Quote:
Originally Posted by Pierre
Surely he must be a future regeneration of the doctor, as all the past regenerations are accounted for?
The doctors are listed numerically, by the producers of the show.
Unless as previously mentioned he is the aged version of Paul McGann as we never saw him regenerate, so we don't know how old he looked when he finally regenerated.
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The dialogue suggests he is a past regeneration of the individual we call the Doctor, but one the Doctor refuses to acknowledge with that name.
First there is the fact that "11" recognises him and knows what he did, while every other bit of relevant continuity of the past 50 years has established that the "current" Doctor has no knowledge of his future incarnations.
Second, while Hurt argues that he did what was necessary, "11" insists "but not in the name of the Doctor". He also explains to Clara the significance of choosing a name that declares what you choose to be. Hurt did not live up to that intention, for whatever reason, so the Doctor refuses to call that regeneration by his chosen name.
As to where Hurt fits in, well the two gaps in the series are pre-Hartnell and post McGann. My guess is the 50th anniversary is either going to be a Time War story, or an Origins story exploring how the Doctor left Gallifrey. I really hope it's the latter.