15 Shocking Doctor Who Plot Twists That Nobody Saw Coming

8. He Will Knock Four Times

The countdown is sticking at The End of Time now for one of the most heartbreaking moments in Doctor Who history. With his regeneration looming, the Tenth Doctor had been foretold that his untimely death would follow suit when "he will knock four times" and fans assumed they had it on fairly good authority that the ominous warning was referring to the return of the Master which conveniently coincided with David Tennant's swansong. Coincidence? Actually... yes! Not that you'll need reminding (have you even properly recovered yet?), but the catalyst of the Tenth Doctor's regeneration wasn't even the Master at all. It was actually Wilfred Mott who was indirectly responsible for his untimely demise when he got himself locked inside a chamber which was about to be flooded with lethal radiation. Perhaps worse of all, the Doctor had just fought off the return of the Time Lords and lived to tell the tale and for a shining moment it really looked like he had managed to defy the odds. As such, when Wilf knocked on the glass four times, thus fulfilling the prophecy, the Doctor was as devastated as the rest of us. Nobody saw this twist of fate coming which made it one of the most gut-wrenching moments in Doctor Who history. The penny dropped as the Tenth Doctor - ever the hero - sacrificed himself to save Wilf but he wasn't going to go quietly. In the end, though, he did what was right, as he was always going to. It's just a real shame he had to die in the process. It was a classic case of misdirection and one that well and truly duped us all.