There are so many options to choose from (Picture: BBC/Metro.co.uk)

Doctor Who fans have one thing in common: no matter how old you are, you always remember your first regeneration.

Whether it’s Jon Pertwee suffering radiation poisoning, Christopher Eccleston swallowing the time vortex or Colin Baker banging his head on the console, every regeneration is as unique and special as the Doctor it featured.

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And with current Doctor Peter Capaldi set to regenerate himself this year (and possibly sooner than we think), we thought it was high time we produced the definitive list of every one of the Doctor’s regenerations, graded from dreadful all the way up to brilliant.



13. Sixth Doctor (Time And The Rani, 1987)


It’s no big secret that Colin Baker was dismissed by the BBC.

And when the time came to film his regeneration scene, Baker refused to take part.

The result is an indecipherable sequence where Rani attacks the Tardis and seemingly manages to kill the Doctor – only it’s blatantly Sylvester McCoy in a blond wig.

The producers did the best they could under the circumstances but really, they made a rod for their own backs with this one – although Big Finish managed to give the Doctor’s regeneration a context some years later, and one fan has done a pretty good job of improving it.

12. Tenth Doctor (The End Of Time, 2009)

I don’t care how popular David Tennant is, this is dreadful – a Doctor who whines about regenerating, whines about all the other stuff he could have done and then takes 20 minutes to actually pop his clogs.

First, Tennant visits every single companion of his run (except Adam) in order to pull them away from passing cars, set them up on dates and hand over winning lottery tickets.

Then, he staggers into the Tardis, tearfully declaring ‘I don’t wanna go’ in the manner of a six-year-old visiting the dentist.

Yes, he saves Donna’s grandfather – but it’s a miracle Wilf doesn’t die of old age waiting for Tennant to bow out.

It’s worse than Return Of The King, and at least that had elves.

11. Seventh Doctor (Doctor Who: The Movie, 1996)

Ooh, actual special effects!

As a thunderstorm rages in the background, and Frankenstein plays on TV, Sylvester McCoy does a bit of gurning and turns into Paul McGann.

This might be ranked higher if it weren’t so silly, not to mention needlessly melodramatic.

And oh look, a comedy faint just to add a bit of colour.

10. Second Doctor (The War Games, 1969)

I really wish I could like this, but I don’t.

Patrick Troughton was one of the best Doctors, and he deserved a better and more heroic finale than exile to Earth with a broken Tardis.

And oh, so many spinning faces – it’s like a Queen video, six years early.

9. Tenth Doctor: again (Journey’s End, 2008)

OK, this one caught us completely off guard.

At the end of The Stolen Earth, the Doctor finally catches up with his beloved Rose, only to have their joyous reunion seemingly cut short when he’s gunned down by a Dalek. And then he starts to regenerate!



Roll credits, hello internet implosion.

We all know how it ended – but amidst speculation about David Morissey (who would eventually play the Doctor, just not the one you were expecting), there was a five-minute window there when everyone thought that Tennant’s number might be up.

Kudos to the BBC for actually keeping this one a surprise for once.

8. War Doctor (The Day Of The Doctor, 2013)

The story of the Time War finally comes full circle at the conclusion of the 50th anniversary special, The Day Of The Doctor.

In one of the quietest (and yet most poignant) farewells in the show’s history, the late John Hurt walks into his Tardis only to realise that his body’s been ‘wearing a bit thin’ – just before changing into someone who looks suspiciously like Christopher Eccleston.

Would have been ranked higher, if only we’d got to see the rest of it.

7. First Doctor (The Tenth Planet, 1966)

This was a seminal moment for the show – the Doctor changes his face!

This sort of thing normally happened off-screen, in the hopes that people wouldn’t notice, but in Doctor Who they made it part of the plot – and thus its place in history was assured.

Sadly the original episode in which this appears is lost in the mists of time – although you can watch an animated version of the regeneration if you want.

6. Eleventh Doctor (The Time Of The Doctor, 2013)

I like this, because it’s quick. And because it’s beautifully written. And because Matt Smith acts his socks off. And because the way Peter Capaldi stares at Clara is both wonderful and frightening.


We didn’t really need to see Amy again, but the moment he drops the bow tie on the floor, I sob.

I’m sobbing right now. Sob.

5. Ninth Doctor (Parting Of The Ways, 2005)

For many people – young and old alike – this would be their first regeneration. And it’s quietly brilliant.

Christopher Eccleston remains cheerful to the end, even though it’s obvious the smiles are masking the fear.

He went too soon, but he was still fantastic.

4. Third Doctor (Planet Of The Spiders, 1974)

Jon Pertwee’s final story marked the end of an era, and he concludes it the same way he began his first – by falling out of the Tardis.

What’s great about this is that the Third Doctor’s ‘death’ is done in complete silence – with Sarah Jane and the Brigadier looking on – before fellow Time Lord K’anpo Rimpoche arrives to help him regenerate.

3. Fourth Doctor (Logopolis, 1981)

Logopolis is a strange story – lots of stuff about the mathematics of life, a Tardis within a Tardis, and a mysterious, white-clad figure who turns out to be very important indeed.

But it also has the fate of the universe in the balance.

Fittingly, it’s the Master who gets to throw the Doctor off that telescope.

And if you’re wondering why Tom Baker is grinning, it’s because he no longer has to put up with Adric.

2. Eighth Doctor (The Night Of The Doctor, 2013)

This was the regeneration we thought we’d never get to see.

Just about the most exciting thing to happen in November 2013 – apart from that brief shot of Peter Capaldi’s eyebrows – was the unexpected return of Paul McGann, who briefly reprised his role as the Eighth Doctor for a special online episode.


Bridging several narrative links, as well as explaining just how the Doctor came to fight in the Time War, it also showed us a very brief shot of a young John Hurt.

But it’s McGann’s story and, even though it’s far too short, he gets the sign-off we always hoped for.

1. Fifth Doctor (The Caves Of Androzani, 1984)

It’s an obvious choice, but there really is no contest.

The Caves Of Androzani is rightly hailed as one of the greatest Doctor Who stories ever, if not the greatest – and if you’ve not seen it, think Phantom Of The Opera in space.

But it’s the selfless self-sacrifice at the story’s conclusion that elevates it to greater stature, as the Doctor willingly gives his life for a woman he scarcely knows.

It’s a shame the absolutely brilliant acting here is somewhat overshadowed by Peri’s cleavage – but I don’t think Peter Davison’s complaining, so we probably shouldn’t either.

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