Lots of threads about at the minute and couldn't really decide which one this would live in best without hijacking one.

So, when 9 regenerated into 10 he said to Rose that (like Forrest Gump) you never know what you're gonna get with a regeneration. I think he pointed out he could have no head (or, as Chris said it no 'ead).

Now we have 10 into 11 and he seems relieved to still have legs, arms, hands and......fingers, ooh lots of fingers, eyes - two - nose, I've had worse, chin, hair - I'm a girl!

Now, leaving aside the 'see, this proves The Doctor could regenerate as a woman" debates, why do we have to keep coming back to this surprise/relief at having a human appearance after a regeneration?

The Time Lord/Gallifreyan race seems to be a humanoid based lifeform so regeneration into something different would be a stretch. Also, in this last two parter we saw hundreds of Time Lords chanting Gallifrey Rises and I don't rememer seeing a Slug or a Zygon in the ranks. All looked perfectly human in appearance. I was hoping SM would lay that particular new regeneration idea to rest but it seems not.

Can't wait for the regeneration of 11 into 12 when he comes out of it 12 feet tall, green with bulging eyes and 4 legs. I can see the budgeting department pointing out that's this year's effects budget blown on just making The Doctor look alien.

Hmmm...just read this back before posting and I think I need to get more sleep

We know Time Lords can look non human if they want to (Romana's regeneration).

The Doctor (unlike some other TimeLords) does not seem to have any control over what he looks like after a regeneration, therefore it is possible he could turn out non human.

"Human looking" may be the default setting for a regeneration but it may only be 99% reliable if left to chance (as the Doctor does).

OK, I'd forgotten about Romana's one, although I'm guessing she was still humanoid? Still can't clearly remember it now you've pointed it out. If that's the case then I stand corrected canonically but I still say it could have been ignored since due to production costs, anything other than a humanoid shape would be too problematic. Even the two Cactus people in TEOT were humanoid, with two arms. legs. hands and ten fingers.

It was in Destiny of the Daleks.

I loved it when his voice broke when he said "Im a girl!" an then he was feeling for his Adams apple to make sure he wasnt :P

But he's *still* not ginger!!

I guess it's just relief that all the usual humanoid bits are present and correct rather than wondering if the regen has resulted in a different form. I guess he'll get in front of a mirror pretty soon in the first new ep and then he'll have more to say about it I'm, sure!

It seems that Time Lords are human shaped, even if one of Romana's semi-regenerations was blue. It would also make sense that a Time Lord remains the same gender. These would be the standard thing.

There could be odd quirks and strange freakish results, of course. Maybe that's why the new Doctor half joked half worried he could be a girl???? Maybe he was just joking about his girlie long hair though.

I'm sure one of Romana's options was a man in drag!