10 Memorable Post-Regeneration Moments In Doctor Who

The changeover from the Fourth to the Fifth Doctor was always going to be quite a task. Tom Baker had played the role for seven seasons, and his portrayal of the character had become iconic, which is why the destruction of Four’s long scarf is such a symbolic moment of transition.

It’s the Fifth Doctor himself who destroys it. Tearing it apart with an audible rip and unravelling the wool to use as a trail, whilst looking for the Zero Room in the TARDIS; the new Doctor is literally leaving his past self behind, as he dismantles the once beloved scarf. The unpicked scarf is also used as a metaphor for the new Doctor’s mental state in the episode itself, as his regeneration begins to go wrong. As Tegan says when she finds the wool tied to the console room door - ‘it seems the old Doc is coming unravelled in more ways than one’. For such a short couple of scenes, it’s a visual that really says a lot. It signals the end of an era, whilst simultaneously commenting on the new Doctor’s transition. It’s a brilliant moment of visual storytelling that isn’t soon forgotten.