Howling:The Doctors Name

Just something that i thought was interesting in 'journey to the centre of the tardis'  when Clara read the History of Time War and learned what we assume was the doctors name.....assuming that it was (based on the doctor and claras conversation later) i am thinking that his name is something that is familar to Clara or the name his name is that of an important figure that clara is aware of because when she reads it she says 'So that's who'..to me this inferes that what she read is famillar to get a 'so thats who you are' reaction

i know moffat said his name has not appeared but he does know the name (? rule 1: moffat lies?) but if the book simple stated what he was called her reaction would have been 'so thats what your called' or 'so thats your name'

this may be wild speculation and me try too hard to find clues but this thread can at least serve as a forum for ideas regarding his true name and why it is such a terrible secret 87.83.10.218talk to me 09:59, April 29, 2013 (UTC)
 * Or the book could have just had one of those large plaques on the inside that says "The Book Belongs to". :)

When Clara first met the doctor she asked the same thing everyone does, "Doctor Who?" So when she said, "So that's who," I assumed she meant something like, "oh it's doctor ..." ie, she was answering her own question. Just my own thoughts... Whosethebestwho ☎  12:32, April 29, 2013 (UTC)

Yes. Clara didn't seem astonished -- or anything like it. Her reaction was more-or-less "Oh. That's interesting." It was much like someone in (say) Battlefield discovering Ace's real name -- interesting only because previously concealed but not of great significance. However, Clara has very little background knowledge, so far. She doesn't know much about the Time Lords & so on. The Doctor's name might mean much, much more to someone who knew more of the context.

The name, by the way, was in the wrong place to be on 'one of those large plaques on the inside that says "The Book Belongs to"'. It wasn't inside the cover. It was in the text, about halfway through. --89.242.73.246talk to me 12:17, April 30, 2013 (UTC)

yeah i agree it did just appear to be just a passing interest to her like you say because of her lack of knowledge. what im intersted in is the implications theory wise as if i was in clara possition the words i would have used (baring in mind she gets cut off by the timezombie) would be

'so thats what'........(your called)

but she says

'so thats who'........(you are)

to me this implicated that despite her lack of knowledge about the time lords/doctor/prophecy of trenzalore etc. the word who says that the name is fammiliar to her in some way........how i dont think that we know enough about clara yet to answer properly and can only speculate 87.83.10.218talk to me 09:29, May 2, 2013 (UTC)

also as for The Doctors name and what it is, it is always described specificaly as a 'secret' that must never be told.....i think that this means that name is relevent to something the doctor has done in his past, something that is fammilar to the universe (ie. my clara theory above) but something/someone that nobody knows the doctor did/is.........something terrible (ie. dont trust him he has a sliver of ice in his heart)..... and silence MUST fall to prevent the secret being told and revealed to the universe as that would change everything.

whatever it is i think it will be either an unfilmed but mentioned event from the old series that the doctor has not been conected to or........ it will reveal and make canon what it was that the doctor has been running from, why he left gallifrey or what he saw in the untempered schism......... the event i am speculating about and knowledge that he needed to run and protect the secret of his name because of what it would come to mean (and as he said to river in the library) the event that is the only time he could ever tell someone his name

either that or the good old theory that his name is a key to the time lock releasing the timelords and thus restoring the universe to as it was before RTD (i really really doubt it) 87.83.10.218talk to me 09:49, May 2, 2013 (UTC)

"the good old theory that his name is a key to the time lock...": His name was concealed & mysterious long before the time lock &c. At most, something like that could only be a recent addition to the reasons for keeping his name secret.

Clara saying, "so thats who...": Habits of speech differ. If I'd found something that said (for example) "Renegade Time Lord, elected as President of the High Council but refused to serve", I'd probably say "who", rather than "what".

However she did tell the Doctor that she'd learned his name. What she didn't say -- didn't really have time to say -- was whether or not the name was all she'd learned. She was looking in a history book & it could easily have given a bit more information than just the name. I suspect it must have, because she knew that it was a reference to the Doctor. Mind you, that might not mean anything more than the comment "known as the Doctor" written after the name. Since the Doctor's appearance has changed at least twice (9 to 10 & 10 to 11) & probably thrice (8 to 9, as well) since the Time War, it can't just have been a picture of him because she'd not recognise his previous incarnations. At least, as far as we know, she wouldn't.

In the finalé, I think someone (most likely River) will learn his name but that we won't. I think we'll learn something else -- probably, as you say, something from the Doctor's past -- & that we'll learn it because a character has learned his name. Moffat has repeatedly said that the Doctor's "greatest secret" will be revealed in the finalé. Despite the title of the finalé, he's never said that the Doctor's "greatest secret" is his name. By his own admission, Moffat likes to misdirect the audience & I think he's doing that here. If the Doctor's name is the key to his "greatest secret", I reckon someone will get the key & open the box, so we'll see what's inside, but we won't get hold of the key ourselves. (I was 89 earlier.) --2.101.50.55talk to me 11:48, May 2, 2013 (UTC)