‘Doctor Who’ 50th Aniversary Special: John Hurt to Return Opposite Peter Capaldi?

Long before 'Doctor Who' announced the arrival of 12th Doctor Peter Capaldi, fan tongues were set wagging by the mysterious appearance of John Hurt's "forgotten" Doctor at the climax of series 7 finale "The Name of the Doctor." The character has been set up for a major arc opposite Matt Smith and David Tennant in the upcoming 50th anniversary special, but might Hurt return for additional episodes with Peter Capaldi in 2014?

Take this one with a grain of salt, but the rumor first began when Hurt issued a somewhat jumbled tweet saying "Congratulations, Peter Capaldi. I’m suboth and we will have a lot of fun,” which was quickly deleted. Shortly thereafter, the tweet was replaced to say “Congratulations to Peter Capaldi and to the BBC. Another splendid Doctor!”

Spelling and grammatical errors notwithstanding, the former tweet would certainly seem to suggest that Hurt and Capaldi might appear together at some point, despite the fact that Capaldi's Doctor won't arrive until the 2013 Christmas special. Hurt has actually been asked the significance of the tweet, to which the actor replied “No idea where that came from…not from me.” Hurt may have a ghostwriter for his Twitter account, though it certainly seems as if the first tweet was taken as a slip, given how spoiler-tight the series tends to be.

Well, what do you think? Could Hurt's forgotten 'Doctor Who' have a larger significance going forward when Capaldi takes the role? How would you like to see the franchise proceed through the next two years? Check out a preview of the 50th anniversary special below, and give us your thoughts in the comments!