There have been thirteen different incarnations of the Doctor in Regeneration is the key to Doctor Who's longevity; it means that, unlike any other science-fiction TV show, Doctor Who can effortlessly recast its star without deviating from the core concept at all. Showrunners have often seen regeneration as an opportunity to effectively relaunch the series in tone, style, and even theme as well.
Sometimes the regenerations stress continuity. More often, though, modern Doctor Who has viewed each incarnation of the Doctor through their differences to previous incarnations as well as their similarities, meaning there have been discernible character arcs. Each Doctor's first and last words often serve as a pointer to these arc - especially their last words, with recent Doctors taking the opportunity to define their era in beautiful, flowing speeches.
Jodie Whittaker's tenure as the Thirteenth Doctor is soon coming to an end, and no doubt her words will be just as appropriate. In the meantime, though, here are the first televised words of each Doctor, as well as the last thing they said before they regenerated.
William Hartnell's First Doctor's Becoming A Gentler, Kinder Soul
Doctor Who all started in a junkyard, when a couple of nosy schoolteachers followed a curious student home and stumbled into a police box. William Hartnell's First Doctor was a mysterious, enigmatic figure with a harsh and abrasive personality, who whisked those two teachers away through time and space rather than allow them to tell anyone what they'd discovered. Appropriately enough, his first televised words were sharp and accusatory; "What are you doing here?" This Doctor's travels changed him, not least because of his companions, mellowing him and transforming him into a much kinder figure - a Doctor more like the ones viewers would recognize today. His last words in the 1996 story "The Tenth Planet" neatly symbolize his character arc, with him thanking his companions for trying to look after him. "Ah, yes! It's good! Thank you. Keep warm." His old body wearing a bit thin, the Doctor regenerated - in a moment that made TV history.
Patrick Troughton's Second Doctor Embraces Chaos
Patrick Troughton took over as the Second Doctor, with a more kinetic and chaotic style. The Doctor's first and last lines both seem to represent his personality, with the Doctor desperately attempting to regain some sense of control. "Slower! Slower! Concentrate on one thing. One thing," he told himself immediately after his regeneration, as his two companions watched in absolute shock. This Doctor's regeneration was forced by the Time Lords as they prepared to exile him to Earth, much to the Doctor's displeasure; he refused to choose a new body, and the Time Lords chose one for him, forcing a regeneration. "No! Stop, you’re making me giddy! No, you can’t do this to me! No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no," the Doctor howled in distress. It's interesting to note the common theme of dizziness in these first two regenerations, which has long since been forgotten.
Jon Pertwee's Third Doctor Comes Home
"Shoes," Jon Pertwee's Third Doctor mumbled to a nurse in 1970's "Spearhead From Space," "must find my shoes. Unhand me, madam." On the face of it, this curious comment seems rather more whimsical than character-driven - but there was a reason the Doctor wanted to find his shoes. He'd secreted the key to the TARDIS in them before he was captured by the Time Lords, and he hoped to use it to escape his exile to Earth. This line of dialogue therefore serves to establish what would become the Third Doctor's main motivation, his desperate desire to resume his wanderings through time and space. Ironically, the Doctor learned to love Earth, and kept returning to his UNIT family even after the Time Lords restored his freedom. 1974's "Planet of the Spiders" saw the Doctor sacrifice himself to defeat a race of powerful arachnids, and the TARDIS brought him home to regenerate with those who loved him. "A tear, Sarah Jane," he asked his companion, reaching out to offer his love to them in return. "No, don’t cry. While there’s life there’s…" His voice trailed off, in a heartbreaking moment.
Tom Baker & The Fourth Doctor's Promise
Easily the most iconic Doctor in classic Doctor Who, Tom Baker's tenure as the Fourth Doctor was longer than many of his fellows - and, as such, he didn't really have a discernible arc. Still, there is a thematic similarity between the Fourth Doctor's first and last words - they assured viewers there was a degree of continuity. Baker's initial post-regeneration mutterings were a reflection of his recent past; "Typical Sontaran attitude," he grumbled. "Stop, Linx… course of human history… I tell you, Brigadier, there’s nothing to worry about. The brontosaurus is large and placid… And stupid! If the square on the hypotenuse equals the sum of the square on the other two sides, why is a mouse when it spins? Never did know the answer to that one." Baker became viewed as the definitive Doctor, and when he chose to depart in 1981 many wondered if the show would survive. The Doctor's last words were suitably meta, therefore; "It’s the end. But the moment has been prepared for." In-universe, they testified to his being prepared for regeneration; to viewers, they felt like a promise.
Peter Davison's Regenerations Nearly Go Wrong
By 1981, writers were beginning to recognize that regeneration was feeling a little too formulaic. Peter Davison's "Castrovalva" opened with the newly-regenerated Fifth Doctor suffering as a result of his regeneration, struggling to focus and in need of the of the TARDIS. "Ah," he greeted his companions, clearly confused. "You’ve come to help me find the Zero Room. Welcome aboard. I’m the Doctor. Or will be if this regeneration works out." Appropriately enough, the Fifth Doctor's final words in the iconic story "The Caves of Androzani" also seemed to suggest regeneration was not guaranteed, and he would be transformed into an incarnation who struggled with even worse post-regeneration trauma. "I might regenerate," the dying Doctor told his companion Peri. "I don’t know. Feels different this time…" He then began to experience visions of friends and foes, a trip down memory lane, and his last word was "Adric?" This is poignant, because Adric was the companion the Doctor had lost, and the Fifth Doctor never quite recovered from that crushing sense of guilt.
The Sixth Doctor Never Got A Real Chance
Poor Colin Baker never really got a chance. His introductory words in "The Caves of Androzani" were perfect, filled with supercilious scorn towards his companion and viewers alike, promising a return to the harsher and more abrasive Doctor of the past. His companion Peri moved to his side, bewildered at the transformation, and said his name. "You were expecting someone else?" the Doctor asked. Unfortunately Baker's tenure was a short one, disrupted by problems with the BBC, and he didn't get a proper regeneration at all. His final words on-screen were a complaint to his companion Mel; "Carrot juice? Carrot juice, carrot juice, carrot juice!" This was hardly an auspicious end to a Doctor's travels.
Sylvester McCoy Bows Out In Style
1987's "Time and the Rani" introduced Sylvester McCoy Seventh Doctor, and his befuddled regeneration was taken advantage of by a rival Time Lord named the Rani. "Oh no, Mel," the Doctor muttered in his first words. The BBC canceled Doctor Who in 1989, and the writers hurriedly gave McCoy one of the most famous speeches in the show's history to end the series. "There are worlds out there where the sky is burning. And the sea’s asleep, and the rivers dream. People made of smoke, and cities made of song. Somewhere there’s danger. Somewhere there’s injustice. And somewhere else, the tea’s getting cold. Come on, Ace — we’ve got work to do!" The BBC had made up their minds - but these words seemed to be a promise that the Doctor's adventures were far from over. Indeed, a generation of fans kept Doctor Who alive in other mediums, with the Seventh Doctor's adventures continuing in Virgin's New Adventures range. Finally, in 1996 a TV movie brought Doctor Who back - albeit briefly. The Seventh Doctor got an actual regeneration, gunned down after falling prey to a trap laid by the Master. "Timing malfunction," he cried out as he died. "The Master, he’s out there! He’s out there… I know… I’ve got to stop… him…"
The Eighth Doctor Faces the Time War
Paul McGann's Eighth Doctor was the star of this TV movie, and he started out as an amnesiac. Appropriately enough, then, his first line of dialogue was the obvious question; "Who am I," he asked, and then repeated those three words. This Doctor attempted to avoid getting drawn into the Time War, but in the BBC's short story "The Night of the Doctor" he was forced to embrace a new path - to transform himself into a different kind of Doctor. In a moment reminiscent of Peter Davison's regeneration, he listed a number of his old companions - including, in a beautiful touch, companions from Big Finish's audio dramas, bringing those into the main continuity. "Physician, heal thyself," the Eighth Doctor told himself as he embraced this regeneration and became the War Doctor.
The War Doctor Is Still The Doctor
John Hurt's War Doctor fought at the heart of the Time War, ultimately choosing to destroy both his own race and the Daleks - or so he thought, unaware his future selves were brought into his personal timeline by the ancient Gallifreyan weapon called the Moment. "Doctor no more," he vowed to himself after he had regenerated, committing to the conflict. In the end, after the apparent destruction of Gallifrey and with hope burning in his hearts, he realized regeneration was coming. "Yes… Of course, I suppose it makes sense," he muttered to himself. "Wearing a bit thin. I hope the ears are a bit less conspicuous this time." It's a brilliant line, calling back to a comment made by William Hartnell's First Doctor shortly before his own regeneration, reassuring viewers there was a sense of continuity to all this.
Christopher Eccleston's Ninth Doctor Is All About Rose
Russell T. Davies relaunched Doctor Who in 2005, and he placed companions at the heart of his new show. It's appropriate, therefore, that Christopher Eccleston's first and last words as the Ninth Doctor were directed at Rose. "Run," he told Rose as he pulled her away from Autons in the episode simply called "Rose" - and from that moment on there was a sheer kinetic vitality to this new Doctor, as he ran headlong through trial and danger. Finally, when his life came to an end he addressed his last words to his companion. "Rose… before I go, I just wanna tell you, you were fantastic. Absolutely fantastic. And do you know what? So was I!" Viewers agreed with his assessment, and although Eccleston's time was short, Doctor Who's future was secure.
The Chaotic Energy Of David Tennant's Tenth Doctor
David Tennant took Eccleston's energy and dialed it up to 11. He immediately demonstrated a scatterbrained, hyperactive approach; "Hello," he introduced himself. "Okay – ooh. New teeth. That’s weird. So, where was I? Oh, that’s right. Barcelona!" This was a Doctor whose energy would sweep others along in its wake, and who didn't care whether the people around him understood what he was talking about; in fact, he practically reveled in the confusion he caused. Tennant's Doctor gradually darkened throughout his arc, becoming increasingly Messianic and viewing himself as the Time Lord Victorious. When he ultimately regenerated, his last words were honest and heartfelt - and seemed to speak for all the viewers who'd come to love his portrayal as well, who considered David Tennant as emblematic of the current series as Tom Baker was of the classic show. "I don’t want to go," he declared.
Matt Smith's Eleventh Doctor Sets A New Trend
Matt Smith's Eleventh Doctor had the same kind of manic energy, as signified by his first words in the TARDIS; "Legs," he declared excitedly. "I’ve still got legs! Good. Arms, hands. Ooh, fingers. Lots of fingers. Ears? Yes. Eyes: two. Nose… eh, I’ve had worse. Chin – blimey! Hair… I’m a girl! No! No! I’m not a girl! And still not ginger! There’s something else. Something… important, I’m… I’m-I’m… Ha-ha! Crashing! Geronimo!" The chin would become a recurring gag, while this even introduced his favorite word, "Geronimo," which essentially outlined the Eleventh Doctor's view of life - throw himself head-first into whatever crisis he stumbled into, and blunder his way through it with unbeatable confidence.
The Eleventh Doctor's final story, 2013's "The Time of the Doctor," set a new precedent for Doctor Who. Matt Smith's regeneration speech was directed to the viewers, an overt attempt to sum up the significance of this Doctor. "We all change," he reassured himself, the audience, and even Matt Smith himself. "When you think about it, we’re all different people, all through our lives. And that’s okay, that’s good, you gotta keep moving, so long as you all the people that you used to be. I will not forget one line of this, not one day. I swear. I will always when the Doctor was me."
Peter Capaldi Becomes The Twelfth Doctor
There's a sense in which Peter Capaldi's arc as the Doctor can be compared to Paul McGann's - but in an extended format. Capaldi began as a man who was unsure who he truly was, and as such his first season was an exploration of the Doctor's identity. "Kidneys," he shouted energetically after regenerating. "I’ve got new kidneys! I don’t like the color. …We’re probably crashing! Ohh! Stay calm. Just one question: Do you happen to know how to fly this thing?" He soon learned how to pilot the TARDIS - and how to be the Doctor as well. When he ended, it was with advice to his future self, words that summed up the man he had ultimately chosen to be. "Never be cruel, never be cowardly. And never ever eat pears! – hate is always foolish… and love, is always wise," he advised. "Always try, to be nice and never fail to be kind. Oh, and…. and you mustn’t tell anyone your name. No-one would understand it anyway. Except... Except… children. Children can hear it. Sometimes – if their hearts are in the right place, and the stars are too. Children can hear your name. But nobody else. Nobody else. Ever. Laugh hard. Run fast. Be kind," he concluded. "Doctor... I let you go." Those final four words seemed to convey a deeper meaning, as though Capaldi himself were speaking to viewers, choosing to let go of his time as the Doctor. A fan since childhood, departing was probably a hard decision for Capaldi, and his final words as the Doctor conveyed so much emotion.
According to the then Doctor Who showrunner Steven Moffat, these words were carefully chosen by himself and Capaldi. "We were both very pleased with that final section of the script already, but as we went through piece by piece we thought there were ways to improve it so I’d be banging out new pages each night for us to discuss on set each day," he told Radio Times. "That was so enjoyable and exciting to do – to really feel that we were getting his send off right – that in a way it took whatever emotions we were both having about leaving and put them on screen where they belong. By the time we got to that part of filming I think Peter and I were probably the least emotional on set because we’d put it all in the show!"