2. Second Doctor The War Games, 1969
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XjIZPl3ABXo&NR=1&feature=fvwp This regeneration is a curious one as it doesnt include an actual transition between Doctors since the programmes future was uncertain at the time of filming, and because the lead-up to it is played for laughs to an extent rather than solely for drama but it still works on quite a few levels. On Gallifrey, the Second Doctor is put on trial by the Time Lords for breaking the First Rule Of Time and is sentenced to exile on Earth in the 1970s, with a forced regeneration being part of the sentence. As it comes at the end of a ten part story (the second longest in Doctor Whos history), it naturally feels a bit anti-climatic but the scenes that precede it as the Doctor justifies his breaking the First Rule have a great deal of weight to them and Patrick Troughton pulls off the more comedic moments of the Doctors petulance just before his regeneration very well. Sadly, there is no true regeneration to speak of. The last we see of the Second Doctor is him spiralling into a black void, protesting about what is happening to him. Though given that the effect of the first regeneration was achieved with damaged editing equipment and not special effects, perhaps it's better that there wasn't an attempt to realise a regeneration scene with 1960s special effects. Its far from perfect but it wins points for effort. And Troughtons performance really helps to save it from being a poor end to a great Doctor. Even if the line Stop it, youre making me giddy is very hard to take seriously. 3. Third Doctor Planet Of The Spiders, 1974
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=snl6LqFrr1A It was with this story that the concept of regeneration really came into its own. The Doctor voluntarily goes to his own death so we see the effects of it on him, and for the first time we see it properly affect a companion as Sarah Jane is convinced that the Doctor is dead and takes it very badly, refusing to believe that he is still alive. This is brilliantly contrasted with the Brigadier who has more faith that the Doctor will return, being older and wiser, and having known the Doctor for a lot longer. Visually, theres really nothing to talk about here. Its a very simple fade effect between Jon Pertwee and Tom Baker but the simplicity of the visuals allows the story and characters to take the viewers attention rather than them being distracted with flashy special effects. Particularly as the Doctor spends almost all of the scene unconscious, giving the meat of the scene to Elisabeth Sladen Nicholas Courtney, and Kevin Lindsay (as Time Lord Kanpo Rimpoche) though Pertwee still gets a few lines as he attempts to reassure Sarah Jane before succumbing to the radiation that was killing him. This was the moment when regeneration became a crucial part of Doctor Who, cementing the fact that the programme could and indeed would continue indefinitely. The Brigadiers weary sigh of Here we go again sums it up perfectly.
4. Fourth Doctor Logopolis, 1981
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PnAubeOLBzY Since 1979, Tom Baker has been the programme's longest serving Doctor and is synonymous with the programme to this day. So when the time came for him to leave the Tardis, it had to be something special and a little bit different. Theres a huge amount of foreshadowing of the Doctors impending regeneration throughout the story and even though the revelation that the mysterious Watcher who the Doctor has been meeting with throughout the story is himself between his fourth and fifth incarnations is done incredibly poorly (Companion Nyssa exposits He was the Doctor all the time in the middle of the regeneration), the tone of it hits the mark perfectly. The Doctor knows that death is coming but faces it head on without an ounce of fear or self pity. He sacrifices his life to thwart the Master's latest scheme and even as he is about to die, he decides to flash his companions his trademark grin and reassures them that he'll be alright with that now famous line Its the end. But the moment has been prepared for. The visuals are an interesting departure from the conventional fade effect of regeneration and, bar the Watcher merging with the Doctor, still hold up pretty well thirty-two years later. The score is excellent as well and overall its an excellent finale to such an iconic Doctor. 5. Fifth Doctor The Caves Of Androzani, 1984
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qvAenK95PfQ&NR=1&feature=fvwp The end of The Caves of Androzani is the first time we see the regeneration from the Doctors point of view. Dying of Spectrox Toxaemia, he gives his companion Peri the antidote and prepares for what might be his death. This is the first regeneration thats shown as truly harrowing and torturous. The Fifth Doctor has visions of his past companions urging him to regenerate, accompanied by a vision of the Master encouraging him to die. The cameos from Anthony Ainley as the Master and all of the Fifth Doctor's companions (even shape-shifting android Kamelion) is an excellent addition to the scene and allows for a callback to the Doctor's guilt over his companion Adric's death in the 1982 story Earthshock. As with the Fourth Doctors regeneration, theres a break with tradition in terms of the special effects used. Rather than the familiar fade effect between actors, there is a psychedelic tunnel effect overlaid with the moving faces of the Master and the Doctors companions. An excellent sequence masterfully written by the late, great Robert Holmes. Plus the camera spends a fair bit of time focussed on Nicola Bryants cleavage which was a bonus for all the dads and teenage boys watching.
6. Sixth Doctor Time And The Rani, 1987
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4_OT2obe710 This one is simply an unmitigated disaster. After his unceremonious and incredibly unfair sacking following the less than lukewarm reaction to the fourteen episode Trial Of A Time Lord story arc, Colin Baker understandably refused to film a regeneration sequence. So the solution was to dress Sylvester McCoy in Colin Bakers costume along with a blond wig, start' Sylvester McCoy's first episodes with a now incredibly dated CGI sequence of the Tardis being hit by lasers, and show the Doctor lying on the flor of the Tardis as he starts to regenerate. The Doctors injuries were caused by renegade Time Lady the Rani attacking the Tardis and remain unspecified. Though the placing of an exercise bike next to the Tardis console gives the unfortunate implication that falling off the exercise bike is what killed the Doctor. Which is even more embarrassing than regenerating from tripping over a brick as the Tenth Doctor feared he might. The biggest reason for this regeneration being so terrible is that there is no story leading up to it. We dont get to see the Sixth Doctor embark on one last adventure and go out in blaze of glory. Instead he gets a quick bump on the head and shuffles off this mortal coil in the first minute of Sylvester McCoys first episode. Unfortunate circumstances, no story setup, and incredibly poor visuals combine to make this is undoubtedly the single worst regeneration in all fifty years of Doctor Who. 7. Seventh Doctor The Movie, 1996
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=938b5YabMZ0 Years after its broadcast, Sylvester McCoy commented that he thought it would be better for him to not appear in the 1996 Doctor Who film and for his regeneration to be shown in a flashback, had a full series starring Paul McGann been commissioned. But he relented when he saw how much the producers would be paying him. This is a very interesting regeneration as it plays around with the concept, showing the Doctor regenerating after his death rather than before it, and giving it a decidedly gothic tone by having it take place in the fridge of a morgue, and by making the process considerably more graphic than weve seen before. Unfortunately, splicing it together with clips of a film adaptation of Frankenstein and making the newly regenerated Doctor capable of smashing down a thick steel door with his bare hands makes it look incredibly stupid and really drags it down. Its adventurous but its experimenting doesnt yield entirely positive results. The higher budget and advance in visual effects does pay off though 8. Ninth Doctor The Parting Of The Ways, 2005
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E--UUpv58Zs He may have only had thirteen episodes but the Ninth Doctors departure was incredibly impressive. Rose absorbs the Time Vortex and uses its power to atomise the remnants of the Dalek Empire invadinf Earth. But the cost is that her body cannot take the strain and the power will kill her. The Doctor absorbs the energy into his own body, killing every cell. This is a terrific example of a quintessential regeneration sequence. The Doctor dies in heroic circumstances and regenerates, knowing that its not the end of his life and that, after his regeneration, hell still be the same man. In this case, the first thing he does after regenerating is resume the conversation he had immediately before. Visually, its absolutely spectacular. The traditional face morph effect is retained and a fountain of golden energy emanating from the Doctors body as he regenerates is added, which has since become the standard for all the regenerations that have followed. For me, this regeneration scene is easily up there with the Fifth Doctors as the programmes best farewell to the Doctor. 9. Tenth Doctor The End Of Time Part Two, 2010
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sVEY5AL5zzk It may have eye-popping special effects but this is a hugely disappointing regeneration, mainly because of its tone. Usually, the Doctor faces his impending regeneration calmly, knowing that regardless of what is to come, he will still be the same man at hearts. This is sadly not the case for the Tenth Doctor. But lets back up a little. The Doctor first realises the possibility that another regeneration is coming in 2008s Planet Of The Ood. This is largely forgotten until it gets brought up by psychic pensioner Carmen at the end of the 2009 Easter Special Planet Of The Dead. In the next episode The Waters Of Mars, its still weighing on his mind considerably and comes to a head at the episodes end when he sees a psychic projection of Ood Sigma, the person who originally prophesised his regeneration. The two part special The End Of Time (that has a total runtime of 115 minutes) dedicates part of the storyline to the Doctor coming to terms with the fact that he is about to regenerate. At the very end, he declares that hes lived too long and willingly and with great dignity absorbs a fatal dose of radiation to save the life of his elderly companion Wilfred. There is then an incredibly long sequence where he revisits all of his companions from the Revived Series and it is later established that, off-screen, he visited all of the Classic Series' companions as well. But when he returns to the Tardis and prepares to regenerate, he becomes an irritating whiny sod whos terrified about regenerating despite the fact that hes done it nine times already and that hes spent Omega knows how long preparing for this particular regeneration. His last words I dont want to go are the real nail in this regenerations coffin. Regeneration is all about bidding farewell to the past and looking to the future, not having a temper tantrum. On top of that, overdramatic score and the regeneration pretty much destroying the console room makes it feel a bit too overblown. Which regeneration is your favourite? Leave a comment...
JG Moore
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JG Moore is a writer and filmmaker from the south of England. He also works as an editor and VFX artist, and has a BA in Media Production from the University Of Winchester.
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