Doctor Who is one of the longest-running science-fiction shows of all time, first premiering in 1963. Since its inception, Doctor Who has spawned hundreds of stories across multiple mediums: TV, film, books, audio dramas, even games. Its unique ability to not only embrace change, but incorporate it as a regular plot point through regeneration, has contributed massively to its longevity.
Two things are certain for each Doctor in the show; they will have an opening episode and a departure. These final episodes of each Doctor vary in quality, with some being better than others. Despite this disparity, all of the Doctor's final episodes tend to be received well and considered fitting goodbyes for their respective Doctors.
11 Survival: Going Out With A Whimper
Survival was the last episode for Classic Doctor Who, which ran from 1963 until 1989. Due to the impending cancellation, the Seventh Doctor (Sylvester McCoy) was immortalized on screen by walking off into the distance with his companion Ace. It didn't feature a regeneration, and fans had to wait until the opening moments of the 1996 TV Movie, which introduced Paul McGann, to see McCoy's incarnation regenerate.
A lot of Doctor Who fans consider this episode a dud. It features embarrassing cat makeup on most of the cast, a silly side-plot involving the Master, and a story that felt undeserving of its place as Classic Who's final story.
10 The War Games: Overly Long, But Great Lore-Builder
While the Second Doctor (Patrick Troughton) and The War Games are held in high regard, it falls short of a lot of the other Doctors' final episodes. At a whopping ten episodes long (250 minutes), The War Games story drags on at times and makes fans glad when they reach the end, a bit like some actual Doctor Who games.
With a tighter script and less padding, this serial could have gone down as one of the best. It delves into Time Lord lore more than any serial preceding it, and did a lot to establish the backstory and foundations for Gallifrey.
9 The Tenth Planet: Cybermen Introduction
The Tenth Planet made history as the final episode of the First Doctor (William Hartnell)'s run. Introducing the Cybermen, the serial takes place on a base in the South Pole and is counted among the greatest of Classic Who serials.
Unfortunately, most of The Tenth Planet is missing due to the BBC policy of wiping old footage during the 1960s and 1970s. Instead, it is available as an animated reconstruction with the final episode having existing archive footage. It is a great opener for a villain who matches up to even the best sci-fi villains.
8 Planet of the Spiders: A Mixed Web
Planet of the Spiders makes Doctor Who history by introducing the term 'regenerate' to describe the transformation the Doctor goes through when changing his body. While it combines elements from lots of different Third Doctor (Jon Pertwee) stories, it, unfortunately, suffers from over-padding and weak special effects.
The serial is considered a bit of a mixed bag, with the stronger moments feeling more memorable. However, the general consensus among fans is that the Third Doctor deserved a better sendoff.
7 Twice Upon A Time: A Disappointing Add-On
The Twelfth Doctor (Peter Capaldi) nearly had the best send-off of all the Doctors with World Enough and Time / The Doctor Falls. Unfortunately, problems with scheduling resulted in Moffat and Capaldi needing to do a final episode for the 2017 Christmas Special.
Twice Upon a Time features the return of the 1st Doctor, but turns him into a sexist, overplayed caricature of the actual 1960s version. The return of Bill (Pearl Mackie) carries barely any weight through her departing in the immediately-preceding episode, and unfortunately, the episode falls flat with an obviously filler storyline.
6 The Ultimate Foe: A Diamond In The Rough
The Ultimate Foe is actually part of a larger story known as The Trial of a Time Lord, which lasted an entire season and comprised of four separate serials. While The Ultimate Foe doesn't feature the regeneration scene of the Sixth Doctor, due to Colin Baker refusing to film it, the serial holds up as a worthy swan song for the Sixth Doctor. While The Trial of a Time Lord storyline felt lacking overall, The Ultimate Foe has a few shining moments.
The Valeyard, an evil, older incarnation of the Doctor makes for a memorable villain; meanwhile, the Master's involvement adds a traditional gravitas to the final story. Sabalom Glitz became a one-off Doctor Who fan-favorite through this serial. Overall, this end for the Sixth Doctor gave Baker decent material to work with, and showed fans what might have been for that era.
5 The Parting Of The Ways: A Bombastic Thriller
The Parting Of the Ways throws the audience into an action-heavy thriller that brings Series 1 back full circle in a satisfying, exciting way. Returning to Satellite Five from The Long Game, the Daleks return, this time not as a lone killing machine but a fully-fledged fleet. It's a great episode for a Doctor that most fans would have loved to have seen more of.
This episode makes great use of the Daleks, and explores the relationship between the Doctor and Rose in depth. It's bold in its initial killing of Jack Harkness (John Barrowman), and the familiar setting and villain give a distinct finale feel. While the episode's tone feels appropriate as the Ninth Doctor (Christopher Eccleston)'s goodbye, he isn't given a whole lot to do. But the series' protagonist goes out on a high and regenerates into the Tenth Doctor (David Tennant) right at the end, hooking fans for the following series.
4 Logopolis: A Turning Point In The Show
Logopolis may not be for the more casual fans, taking a much more science-centric approach than a lot of episodes. While Logopolis isn't as easygoing as other Doctors' final appearances, it features a clever, engaging plot that allows the Fourth Doctor (Tom Baker) and the Master (Anthony Ainley) a good amount of interplay. Furthermore, the use of the Watcher character adds an interesting side-plot with a cool twist.
While a little rigid and slow-going initially, Logopolis is an engaging and enjoyable Fourth Doctor story, despite not being his best. The Doctor versus the Master arc takes a mature turn when the latter causes the death of the main character, solidifying this serial's importance to the larger mythos.
3 The Caves of Androzani: A True Classic
The Caves of Androzani holds up as one of the best serials of Classic Who, and certainly the best of the Fifth Doctor's (Peter Davison) era. With a wonderfully mature sci-fi concept, compelling characters, and a well-paced story, the Doctor gets a brilliant end to a mixed-bag era.
Robert Holmes had by this point solidified himself as one of Doctor Who's best writers, but this serial adds to that legacy and gives the main cast plenty of material to work with. The regeneration scene offers time to breathe, before viewers are thrust into a new era with the succeeding Sixth Doctor (Colin Baker).
2 The End of Time, Part 2: Return of The Time Lords
Self-indulgent and typically bombastic, The End of Time, Part 2 is a fantastic farewell to the fan-favorite Tenth Doctor (David Tennant). It not only features the return of the Master (John Simm), but the return of the Time Lords, including Rassilon (Timothy Dalton) himself.
The Master's plan to turn everyone on Earth into a copy of himself is a little gimmicky, and doesn't really go anywhere. However, the events of the episode and the importance of the event make it a truly unmissable watch, and send the Tenth Doctor out with a bang.
1 The Time Of The Doctor: The Perfect Final Episode
The Time of the Doctor is the pinnacle of a Doctor Who finale. Featuring a myriad of past Eleventh Doctor (Matt Smith) villains, some of whom work with him to protect Trenzalore, the episode does its best to wrap up the dangling threads Moffat had created over the past three seasons.
It's sci-fi with deep lore, perfect for those who love the show's storytelling. With comedy, tragedy, excitement, cleverness, and a whole other range of emotions, The Time of the Doctor is one of the strongest New Who stories yet.