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Even a show as big as Doctor Who isn't invincible.
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00:00Like Harry Potter, Star Trek, and Star Wars, Doctor Who is one of those evergreen franchises
00:04that feels like it'll be around forever. It's impossible to imagine the pop culture landscape
00:09without wizards, lightsabers, Patrick Stewart's beautiful bald head, and the TARDIS. And though
00:14there was a substantial period of time when the show was off the air, its fanbase stuck around,
00:19and the 2005 revival made Doctor Who the biggest it's ever been. That said, the fact that TV shows
00:25and movie franchises end all the time does raise an interesting question, one that many Whovians
00:31have pondered over the years. What if the same thing happened to Doctor Who? Hypothetically,
00:35what if Doctor Who did come to an end one day? An actual definitive permanent end? What would
00:41that look like, and how might such a finale be executed? It's a big question, so naturally,
00:46we decided to try and answer it. While we're praying to the Time Lord Council that none of
00:51the following options actually happen, each is a potential avenue the showrunners could go down
00:56if, God forbid, they do decide to end Doctor Who one day. With that in mind then, I'm Ellie with
01:01Who Culture, and here are 8 ways Doctor Who could actually end.
01:05Number 8. Cancellation. Again. Cancelling Doctor Who is one of those extreme outcomes that seems way
01:11too outlandish to even consider, until you remember that it's actually happened before. Doctor Who might
01:16be one of the most popular and famous brands in entertainment, but that was also true in the 80s,
01:22and yet, the plug was still pulled. Now sure, it was a completely different time back then,
01:27with completely different people in charge, people who didn't treat the show with the respect it
01:31deserves. But still, considering that Doctor Who has been cancelled once before, there's always going
01:36to be that lingering thought at the back of fans' minds. Could it happen again? Well, sure it could,
01:42but not in the immediate future. Though a certain vocal minority would have you believe that Doctor
01:47Who is pretty much dead right now, it isn't. It still gets more viewers than most shows can dream
01:52of, and the impending return of RTD means that the show's future is the brightest it's been for
01:57years. And even way in the future, there isn't going to be an abrupt cancellation that we see so
02:02many other shows suffer, with the creatives not being given the time or the space to work out a
02:07satisfying, definitive conclusion. Rather, if Doctor Who is put to rest one day, it'll be a more
02:13gradual, well-planned retirement. Number 7, A TARDIS and A SUNSET. Funnily enough, this one also
02:20happened in the 80s. Almost literally. When the classic series was cancelled, it finished its run
02:25with the 1989 serial Survival, which concludes with the seventh Doctor and Ace walking off into the
02:31distance, discussing their next adventure with great hope and excitement. Obviously, we didn't get to
02:36see that adventure, but all things considered, this would actually be a great way to end the show
02:41permanently. Picture this. The Doctor steps into the TARDIS, having saved a world from an alien menace.
02:47That iconic whirring sound begins, and the machine dematerializes, flying off into the sunset to seek
02:53out new planets, new creatures, and new adventure. After all, the sentiment that's expressed in the
02:58closing seconds of Survival is what Doctor Who is all about. The universe is a vast place, full of wonder
03:04and joy and good people, and we're going to head out there and explore it. An optimistic ending like
03:09this would allow the show to continue on in our minds, implying that the Doctor will always be
03:13out there, helping innocents and vanquishing monsters. Number 6, The Doctor Lives A John Smith
03:19Life. This is another ending that sort of happened in the show before, and it would definitely be an
03:23interesting way for Doctor Who to sign off for good. In the 2007 10th Doctor story, Human Nature
03:29and the Family of Blood, the Doctor lives a normal human life after stripping himself of his Time
03:34Lord biology. In a vision, we see him settle down and get married and have kids with Joan Redfern,
03:39before growing old and dying, having lived a life the Doctor never could. Throughout the show's
03:44entire run, but particularly during the 10th Doctor's era, we've seen flashes of the Doctor yearning for
03:49that normalcy, that family life. Like Steve Rogers in the MCU, this is a character who's constantly at war,
03:56and just wants the fighting to stop. The 12th Doctor expresses this in Twice Upon a Time,
04:00calling his entire life a battlefield, and musing,
04:03Can't I ever have peace? Can't I rest? Now sure, by rest he's talking about dying,
04:09but just like Rogers settling down with Peggy Carter in Avengers Endgame,
04:12what if we saw the Doctor exit the battlefield by finding someone they can share a life with?
04:17This also happened in the recent video game Doctor Who The Edge of Reality,
04:21with the 10th Doctor marrying Madame de Pompadour in an alternate reality. It's indicative of the
04:26fact that the Doctor has become a more emotional and romantic hero over the last 15 years or so,
04:32and as such, it wouldn't be completely out of left field for the main show to end in a similar manner.
04:37Number 5. An open-ended regeneration.
04:40In much the same way that a flying off into the sunset ending would be a fittingly optimistic way to wrap
04:45up Doctor Who, an alternative approach here would be to show the start of a regeneration,
04:49but cut away just before the end. Circling back to Twice Upon a Time,
04:53and there's a shot at the end of that episode, where the camera pulls back on the 12th Doctor's
04:58regeneration, before cutting to an extreme close-up of his eyes. We linger here for a moment until the
05:03screen is consumed by a burst of white, and the 13th Doctor is revealed, standing in front of the
05:09TARDIS console. Okay, now picture this exact ending, only without the reveal of the next Doctor.
05:14That burst of white holds, the theme tune starts up, and the credits begin to roll.
05:19Like the sunset ending, this allows the legend of the Doctor to live on,
05:23letting us know that they'll always be out there, making the universe a better place.
05:27Even if Doctor Who does have to end, why shouldn't the legacy continue on?
05:31Number 4. Timeless Child time loop.
05:34So far, we've mostly discussed endings that people would be happy with,
05:38but here's one that would certainly prove a divisive way to cap things off. Though plenty of fans expected
05:43series 13 Flux to provide more answers about the Timeless Child story, or maybe even wrap it up for
05:49good, it really didn't. All we got was a mention that the Timeless Child might have been from a
05:54parallel universe, and even that wasn't a concrete revelation, or even a surprising one.
05:59With so much wriggle room then, and with current showrunner Chris Chibnall having just two episodes
06:03left before departing, giving him very little time to flesh everything out, there's an opportunity to use
06:09the Timeless Child as a way to bring the show full circle. Basically, what if the final Doctor
06:14regenerates before falling through a purple wormhole, revealing that this is where the original
06:19Timeless Child came from? This would essentially make the entirety of Doctor Who one massive time
06:24loop, and though it's unlikely that a future showrunner would want to revisit such a divisive
06:28storyline, especially if they're bringing Doctor Who to an end, and one of the goals is to keep fans
06:33happy, it would be perfectly on-brand for such a timey-wimey show. Alternatively, we could even
06:39circle back to the official first Doctor, William Hartnell, as a way to honour the incredible history
06:45of the show.
06:46Number 3. The Curator
06:48Speaking of keeping fans happy, it's hard to think of a better ending than this one.
06:5350th anniversary special The Day of the Doctor introduced a character called The Curator, played
06:57by Tom Baker. The Curator is heavily implied to be a future elderly incarnation of The Doctor,
07:03one who is revisiting some of his old favourite faces, and has retired from a life of adventure
07:08to become the humble steward of the Under Gallery. As we mentioned, there have been flashes of the
07:14Doctor yearning for a normal, adventure-free life, and this is an example of him actually doing it.
07:19If The Curator is indeed in The Doctor's future, then this could be right at the end of his life,
07:24and in turn, right at the end of the show, with the character running out of regenerations,
07:29or simply not needing to regenerate, and finally growing old. No matter how The
07:33Doctor ends up becoming The Curator, ending things here would simply be perfect. Imagine
07:38the scene. We pick up with The Curator walking away after finishing his conversation with Eleven,
07:43as seen in The Day of the Doctor. The camera then follows him. If Baker isn't around,
07:47then a body double can be slotted in, as he walks out of the gallery into that white light.
07:52The white consumes the screen, and the show ends. In many ways, Baker is The Doctor,
07:57so having him bring the show home would be truly poetic, and highly emotional for long-time fans.
08:03Number 2. A full-on reboot. Though the 2005 revival did feel like a reboot in certain ways,
08:10it was still a continuation of the Doctor Who story that began with the first Doctor in 1963.
08:15However, for this entry, we're suggesting a reboot in every sense of the word, a fresh start for the
08:21show that ends the current iteration and starts a new one. The overall premise would stay the same,
08:25but the story and characters would be entirely different. While you could argue that there's
08:29no need for this to happen, since each regeneration is its own mini-reboot anyway,
08:34there's no denying that it's a possibility, especially as the show gets older and less
08:38accessible for newcomers. The sticker shock of having to catch up on 12 series was surely why
08:44the BBC opted to call Series 13 flux instead of giving it a number, with the goal being to rope in
08:49casual viewers. So what about in 15 or 20 years' time, when the modern episode count is double what it
08:55is now? What if the show's lore is so convoluted, long-lasting, and inside baseball that it's
09:01impossible for newbies to catch up? And what if, hypothetically, the show's ratings have
09:05completely flatlined, and only the hardcore fans have stuck around? Well, that reboot button might
09:11start to look enticing to the BBC. And hey, if it's a choice between that or outright permanent
09:17cancellation, we take a reboot every single time.
09:20Number 1. The Doctor Actually Dies On numerous occasions, it's been established that it is
09:26possible to kill the Doctor outright, as in, kill them permanently, leaving them without the ability
09:31to regenerate. Laser screwdrivers, drowning, and running out of regenerations are all potential
09:36options here, but let's face it, the writers can think up any random method they like, and it doesn't
09:41have to make a lick of sense. Why? Because it's Doctor Who, that's why. In all seriousness, though,
09:46the fact that the Doctor isn't invincible means that one day, they could kill him off. Sure, it
09:51wouldn't feel right to end the show on such a miserable note, but bowing out on a heroic death
09:56would give Doctor Who a real sense of finality. And hey, if a certain British super spy can bite the
10:01dust in his own franchise, then there's no reason the Doctor can't do the same in theirs.
10:06In fact, over the last few years, many fans have suggested that the 12th Doctor's death in The
10:10Doctor Falls would have been a fitting final stand for the character, with him dying while trying to
10:15protect innocent people from the Cybermen. While the BBC probably wouldn't want to end the show on
10:20such a downer, there's no doubt that killing the Doctor off would be a bold move, and would make
10:24for one of the most emotional, iconic moments in the history of television. And that concludes our
10:30list of ways Doctor Who could actually end. If you can think of some other interesting ways,
10:35then do let us know in the comments below, and while you're there, don't forget to like and
10:39subscribe and tap that notification bell. Also, head over to Twitter and follow us there,
10:43and I can be found across various social medias just by searching Ellie Littlechild.
10:47I've been Ellie with Who Culture, and in the words of Riversong herself, goodbye, sweeties.
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