Hot take, or maybe not since I'm 13 years late to the party: since they weren't able to get Christopher Eccleston for Day of the Doctor, the third Doctor SHOULD'VE BEEN PAUL FUCKIN MCGANN. I have no issue with John Hurt as an actor or a person but I am fundamentally opposed to the concept of the War Doctor. If Nine wasn't gonna be the one who blew up the Time War, it should've been Eight. Tell me why Steven Moffat was willing to film a 7 minute minisode showing how Eight regenerated and didn't once during the entire process think "hmmm maybe we should just make this guy the third Doctor in the special"????? I just watched the Night of the Doctor (aforementioned minisode) today for the first time and tell me why Paul McGann is one of the best Doctors to exist period. I'm saying this as a diehard Ten apologist. Steven Moffat was COOKING with that 7 minute script and Paul ate and left no crumbs. His line delivery, stage presence, and tortured facial expressions were flawless. The costume department had this man looking devilish. He himself is unreasonably easy on the eyes and I could listen to him read the damn phonebook all day. Do you have any idea how outrageous it is that the Eighth Doctor got one stupid movie and one stupid 7 minute minisode?? Literally why was Steven Moffat willing to cast him for a fraction of a normal episode and not just the special itself. Less work. More screentime for a criminally neglected powerhouse of a Doctor.
