Red Herring then, instead of McGuffin? I am mixing my metaphors. It was a bit annoying because the way it was played out, it seemed like they were setting up that this guy had some sort of history or knew the Doctor, but he just wanted it to be a doctor, any doctor.

I think that the scans showed nothing on the Doctor because he's been "laying low" lately and nobody knows who or what he is anymore. Not necessarily from the Dalek erase, but just from like, last season where he said he was getting too big and it was time to step into the shadows.