliant.
The chapters are all numbered out of order(Chapter 9 is very cleverly placed) and the narrator is the Doctor and it is never said which Doctor is narrating in what chapter and the Dungeon Chapter with all three of them drifting into each other's memories is amazing.
As a massive Moffat fan I was looking forward to reading the novel. I wondered how-or if-his genius for subverting form would translate to prose. I knew I wouldn’t be disappointed when I saw the “first” chapter was Chapter 8.
@@robthorpe5388 Chapter 9 was the best.
14:40 Actually, Chris said: "Yes, as long as you use this specific director", who was heavily implied to be Euros Lyn (a lot of problems with Chris and Doctor Who stemmed from the director who filmed Rose, Aliens of London and World War 3 who was quite shitty. Every single fault he caused, Lyn fixed).
The director chosen by Eccleston couldn't film in the movie-esque style Moffat wanted for the episode, so he said no, and Eccleston said no.
I just want to know why there's 2 incredibly convenient handles on the underside of the tardis
Still love that the Eighth Doctor mentioned his Big Finish companions before he regenerated.
Actually it’s clear in the first episode of the 9th doctor’s run you can see that he regenerated some time close to the events of the episode because he hasn’t seen his face.
Tom Baker: Gallifrey falls no more. Me: Yay! Chibbs: Sod that. Gallifrey has fallen again (off-camera). Me: Aargh! You moron!
That is why i hate chris chibnall
It is my personal belief that chris chibnall is the reason for the failing economy
@@highpriestessrebek5037 why do I actually agree with tou
The doctor will save gallifrey again as they always do
The best thing Chibnall did is by destroying Gallifrey again it made this shit episode irrelevant
My impression of the 11th Doctor was always that he was intentionally goofy... Sure, he was eccentric and weird by nature, like most incarnations of the Doctor, but I always imagined he played it up more, embraced his own insanity as a way of dealing with his various personal issues. In that sense, it wasn't so much that he was ridiculous, rather he made a point of seeming ridiculous, both to those around him and to himself.
It may just be my head canon, but it always seemed to me, that he spent most of his time pretending to be something else, lying and deceiving those around him and even himself, by playing the role of someone far more childish and erratic than he actually was. After all, rule 1: The Doctor lies.
Everyone remembered the Zygons so much they won the poll that was made to help the writers decide what monster to use.
Having Galifrey return was genuinely so insane to me as a kid and the idea of having the time lords return to doctor who in a bigger way had me so excited, I felt absolutely devastated when Chibnell destroyed that. I’m really hoping that when RTD becomes showrunner again somehow Chibnell’s era could be retconned somehow
Well I got news for you. It doesn't get any better.
@@sporkfaceman unfortunately. Though at least he's trying to do stuff with Chinball's crap
Just watched this whole thing without realising it was 55min lel
Omg it was 55 minutes?!
yeah 55 min, I could have seen the special again
This is possibly my favorite piece of media of all time. it makes me happy I became a fan when I did. Sitting down to watch it as it aired was a feeling I’ll never forget
me too! can't believe we're fast approaching the 60th
I'm so happy Bigfinish fleshed out The War Doctor and the 8th Doctor in the Time War
I'm really hoping now they've got Eccleston returning as Nine that they do a story about Nine assuming he went through with his plan and destroyed Gallifrey and making the choice that he can now become The Doctor once more.
I know The War Doctor accepts the title of Doctor by the end of the 50th, but he would have forgotten the moment he left Ten and Eleven behind and changed into Nine.
Big Finish pisses all over the BBC bollocks 😂😂😂
15:09 Moffat's comments about 9 being a new regeneration at the beginning of series 1 are actually supported by a brief scene in Rose where 9 looks in a mirror and is surprised by his own appearance. It's a very brief scene so it's hard to miss, but it's there
When you said 10 you grew up on but 11 is your doctor, I felt identically to that.
Bringing back Tom baker was perfect. He was very much the face of Doctor who and deserved to be honoured as such.
Omg this makes me feel SO OLD! The anniversary special was 7years ago! 😭
This clip (16:45) of John Hurt in "10 Rillington Place" made me feel even older. I'm old enough to remember it well, and it was released in 1971 :)
in the book of day of the doctor, it's revealed that for the warrior version of the elixir the sisterhood didn't change anything except adding a bit of honey, so the war doctor was actually a placebo
Am I the only one that thinks it would have been more interesting keeping 8 as the war doctor? A hopeless romantic, transformed into a war hardened general. Goes from loving and caring, to a man forged in war. It would be a completely different “doctor.”
And McGann's performances post-movie are amazing.
Since John Hurt died a few years ago and we will never see more episodes with him, it would be cool to see a comic series or book series with more about the time war instead. Feels like a story that needs to be told, even if it can’t be in the preferred medium
Me: oh nice a quick video to watch before bed!
Me after seeing the timestamp: ah.
Fun fact: in the novel they explain the entire regeneration into the war doctor thing.
The group just gave the doctor lemonade and made him think the next regeneration was his choice to be what he wanted. That gave War doctor the excuse needed to be a warrior while in reality he isn’t any different than the others at all
On your point about bringing back McGann: I'd love to see his Doctor play alongside Jodie Whittaker in a multi-Doctor story. I think it would be fascinating to see how his Doctor reacts to knowing what 13 has gone through since 8 and it would be a nice tie in to the classics
Yesssss. At this point, I'd be happy with an 8th Doctor miniseries but 13 is my Doctor so that'd be a pair-up for the ages.
I would love this too, but don't trust Chibnall to pull it off well
@@HowDoIMakeAUsername We've seen 8 go from the bouncy charming romantic to the broken suicidal wreck steadily through his audio adventures from Big Finish (which Night of the Doctor confirm are canon, as he recites his audio stories' companions by name), so we know he spent 800 years mourning the death of one of his companions by isolating himself on an oceanic planet not going anywhere. Eight's been through a LOT of shit leading up to the Time War, Big Finish loves to torture the poor man.
I'd totally love to see McGann come back for a Multi-Doctor special with Whittaker's Doctor, too. Perhaps Eight during his time travelling with Molly (where he's wearing his WW1 era clothes, before he swaps to his Night of the Doctor/Time War outfit)
@@doctorwho786 if Chibnall starts playing to his strengths more, rather than just doing a bunch of "headline stories" then it can absolutely work. Look no further than Broadchurch to see how good of a writer Chibnall can be when he wants to
@@radenbowerman9349 Broadchurch wasn't made during an era where going woke and losing money was deemed acceptable.
These are the types of videos I love. I’ve never watched a Dr who episode in my life. But, your passion, effort, writing, and editing inspires me to want to watch it. Love the content you produce. Gladly be here to watch more Dr. who breakdowns and video essays
Not only do David and Matt play well against eat other on film but they play well against each in real life as well.
There was a special panel with them and Alex Kingston on the Friday night of NY Comic Con the weekend that Jodie Whitticker premiered as the Doctor.
It was wonderful and hilarious. They were so fun together and when you added Alex in, it brought it up a level.
I would pay to see it all over again.
This was a brilliant special, probably my favourite. It really portrayed the different feelings of the Doctors regenerations. 10 was the was the one who remembered and felt all of that guilt and anger over what he had done and 11 was the one who forgets and had become somewhat disconnected with how he felt. This episode really brought these 2 doctors together and helped them to come to terms with what they had done and accept the responsibility of their actions, before throwing that curveball of them working together to come up with a new plan to try and save the children even if it meant they failed.
I remember my brother taking me to the cinema to watch the 50th. We've always both been into doctor who (even competitively sometimes) but it was great to be able to celebrate a show that shaped both our lives so much. I went with a fez and Bow tie and the cinema was packed with fellow fans. One of my favourite memories. Happy birthday doctor who!
I really don't think 9 as the War Doctor can work from a timeline perspective, because of 1 tiny little moment in Rose, 9 looks at himself in the mirror, and reacts to his new face, as though he's never seen it before, if he fought in the time war, there is no way that this is the first time that he has seen his own face, it doesn't make any sense.
I think 9 also works better as the Doctor who knows what he's done in his previous form and is completely ashamed of it, and has become a Nihilist due to it, his season to me feels almost like he's in shell shock over what he did in a previous form, he never really felt like the specific incarnation that fought in the Time War, rather the one that had to look back upon and live with the fact that he did those things in his previous life.
Revolution better be good, or I might die inside
reVOlution. Resolution was the s11 special
Well Jack is confirmed to be back, so that should be fun.
I also heard that Cybermen might be returning.
@Mohamed Abdalle Depends if Chibnall celebrates it I guess, I mean he let the show lose it's Christmas Day slot, I can kind of him just doing the 60th anniversary as the finale date for Series 14 rather than a proper special.
13 and Jack? How can it not be good?
This episode is single handily my favourite and it makes me miss when the show wasn't ruined
I know it’s not really your sort of dr who theory, but I’ve always felt that the three main Dr Who races, Dalek, Cybermen and time lords best represent the 3 ideologies of the 20th Century. Time lords - liberal democracy with a hind of aristocracy, cybermen communism trying to make people one class and creed with Dallek clearly baced off fascism and being a self appointed superior race. Just thought It was cool wonder if anyone wants to add to it?
Certainly an interesting interpretation alright
I've never thought of it like that, very cool interpratation
Genius
The laser/visible beam coming out of the screwdriver has been shown before this in NuWho, but it's easy to miss, since it was a very short bit in Rose, when 9 tells her to mind her eyes before shorting out the elevator controls.
I miss looking forward to new episodes of Doctor Who.
@Influential Beats I couldn't even make it through the last few episodes of the last season.
@@basementguy7281 I made it to... I think the episode was called the fugative? The Captain Jack one. Literally the first time it felt even a little like doctor who since Moffat (and that was only during his cenes) Don't know whose bright idea it was to give the job of showrunner to the dude with the lesser liked episodes under his belt. Anyone else remember "41"? Bet some of didn't even notice that I wrote the wrong number.
Well done. This is one of my favorite works of narrative and storytelling ever. I'll never forget seeing it at the theater. Just #magic
15:40 Ironically, in the wake of Time War plots being solved (as well as them getting the license to it within 2 years time), Big Finish actually did a ton of development for the 8th doctor in audios, pretty much turning him into the man who could've pressed the button.
Time War 8 is much darker and more conflicted than War. I was disappointed by his run for the reasons pointed out in the video. War just has no teeth as the Doctor.
"Some day, you could just walk past a fez."
"Never gonna happen..."
🤣