The hero of the hit scifi series Doctor Who is a Time Lord. When Time Lords die, they can come back to life through a process called “regeneration,” which gives them a new form and even a new personality.
The Doctor has regenerated eleven times, and is about to regenerate again at the end of the year. The regeneration of Doctor Who is undoubtedly one the most popular aspects of the show, and always a dramatic moment. Here’s an overview of the deaths of every Doctor so far.
Last words: “Keep warm.”
The First Doctor (William Hartnell)
Episode: (‘The Tenth Planet’, 1966)
Cause of Death: Natural causes
Last words: “No! Stop! You’re making me giddy! No, you can’t do this to me! No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no!”
The Second Doctor (Patrick Troughton)
Episode: (‘The War Games’, 1969)
Cause of Death: Forced regeneration
Last words: “A tear, Sarah Jane? No, don’t cry. While there’s life, there’s…”
The Third Doctor (Jon Pertwee)
Episode: (‘Planet of the Spiders’, 1974)
Cause of Death: Radiation Poisoning
Last words: “It’s the end. But the moment has been prepared for.”
The Fourth Doctor (Tom Baker)
Episode: (‘Logopolis’, 1981)
Cause of Death: Falling from a great height
Last words: “I might regenerate. I don’t know. Feels different this time…Adric…?”
The Fifth Doctor (Peter Davison)
Episode: (‘The Caves of Androzani’, 1984)
Cause of Death: Poisoning
Last words: “Carrot juice?”
The Sixth Doctor (Colin Baker)
Episode: (‘The Ultimate Foe’, 1986)
Cause of Death: Unknown, possibly shot
Last words: “I’ve got to stop–!”
The Seventh Doctor (Sylvester McCoy)
Doctor Who TV Movie (1996)
Cause of Death: Medical malpractice
Last words: “Before I go, I just want to say you were fantastic. Absolutely fantastic. And you know what? So was I!”
The Ninth Doctor (Christopher Eccleston)
Episode: (‘The Parting of the Ways’, 2005)
Cause of Death: Exposure to Time Vortex
Last words: “I don’t want to go.”
The Tenth Doctor (David Tennant)
Episode: (‘The End of Time’ [Part II], 2010)
Cause of Death: Radiation poisoning
* The only Doctor not listed here is the Eighth Doctor, Paul McGann. That’s because his regeneration was never shown on screen. In the Expanded Universe, it’s stated that the Eighth Doctor died from exposure to the Time Vortex, similar to the Ninth Doctor. Don’t know what his last words were, though.