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Doctor Who will face the end of a 50 year story in the Christmas special - when Time Lord Matt Smith reveals he is actually the 13th and 'final' Doctor.

Actor Matt, 31, has long thought to have been the Eleventh Doctor on the hit BBC sci-fi show, which can only regenerate 12 times according to the show's folklore. Fans have worried for years that the show will have to end once the 13th Doctor dies.

But on December 25, current theories among millions of fans will be exterminated once and for all when Matt says in a dramatic speech he is the 13th Doctor and adds: "I'm dying and there is nothing I can do about it."

On Saturday night at the end of the show's 50th anniversary special, all the Doctors lined up, including John Hurt who was previously not thought to count. David Tennant's Time Lord also used up an extra regeneration to save himself in an episode called Journey's End.

A show source explained: "There have been two David Tennant Doctor Whos technically and with John Hurt playing another Doctor in the film, it basically means he can't regenerate again.

"The riddle of the regeneration problem, something fans have talked about for decades, will be faced head on at Christmas. There is going to be another huge cliffhanger and somehow Peter Capaldi has to join and the series has to continue.

"The show's big fans, known as Whovians, won't believe their eyes at Christmas."

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On Saturday, 94 countries around the world tuned in for the 50th anniversary film The Day of the Doctor which featured the first glimpse of Peter Capaldi. In the UK alone It was watched by a peak of 10.6million - easily beating The X Factor which could only manage 7.7m when they went head-to-head.

All the previous Doctors were also included, with fourth Time Lord Tom Baker, 79, appearing as an art gallery curator at the end of the episode in an emotional scene that fans praised.

The show's executive producer Steven Moffat admitted he was "terrified" by what the reaction would be as the episode had not been previewed anywhere.

Asked about the Christmas episode and the regeneration of Doctor Who, Moffat confirmed Matt was the 13th Doctor and told the Mirror: "The 12 regenerations limit is a central part of Doctor Who mythology - science fiction is all about rules, you can't just casually break them.

"So if the Doctor can never change again, what's Peter Capaldi doing in the Christmas special?"

On the huge ratings, he said he felt "astonished and moved" so many people had tuned in.

Moffat was amongst the audience at London's BFI cinema along with Matt Smith and fans gave him and the film a standing ovation at the end.

Speaking immediately after the show ended, star Matt Smith said: "I think what's really clever about it is that what he [Moffat] has managed to do is change the mythology of the character - which, after 50 years, is an achievement."

* This article was originally published on November 25

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This hugely collectable 84-page glossy magazine salutes and commemorates 50 years of Doctor Who on the BBC. From the show's earliest days, The Doctors - The Archive features stunning unseen images from the Mirror's archive.