Over the last 62 years, 17 different actors have played the titular time-traveling adventurer in Doctor Who, each delivering important first and last lines. As a being from another universe known as the Timeless Child, the Doctor has unlimited potential to regenerate their body every time they become ill, injured, or dead. This ability was harnessed by the residents of Gallifrey to become the Time Lords, the most powerful force in time and space, and the Doctor’s ability to regenerate has also helped Doctor Who achieve its longevity, becoming the longest-running sci-fi series in TV history.
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Ever since William Hartnell burst onto our screens in November 1963 as the First Doctor, there have been 17 total iterations of the Doctor, culminating in Billie Piper’s shocking return to Doctor Who in 2025. The Doctor’s regenerations are often transformative for Doctor Who, changing the personality of the show completely, and establishing wildly different eras, and the altered persona of each incarnation has often been displayed in their first lines as the Time Lord. Similarly, their last lines have often been used to sum up their time in the TARDIS, bidding an emotional farewell to each Doctor.
17) First Doctor (William Hartnell)
William Hartnell had been known for playing military roles before joining Doctor Who as the titular Time Lord, and he brought some of this regimental and disciplined personality to the role. His first line in 1963’s “An Unearthly Child,” the brash “What are you doing here?,” perfectly summed up this concept, as him and his granddaughter, Susan (Carole Ann Ford), were approached by her school teachers, Ian (William Russell) and Barbara (Jacqueline Hill), outside the TARDIS, kick-starting their adventures.
The First Doctor’s final line was delivered in 1966’s “The Tenth Planet.” The Doctor fell ill during his first ever battle against the Cybermen, and his final line reflected how caring and compassionate he had become towards his then-companions, Polly (Anneke Wills) and Ben (Michael Craze), as he stated, “Thank you. It’s good. Keep warm.” He regenerated in his sleep after passing out in the TARDIS, ending Doctor Who’s first era.
16) Second Doctor (Patrick Troughton)
Footage of the Second Doctor’s first moments were lost from the BBC archives over time, but these scenes have been recreated in animation. Patrick Troughton’s first line as the Time Lord from 1966’s “The Power of the Daleks” saw him suffering from the aftereffects of regeneration. Declaring, “Slower, slower! Concentrate on one thing. One thing! It’s over. It’s over,” the Doctor came to terms with his new surroundings—but few have suffered the sheer impact of regeneration in the years since.
Fast forward to 1969’s “The War Games,” the Second Doctor was put on trial by the Time Lords for his unauthorized travels and interventions throughout space and time. He was ultimately forced to regenerate into the Third Doctor and exiled on Earth. While he accepted his fate, the process of regeneration was still traumatic for the Second Doctor, leading to his final line being the tragic “No! Stop, you’re making me giddy! No! You can’t do this to me! No! No, no, no, no, no, no, no!”
15) Third Doctor (Jon Pertwee)
Jon Pertwee took over as the Third Doctor in 1970’s “Spearhead from Space,” Doctor Who’s first in-color serial. While he didn’t suffer the effects of regeneration in the same way as the Second Doctor, he was still discombobulated by the process, leading to him focusing on finding his shoes from his hospital bed. His first line was, “Shoes, must find my shoes. Unhand me, Madam!,” delivered while trying to plan his escape to return to the TARDIS, before he became employed by UNIT during his exile.
After absorbing a deadly dose of radiation in a spider cave in 1974’s “Planet of the Spiders,” the Third Doctor died in front of Sarah Jane Smith (Elisabeth Sladen) and Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart (Nicholas Courtney). Unfortunately for him, he didn’t even get to finish his sentence before passing away by declaring, “A tear, Sarah Jane? No, don’t cry. While there’s life, there’s…” Pertwee was praised as the Doctor, so this was an emotional goodbye.
14) Fourth Doctor (Tom Baker)
While it was sad to say goodbye to Jon Pertwee, Tom Baker’s Fourth Doctor is considered one of the best iterations of the character. His first lines were muttered in the wake of his regeneration, referring to events from when he first met Sarah Jane, “Typical Sontaran attitude… stop, Linx… course of human history…” These lines were delivered in the Fourth Doctor’s first full adventure in 1974’s “Robot,” launching Tom Baker’s run as the longest-serving actor to play the Doctor.
After seven years, Tom Baker departed Doctor Who in 1981’s “Logopolis.” After initially teaming up with the Master (Anthony Ainley) to save the universe, the Master left his archenemy to die by falling from a great height. The Fourth Doctor sensed his regeneration, noting to his companions, “It’s the end. But the moment has been prepared for.” This cued the mysterious Watcher to merge with the Doctor and incite his regeneration in one of the show’s weirder transition scenes.
13) Fifth Doctor (Peter Davison)
The Doctor typically feels confused in the moments after regeneration, and Peter Davison played this to perfection in 1982’s “Castrovalva.” Adric (Matthew Waterhouse) finds the new Fifth Doctor in the TARDIS unraveling the Fourth Doctor’s scarf, only for him to declare, “Ah. You’ve come to help me find the Zero Room. Welcome aboard. I’m the Doctor. Or will be if this regeneration works out.” This expertly showed how transformative regenerations are, as the Doctor felt the need to reintroduce himself to one of Doctor Who’s most iconic companions.
Skipping on to 1984’s “The Caves of Androzani,” the Fifth Doctor and new companion Peri Brown (Nicola Bryant) both suffered from poisoning. The Doctor only had one vial of the antidote, which he gave to Peri, sacrificing his life for his new friend. She cradled him as he regenerated, but he suggested it felt different, stating, “I might regenerate. I don’t know. Feels different this time… Adric?” He was visited by visions of several past companions, and it’s important that his final word was “Adric,” as the legendary companion had died during the Fifth Doctor’s run.
12) Sixth Doctor (Colin Baker)
The Sixth Doctor was one of the most controversial and criticized incarnations from his very first moments. Colin Baker portrayed him as aggressive, volatile, and cold, which was a huge transition after the kind-hearted and playful Fifth Doctor’s era. “You were expecting someone else?,” the Sixth Doctor uttered to Peri Brown shortly after regenerating, showing how rude and brash he was from the very first moment.
Due to behind the scenes turmoil, Colin Baker ended up being fired from Doctor Who, leading to his regeneration in the opening moments of 1987’s “Time and the Rani.” This meant his final words spoken in 1986’s “The Ultimate Foe” were pretty meaningless, “Carrot juice, carrot juice, carrot juice…” This referred to the beverage favored by then-companion Melanie Bush (Bonnie Langford), who kept trying to get the Doctor to drink carrot juice to improve his health.
11) Seventh Doctor (Sylvester McCoy)
After the Sixth Doctor’s turbulent era, Colin Baker refused to return to film the regeneration scene, so Sylvester McCoy stood in as the Sixth Doctor before waking up as the Seventh. When he woke after being captured by the Rani (Kate O’Mara), he stated, “That was a nice nap. Now, down to business. I’m a bit worried about the temporal flicker in sector 13.” This was one of the quickest recoveries from regeneration we’d seen, as he quickly burst into battle against his fellow Time Lord.
Doctor Who was cancelled during Sylvester McCoy’s era in 1989’s “Survival,” and his final lines in this story were more powerful than his actual last lines in the 1996 Doctor Who TV movie. Instead of “Come on, Ace – we’ve got work to do!,” the Seventh Doctor’s final lines were, “Timing malfunction! The Master, he’s out there! He’s out there… I know… I’ve got to stop… him…,” as he succumbed to his gunshot wound inflicted by a gang in San Francisco. It was nice to see the Seventh Doctor get a proper ending, but this was less poignant than “Survival.”
10) Eighth Doctor (Paul McGann)
BBC Worldwide and Universal Pictures tried to revive Doctor Who in 1996 with a TV movie that introduced Paul McGann as the charming and handsome Eighth Doctor. He suffered the same confusion after his regeneration as previous Doctors, even to the point of questioning, “Who am I? Who am I?” He eventually figured it out and teamed up with Grace Holloway (Daphne Ashbrook) to fight the Master (Eric Roberts), but this was his only televised appearance until 2013.
Following the late John Hurt’s debut as the War Doctor in “The Name of the Doctor,” setting up his appearance in the 50th anniversary special, “The Day of the Doctor,” Paul McGann returned in a minisode prequel, “The Night of the Doctor,” that detailed his regeneration into the War incarnation. He was given an elixir by the Sisterhood of Karn that allowed him to choose qualities for his next regeneration. He then declared, “Physician, heal thyself,” before regenerating into the War Doctor to battle during the Time War.
9) War Doctor (John Hurt)
Speaking of the War Doctor, although John Hurt technically made his first cameo appearance in 2013’s “The Name of the Doctor,” he spoke his first words in “The Night of the Doctor.” This iteration of the Doctor renounced the title, as he had to become a warrior to battle the Daleks during the Time War, so his first words were “Doctor no more.” This theme continued into “The Day of the Doctor,” where he teamed up with his Tenth (David Tennant) and Eleventh (Matt Smith) incarnations to actually save Gallifrey.
After fighting throughout the Time War and eventually saving Gallifrey in “The Day of the Doctor,” the War Doctor had grown old, so returned to his TARDIS to regenerate and forget his experiences with his future selves. He stated, “Wearing a bit thin. I hope the ears are a bit less conspicuous this time,” before regenerating into the Ninth Doctor (Christopher Eccleston). The joke towards his ears was included as Eccleston’s pronounced ears were the subject of mockery throughout his season in 2005, seemingly causing behind the scenes tension.
8) Ninth Doctor (Christopher Eccleston)
16 years after Doctor Who was cancelled in 1989—ignoring the 1996 TV movie—the series was revived by Russell T. Davies in 2005. Christopher Eccleston took on the titular role, and his first word on-screen was delivered to new companion, Rose Tyler (Billie Piper), simply “Run.” This highlighted the new action-packed, high-octane version of Doctor Who that Davies created for the modern era.
Eccleston only played the Ninth Doctor for one season, leaving in “The Parting of the Ways” seemingly due to behind the scenes drama. The Doctor absorbed the Heart of the TARDIS from Rose, saving her life but sacrificing his own life. He got the chance to say goodbye, however, and stated, “Rose, before I go, I just want to tell you, you were fantastic. Absolutely fantastic. And d’you know what? So was I!” His farewell was emotional but satisfying, though we still want to see Eccleston return to the role.
7) Tenth Doctor (David Tennant)
While Tom Baker was the favorite Doctor of the classic era, David Tennant claimed this title for the modern age of Doctor Who as the Tenth Doctor. Tennant debuted in “The Parting of the Ways” in 2005 before embarking on his first full adventure in that year’s Christmas special, “The Christmas Invasion.” His first words, “Hello. OK, mmm. New teeth. That’s weird. So where was I? Oh that’s right… Barcelona!,” showed how easily-distracted this version of the Doctor would be, and launched one of the show’s best chapters.
Between 2005 and January 1, 2010, David Tennant became one of the most beloved, fan-favorite, and relatable versions of the Doctor ever. He went through some major tragedies, ultimately leading to his regeneration after absorbing lethal radiation to save Wilfred Mott (Bernard Cribbins). In “The End of Time—Part 2,” the Tenth Doctor finally regenerated alone in the TARDIS after stating, “I don’t want to go,” contributing to one of Doctor Who’s most heart-breaking and memorable moments.
6) Eleventh Doctor (Matt Smith)
Matt Smith had huge shoes to fill when taking over from Tennant, but he demonstrated his funny, youthful, and energetic personality immediately after his regeneration. While crashing in the TARDIS, the Eleventh Doctor did a check-in on his new body, stating “Legs! I’ve still got legs. Good. Arms, hands, fingers, lots of fingers. Ears, yes, eyes too. Nose, I’ve had worse. Chin, blimey! Hair… I’m a girl! No, no! I’m not a girl.” This would be paid off years later when the Doctor actually regenerated into a woman.
While some fans took some time to warm to the Eleventh Doctor, he was a firm favorite by the end of his era in 2013’s “The Time of the Doctor.” Back then, it was thought the Time Lords gifted him more regenerations as he had completed his cycle, but the Timeless Child reveal has retconned this. Even so, his farewell was still emotional, as he delivered a poignant speech that ended with, “I will always remember when the Doctor was me.” He said goodbye to Clara Oswald (Jenna Coleman) and hallucinated Amy Pond (Karen Gillan) before regenerating quickly.
5) Twelfth Doctor (Peter Capaldi)
The transition from Matt Smith to Peter Capaldi in “The Time of the Doctor” was quicker than previous regenerations, making it a bigger shock to the system. The Twelfth Doctor was immediately more intense and theatrical than his predecessor, striking Clara with his eyebrows as he mentioned the color of his new kidneys—”Kidneys! I’ve got new kidneys! I don’t like the color.” This was a dramatic change that established a new, darker tone for Doctor Who straight away.
The Twelfth Doctor’s regeneration started when he was shot by a Cyberman after losing his companion, Bill Potts (Pearl Mackie), who was converted. He put off the process for one last adventure, however, as he didn’t want to keep going through the traumatic regenerative process. His time with the First Doctor (David Bradley) allowed him to accept his fate, and he finally delivered a message to the next Doctor, “Laugh hard. Run fast. Be kind. Doctor, I let you go,” before regenerating into his first on-screen female form.
4) Thirteenth Doctor (Jodie Whittaker)
Jodie Whittaker made history as the first on-screen female incarnation of the Doctor, though the Timeless Child reveal during her era confirmed there had been historic female iterations. Whittaker delivered what would become her catchphrase in her first moments as the Thirteenth Doctor, “Oh brilliant!” This put her fun-loving and carefree persona front-and-center, as she thought it was brilliant even that she was crashing back to Earth in the TARDIS following her regeneration.
Unfortunately, Jodie Whittaker’s time as the Thirteenth Doctor was heavily criticized, but there was some redemption in her final moments. After being mortally wounded by the Master (Sacha Dhawan), the Doctor said goodbye to Yaz (Mandip Gill) and materialized on Durdle Door to tag in the next Doctor. Putting her playful nature on display again, she uttered “That’s the only sad thing, I wanna know what happens next. Right then, Doctor Whoever-I’m-About-To-Be, tag, you’re it,” before regenerating in one of Doctor Who’s most visually-spectacular moments ever.
3) Fourteenth Doctor (David Tennant)
We all expected Ncuti Gatwa to show up after Whittaker’s regeneration to become the Fourteenth Doctor, so we were shocked when David Tennant returned. This regeneration set up Tennant’s Fourteenth Doctor for Doctor Who’s three 60th anniversary specials in 2023, and he immediately recognised his body, as he referred back to his first line as the Tenth Doctor from 2005, stating “I know these teeth.” This regeneration marked a huge change for Doctor Who, as it marked the first time an actor returned to the role.
David Tennant’s last goodbye as the Tenth Doctor was incredibly emotional, but his farewell as the Fourteenth Doctor was pretty weird in comparison. Where his return had been world-changing for Doctor Who, his bi-generation was similarly shocking. Tennant’s Fourteenth and Gatwa’s Fifteenth Doctors were able to exist simultaneously, meaning the Fourteenth hasn’t actually had his final words, but his last words before bi-generating were “It’s time. Here we go again. Allons-y!”
In fact, the Fourteenth Doctor’s final spoken lines in 2023’s “The Giggle” were as part of a conversation with Donna Noble (Catherine Tate) back at home. When Donna asked whether he misses his travels throughout time and space, the Doctor stated, “The funny thing is, I fought all those battles for all those years… and now I know what for. This,” before finally ending with “I’ve never been so happy in my life.” This marked a beautiful, if controversial, ending for the Fourteenth Doctor, whose story is still a loose end.
2) Fifteenth Doctor (Ncuti Gatwa)
While the Fourteenth Doctor is still kicking around on Earth, Ncuti Gatwa’s Fifteenth Doctor continued his travels in the TARDIS after bi-generating from David Tennant. Gatwa’s first words reflected his disbelief at the bi-generation, “No way… No, I’m me. I think I’m really, really me. Oh, ho-ho, I am completely me!” Both him and the Fourteenth Doctor were confused about the event, but quickly accepted it and teamed up to defeat the Toymaker (Neil Patrick Harris).
Shockingly and unfortunately, Russell T. Davies’ return as Doctor Who’s showrunner wasn’t as positively-received as many wanted. The ending of the partnership between Bad Wolf and Disney meant Gatwa’s run as the Fifteenth Doctor was cut short, culminating in his regeneration in 2025’s “The Reality War.” After giving up his life to bring Belinda Chandra’s (Varada Sethu) daughter back into this universe, the Doctor regenerated before the star Joy (Nicola Coughlan), after noting that “This has been an absolute joy.”
1) Sixteenth Doctor (Billie Piper)
The Fifteenth Doctor’s regeneration at the end of “The Reality War” packed an even bigger shock far beyond just marking Ncuti Gatwa’s exit from Doctor Who. Billie Piper returned to the series, but not as Rose Tyler. Instead, the Sixteenth Doctor has taken on the form of his former companion, and she immediately broke the fourth wall, turning to the audience to declare, “Oh, hello!” It’s unclear how this will be explained in 2026’s upcoming Doctor Who Christmas special, which will be the show’s next episode after a period of uncertainty.
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