The Doctor’s Name Revealed?
Will the Doctor’s name be revealed? Guest contributor Liam Catterson speculates.
When the final title for Series 7 was first revealed as “The Name of the Doctor” I was one of those fans who reacted with much hype and excitement as it made me think, ”They are actually going to do it!” It’s no secret that something massive will happen during the episode. It has been teased ever since Series 7 Part 2 began. But the question is… is it Doctor who?
The Name
Who knows what the name could be, but it has to be something associated to Gallifreyan origins. If you remember in “A Good Man Goes to War”, the Doctor’s crib has Gallifreyan writing on it, which is supposedly written to his name. But according to River, the TARDIS couldn’t translate it. So it could be Gallifreyan, but I have the assumption that the word ‘Doctor’ will play some part in the Doctor’s actual name. Maybe it won’t, but I just feel it will.
So what if his name was just The Doctor? What if that wasn’t a nickname and that was his actual name? I won’t say I have much of a theory for this possibility, but for the past fifty years, a Time Lord from Gallifrey has travelled in time known as the Doctor. It would be one of those moments where you’re sitting in the TV and you will be like “So I’ve known his name this whole time?” I won’t be surprised if the word Doctor has any reference to his name however.
Ideas
What about theories? I bet right now many Whovians will be trying to figure out the name of the Doctor. I am joining them in guessing what the Doctor’s name could be. One theory that crosses my mind is ‘Oswin’ or ‘Oswald’. Yup, Clara’s character, and the reason I say this is because the Whovians have knowledge on the prominence of Clara to the Doctor. Doctor Oswin/Oswald? Doctor Who has been teasing the mystery of Clara for a long time. What if Clara does become the Doctor (like a future regeneration)? The problem with that is, why won’t Clara tell Matt’s Doctor she is him in the future? A fixed point in time that he must never know? Another problem is she was born as a baby from Earth and the first incarnation of the Doctor was a man. Although I won’t discount it, I just think that might not be realistic. I just have this feeling Clara is associated with the Doctor in a big way.
The companions of the Moffat era have all had some sort of close relation to the Doctor. River Song is the wife of the Doctor and Amy and Rory are the parents-in-law. So would it be shocking if Clara played a part to the name? I have doubts as I think about it; she has died twice, so I guess she could be human. But she MUST play some part to his name. I don’t know how, and I don’t think anyone but Moffat knows. She could be a relative but it is all up in the air. Do keep in mind that Alex Kingston is going to be back as River in the episode too. River whispered the Doctor’s name into the ear of the Tenth Doctor in the Library, so it makes sense for her to be around during this massive revelation.
I noticed some people have jokingly said ‘Doctor Hugh’ (a pun to the actual title). That would be all well and good, but it would be too human for his name. I also make a point later on in this article that they might just avoid announcing his name, leaving the fans trolled to the highest extent.
The Fields of Trenzalore and The Fall of the Eleventh
This event ties in to the revelation of the Doctor’s name. The Doctor is told that the Fields of Trenzalore is the place “where no living creature can speak falsely or fail to answer”, and he will be asked the question: “Doctor who”. What about the Silence then? Will they be involved in this event? Remember, “Silence will fall when the question is asked.” They want to stop the revelation of the Doctor’s name as “Silence will fall”. They will surely play a part then, as they are the people who are out to try and kill the Doctor before the name gets revealed. It is obvious the Doctor won’t die, but what about The Fall of the Eleventh? What does that mean to be precise? Regeneration is out of the question if The Name of the Doctor takes place in May (Unless the Doctor repeats a process that the Tenth Doctor did at Journey’s End, although how that could happen I have no idea). Does it mean the obvious plan is to bring down the Doctor?
Aftermath
So what could happen if the Doctor’s name actually gets revealed? Apart from the shocks and many heart attacks Whovians will undergo once they find out the name, Doctor Who will still be the title of the show. So how will they manage to keep the title without people sitting in front of the TV and making complaints about how they now know what the Doctor is called? Are they going to repeat what they did in Asylum of the Daleks and make the universe forget everything about the Doctor including his name? Or will Moffat be the ultimate troll and come to a point where the question is asked and the Doctor’s name is about to be revealed, then as soon as that happens we roll into the credits? Or will the name of the title tease the revelation, with the Doctor’s name not being known as he won’t be able to reminisce? I have no idea, and I don’t know how Moffat is going to pull this off, but he must have something big up his sleeve if Doctor Who is going to be the name of the show after the revelation. I trust Moffat however. His writing is unique and his ideas are better than Russell T Davies’ (Sorry RTD fans). Whatever the Moff has to offer, it has to be big and explosive. As we wait a few more days until the Doctor’s name gets revealed (or not), many will be left guessing for their lives, whilst a wild Moffat will be thinking of more ways to tease the Whovians in future.
