Here's a few things everyone thinking about the regeneration limit should consider;

1) If the limit is adhered to, it will not mean the end of the show. Nobody has ever suggested this, and arguing that "using up his regenerations means they'll have to cancel the show," is a strawman argument. Only people who forget Doctor Who is primarily an entertainment program seem to use this argument to refute those who ask about the limit. The writers could make the end of the regeneration limit the central story-arc for the Twelfth Doctor's time in the TARDIS (just as they made the Doctor's "death" at Lake Silencio a major story-arc for the Eleventh Doctor) but at the end, we all know there'll be a Thirteenth Doctor and a Fourteenth Doctor, etc. etc....

2) This brings me nicely on to point two. Doctor Who is an entertainment show, and such programs rely on tension, plot and drama to be entertaining. Those who suggest the limit will either be ignored or casually written-off forget that the end of the Doctor's regeneration limit - which would render him mortal, in effect - could be a central plot point in a highly dramatic and tense storyline. Why write off or ignore something which could provide such a rich and powerful storyline, even if it's an unspoken acknowledgement by the audience that he'll get more regenerations by the end of the series? (And for those who argue that knowing the outcome spoils the tension, take some time to remember who "died" at Lake Silencio, and who didn't really die).

In short, the end of the regeneration limit doesn't mean the end of the show but it does provide the opportunity for a major storyline.

There are some who come here over the years that do think that, and have said it a few times... So, yes, people have suggested it!

I think it was a few years ago I suggested the same idea you have come up with, too - in response to those thinking it would mean the end of the show.

Never mind suggesting it, some people seem to be obsessed with it. I'm constantly getting asked "so are they going to cancel Doctor Who after the Thirteenth Doctor?"

The Thirteenth Doctor will NOT be the end!
Can people not accept that yet?
It will carry on -as long as the BBC make it!

Just tell them that Smith is the thirteenth. Hartnell, Troughton, Pertwee, Baker, Davison, Baker, McCoy, McGann, Hurt [possibly here in the list, possibly somewhere else], Eccleston, Tennant, Tennant, Smith.

Wasn't this already cleared up in a casual comment made in a Sarah Jane Adventure episode where Eleven responded to the regeneration limit question with something along the lines of 2000? I really don't think the writers will spend an entire seasons story arc explaining away what's essentially another offhand comment made in the 70s/80s about the 13 limit.

This angers me. The people who say there`s no limit or it was a passing mention or the doctors now imortal or even that it was a self imposed limit.
It wasn`t mentioned in passing once off as Russell Davies would like to have fans believe. It was mentioned or refered to in The Deadly assassin, keeper of Traken, Mawdryn undead. There`s probably more but in those episodes its a plot point. The Masters ran out of regenerations, if it was limitless or a self imposed limit then he`s not liable to stick to it is he?
But the annoying part is the blind panic that because the end of the doctors regeneration cycle is approaching, lets go with a stupid unexplained comment on the tweenies doctor who spin off. I mean top of my head, Doctors inside his own time stream when he regenerates which messes up his regenerations renewing them. They could do a arc with the doctor looking for survivors of the time war and maybe finding some Time Lord tech which renews his cycle. Either way if its well written it`ll work. So lets hope they get new writting staff

The first part of the comment is amusing. It had nothing to do with blind panic (and why would he panic since he has left Doctor Who?) it was a joke about the 12 regeneration limit. Also your first explanation does not work in my opinion. The second explanation would probably cause fans to accuse the writers of providing a lazy solution on overcoming the regeneration limit.

Neil Gaiman wrote once that he saw the regeneration limit as a guideline similar to speeding. You're not supposed to go past the limit and it gets riskier the more times you do it but it's possible.

Bp2, I think the OP meant blind panic of the fans, not RTD.

There are always fans would accuse the writers of laziness if they see a plot point they don't like.

You're completely right, I think. If they wanted strict continuity they'll need specifically to address the issue. There's a real chance it'll be waved away, and I'm sure fans will cope, but it's clearly something various older production teams have stuck to and intended to be fact.

Meanwhile no one bothers to point out that The Master has a completely new set of Regenerations despite using all of his up! Not to mention the fact that in The Five doctors, Time Lords were going to give him another set of Regenerations. And not to also forget in let's Kill Hitler where River gives up her Regenerations and hands them over to The Doctor.

It's pretty much made up as it goes along!

I agree with this and the regeneration limit is also mentioned in "Logopolis". And so while the regeneration limit will obviously have to be addressed (hopefully in a manner that makes sense) so the show can keep going on, I don't know why some posters are saying that the regeneration limit was just some offhand comment back in the 70's or 80's when that simply isn't true.

World poverty or the horrendous persecution of gays in Russia are things to get angry about. A sci-fi programme on TV? No. Let's keep a sense of perspective here.

What was the point of NOTD then ?. GI said there will come a day when the "old man" finally dies in battle at Trenzalore and ends up buried inside his tardis. Seems he is running out of both time and regenerations. It will get dark and scary.

World poverty, if one is sitting comfortably in the Uk safe in the knowledge that one can get benefits from the Government if you run short.

Persecution of gays in Russia, if one is a heterosexual in the Uk.

People talking about possibly one's favourite TV programme which is enjoyed from the comfort of one's armchair in the Uk.

Yes, some perspective is needed.

"Last Word on the Regeneration Limit"? ...is that a promise?

I suspect that this one will ruin as long as Doctor Who runs, and probably ought to be hived off into a forum of its own.

I think the show has to acknowledge what came before and accept that there is a 12 regeration limit for Time Lords and that this is something that is now worrying the Doctor.

Ignoring it and making him "immortal" would diminish the Doctor and make for a duller character because suddenly all his adventures are reduced to mild peril - dear diary, got killed twice this week, ho hum. People forget that the reason Superman is considered a boring hero is because he is so powerful, thats why the writers are forever coming up with ways to depower or weaken him because otherwise his adventures are samey and boring. I think an immortal Doctor would go the same way.

But there are plenty of clever and logical ways around this problem. Off the top of my head I can think of two. The Doctor can "saved" Gallifrey and defeat Rassilon and the Time Lords in gratitude can give him a new set of regenations (Already established with Master that this is possible) or it can turn out that River did give 11 all of her additional regerations, thus giving him another 10.

I'm more than happy for the show to come up with a reason why the Doctor has survived and his adventures continued, but it has to be something acceptable within the Doctor Who universe, some of the shows biggest mis-steps have been where the producers have ignored the rules of the DW universe.

Granted, the regeneration limit has been mentioned more than once. But it's never been explained. It's less part of Who mythology as the sonic screwdriver, and people are happy enough to see that let go. It's really not anything worth getting angry about.

Goodness! Fiction... all made up?? Well... who'd have thought...

Gaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm not sure what you mean when you say it hasn't been explained. In "Mawdryn Undead" the Doctor tells Tegan that he can only regenerate 12 times, that he has already done so 4 times and therefore the aliens getting his remaining 8 regenerations would be the end of him as a Time Lord.

That would seem to indicate that after he has regenerated 12 times, then his last self couldn't regenerate and he would die for good when something happened to him (unless he somehow acquired more regenerations).

No, I don't get angry at those things, Dr Who is much more important

That's exactly my point. We can accept that what the Doctor said was true. But we don't know how that fits into the bigger picture of Time Lord society.

If the Doctor said he can't play the piano, that doesn't mean he can never play the piano, or tell you anything about how a piano works.

OK, this is what used to happen on Gallifrey - you did you many lives thing, and then was uploaded into the matrix. Occasionally a new body was made for you and you could (in theory) be downloaded into a new body. The new body would have the new set of regenerations......
However, with Gallifrey gone it might be that a version of the matrix is present in the TARDIS, afterall it is vast and can create any machine.....thus it can create a storage vessel for the Doctors essence and also create a new loom to spin the new bodies.....

perhaps