Quote Originally Posted by davedove View Post
My big question is what will happen when the Doctor runs out of regenerations. I think each Gallifreyan can only regenerate 12 times. I could be wrong on the number, but this is what happeneded to the Master and caused him to have to start stealing bodies. If this is the 11th Doctor, that means 10 regenerations and only 2 left.
That was exactly my thought. If Martin Smith is the 11th Doctor, then there's only one more after him, and then that one will really die and not come back. Perhaps that's why they now have these spin-off series, i.e. Torchwood and Sarah Jane.

Of course, they are counting Paul McGann, who only appeared in the pilot episode inbetween the old series and the new, but they aren't counting Peter Cushing, who appeared in the old Dr Who films, although you could argue that the latter was just a stand-in for William Hartnell, i.e. he was the same regeneration even though played by a different actor.

What about the time that David Tennant regenerated but didn't change? That could even make Martin Smith the last Doctor, if you count that?