18 Greatest ‘Doctor Who’ Plot Twists

Doctor Who has remained one of the most prominent science fiction TV shows for the past 60 years.

It has hooked audiences from all over the world with its original storylines and charming characters, and the concept that The Doctor regenerates into someone new after a certain amount of time keeps the show fresh.

Of course, the other thing that allows the show to remain popular and fresh after sixty years is its numerous plot twists.

These plot twists have impacted audiences and cemented themselves in TV history, and we’re looking back on some of the best and most memorable.

The moments we are referring to will all have taken place in the new series that started in 2005.

Spoilers ahead!

In no particular order, here are some of the greatest Doctor Who plot twists:

1. Jack Harkness is the Face of Boe

Jack Harkness is everyone’s immortal being, very little is known about his past, some aspects of it were discussed in Torchwood, but not in Doctor Who. At the end of the third season, Jack is reminiscing about his past to The Doctor and Martha, where he just casually mentions how he was called “The Face of Boe” when he was growing up in the Boeshane Peninsula.

The Face of Boe is one of the oldest beings in the universe, and one of The Doctor’s oldest acquaintances, he also had an unknown past, he also was the last of his kind, and an all-knowing being. The Doctor had encountered him multiple times, and considered him a friend, even being devastated by his death on Doctor Who Season 3 Episode 3, “Gridlock.”

When Jack just casually mentions that nickname, he doesn’t think anything of it, but The Doctor, Martha, and viewers’ jaws hit the floor at the revelation. Jack was meant to become this magical, all-knowing being. As of now, there’s not really an explanation as to how and why Jack becomes an omniscient floating head, but that reveal will forever be engraved in Doctor Who history.

2. Rose Returns

Rose’s separation from The Doctor was one of the cruelest moments in the show. Imagine the shock audiences experienced when she unexpectedly returned. We first got a glimpse of her in Season 4 episode 10, “Midnight,” but she makes her return on Doctor Who Season 4 Episode 12, “The Stolen Earth.”

This was especially shocking since when she was sent to the parallel world, it was established that it was permanent, and she would never be able to see The Doctor again. Having her return and have one last adventure with him, as well as a proper goodbye, was very healing for those of us who had spent years suffering due to the abrupt separation.

3. The Meta Crisis Doctor

The Tenth Doctor broke every regeneration rule that had been established since he has regenerated into the same face at least three times.

On Doctor Who Season 4 Episode 13, “Journey’s End,” after being attacked by a Dalek, he starts regenerating, but rather than changing his face all the regeneration energy is passed to his severed arm. He grows into another Doctor, referred to as The Meta Crisis Doctor, or 10.5.

He has all the qualities of the Tenth Doctor, but he only has one heart, and will not regenerate. He will live a human life.

The decision is made to send him to Rose’s parallel world, where they can be together, and there can be a balance between worlds. He is also more reckless than the Tenth Doctor and would need companionship, which is why he stays with Rose.

4. The Doctor Donna

Donna Noble thought herself a less-than-average human being, only meant to work temp jobs and just exist as a member of society. That all changes when she meets The Doctor.

Donna feels like she has found her purpose in life as she travels with The Doctor, but all that abruptly ends when she gains Time Lord powers, but since she is human, it will kill her.

The Doctor has no choice but to erase her memory to save her. This meant that Donna forgot all the best memories she had made so that she could live, it was a shocking and heartbreaking moment.

5. The Ending of the Waters of Mars

This episode marked the downfall of The Tenth Doctor, he took his power too far, and had to see the repercussions with no way of intervening once more, he had to watch the consequences of his actions.

When he arrives to Mars, on the day an entire crew is supposed to die, he tries to leave the planet before he even has the opportunity to try to intervene, but it obviously doesn’t work out. He manages to save three crew members, but the captain, realizing that she was meant to die on Mars, refuses to give in to The Doctor’s newfound god complex, and ends her life in front of him.

It is unexpected since Doctor Who tends to follow a pattern of happy endings, but this episode proved that it’s not always the case, and it was a harsh reality for The Doctor to face, he can’t change history and save everyone.

6. Wilf being the reason why the Tenth Doctor regenerates

The Tenth Doctor’s regeneration is one of the most heartbreaking moments of Doctor Who history. Leading up to his final moments, he was told “he will knock four times,” and that would mark his death.

The Doctor assumed that it would have to do with The Master directly, but the twist came when Wilf, Donna’s grandfather, was trapped in a chamber filled with radiation, and he is the one that knocks three times, just when The Doctor thought he was safe.

Even though the Tenth Doctor had given up and was at the lowest he’d ever been, it would have been out of character for him to let Wilf die. It’s powerful, because for a moment, he considers it.

He is even angry that he has to do the right thing, and that is a moment where we got to see what The Doctor is truly like, doing the right thing even when he doesn’t want to.

The Tenth Doctor didn’t want to go, but he did to be able to keep a family united.

7. River Song is The Doctor’s Wife

River Song knew his name, it was one of the biggest reveals when she first made her appearance in Season 4 Episode 8, “Silence in the Library,” where she then dies. However, that was not the end of River, as she appeared in multiple episodes later on where the truth was revealed: she’s The Doctor’s wife.

The Doctor’s romantic life has rarely been explored; it is known he had a wife in the past and a family, but River was not from Gallifrey, so he had to have met her in another planet or perhaps Earth.

With The Eleventh Doctor, the beginning of their relationship is explored, as well as their eventual marriage, and she becomes a big part of The Eleventh Doctor’s tenure. It was good to see a different side of The Doctor when it came to River Song, she brought out the best of him, as she got to know him better than the other companions.

8. Amy Pond is a Ganger

The Flesh were beings introduced in “The Rebel Flesh”, they copied people’s appearances and the goal was to take over their lives. The Doctor, Amy, and Rory escape them and survive their encounter with them. Or so they thought.

Throughout the season, Amy kept seeing a mysterious woman opening a window and peeking through. On Doctor Who Season 6 Episode 6, “The Almost People,” it’s revealed that Amy had been kidnapped for months, and that she was a Ganger, one of the Flesh, and she was also pregnant and in labor. The Doctor knew all along, but he kept it a secret until he knew he would be able to find her.

This reveal was jaw-dropping, not only was it not the real Amy, but she was pregnant, and that baby was going to be taken away from her due to having Time Lord powers. Even though it’s something that I know is coming, my jaw still hits the floor every time I watch that episode.

9. River Song is Amy and Rory’s daughter

River Song has been a mysterious character ever since her first appearance in season three. She was always two steps ahead, and seemed only to appear when she was needed, but her past was a mystery, and there was only one aspect that audiences were made aware of early on: she would die in the library.

On Doctor Who Season 6 Episode 7, “A Good Man Goes To War,” The Doctor gathers every single favor that is owed to him to rescue Amy and her newborn daughter, Melody.

Notably, River Song was not present, even when The Doctor needed her most. The mission is a failure, the infant Melody is taken, leaving Amy and Rory heartbroken.

River finally arrives. The Doctor is mad, but she reveals that Melody will be okay. How could she possibly know this? Because River Song is Melody.

What makes this reveal shocking is how unexpected it is, there was so much mystery surrounding River Song, and this reveal explained everything. She was more involved in The Doctor’s life than originally thought, she was conceived in the TARDIS, she was born with Time Lord powers, she was his equal in a way.

Even though there have been many shocking moments in the show, this moment truly remains one of the most impactful ones.

10. Rory’s (final) death

Rory Williams died multiple times on screen, to the point that it became a running joke. However, when his final death happened, it was unexpected since at first it was believed that it was a fake-out like usual, but it ended up being real.

The point of the episode is how once something is read, it makes it real, and at the beginning of the episode, the audience reads Rory’s tombstone, making his death inevitable and irreversible for once.

Rory gets sent back in time by a Weeping Angel, just when they thought they had escaped them, and a distraught Amy, unable to keep going on without him, lets the Weeping Angel send her back in time as well in the hopes to reunite with him. Her name later appears in the tombstone next to Rory’s, making her death a fixed point as well.

This moment was unexpected, again, there was this expectation that the show had built that Rory would always be saved, but this was the rough reality for everyone, including The Doctor. Not everyone can be saved.

11. All the Doctors save Gallifrey

In the 50th anniversary special, the Tenth, Eleventh, and the War Doctor, who are all still carrying the weight of having destroyed Gallifrey to stop the suffering of their people. Still, that decision has haunted them throughout the years, and it is very clear that given the opportunity, they would reverse it.

The opportunity was given, and they save their home planet, but they don’t remember it due to a paradox, they will forever still live with the guilt, but Gallifrey is safe, hidden in a pocket universe.

This was surprising since for the longest time, Gallifrey was deemed completely gone, and the possibilities of it being saved were pretty much impossible. It seemed like it was a fixed point in time, part of why The Doctor is the way they are.

With Gallifrey now still existing, it opens the door for perhaps more Time Lords to make an appearance. This event opened the door for more possibilities in the future of Doctor Who.

12. Danny Pink’s Death

Maybe this one was a personal one, but on Doctor Who Season 8 Episode 4, “Listen,” there is a time traveler from the 22nd century that The Doctor and Clara encounter that looks exactly like Danny.

There are jokes made about how maybe time travel runs in Danny’s family, or maybe he is a descendant of both Clara and Danny, meaning that they were both meant to be together and start a family. Well Danny dies, and it was something completely unexpected since it was like we were bamboozled into believing that their love story would be a happy one.

His death is tragic, as he gets run over by a car as he is on the phone with Clara making plans for the future. He then returns as a Cyberman, but The Doctor is unable to save him, and he is gone for good. His death changes Clara, and the impact is felt throughout the rest of the Twelfth Doctor’s tenure.

13. Clara’s Death

After Danny’s death, Clara adopted The Doctor’s personality, she felt like she had nothing left to lose and that everything would always have a solution. This mindset is what leads to her demise.

When Rigsby is falsely accused of murder, Clara takes the Chronolock from him, thinking The Doctor will be able to figure out a way to save her. The twist is that he couldn’t, but rather than be afraid, she embraces her death and dies with no fear.

The Doctor then is focused on bringing her back, but her death had become a fixed point in time, and there was nothing left that he could do. Clara was dead. What makes this a moment, is how Clara accepted her fate, she was not going to fight her destiny, and she would hold her head high the entire time.

This moment showcased her growth, she had lost touch with who she was, and by dying, she remembered who she was meant to be and what she accomplished.

14. The Twelfth Doctor returns to Gallifrey and Forgets Clara

Despite not remembering the events of Doctor Who Season 7 Episode 14, “The Day of The Doctor,” The Twelfth Doctor finds himself back in Gallifrey, his plans unclear.

After being put in a purgatory-like setting to confess the truth about The Hybrid on Doctor Who Season 9 Episode 11, “Heaven Sent,” he escapes after finding a hole in the castle and hitting it until the Veil reached him. He does this for an unspecified amount of time, and eventually, he finds himself back in Gallifrey. He had been put there by the Time Lords, who demanded to know about The Hybrid.

He is not received very well, despite having saved them, but he refuses to tell them the full truth and instead has them save Clara and escapes with her. By trying to prevent Clara’s death from becoming a fixed point in time, he became The Hybrid, because he was willing to destroy the universe for her, and that’s what the Time Lord’s wanted to avoid.

The Doctor ends up forgetting Clara, because it turns out that The Hybrid was the two of them together, due to how similar they had become at that point. They could not remain together for the sake of the universe. The Doctor had to move on, and Clara will eventually have to return to Gallifrey to die, but she will be taking the long way round.

Usually, it is companions who are forced to forget The Doctor, but having this twist was more shocking, since it is rare for The Doctor to forget — or be forced to forget.

15. The Timeless Child

When the answers to The Doctor’s past were not what was expected. For the entirety of the show’s run, The Doctor was said to be from Gallifrey, but on Doctor Who Season 12 Episode 10, “The Timeless Child,” that changed when it was revealed that The Doctor is actually a timeless child, whose regeneration powers were used to create the Time Lords.

The Doctor’s memories about all of these events were erased and The Doctor was sent to Gallifrey and raised believing they were a Time Lord.

This was shocking as then that would explain why The Doctor was always considered an outsider in Gallifrey, why they always seemed to the the odd one out. Like the Flux, the repercussions of this revelation are yet to be revealed, but it’s safe to say that The Doctor will never be the same.

16. The Flux

There are many fake-outs on Doctor Who. there’s always a way to save the world, but what happens when The Doctor simply can’t?

Throughout Doctor Who Season 13, there are mentions of the Flux, which ends up being a plan to destroy The Doctor for good by erasing the universe. The plan partially succeeds because The Doctor lives, but half of the universe is destroyed in the process.

This is the biggest loss to have happened in the show’s history, as worlds were completely wiped out and The Doctor has to live with that along with all the guilt that they carry from previous events. It was a bold choice to have such a loss on the show, and while the repercussions of it have barely been scratched, and there’s no question that it’s something The Doctor will not forget.

17. The Thirteenth Doctor Regenerates into a Familiar Face

There had always been a rule that The Doctor could not regenerate into a familiar face, but that all changed when The Thirteenth Doctor regenerated into the Fourteenth Doctor, who bears a striking resemblance to the Tenth Doctor.

The reasons why were still unknown, but in the 60th anniversary special, “The Giggle,” it is revealed that he regenerated to return home, and that he just needed to stay in one place rather than keep traveling and putting himself in dangerous situations.

18. The Bi Generation

When David Tennant returned to Doctor Who, audiences thought the same thing, how will we survive his regeneration again? His first regeneration was one of the most heartbreaking moments of the show’s history, and with Russell T. Davis back at the helm, there was no doubt that his next regeneration would also cause the same emotions.

However, when he started regenerating due to the Toymaker, he was not alone unlike the first time, he said “allons-y” a contrast to his infamous “I don’t want to go,” and rather than that face disappearing and the Fifteenth taking over, they were split in two.

There are now two Doctors roaming the world, but the Fifteenth Doctor happily took off to continue his adventures in space, and the Fourteenth Doctor decided to stay on Earth with Donna and her family and focus on himself for once. He needed to heal from all the trauma he’s been through, and that’s exactly what he’s doing.

What does it mean for there now to be two Doctors in the world? We will eventually find out.

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What was your favorite Doctor Who plot twist? Let us know in the comments below!

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