The Doctors’ first and last lines? (Doctor Who) — UPDATED October 2022

Just for the heck of it, I’ve decided I wanted to make a list of the first and last lines uttered onscreen by each of the incarnations of the Doctor in Doctor Who.  (For those who don’t know, the Doctor can escape death by regenerating his/her body and mind — i.e. being recast with a new actor.)  Usually these will be their actual first and last lines — the first words uttered after a regeneration and the last words spoken before the next regeneration.  Exceptions are marked with asterisks.

NOTE: The original list has been updated with new information from the surviving clip of “The Tenth Planet” as well as from the 50th-anniversary stories “The Name of the Doctor,” “The Night of the Doctor,” and “The Day of the Doctor,” the Christmas specials “The Time of the Doctor” and “Twice Upon a Time,” and the Centenary Special “The Power of the Doctor.” There are spoilers here.

First Doctor (William Hartnell):

• First* (in-story, from “The Name of the Doctor” flashback): “Yes, what is it? What do you want?”
• First* heard onscreen (from “An Unearthly Child”): “What are you doing here?”
• Last* (from “The Tenth Planet”): “Ah, yes! Thank you. It’s good. Keep warm.”
• Last (in-story, from “Twice Upon a Time”): “Well then, here we go — the long way round.”

Second Doctor (Patrick Troughton):

• First: “Slower! Slower! Concentrate on one thing. One thing!”
• Last: “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, no!”

(Unless you buy into the “Season 6B” theory that he had further adventures after “The War Games,” including “The Two Doctors,” in which case his last* words onscreen were: “Do try and keep out of my way in future and in past, there’s a good fellow. The time continuum should be big enough for the both of us.  Just.”)

Third Doctor (Jon Pertwee):

• First: “Unnh… Shoes, must find my shoes. Unhand me, madam.”
• Last: “A tear, Sarah Jane? No, don’t cry. While there’s life there’s…”

Fourth Doctor (Tom Baker):

• First:  (mumbling) “Typical Sontaran attitude… Stop, Linx… (mumble) course of human history…” (clear) “I tell you, Brigadier, there’s nothing to worry about. The brontosaurus is large and placid… And stupid! If the square on the hypotenuse equals the sum of the square on the other two sides, why is a mouse when it spins? Never did know the answer to that one.”  (Other characters spoke in between these, but it constitutes a running monologue and is too fun not to include in full.)
• Last: “It’s the end. But the moment has been prepared for.”

Fifth Doctor (Peter Davison):

• First: “I… Oh.”  First coherent words: “Ah. You’ve come to help me find the Zero Room. Welcome aboard. I’m the Doctor. Or will be if this regeneration works out.”
• Last: “I might regenerate.  I don’t know.  Feels different this time…” (Montage of memories, then finally) “Adric?”

Sixth Doctor (Colin Baker):

•  First: “You were expecting someone else?”
• Last*: “Ohh… carrot juice?  Carrot juice, carrot juice, carrot juice!” (You had to be there)

Seventh Doctor (Sylvester McCoy):

• First: “Oh no, Mel.”
• Last: “Timing malfunction! The Master, he’s out there! He’s out there… I know… I’ve got to stop… him…”

(Those were his last words in the 1996 movie where he regenerated. But I can’t resist mentioning his last* words spoken in the original series: “There are worlds out there where the sky is burning. And the sea’s asleep, and the rivers dream. People made of smoke, and cities made of song. Somewhere there’s danger. Somewhere there’s injustice.  And somewhere else, the tea’s getting cold. Come on, Ace — we’ve got work to do!”)

Eighth Doctor (Paul McGann):

• First (in-story): “Who am I?  Who am I?!”
• First* heard onscreen (opening narration of film): “It was on the planet Skaro that my old enemy the Master was finally put on trial.”
• Last: “That sounds better. Now where shall we go?” “Physician, heal thyself.”

War Doctor (John Hurt):

• First: “Doctor no more.”
• Last: “Yes… Of course, I suppose it makes sense. Wearing a bit thin. I hope the ears are a bit less conspicuous this time.” (They won’t be.)

Ninth Doctor (Christopher Eccleston):

• First*: “Run.”
• Last: “Rose… before I go, I just wanna tell you, you were fantastic. Absolutely fantastic. And do you know what? So was I!”

Tenth Doctor (David Tennant) — first incarnation:

• First: “Hello!  Okay–ooh.  New teeth. That’s weird. So, where was I? Oh, that’s right. Barcelona!”
• Last: “I’m sorry, it’s too late. I’m regenerating.”

(“The Time of the Doctor” has now established that the Doctor’s “abortive” regeneration in “The Stolen Earth”/”Journey’s End” actually counts as a full regeneration despite the Doctor retaining his previous form and personality. Thus I’m counting Tennant as two consecutive Doctors, just for the sake of being absurdly thorough.)

Tenth Doctor — second incarnation:

• First: “Now then. Where were we?”
• Last: “I don’t want to go!”

Eleventh Doctor (Matt Smith):

• First: “Legs! I’ve still got legs!! Good. Arms, hands. Ooh, fingers. Lots of fingers. Ears? Yes. Eyes: two. Nose… eh, I’ve had worse. Chin – blimey! Hair… I’m a girl! No! No! I’m not a girl! And still not ginger! There’s something else. Something… important, I’m… I’m-I’m… Ha-ha! Crashing! Geronimo!!“
• Last (possibly, per “The Impossible Astronaut”): “I’m sorry.” Last: “We all change. When you think about it, we’re all different people, all through our lives. And that’s okay, that’s good, you gotta keep moving, so long as you remember all the people that you used to be. I will not forget one line of this, not one day. I swear. I will always remember when the Doctor was me.” (Wordlessly, ceremoniously removes bow tie, drops it to floor.) (Final exhalation which could be a whispered “Hey.”)

Twelfth Doctor (Peter Capaldi):

• First: “Kidneys! I’ve got new kidneys! I don’t like the colour. …We’re probably crashing! Ohh! Stay calm. Just one question: Do you happen to know how to fly this thing?”
• Last: “Laugh hard. Run fast. Be kind. Doctor… I let you go.”

Thirteenth Doctor (Jodie Whittaker):

• First: “Oh, brilliant!”
• Last: “All right then, Doctor Whoever I’m about to be… Tag. You’re it.”

Fourteenth Doctor (David Tennant):

• First: “I know these teeth… What? What?! What?!“

Sources:

http://www.chakoteya.net/DoctorWho/

http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Doctor_Who

http://dwtpscripts.tripod.com/index.html (set browser to block all pop-ups from this one, or every click will trigger an ad)

http://hassleinbooks.blogspot.com/2013/11/doctor-who-retro-review-serial-029the.html