As we have yet to have a release date for the 13th Doctor’s regeneration story I wanted to create the list of how I’d rate the “Doctor Who” regeneration stories so far. It was so much fun returning to these stories and I can’t wait to see what Chibnall does to end his run as the 13th Doctor regenerates into the 14th Doctor. Until that point, here is how I’d rate the “Doctor Who” regenerations thus far.
For the score it really depends on how personal the regeneration is the story it takes place in, what it means to the Doctor, how it is brought about and if there is any intention behind those bringing about the regeneration or the Doctor in how he faces it.
SPOILERS ahead
12th) The 3rd Doctor – “Planet of the Spiders”
This is the worst of the “Doctor Who” regeneration stories and it is a shame because Jon Pertwee’s 3rd Doctor is one of my favorite Doctors. In this the enemies are space spiders called Eight-Legs and they force the Doctor’s regeneration. They have no personal connection to the Doctor and the only good performances outside of Pertwee’s portrayal of the Doctor are the Brig and Sarah Jane Smith who witness the regeneration. There are also white actors in “Yellow Face.” This is a terrible serial and one you should skip. Jon Pertwee deserved a so much better story.
Final Score: 4 / 10
“Doctor Who: The Movie” is a bad film and part of why it is bad is how it handles the 7th Doctor’s regeneration. It isn’t purposeful as the Master escapes and sets up the Doctor to get shot, which the Master couldn’t have predicted. The 7th Doctor is sleepwalking through it all too, which is a shame as he was the chessmaster Doctor and strategist and we get none of that here. The Master forcing the regeneration is an accident and the 7th Doctor has no purpose or preparation. It is simply a regeneration that happens setting the tone for a bad film.
Final Score: 5 / 10
10th) The 5th Doctor – “The Caves of Androzani”
Much like the 3rd Doctor and the Eight-Legs enemy he has no personal connection with the 5th Doctor has no connection to the civil war happening in this serial and he is poisoned by accident. The only reason it isn’t lower is he is risking his life to save his companion Peri and he is the one good person in the entire story so it says something about the Doctor in that way. This still isn’t a serial I’d recommend watching though. There are no compelling characters and it depends entirely on the dark tone and action to carry it outside of Davison’s charisma.
Final Score: 6.4 / 10
9th) The 10th Doctor – “The End of Time Part 1 and 2”
David Tennant’s 10th Doctor was my first Doctor and he is one of my favorites. This is a story that drags and the Master’s plan and motivation do not work. We get some good Time Lord lore and story but it is never explained and the inconsistent tone and so many moments of nonsense keep this story from being enjoyable. The 10th Doctor at least got some great conversations with Wilfred and his last good-byes to his past companions keeps me from rating it lower.
Final Score: 6.5 / 10
8th) 11th Doctor – “The Time of the Doctor”
“The Time of the Doctor” is a mess with quite a bit of “tell over show” and the Doctor being a creep. It still ends up being an enjoyable story though for how it wraps up the plot threads of the crack in reality, Trenzalore and the Silence and for the support characters like Handles and Orla Brady’s Tasha Lem who elevate the score. It also is short compared to “The End of Time Parts 1 and 2” which makes it work as it doesn’t waste time. It isn’t good but it is a flawed and enjoyable mess with the Doctor defending the Time Lords from the Daleks and going into the unknown with new regenerations as his were coming to an end.
Final Score: 7 / 10
7th) The 4th Doctor – “Logopolis”
“Logopolis” is a story that doesn’t take time to reflect on the stakes of it’s own story as Nyssa’s father is killed and possessed by the Master and Logopolis is destroyed, setting off the destruction of the universe. But it works because of how personal the stakes are and that the Master and Doctor do work together to fix the Master’s mistake until his inevitable betrayal. The 4th Doctor’s last act is saving the universe making his distance from is companions through the serial all the personal as it was him grappling his his mortality. Tom Baker does an amazing job it is just the lack of exploration of all that was lost and slow start that keeps the serial from being good.
Final Score: 7.5 / 10
6th) The 6th Doctor – “The Sixth Doctor: The Last Adventure”
Colin Baker was smart to have Big Finish Productions and their audio-dramas tell his last story as his relationship to his companions through time and the Valeyard, his future darker self is explored. There are 4 1 hour long audio-dramas and the 6th Doctor’s stubborn is used for good as we see him at his most empathetic. In the end he chooses death and his regeneration to stop the Valeyard from replacing him and it illustrates just how good he was. It also is what ties into the first 7th Doctor serial as the events of the last audio-drama set it up. The reason it isn’t higher is some of the stories needed more development of the characters.
Final Score: 8.3 / 10
5th) The 2nd Doctor – “The War Games”
“The War Games” suffers the most from padding and length, it is a 10 episode serial. This doesn’t stop it from being a really good story as it is a rogue Time Lord in the War Chief pulling people from different eras of history that forces the Doctor to call on the Time Lords and be judged for his interference in history, leading to his exile on Earth as the 3rd Doctor. It is deeply personal too as his companions forget all but their first adventure with him and whenever they tried to escape or fight back the Time Lord’s power was too much. This regeneration is a tragedy that only the Doctor’s fight for good keeps from being worse as they Time Lords think he should still be around to fight evil. Patrick Troughton is one of my favorite Doctors and this serial captures that so well.
Final Score: 8.7 / 10
4th) The 9th Doctor – “Bad Wolf” and “The Parting of the Ways”
The 9th Doctor’s regeneration is powerful as it is his facing the Time War and to not be the destroyer he was during it. It is his him choosing healing and “Bad Wolf” and “The Parting of the Ways” tell that story well. The only reason I don’t rate it higher is “Bad Wolf” is a it too pop culture referency in the game shows and we never fully explore and know if the Daleks destroyed all humans on Earth. The Dalek Emperor and self-hating human-made Daleks is compelling though. The Doctor regenerating to save Rose is great though as are his last words recognizing how fantastic both of them were.
Final Score: 9 / 10
3rd) The 1st Doctor – “The Tenth Planet”
“The Tenth Planet” is the 1st Doctor’s regeneration and works so amazingly given footage was lost so had to be animated to go with audio and Hartnell was sick so the story had to work with the Doctor not in the last parts of the story beyond voice over. The fact that this works speaks to how well Hartnell’s Doctor worked. This story introduces the Cybermen and their actions are what bring about his regeneration as they are an overwhelming threat that are only one through the Doctor outsmarting them. His acceptance of his death is powerful and the only reason I don’t rate it higher is due to the Doctor’s companion Polly being sidelined. She should have been as active in the plot as the other companion Ben.
Final Score: 9.5 / 10
2nd) The 12th Doctor – “Twice Upon a Time”
Peter Capaldi’s 12th Doctor is my favorite Doctor and this story is the introspection of his Doctor on full display as he is choosing whether to regenerate or not after all he’s lost as well as him looking back on his past through the lens of the 1st Doctor he is with. This is a deeply personal episode and it gets so much right. I wish he hadn’t got the memory of Clara back though as that was consequence of the adventures. The critique of the past doesn’t always work but the Doctor’s regeneration is intentional with kindness at the core with Capaldi’s monologue for who he hopes the 13th Doctor will be. I loved this and even though all the past reflection doesn’t always work, the core story does. 12th’s regeneration brought about by the death of his companions by the Cybermen and the death of the Master who was now his friend and ally in Missy from Simm’s Master would leave this Doctor broken so him choosing regeneration meant something.
Final Score: 9.6 / 10
1st) The 8th Doctor – “The Night of the Doctor”
Much like how personal the 12th Doctor’s regeneration is, the 8th is is even more-so. It is only kept from perfection by us not getting enough time with the potential companion Cass and not getting any hints of what the 8th Doctor has been up during the Time War. In this we have the Sisterhood of Karn return as the Doctor must choose who he wants to regenerate to be as he chooses to be a warrior and no longer a Doctor as we see the Daleks and Time Lords have no doubt lead to the loss of potential companions and friends like Cass so he must no longer be a Doctor to change it. It is an amazing performance and I am still hoping for that Paul McGann mini-series to see what lead up this universe changing moment.
Final Score: 9.8 / 10
Looking forward to see how Chibnall tells the story of the 13th Doctor’s regeneration and where that story will fall on this list. How would you rate the regenerations of the Doctors? Curious to hear your thoughts.
Also here is a list of the first adventures of the Doctors I made and is updated with the 13th Doctor’s first adventure. Looking forward to adding the 14h Doctor’s first adventure to the list as well.:
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