The Day of the Doctor ( TV story ) It aired at the same time around the globe , on 23 and 24 November 2013 on television , setting a then record for the largest ever simulcast of a television drama . In all , it was viewable in some 94 countries and 1 , 500 theatres worldwide . Domestically , the British Broadcasting Corporation ' s 2013 / 14 Annual Report cited it as the most watched drama on the BBC in 2013 , with 12 . 8 million television viewers , and an additional 3 . 2 million iPlayer requests . It also broke or neared viewing records in a number of other regions around the world . Because of its theatrical run and subsequently strong home media sales , it is the single adventure with the highest gross worldwide sales in the history of " Doctor Who " . The success of this release led to the series 8 premiere , " Deep Breath " , receiving a similar theatrical simulcast as it aired on television on 23 August the following year . Many more theatrical releases followed . Amongst fans , the story was exceedingly popular . In a 2014 poll by " Doctor Who Magazine " which ranked all of the " Doctor Who " television stories aired to date , " The Day of the Doctor " ranked as " DWM readers ' favourite adventure of the first 50 years " . ( DWM 474 ) The episode featured the return of David Tennant as the Tenth Doctor and the appearance of John Hurt as a previously unknown incarnation of the Doctor : the War Doctor , in what was the final chronological adventure for his portrayal of the Doctor . His only full - length adventure on screen introduced a new iteration of the sonic screwdriver and a unique TARDIS control room predating those seen in Series 1 . Furthermore , the War Doctor ' s regeneration was shown , into what appeared to be the Ninth Doctor , completing a missing link in the chain of incarnations that started when Christopher Eccleston debuted in the 2005 relaunch of the series , " Rose " . The process of resolving the regenerations issue was being enforced by executive producer Steven Moffat , as he wished to have a " complete set " in time for Matt Smith ' s upcoming final episode . Moffat also chose to requisition actor Paul McGann for one more outing as the Eighth Doctor in a mini - episode production , " The Night of the Doctor " one week after production wrapped on the anniversary special , resulting in a second former Doctor returning to the screen as part of the festivities . McGann filmed his own regeneration into Hurt ' s version of the Doctor , cementing the lineage of all Doctors up to Smith ' s incarnation onward . " The Day of the Doctor " saw the return of the Zygon s , last seen in the 1975 Fourth Doctor serial " Terror of the Zygons " , 38 years after their initial debut . " The Day of the Doctor " provided a chance to reveal a missing element of the Last Great Time War that dramatically altered the outcome as viewers were previously led to believe . Instead of allowing Gallifrey to be destroyed , the Doctors were able to save it , giving the current incarnation a chance to forever shed his guilt from the outcome and begin a new mission to find his way home . The unique circumstances of this revelation also upheld the previous narratives set during the Russell T Davies era where the Doctor believed Gallifrey and its residents had been lost in battle . Synopsis . The Doctors embark on their greatest adventure in this 50th anniversary special . In the 21st century , something terrible is awakening in London ' s National Gallery ; in 1562 , a murderous plot is afoot in Elizabethan England ; and somewhere in space an ancient battle reaches its devastating conclusion . All of reality is at stake as the Doctor ' s own dangerous past comes back to haunt him . Plot . A police constable walks the beat by the Coal Hill School and passes by a sign advertising " I . M . Foreman , Scrap Merchant " . Inside the school , Clara Oswald is giving a lesson . She ends on a quote by Marcus Aurelius : " Waste no more time arguing about what a good man should be . Be one . " The school bell rings . As her students leave , a teacher runs into the classroom informing Clara that her " doctor " called , and left an address . She grabs her helmet and hops on her motorbike . Exiting Shoreditch , Clara drives past a clock reading 5 : 16 p . m . and through a freeway tunnel . She reaches an open patch of road surrounded by grassland , where a lone police box is waiting for her . Finally spotting the TARDIS , she rides her motorcycle straight through its open door s , closing them with a click of the fingers . The Eleventh Doctor , perusing a copy of " Advanced Quantum Mechanics " , welcomes Clara back with a huge hug . Unexpectedly , the TARDIS takes off without starting the engines . Startled , the Doctor looks out to see a helicopter carrying the TARDIS away from the field ; it ' s UNIT . He calls UNIT ' s Chief Scientific Officer , Kate Lethbridge - Stewart , from the phone on the TARDIS exterior . UNIT scientist Osgood rushes to Kate with her personal phone as she is eating and observing their ravens of death , which need a change of batteries from Malcolm . Kate reminds Osgood to use her inhaler at the sound of her heavy panting before accepting the call . The Doctor learns that he has been summoned to the Tower of London . Kate asks where the Doctor is . The Doctor holds the TARDIS phone up towards the helicopter , surprising and mortifying Kate . She apologises , telling the pilot to instead take the Doctor to the scene of the crime . The sudden change in course makes the Doctor fall out of the door . Clara holds onto the Doctor ' s legs as he dangles . The phone bops his head . Annoyed , the Doctor yells " Next time , would it kill you to KNOCK ! ? " He reaches up to put the phone back in the door , making Clara let go of him . She yells his name in concern . The Doctor holds onto the bottom of the TARDIS , whooping in excitement and fear . The helicopter arrives at the museum , where it lands slowly to let the Doctor off . Kate apologises , while the Doctor tries and fails at lecturing her . Kate explains that she is operating on orders from the throne . She hands him sealed orders from Queen Elizabeth I and taken into the National Gallery for proof of her credentials . Kate asks Osgood what the cover story is this time . She responds that they ' re using Derren Brown again , saying he ' s been sent flowers as an apology . As they walk , the Doctor explains his relationship with UNIT to Clara , who is sceptical of the Doctor ever having had an actual job ; though not directly working with UNIT anymore , the Doctor is still on the payroll as he never resigned . They stop in front of an impossible painting , something that belongs " not in this time or place " : an oil painting in 3 - D . It depicts the fall of the Gallifreyan city of Arcadia on the last day of the Time War . Kate tells the Doctor that there is some controversy over the work ' s name . It is either named " No More " or " Gallifrey Falls " . The painting is a slice of frozen time , a form of Time Lord art . The Doctor is visibly disturbed by the painting . As his old memories awaken , he shares with Clara his darkest secret : the life he has tried to bury for years . There was a past incarnation of the Doctor that fought in the Time War , and made the ultimate decision to eliminate the Dalek s and the Time Lords . And it was done on the very day this painting depicts . . . As the Daleks ravage Arcadia , a family of Time Lords are running in fear . There is little hope of survival . As children cry and the people scream , a soldier messages the High Council of Time Lords : Arcadia has fallen . He looks around and sees the Doctor ' s TARDIS . Then the elderly voice of the " War Doctor " , the warrior incarnation of the Doctor , asks the soldier for his gun . The Doctor carves a message for both warring civilisations to see into a nearby wall : NO MORE . As Daleks prepare to exterminate the Time Lords , the Doctor ' s presence draws their attention away from the innocent people and leads them to the wall with the message . Suddenly , the Doctor ' s TARDIS crashes through the wall , demolishing several Daleks . The Doctor ' s escape from Arcadia is witnessed by one surviving Dalek of the attack , though it is bisected . It questions the meaning of " NO MORE " , bellowing " Explain ! Explain ! " The nearby Time Lord soldier shoots the Dalek with his gun , and the slain Dalek erupts in flames . The High Commanders gather in the War Room , planning their next moves , with the General dismissing the High Council ' s upcoming plans as " they have already failed " . They receive the Doctor ' s message , and the General is not pleased to learn of his presence , calling him a madman . A Time Lady rushes in to inform the War Council that there has been a breach in the Omega Arsenal in the Time Vaults . The most feared and forbidden weapon in the universe is missing : The Moment . The Doctor has stolen it , and intends to use it to end the Time War once and for all . The Time Lords have already used all of the previously forbidden weapons , but dared not unleash " this " weapon in particular . It was said that the Moment was so advanced as to have developed a conscience , and could stand in judgement of the user . The General muses that only the Doctor would be mad enough to use such a weapon . Footsteps can be seen leading away from the battle - scuffed frame of the TARDIS , which has been uncharacteristically abandoned by the Doctor . The sound of his voice issuing an ominous final warning is heard : " " Time Lords of Gallifrey , Daleks of Skaro , I serve notice on you all . Too long I have stayed my hand . No more . Today you leave me no choice . Today , this war will end . No more . No more . . . " " The Doctor ' s tired face comes into view as he strides across a desolate desert , a burlap sack over his shoulder . He eventually enters a barn - like dwelling , where he uncovers a complicated mechanical box , covered in gears . The device ticks loudly as its clockwork - like parts rattle and clank . As the Doctor studies it , he cannot find a discernible trigger mechanism . While he puzzles over how to activate it — grumbling " Why is there never a big red button ? " — he hears a rustling sound . He opens the door and calls out . A girl ' s voice behind him reassures him that it ' s " just a Wolf " . Startled , he turns around to see what appears to be Rose Tyler . He doesn ' t recognise her , as this point in his timeline predates his first meeting with Rose . He grabs her arm and throws her out the door , only for her to appear inside the barn again , sitting on the Moment . She begins questioning the Doctor as to his motives and rationalisations ( though it looks like she is making fun of him ) . The Moment also asks if the Doctor parked his TARDIS far away from the dwelling so that it would not witness what he was about to do . Not realising what she is , he orders her out , and then burns his hand on the box . Impishly , she guides the Doctor to realise that " she " is the interface of the Moment . She can hear the Doctor ' s thoughts , and has attempted to assume the form of a familiar figure from his past ; however , the Moment has a history of confusing the past with the future , and so has chosen the form of Rose Tyler as the Bad Wolf to be its manifestation . War - weary and bitter , the elderly Time Lord tells her to stop calling him " the Doctor " , claiming he has lost the right to bear the title . She replies that he will be the one to save the universe . He explains that the suffering of the universe is too great , and he must end it . He also intends to meet his death after using the Moment , not wishing to live through the bloodshed , but she decides that his fate and punishment will be to survive the activation and face the consequences . Like a conscience , she challenges his words and actions , guiding him towards his future . He " will " destroy the Daleks , but he will also murder his own people , asking him how many children on Gallifrey will die , but he has no idea . After suggesting that one day , he will find a way to count them , the Moment opens a window in time , to show him the man he will become . A time fissure opens - and a fez falls out , much to the mutual confusion of the Doctor and the Moment . . . Back in the 21st century , Kate explains that Queen Elizabeth left the painting to prove that the orders do come from her . The Doctor breaks the seal and reads her words : " " My dearest love : I hope the painting known as " Gallifrey Falls " will serve as proof that it is your Elizabeth that writes to you now . You will recall that you pledged yourself to the safety of my kingdom . In that capacity , I have appointed you Curator of the Under - Gallery , where deadly danger to England is locked away . Should any disturbance occur within its walls , it is my wish that you should be summoned . Godspeed , gentle husband . " " As Kate leads the Doctor and Clara away , a nearby UNIT scientist named McGillop receives a mysterious phone call . Befuddled , he stares at the painting , wondering why he should move it . The Doctor and Clara approach another painting , which shows the figure of Queen Elizabeth I , and the Doctor . Clara sees this is proof the Doctor once knew her . However , it is the tenth incarnation of the Doctor , and from the Eleventh Doctor ' s vantage point , that portrait was done a long time ago , long enough that he was a different man back then . . . In England in 1562 , the Tenth Doctor and Elizabeth I ride out of the TARDIS on horseback , the Doctor having proven that it really " is " bigger on the inside . She responds " the door isn ' t " bigger on the inside . They share a picnic on a hill , where Elizabeth expresses concern that he has seen war . The Doctor confirms that it wasn ' t this face but he has indeed fought in battle . He then proposes marriage . When she joyfully accepts , the Doctor accuses her of being a Zygon shapeshifter that has replaced the real Elizabeth , as the real queen wouldn ' t accept marriage or be so nonchalant about the Doctor having a different face . He whips out a " device that goes ding " to prove that she is a shapeshifter , before realising that it was the horse they were riding . They run for their lives , the Doctor dreads being an engaged man ; " So much for the Virgin Queen . So much for history . Good job , Doctor . " They split up in the woods , but Elizabeth is accosted by the Zygon . The Doctor runs through the woods , even threatening a rabbit he mistakes for a Zygon before he is reunited with Elizabeth . However , a doppelganger of her appears , and he is unable to tell who is who . Suddenly another time fissure appears , and a fez falls through , bemusing the Doctor and company . Back in the National Gallery , Kate welcomes the Eleventh Doctor and Clara to the Under - Gallery , established by Elizabeth I to house dangerous art . The Doctor notices that the floor is covered in stone dust , and asks a scientist named Osgood to analyse it ( with a triplicate report and lots of graphs ) . As they walk through the gallery , the Doctor spots a fez in a glass case and immediately dons it , much to the bemusement of Clara , who wonders if he can ever go past one without putting it on ( answer : never gonna happen ) . Kate shows them more 3 - D paintings , all landscapes , with the broken glass from their shattered frames covering the floor . The Doctor notes that the glass has been shattered from the " inside " , and Kate says that they all contained figures which are now missing . Suddenly , another time fissure opens . Annoyed , the Doctor faintly recalls seeing the fissure before , before realising that the fez that had fallen through in 1562 was the fez he was now wearing . Delighted , he throws the fez into the fissure and follows it . Clara tries to follow , but Kate restrains her . The Eleventh Doctor falls through the fissure and lands in front of the Tenth in the sixteenth century . Stunned , the Tenth Doctor dons the fez himself . The Eleventh pops up and gabbles excitedly about how skinny his predecessor is , which makes the Tenth realise who he is . They incredulously pull out their sonic screwdriver s and compare them , with the Tenth jokingly suggesting the Eleventh is compensating for something because of regeneration being a lottery . As they begin bickering , the time fissure increases in intensity . The Doctor orders the two Queens to run away ; both kiss the Tenth Doctor and flee . After pointing out that one of the women his counterpart just kissed was definitely a Zygon , the Eleventh shouts through the funnel to Clara . Hypothesising that the fissure can go both ways , he tosses his fez in , but it fails to appear in Clara ' s time . Kate then leaves , to call one of the UNIT members to bring her the Cromer file - not noticing a dark shadow behind her . . . At the end of the Time War , the War Doctor picks up the fez and steps into the fissure . Back in 1562 , the two Doctors try to reverse the polarity , but the use of two sonic screwdrivers at once confuses the polarity , resulting in the War Doctor falling through , landing in front of his future selves . He jovially greets them , asking after the Doctor and mistaking them for companions - to - be . The two older Doctors — both horrified to see him — simply pull out their sonic screwdrivers , affirming their identity to their younger self . Completely unimpressed by his future incarnations , the War Doctor asks if he is going through a mid - life crisis . Suddenly , they are surrounded by the Queen ' s soldiers . They are threatened by them , but Clara ' s voice sounds from the fissure , allowing the Doctors to convince them that she is " The Wicked Witch of the Well " . Kate has , at that point , returned to Clara . The Queen returns to the group , implying that her human counterpart is dead . She has the trio of Doctors arrested and taken to the Tower of London ( with the Eleventh loudly hinting for her to take them there ) . The hint is picked up on by Kate , who takes Clara to the Black Archive to retrieve Jack Harkness ' vortex manipulator . The Doctors are thrown in a cell with a wooden door . The War Doctor tries to sonic the door , but it fails . The Tenth notes that with the three of them in the cell at the same time , paradoxes will follow . . The Eleventh works with a nail on the pillar in the room , stating it ' s their way out . Ignoring him , the Tenth asks why these three Doctors have been brought together ; him and the Eleventh were surprised , but the War Doctor came to find them . The big question is why . The War Doctor sees the Moment , which gestures to keep quiet about it . In the present , Osgood and McGillop are reading the results of the analysis of the stone dust . The dust is from materials not found in the structure of the building , but common in statues . Osgood realises that the statues must have been smashed , and suddenly understands why : the inhabitants of the paintings needed a hiding place . The Zygons reveal themselves from underneath the dust cloths covering what the humans had believed were statues . The aliens accost McGillop , and corner Osgood . Osgood prays for the Doctor to save her , but instead of being killed , she is faced with her duplicate . The Zygon taunts Osgood , but she gains the upper hand by tripping the alien with her scarf , and runs . Kate and Clara enter the Black Archive , housing the most dangerous alien tech recovered by UNIT . Its contents are so top secret that its staff has their memories modified every day . Apparently , this has happened to Clara at least once , as she has already obtained the necessary clearance to enter the archive . They view the Vortex Manipulator , by trying to find the activation code . The Doctor has the code , but he hasn ' t informed UNIT of it . A scientist phones Kate , and she orders him to send a picture of some numerals ( the activation code ) that the Eleventh Doctor carved into the wall of the cell in 1562 for them to find centuries later . Osgood and McGillop enter the Archive , to Clara ' s surprise . They and Kate reveal themselves as Zygons . As they prepare to replace Clara , she sees the picture of the numerals on the phone . Taking a desperate gamble , she enters the code into the Vortex Manipulator and travels to the past . In the Tower of London in 1562 , the Eleventh Doctor scratches the activation code onto a wall in their cell , while the other two Doctors puzzle out how to escape . The War Doctor proposes an isolated sonic shift in the door molecules in order to disintegrate the door , but the Tenth Doctor rejects the idea , saying it would take centuries to calculate the necessary formula . The War Doctor starts bickering with the Tenth and Eleventh Doctors , chastising them for their shame of being " grown - up " . Subdued , they look at him darkly , reminding him of the day he ended the Time War ( unaware that this Doctor is actively in the process of making that choice ) . The Moment reappears , unseen and unheard by the other Doctors , and urges the War Doctor to ask his future selves the question that he needs to know : How many children died on Gallifrey that day . The Eleventh Doctor says , " I ' ve absolutely no idea . " , he says he ' s forgotten the events of that day ; he ' s so old that he ' s not even sure of his " age " anymore , estimating he ' s about 1200 years old , so old that he can ' t remember if he ' s lying about his age . However , the Tenth Doctor angrily asks how the Eleventh could ever forget something as important as this particular number , and bitterly states that there were 2 . 47 billion children on the planet that day . Disturbed and furious by his successor ' s impassive nature , he asks him , " For once , I would like to know where I ' m going . " Vexed by this remark , the Eleventh Doctor coldly replies , " No , you really wouldn ' t ! " The Tenth Doctor looks back at him , eyes wide with fear . The Moment explains to the War Doctor that the Tenth Doctor has become " the man who regrets " and the Eleventh " the man who forgets " . " They " are the future of the Doctor , when he ends the Time Lords . The Moment reminds the War Doctor that his sonic screwdriver , at the most basic level , is exactly the same device as the ones used by his counterparts : " Same software — different case " . He realises that if he scans the door and implants the calculations as a permanent subroutine in the screwdriver , it will take hundreds of years to work out the formula necessary to disintegrate the door , meaning that the Eleventh Doctor ' s screwdriver , being essentially the same as the ones before it , has the completed calculation ready to go . They exuberantly congratulate themselves on their cleverness before Clara pushes open the door — which has been unlocked the entire time . Clara asks her Doctor if they are all him . The Eleventh reminds Clara of the time she went into his timeline , to which she barely remembers . She compliments the Tenth ' s suit ; he thanks her . She then asks why neither of them tried to just open the door ; one thing the Doctor retains in all his incarnations is his inability to do simple things . The Queen comes in , telling them that she left the door unlocked as a test . She takes them down to the Zygons ' lair to show them their plan . Osgood walks in the halls of the Under - Gallery , before discovering the real Kate trapped in a Zygon nest . Kate ' s body template is being used to refresh the image of her Zygon doppelganger . Osgood frees her , but Kate bemoans the fact that the Zygons now have control of the Black Archive . The Doctors and Clara follow the Queen to the lair , whereupon they discover that the Zygon homeworld was destroyed in the early days of the Time War , and so they have decided to take Earth as their new home . However , sixteenth century Earth is too primitive to be comfortable to the invading shapeshfiters , so they intend to invade the more advanced future in order to establish their new homeworld . They therefore have translated themselves into stasis cubes , which are the Time Lords ' three - dimensional paintings . The Tenth Doctor berates the Zygon commander for doing a lousy job of replicating the real Queen Elizabeth , but she reveals ( to his mortification ) that she " is " the real Elizabeth : She slew her twin in the forest and took her place as Zygon commander . She calls on the Doctor to save England , but first whisks him away to be married ( with his past and future selves as reluctant witnesses , and an enthusiastic Clara throwing confetti ) . The three Doctors and Clara return to the Tenth ' s TARDIS ( with the other two insulting the current desktop theme ) . The presence of three different Doctors causes the TARDIS to short a bit , showing the interior of the War Doctor ' s TARDIS . Both the Tenth and the Eleventh are delighted to see the roundel s , which they haven ' t seen in a while ; however , neither of them knows what they are . The Eleventh stabilises the desktop , picking his current version ( which also receives an insult ) . They set off for the Black Archive . Kate , Osgood , and McGillop confront their doppelgangers in the Black Archive . Kate threatens to detonate a nuclear warhead beneath the Tower , destroying all of London in order to protect the planet from the Zygons , and voice - activates it , blocking her Zygon duplicate ' s attempts to stop the countdown with her identical voice pattern . The Eleventh Doctor ' s voice crackles on via the space - time telegraph he had once given to her father , begging Kate not to detonate but she cuts him off . He tries to land , but the Tower of London had been made TARDIS - proof to prevent his interference . However , the War Doctor figures out a way to get in - the stasis cubes . The Doctor calls McGillop in the past , and instructs him to bring the " No More " / " Gallifrey Falls " painting to the Black Archive . . . The two Kates fight over the detonation , both needing to agree in order to stop the detonation . The real Osgood begs the Doctor to save them again , as the Doctors and Clara force their way out of the painting , having frozen themselves in it earlier . The Doctors now face the Fall of Arcadia in real time as it unfolds , and are immediately met with an attacking Dalek , which they repel with their sonic screwdrivers . It crashes through the glass of the painting and the Doctors emerge . Clara soon follows . The three Doctors hand the Kates an ultimatum when they refuse to disarm the Archive ' s nuclear option : They trigger the memory modifiers to confuse everybody as to whether they are human or Zygon . Then , if they stop the detonation and create a peace treaty ( which is sure to be incredibly fair , as the negotiators can ' t remember which side they ' re on ) , they will have their memories restored . Utterly confused over their identities , the two Kates stop the detonation in the nick of time and begin to negotiate the treaty . While the Osgoods figure out which of them is which , they decide to keep it to themselves to protect the treaty . As they negotiate , Clara speaks to the War Doctor . She has somehow figured out that he hasn ' t used the Moment yet , explaining that " her " Doctor always talked about the day he wiped out the Time Lords . She says that he would do anything to take it back , but the War Doctor remains convinced that his actions will save billions of lives in the future . Across the room , the War Doctor sees the form of the Bad Wolf once more . The Moment has come . He tells the interface he ' s ready , and Clara turns to find who he ' s talking to ; when she turns back , he ' s vanished . Returned to the barn on Gallifrey , the War Doctor stands in front of the Moment , which has simplified its interface by his request — the trigger mechanism is now a big red button for him to push . The interface questions him once more , trying to convince him of his goodness . He still doesn ' t believe he is worthy of the name " Doctor " , losing all hope for himself and his people . He believes that the Tenth and Eleventh Doctors are extraordinary men and that he has to commit this act to forge them into what they become . As the War Doctor goes to activate the Moment , the interface tells him that the wheezing sound the TARDIS makes brings hope to everyone who hears it . The War Doctor agrees and the Moment tells him that it brings hope to " anyone " , no matter how lost they are . The War Doctor realises what she means a moment later when the Tenth and Eleventh Doctors materialise their TARDISes in the barn , having apparently been let through the time - lock by the Moment . They join him at the Moment , finally forgiving him , and themselves , for his actions , ready to support the man who " was " the Doctor more than anybody else , on a day it was impossible make the right decision . The three of them prepare to push the button together , to help release the burden of the War Doctor and affirm their actions will be for the right reasons . Clara tearfully objects . She knew that " the Doctor " had activated the Moment and destroyed his home - world , but she had never imagined the Eleventh Doctor , " her " Doctor , with his hand on the button . The reality of the Time War projects around them : children crying , innocents suffering . The Doctor could not find another way to end it all , but Clara believes in a different solution . She reminds the Time Lord of who he is : the Warrior , the Hero , and the Doctor . They ' ve had plenty of warriors , and what he will do is a heroic act unto itself . What the universe needs now is a Doctor who lives up to the name he chose for himself : never cruel or cowardly , never giving up , never giving in . A new day dawns on Gallifrey : a day of hope . At that , a brilliant new idea descends on the room ; the Eleventh Doctor says that he ' s had a long time to think about it — he ' s changed his mind ! The intent of the Moment worked : the War Doctor saw the future he needed to see . Picking up on his future self ' s idea without explanation , the War Doctor exclaims that he could just " kiss " " Bad Wolf girl " right now , which catches the Tenth ' s attention , only for him to be distracted from it as he realises what his counterparts were getting at and agrees that it ' s a wonderful idea . They have changed their minds about using the Moment , and the Eleventh Doctor disarms the device with his sonic screwdriver . Instead , they intend to freeze Gallifrey in a moment in time , slipped away in a pocket universe , the way the Zygons froze themselves into Time Lord art . When Gallifrey vanishes , the sphere of Dalek ships surrounding the planet and firing constantly will be exterminated in their own crossfire before they can cease firing , and the universe will believe that the two races destroyed each other . On the last day of the Time War , another message from the Doctor appears before the High Command : GALLIFREY STANDS . The three Doctors race in their TARDISes towards Gallifrey , and transmit to the War Room . Three transmissions , each showing a different Doctor ( much to the General ' s dismay ) , appear . They explain their incredible plan to save Gallifrey . They will position themselves around the planet equidistantly , and freeze it — just like the stasis cubes , but to a whole planet and all the people on it . The General objects , saying that they ' d be lost in another universe , frozen in a single moment with nothing , but the Doctors tell him the alternative is burning and they ' ve seen that and don ' t want to again . The Eleventh Doctor also informs him that with this plan , the Time Lords will at least have hope , something they don ' t have now . The General tells them that the idea is delusional , claiming that even if it " was " possible , the calculations alone would take centuries . The Eleventh and Tenth Doctors agree saying it would take " hundreds and hundreds " of years , but they ' ve had " a very long time " to think about it . In fact , he could say they ' ve been working on it all their lives . At that , the voice of the First Doctor is heard contacting the War Council . Nine more police boxes fly around the planet , and " all " the past incarnations of the Doctor come together to save Gallifrey , all making contact with the Council . The General bemoans the idea that all twelve Doctors have arrived , when three was bad enough . However , his count is one short . Androgar points out that all " thirteen " incarnations of the Doctor are present to save Gallifrey — a new incarnation from the Doctor ' s days yet to come is also on the way . A brief glimpse of this future Doctor shows a hand reaching for a lever in the Eleventh Doctor ' s console room , and a pair of piercing blue eyes watching the console monitor . As the Daleks increase their attack upon seeing the thirteen TARDISes , the General realises that he has no choice and tells the Doctor to " just do it . " The thirteen Doctors prepare their TARDISes with the Tenth and Eleventh Doctors exclaiming their catchphrases while the exasperated War Doctor goes with a simple " Gallifrey Stands . " After a flash and a colossal explosion , the space becomes empty and quiet as one damaged Dalek fighter pod goes spinning off . Back in the National Gallery , the Tenth , Eleventh , and War Doctors muse on the ambiguity of whether their plan succeeded . The presence of the mysterious painting of the fall of Arcadia remains an enigma to the three Doctors . While they don ' t know if their plan worked , they agree that it was better to have failed doing the right thing than succeeding in doing the wrong . The War Doctor bids a fond farewell to his replacements , who finally address him as " Doctor " : a man fully worthy of the title , even if he will only know it briefly . Because the time lines are out of sync , the War Doctor and the Tenth Doctor won ' t be able to retain their memories of these events . They will forget them completely until they catch up to their Eleventh incarnation . However , right now , the War Doctor is content , and pleased that he can refer to himself as " Doctor " again . He gives Clara a farewell kiss and takes a moment to sort out his TARDIS out from the other two in the gallery . As he pilots his TARDIS away , he suddenly sees his hands glowing with regeneration energy , and notices it makes sense , as his old body is " wearing a bit thin . " After surviving the Time War , he is ultimately dying of old age . With his work done in the battle , the energy begins to overtake the War Doctor . He expresses one last desire that the change will leave him with " less conspicuous " ears this time . The War Doctor smiles peacefully as his next regeneration begins . Acknowledging that he won ' t be able to remember the answer , the Tenth Doctor questions his successor as to " Where it is we ' re going that you don ' t wanna talk about . " The Eleventh Doctor relents and reveals that they are destined to die on Trenzalore , in battle , with millions of lives lost . The Tenth Doctor says that ' s not how it ' s supposed to be , but the Eleventh Doctor tells him it is determined now . Preparing to leave , the Tenth Doctor shakes his successors hand and says that he ' s glad his future is in good hands . He kisses Clara ' s hand , and with a smile , starts to step into his TARDIS . Before he does , he expresses his desire to change their final destination of Trenzalore , saying : " I don ' t want to go . " As the TARDIS dematerialises , the Eleventh Doctor smiles and remarks " he always says that " . Clara asks the Doctor if he would like to sit and look at the painting for a little while . He smiles , asking how she knew . Clara kisses him on the cheek and tells him that she always knows — it ' s his sad old eyes . As she steps into the TARDIS , she mentions that an old man , possibly the Gallery ' s curator , was looking for him . The Doctor muses out loud that he would be a great curator . He could call himself " the Great Curator " , retire and become the curator of this gallery . A deep voice affirms that he really might . The astonished Doctor looks over to see a very familiar face standing next to him . An old man who greatly resembles the Fourth Doctor . The Doctor studies the old man in wonderment , as he tells him that he never forgets a face , and the old man replies that he knows he doesn ' t , and that he might find himself revisiting some of them in the future , " but just the old favourites , eh ? " ; the Doctor merely smiles and winks at the old man . The man then turns the Doctor ' s attention to the painting , explaining that he acquired it under " remarkable circumstances " . He tells the Doctor that its two names are actually one : the true title of the painting is " Gallifrey Falls No More " . The Doctor realises that he was successful , and Gallifrey was indeed saved . The mysterious man comments that he surely wouldn ' t know as he is merely a humble curator . The Doctor excitedly asks him if he knows where Gallifrey is , but he only cryptically reveals that it is simply " lost " , and that the Doctor has a lot to do . He also muses that he and the Doctor might be the same man from different perspectives , sounding wistful about days gone by , congratulating the Doctor on the new journey he is about to commence . As to whether or not he truly is an incarnation of the Doctor from the future , the Curator simply teases the thought , " Who knows , eh ? Who . . . ' nose ' ? " , and with a tap of his nose , he turns and walks away . The Eleventh Doctor concludes that he has a mission , the mission of a lifetime : he must find Gallifrey and return it and all its people to the universe . Later , the Doctor speaks of his dreams , as he is seen to walk through the TARDIS console room . He says that he finally realises where he has been travelling all this time : home . He simply has taken so many years and lifetimes to take the long way around . As he exits the TARDIS in the dream , the Doctor joins his eleven past selves in gazing up at the magnificent planet in the sky , determined to find Gallifrey and save his home once and for all . Story notes . Specific to theatrical presentation . " Main article : Cinema Introduction ( The Day of the Doctor ) " The War Doctor ' s regeneration . The scene featuring the War Doctor ' s regeneration into the Ninth Doctor does not conclude with the emergence of the Ninth Doctor . It only shows hints of his face beginning to form , due the absence of Christopher Eccleston after a difficult decision not to reprise the role for the anniversary special . Steven Moffat later explained his reasons for cutting the scene short in an interview published in DWM 473 . He cited the main reason for abbreviating the regeneration as “ human decency ” for Eccleston .