"We're all stories in the end. Just make it a good one, eh?" - Conclusion

When Doctor Who was revived in 2005 Gallifrey was gone and all the Timelords dead. Yet now in 2018 the Timelords are alive and Gallifrey safely hidden away at the end of the universe. The question I posed was can this be considered canon due to Moffat textually poaching Davies storyline of the Time War. The answer, to me, becomes an individual

choice for all fans. If you approach with Paul Cornell’s reasoning of the show having no canon the argument for Moffat textually poaching from Davies becomes nonsensical. This is because anything can change at any given moment and there’s nothing we can do about it. However, if you approach the show with a clear definition of there being canon then you could argue the angle of Moffat textually poaching. Therefore The Day of the Doctor (2013) being nothing more than a fan fiction. Nevertheless, when you add ‘the death of the author’ concept into the mixture you can also argue that the events of the fiftieth anniversary special are in fact canon. With the Russell T Davies era of Doctor Who ‘dead’, Moffat had as much right to change the events of the Time War, therefore making it canon.

Overall this cannot simply have a blanket explanation which can cover all the fans. Every single fan will have their own individual opinion and interpretation on the events. All fans can decide for themselves whether to consider the anniversary special as canon or a fan fiction. All fans also must have the option to deny there being any canon at all within the franchise of Doctor Who. Whichever way you choose to look at the franchise, as a fan, is completely acceptable and correct. So, is The Day of the Doctor (2013) canon? Yes, no, but also canon doesn’t exist in Doctor Who. I hope that clears everything up for us fans!