[soapfan_1973]

As we know the Doctor has always said he can only regenerate 12 times which would mean that number 13 will be the last one. Would you be happy with Doctor Who ending and how would you like it to end?

Not that it will end soon though as it has at least another 10 years to go if Matt does another series after 7 and then 12 and 13 do 4 series each lol

[Phoenix Lazarus]

I'm fairly sure they'll find a way to subvert that part of the canon.

[mccollough]

They already did. The doctor can regenerate 507 times

[codename_47]

"BBC announces super-excellent-successful-profitable-award-winning Doctor Who series to end because of a line written in a story over 30 years ago"

Yeah, can see that headline being typed up in 5-6 years!

[vampirek]

Although never fully explained yet River Song used all her remaining regenerations to revive the Doctor, he could actually have more due to this.

[Sophie ~Oohie~]

1. It's not 12, it's 13.
2. They're going to change it.
3. This topic will turn into an argument before half past three.

[Marblepete]

Originally Posted by Sophie ~Oohie~

1. It's not 12, it's 13.
2. They're going to change it.
3. This topic will turn into an argument before half past three.

No it wont...........ooops

[KevJ]

No...it's 507 as mentioned above. RTD wrote it in the SJA Episode "Death of the Doctor" featuring Matt Smith & Katy Manning. It was almost a 'throwaway' line....but it's now part of the Canon. So....plenty of time!

[daveyboy7472]

If you think about it, the goalposts have already been moved once. in Patrick Troughton's last episode he claimed Time Lords could live forever 'barring accident's. Suddenly a few years down the line, Time Lords suddenly could only live until all 12 regenerations were used up. So it can be changed again.

I sometimes wonder if that was invented because no-one every expected the show to go as long as it has and thought maybe the day wouldn't ever come when we are quite close to that 12th regeneration point.

I think in a fantasy show like Doctor Who, anything is possible. Before the Time Lords were all killed off, my theory was always that one day The Doctor would solve a problem so massive, involving saving the Time Lords too, that they would do what they promised The Master in The Five Doctors and give him a new life-cycle.

Sadly that doesn't seem possible but with a bit of clever writing a new life-cycle is a neat idea I think, not sure how he'd get it though. Maybe The White Guardian or someone similar with awesome powers could pull it off!

[kendoguk]

River gave him some more to

[cpikey316_]

Perhaps 12 is a limit set by society, meaning that had the time lords still been around, they wouldnt have allowed the doctor to continue past his 13th incarnation.

With them gone, there is probably no limit.

[sovietusername]

1)They'll probably find a way around it, the show will continue as long as it's successfull. After all the Master was meant to have exceeded this limit in The Deadly Assassin yet he's still knocking about in NuWho decades later.
2)I'd never want to end obviously, even if it went crappy like it did in the 80's, it's my favourite program! Besides theres no reason it should go crappy, as long as it maintains it's high standards and continues to produce original and creative ideas.
3)If it were to end then I'd be happy with a last episode similar to The Wedding Of River Song, as I'll be commenting in my upcoming thread on the episode, it really does feel a last episode, it's presented how it could be if the Doctor really were going to die and I kept thinking throughout that there was no way the Doctor was going to escape, he was going to die, this could really be the end. For a last episode it's got a massive concept, we have the death of the Doctor, we pay tribute to the past of the show as well as to actor Nicholas Courtney with the death of the Brigadier, we have some really touching, emotional, action packed and dramatic scenes throughout, the Doctor/River realtionship comes full circle "hi honey I'm home...And what sort of time do you call this?" and (we think until the end) him telling her his name, and suddenly everything makes sense

[Corwin]

Originally Posted by Sophie ~Oohie~

1. It's not 12, it's 13.

The OP states 12 regenerations and 13 incarnations which is correct.

But as said the Limits probably long gone.

If the Time Lords were desperate enough during the Time War to bring dead Time Lords back to life (The Master and Rassilon) they would also have abolished the 13 Lives Limit on living Time Lords.

[November_Rain]

Has there been any mention of the regeneration limit since the revival, barring that one line in SJA?

My theory is that since the limit was imposed by the High Council of Time Lords, it no longer applies now that they're gone.

If the series is still going strong by the time the 13th Doctor comes and goes, it would be would be enormously foolish of the BBC to axe it because of some rule within it's narrative that could easily be adjusted.

[allen_who]

I personally believe that by the time we've had two more Doctors (and probably series producers) the show may well start to lose its way a bit... It will probably take another 10 or 15 year break after that. So yes, they may well use that plot device to end it, but it's sci-fi they can always bring it back. After all 'if something can be remembered, it can come back'

[Lii]

Production Meeting, 2019

Producer: So, just to confirm the news to everyone, Chris [Eccleston] is leaving.. again.
Everyone: Again?
Producer: Yes, sorry, my bad. Asking him back to play Doc 13 was a bad idea, still we got one season in the can. So, the production bible says he can only regenerate 12 times, what do we do?
Writer: Erm... well, I've had a look back over the previous writers notes on this, and they all say "invent something".
Producer: That's it?
Writer: That's it.
Producer: OK, go do that then. Check if make-up can do an Eccleston wig for the next guy, and get PR to put out the usual rumours about casting a woman.. or an American... or better yet, an American woman.

[Sophie ~Oohie~]

Originally Posted by codename_47

"BBC announces super-excellent-successful-profitable-award-winning Doctor Who series to end because of a line written in a story over 30 years ago"

Yeah, can see that headline being typed up in 5-6 years!

I would rather they were typing headlines about the complaints when they do the episode about how the Doctor gets his regenerations reset with burning energy beams...

[Larry1971]

Originally Posted by daveyboy7472

If you think about it, the goalposts have already been moved once. in Patrick Troughton's last episode he claimed Time Lords could live forever 'barring accident's. Suddenly a few years down the line, Time Lords suddenly could only live until all 12 regenerations were used up. So it can be changed again.

!

well the 5th Doctor did say in Mawdred Undead that he could only regenerate 12 times . I guess in some respects they do need a cut off point that says that's your lot next time you're dead. But I guess as he's the last Time Lord I suppose there is now scope to change the rules.

[sovietusername]

think how desperate the Time Lords were to stay alive in the End of Time, if the time war was terrible enought to make them try and rip apart the universe then I'm sure they wouldnt be bothered about ensuring a Time Lord had more than 13 lives

[alphonsus]

Originally Posted by sovietusername

think how desperate the Time Lords were to stay alive in the End of Time, if the time war was terrible enought to make them try and rip apart the universe then I'm sure they wouldnt be bothered about ensuring a Time Lord had more than 13 lives

With you on this theory!

[steven1977]

Originally Posted by Phoenix Lazarus

I'm fairly sure they'll find a way to subvert that part of the canon.

To be fair I highly doubt the show will still be on in 100 years time.

[mccollough]

If doctor who survives for a long time more (which I hope that it does) then the moment teleport (Scientifically possible) or time travel (Again, possible) are invented in the future... It will end.

The magic of the show will be over one it starts being possible.

[Batmannequin]

Given that at SOME point - be it in the current run or at some point in New New Who ten or twenty years down the line, there WILL be a Fourteen, I've long thought that the best way to handle it would just be to have Thirteen regenerate, and seem surprised that it happened. Then he carries on with his next adventures.

It evokes the sense of mystery that surrounds the character, it's been set up since Seven was "more than just a Time Lord" and it makes each regeneration feel dangerous - we - and The Doctor - never know if he's coming back from it this time (well, we know he is, but you know what I mean).

Plus, literally ANY attempt to explain it away - through the Time War, through River, or through something else - either comes across as needlessly fanwanky or it simply draws attention to the fact that the writers have changed the rules.

[Listentome]

Originally Posted by mccollough

If doctor who survives for a long time more (which I hope that it does) then the moment teleport (Scientifically possible) or time travel (Again, possible) are invented in the future... It will end.

The magic of the show will be over one it starts being possible.

Those things might be theoretically possible, but I would suspect Doctor Who will have ended a long long long time before they happen.

[Listentome]

Originally Posted by Batmannequin

Given that at SOME point - be it in the current run or at some point in New New Who ten or twenty years down the line, there WILL be a Fourteen, I've long thought that the best way to handle it would just be to have Thirteen regenerate, and seem surprised that it happened. Then he carries on with his next adventures.

It evokes the sense of mystery that surrounds the character, it's been set up since Seven was "more than just a Time Lord" and it makes each regeneration feel dangerous - we - and The Doctor - never know if he's coming back from it this time (well, we know he is, but you know what I mean).

Plus, literally ANY attempt to explain it away - through the Time War, through River, or through something else - either comes across as needlessly fanwanky or it simply draws attention to the fact that the writers have changed the rules.

Agreed it doesn't need over exposition. A one line explanation will suffice.