12) "Time And The Rani" (Colin Baker to Sylvester McCoy)
There really cannot be any other episode that comes at the bottom of this list. Baker refused to film a scene and so the producer, deciding that a regeneration HAD to be seen, plopped a blonde wig onto McCoy's head and then regenerated him at the start of the story. The regeneration itself is not bad but the story that follows it is dire. It is clear that McCoy has no idea of what he wants from his Doctor and the script by Pip and Jane Baker is amateurish and dull.
11) "The Day Of The Doctor" (John Hurt to Christopher Eccleston)
Although the John Hurt "War Doctor" was only one third of the whole 50th anniversary story, it seemed inevitable that we would see his Doctor change into the 9th Doctor (although not fully). It's a regeneration that happens with little explanation other than that his body "is wearing a bit thin" (a throwback to one of the last lines of the First Doctor). It bridges the gap from the classic series to the news series though...
10) "The End Of Time" (David Tennant to Matt Smith)
What should have been a glorious celebration of the most watched era of the program instead became a plodding, overlong and gratuitous mess. This story runs nearly as long as the six parts of "Planet of the Spiders". The ending is almost "Lord Of The Rings"-esque in its ability to make an audience go "ARE YOU DONE YET?!?!?!". Don't even try to make sense of the story, there is no absolutely no logic in it at all. It is only saved by the heartfelt performance by Bernard Cribbins as Wilf.
9) "Doctor Who: The Movie" (Sylvester McCoy to Paul McGann)
Never let Americans do Doctor Who. This whole movie is the reason why. Which is a shame. McGann would have been an outstanding Doctor onscreen (as he is on Big Finish audios). The decision to bring in McCoy to show his regeneration was a boggling one and one that made the decision to not show a regeneration at the start of the new series even easier. Both McCoy and McGann look embarrassed by what they had to do during the scene.
8) "Logopolis" (Tom Baker to Peter Davison)
Like David Tennant, Tom Baker's era ended with a very forgettable story that makes little to no sense at all. The script editor at the time, Chris Bidmead, was simply too clever for his own good and put as much pointless science into this as he could. Throw in three companions who had barely been there five minutes, a Master who had yet to come to grips with the part and a producer who was glad to see the back of his leading man and you have "Logopolis". To be fair, Baker gives a performance that rivals some of his restrained best work on the program and the actual regeneration itself is really well done.
7) "Planet Of The Spiders" (Jon Pertwee to Tom Baker)
Six episodes of nonsense which concludes with one of the most heart wrenching farewells. Pertwee (like Baker and Tennant) deserved a better send off than this. This meandering story is about four episodes too long (heck, one episode is almost devoted entirely to a boat chase, which would be fine if it wasn't so boring!). Whilst producer Barry Letts, Script Editor Terrance Dicks and Pertwee himself try to wrap the era up nicely, it just all seems too slow and pointless. That being said, Pertwee, Elisabeth Sladen and Nicholas Courtney deliver a poignant farewell (even if the regeneration itself is rather poorly done).
6) "The Time Of The Doctor" (Matt Smith to Peter Capaldi)
Another in the (apparently) long line of "not-so-great story with a decent final scene" stories. Smith's era has been described (politely) as "either hit or miss" and whilst I feel his era was actually a lot better than many fans judge it by, his final swan song almost feels tacked on after the wonderful "Day of the Doctor" special. Mercifully it isn't as long as Tennant's farewell and both Smith and Jenna Coleman do a great job in the final moments. There are also some very good laughs to be had near the beginning- something that is sorely missing from previous entries.
5) "Night Of The Doctor" (Paul McGann to John Hurt)
In seven short minutes, Moffat writes a fond farewell to a Doctor that most viewers had barely seen. It says something that without the baggage of having to write a one hour episode, a Doctor can almost bring tears of joy to fandom the world over. And doesn't McGann look like he's having a ball?
4) "The Tenth Planet" (William Hartnell to Patrick Troughton)
A cracking good story that introduces us to the Cybermen and the whole concept of "renewal". Playing it by ear, the production team came across the notion of simply changing the Doctor's appearance with little to no explanation. It saved the show and allows it to continue to this day. It's a beautifully shot final regeneration as well.
3) "The War Games" (Patrick Troughton to Jon Pertwee)
With the future of the program unsure, we never see the Doctor change (although some fans hired Jon Pertwee to film a scene that would show it) but the lead up is marvelous. It's ten episodes long (and it could have fit in to four or six episodes comfortably) but it never feels like it is dragging to the extent that others stories do. Troughton's final episode is remarkable but it's the almost coldhearted way in which the Doctor is forced to change that makes this one very special.
2) "The Parting Of The Ways" (Christopher Eccleston to David Tennant)
The first regeneration of the new series came at the end of a stellar season that had only one misstep (the clunking "Boom Town"). The final two-parter wrapped up the season arc brilliantly and gave us a near-perfect mixture of humor, pathos and heartbreak. The final scene by Eccleston and Billie Piper is a deeply resonant one. The new series has yet to come close to this swansong episode.
1) "The Caves Of Androzani" (Peter Davison to Colin Baker)
The absolute pinnacle of Doctor Who swansongs. One the best presented regenerations of all time, coupled with not only the best story of the lot of them, but one of the greatest Doctor Who stories of all time. Peter Davison's portrayal was seen by some as "wimpy" (and when I say "some", I mean "one person on a forum I frequent who basically has never forgiven Davison for replacing her precious Tom Baker and is incredibly petty about the whole thing"), in this story he becomes the real hero the Doctor needs to be. Throw in a psychotic villain that's not a Dalek or Cyberman and one of the best cliffhangers you'll ever see (the end of part one) and it is perfection. I doubt that this one will ever be surpassed....
....but I'm happy to be proven wrong.
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