No I don't think they would do that! I think its going to be Christmas! Anyway, we'll know soon as soon as the Christmas special starts filming and pictures get leaked!

Exactly. It's just a thought I have. I'm probably wrong!!!

Regarding SJA regeneration limit comment.



Yes, a gag that the media jumped on.

Google:

"Sarah jane regeneration joke"

and look at the sfx interview...took me 10seconds to find...

I agree, I dont think we will be left with a final scene at Xmas with a regeneration.

Personally think it will come in the 50th, or near the beginning of the Xmas Special.

There have been several interviews with RTD since that episode was shown and he has admitted that he just "threw" the line in to get the fans talking.

The first would come as a disappointment, the second would lack drama, ceremony and poignancy (a mistake the TV Movie made).

Who cares about regeneration limit and all that guff. What about the real problem that is Matt's hair? Would they dare use a wig?

I think the "older Eight" theory is unworkable. Clara says she encountered 11 Doctors. Eight is shown (briefly) as one of the Doctors she met. Therefore this guy is clearly someone else, who is not a "Doctor", whether it's a lost incarnation or a Valeyard/Dreamlord-like character is what needs to be considered.

But it does also say "introducing John Hurt as The Doctor".

I think he could be the 12th and will redeem himself and earn the right to be known as such.

Why? She may have met him whilst he still looked like Paul McGann.

We know all of the regenerations except yours.

Doctor 9 just appeared out of nowhere, we don't know what 8 looked like when he regenerated.

I'm still pretty sure Hurt is the Time War Doctor, seems obvious to me. Ecclestons small part was probably Hurt regenerating into Nine so we saw a regeneration in the 50th. Making it a sort of summary of the show.

In that case why not just hire McGann? He said he was up for it!

You know this could be the case. For those saying 11 already knows Hurt so he must be from the past; if 10 has met Hurt (in the events of the 50th) then 11 has too. It would also explain Capaldi's Hartnell expression.

What about Davros, Matt smiths Doctor has never met him, unless he in the xmas episode, and it davros that triggers the re-generation cycle

I'm surprised that this is the first time I've come across this theory. It's perfectly reasonable to suggest that McGann's Doctor lived for quite a long time and aged accordingly (or even aged within a short space of time!) meaning Hurt is playing an older version of McGann.

I know there's been speculation as to exactly how many years each Doctor has lived between regenerations and in the past there has been little sign of aging but that doesn't mean to say that he can't age.

^This. If they were looking for an older McGann, then why not just hire an older McGann? I really think Hurt is quite different.

If Hurt was just an older McGann, Clara would at least recognise him as such. They took pains in the dialogue to establish that Eleven considers the eleven known incarnations that Clara had seen as all versions of "The Doctor" (which would include Eight), but that he considers the Hurt version as unworthy of the name. Which would make Hurt a different incarnation.

That's a bit random! Why must Smith meet Davros?

Personally I'm glad that producers now have Dalek stories without the obligation to have Davros in it like they did after Genesis!

Anyway, imo Davros is dead!

I still think that the regeneration will take place a tthe end of the 50th. I know Matt has sad he is looking forward to doing the Christmas special, he also said he was looking forward the 8th series.
To me it would make more sense to have him regenerate then rather than at the end of the Chrismas special. Besides, hasn't Moffatt intimated that events in the 50th will change Who for ever ?

I don't agree! I think that historically and, as someone else on this thread has said, poignantly the Doctor regenerates at the end of the last episode thus building the anticipation of the new series!

They made this mistake with 6 and with 8!

I think of the regeneration does happen at the 50th maybe Matt can still pop up at Xmas in the form of a flashback or the doctors time stream.

That's the issue I have with the "older Eight" theory. Hurt looks nothing like McGann.

I don't know why everyone gets so worked up over the supposed Regeneration Limit.
The OP has already described the perfect solution, in what has become my Phrase of The Day, this could all be addressed and dealt with by -

A Single Swoop Of Fanwankery.

Brilliant. Problem solved.

We've already seen one or two possible get outs for the regen limit if it still exists. Although we were never actually told that there's a fixed number for every Timelord at first simply that a given one had reached his particular limit. In his case it was 12 and he'd exhausted his capability.
There are several possible occasions where the Doctor might have been "recharged" or given a bonus.

1) If regeneration is based on something like a seed each if which is used in turn then during the Doctor Dances the nanites might have restored him to full.

2) The similarity of the energy Eclestone absorbed from Rose and the energy released during regeneration might actually be the same. It may not have been enough to recharge him but might have been the energy needed to complete the regeneration without using his store. That energy may have been the same as the Master wanted access to in the Deadly Assassin. However that allows Timelords to be forcibly regenerated without using up one of their quota. So the Troughton - Pertwee one could also be a freebie.

3) Possibly the Tenant - Tenant one was aborted and doesn't count or possibly it did but as some of his earlier ones didn't count towards his limit it doesn't matter.

4) River used all her regenerations to heal the Doctor so may have upped his remaining self-regenerations by however many she had left which due to her not being a timelord and having had who knows how many regens prior we cant put a number on.

5) The Matrix harvested the minds of timelords and additionally they kept detailed records of the physical make up. From that they could recreate a body and implant that copy of the mind in it. Not strictly resurrection obviously.

As to Hurts Doctor it's always possible that he only exists in the Doctors memory from a timeline that existed like that at the end of Last of the Time Lords and that time the resetting of the universe included a reversal of a regeneration that took place during it.

My thoughts are yes the regeneration limit isn't important and COULD be dealt with by a throw away line but it is a potential storyline in it's own right, the doctor should permanently die but manages to avoid it to live forever?

The reasons I think they are going to tackle the regen limit in the 50th is these

1 it is a good point in the doctors story to deal with it

2. the regen limit has been discussed more and more on the bbc recently, It was discussed on BBC news on a bbc blog

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-maga...nitor-23573730

and Neil Gaiman discusses it here http://doctorwhotv.co.uk/gaiman-talk...imit-52305.htm

Al this in the past week, my feelings are the BBC is preaping the ground with all this so the talk of a regeneration limit doesn't come as a surprise to non hard core fans who might think it has just been made up for the 50th.

3. The introduction of Hurt as an assumed 9th Body of the doctor makes Matt Smith the final incarnation as far as I see it.

Let me explain I see each new time lord having being given 12 regenerations almost like a pill (or a seed as the last poster said) every regen uses up one of these regenerations/ pills. I am of the opinion (I know not everyone is but just my opinion) that Tenant used up a regeneration in stolen earth, he might have syphoned off a lot of the energy after it repaired him but he still used one of his 12 regens to carry out the repairs to his body he doesn't get that repair for free.

So if that is a regen (just my opinion) and hurt is the 9th incarnation of his body then Matt is the final doctor.

4. Also Trenzalore is the Doctor's grave and It gives the impression that it is Matt's doctor who dies there, no regeneration the doctor dies and becomes a stream in the Tardis. Clara seen no other doctors in the time stream so to me Matt's incarnation is the final one. Yes there are other ways he could die (shot during a regeneration) but it fits with the theory that Matt is the last incarnation and that is why when he dies at Trenzolore he doesn't regenerate.

This to me is the story of the 50th, avoiding the Doctors final death by getting him new regenerations. Maybe that's why capaldi was doing Hartnells signature lapel move

It's a theory and I appreciate there are holes in it but what is being a doctor who fan if you can't speculate nonsense

I think Colin Baker did the bit with lapels as well. River not being a Gallifreyan might not have had a full 13 regens and might also not have been able to transfer all of them. However from what happened the energy she flooded the Doctors body with was enough to fuel his bodies healing. Regardless of which I'd like there to be a confusion over how many regens the Doctor has. Hence external energy fueling a regen and even to trigger them against a timelords will seems like a good idea. That way the Doctor might run out eventually but we'll never be exactly sure if his next one is the last. It might also explain how the Rani managed to force the Colin Baker incarnation to change to McCoy.
Another idea might be the Chameleon Arc. If you are able to hack it you could adjust it to change you from being a timelord into the same timelord. Then live out the majority of your regens and then change back to the way you were before you did all that. A colossal cheat but as it wasn't introduced in the tv series until after the Time War it might have been introduced during that.