I think clara will be trying to discover his name/secret maybe for the big villain

The villain will be after his name ,his greatest secret in the finale and the anniversary will be on trenzalore I think

Why is SM so obsessed with complications and quite frankly boring unimaginative story lines. What happened to great stories, fun and adventure????

If its anything to do with his name, its a bit old news. Especially when the whole QUESTION thing was about Doctor Who. Hopefully it will be something interesting and unexpected!

What about the Doctor being really the MASTER ;) now that would be a huge surprise lol but very unlikely to happen

As I recall, in Silver Nemesis there was a certain Lady Peinforte who knew the Doctor’s greatest secret. I don’t think it was about his name, but about exactly what and who he was. The only problem at the time, though not for the Doctor, was that the Cybermen just couldn’t be bothered with it. Actually in the Sylvester years it was referred to many times that the doctor was much more than he seemed…so who knows?

I think whatever the secret is, Moffat will have to tread extremely carefully.

It’s seemingly something very big and in doing something like that with a character that’s been around for 50 years, if he gets it wrong or it’s something that fundamentally changes the character, he will ruin every Doctor since 1963.

Imagine that it was extremely negative. I doubt any of us could look at the Doctor in the same way, not just in the future but re-watching every Doctor and every episode before, we’d know that secret was with him.

I personally don’t want him to turn out to be anyone else and in connection with that, I certainly don’t want to know his name. He’s the Doctor, he’s always been the Doctor, merely answering the question “Doctor Who” would defeat the point of the title and again, we’d never be able to think of him as the Doctor again because we’d know his real name and why he hides it.

I certainly don’t envy Moffat the responsiblity, I just hope he’s very careful.

I wonder if his greatest secret is not so much his name (after all who cares what it is unless it was something we already know from history or he’s revealed to be Godin humanoid form!) but rather why he left Gallifrey at all.

I get the sense that the Doctor has been running all his life, but from what or who? Could it be that the First Doctor was engaged in some shameful act that he can’t deal with… and so he stole a TARDIS, his grand daughter somehow getting embroiled in his plans, and played it out that he was bored with Time Lord society rather than real, more awful truth of just what he had done.

Of course, this being Doctor Who the answer will be couched in mystery and ambivalence so that whatever “truth” is revealed will be endlessly debated in the forums for years to come…

@mwanderson The problem with that is, he’s returned to Gallifrey several times since first leaving and been on trial there at least twice and even been granted the position of Lord President a few times.

Remeber the episode “The God Complex” where the doctor opened his door and saw what his greatest fear was and said “Of course” is his greatest secret his greatest fear?

What if the Doctor’s greatest fear is the revelation to the Universe that his actual name is Wallathfurd Hunkle Orthingbum?

So he’s actually… Doctor W. H. O.

With a name of that sort, I’d go on the run, too.

Davros is his father

how about the Doctor is the greatest of all Timelords, Rassilon?

Well in theory (as per the Cartmel Masterplan) the Doctor is the Other; one of the three founding fathers of Gallifrey along with Omega and Rassilon. But somehow I suspect Moffat will want a masterplan of his own, so he’s probably going to let that idea lie fallow.

@RichardWatts

Is this secret a secret from the doctor himself? Having dealt with Omega a few times, and his first 5 incarnations being able to read (but not already knew) writings in Rassilon’s tomb, if he was one of the founding 3 he didn’t seem to be aware of it himself.

@Richard Watts
yes, but he said that Lungbarrow!! was one of his favorites, if not THe favorite, as far as i can recall. So, it only makes sense that he utilize some form of its content… plusk, we ALL know the Doctor is MORe than JUSt a Time Lord. Come on, guys@ He’s obviouslt a mermaid from Poosh who got lost in a toast storm and ended up on Gallifrey in a crocheted pretzel basket on the doorstep ofa kindly old woman who was a retired Bene Gesserit from Jersey.

@Russell Mcormond

and how do you hide a key? in a room full of Other keys.

he might not be aware that he is the Other yet. It might not have happened yet. Or he might be TIMELOCKED himself and not completely realize it!

;)

Perhaps the secret is SM is so bad that as claimed in the articule above – “Brand new episodes of Doctor Who are slowly but surely on the way” – The word “slowly” being the most obvious part of SM reign! Or perhaps the secret is the disgrace that while Doctor Who is being ignored by the BBC in the UK, it is being shown in celebration on other channels and mainly overseas! Or is the secret that while the BBC is skimping on an Hour special for the 50th Anniversary while ITV are doing a 26 episode season for the Thunderbirds 50th anniversary!

I really hope that we never find out his name. I honestly would rather not know..On “The Sound of Drums”, when The Doctor and The Master were talking on the phone The Doctor mentioned something about them choosing their names. Well, not really their names but their Titles. THE Master, THE Doctor, see what I mean? We dont know The Masters real name either. Unless I missed something. I dont really know what my point is. Baha.
Does “The fall of the eleventh” break anyone elses heart? Ugh.
I like the idea of the secret not being his name at all. Maybe its not a question of WHO he is, but WHAT he is..?