More than ten million viewers tuned in last night to watch Journey’s End, the last episode in the current series, to see if Tennant would continue as the Time Lord.

Speculation that he was about to quit was sparked by the penultimate episode in the series when, following his injury, the character began to regenerate.

This usually signals the moment when the role is passed onto another actor.

But in last night’s action packed episode, full of twists and special effects, Tennant, who is the tenth actor to play the role, managed to recover and see off the Dalek hordes who planned to destroy every other life form in existence with a reality bomb.

In one of the most ambitious episodes in the show’s 45 year history every single major character who has featured in the series since it was relaunched in 2005 was part of the storyline.

The Doctor was joined by Captain Jack played by John Barrowman, K9 and no fewer than four of his assistants; Donna Noble, played by Catherine Tate, Rose Tyler, played by Billie Piper, Martha Jones played by Freema Agyeman and Sarah Jane played by Elisabeth Sladen.

There were also appearances from Rose’s ex boyfriend Mickey Smith, played by Noel Clark, and her vivacious mother Jackie, played by Camille Coudri.

Neither character had been on screen for sometime.

The doctor was declared safe and sound within two minutes of the start of last night’s episode after he managed to divert the “regeneration” energy into a spare hand.

But he wasn’t out of harm’s way for long. The Doctor, Rose, Captain Jack and Donna, Mickey, Sarah Jane and Jackie were all captured when the daleks kidnapped the Tardis.

The daleks attempted to destroy the Tardis with Donna in it but she saved herself and the Tardis by touching the hand which had become seperated.

That contacted created a second human doctor and turned her into a human-Time Lord hybrid, with access to the Doctor’s mind.

It was the newly empowered Donna who foiled the daleks plot to destroy all life in the universe with a reality bomb.

The doctor then flew planet Rose, her mother and his human self back to the parallel universe from where Rose came.

The human version of the doctor told Rose: “I have only got one heart and one life and I want to spend it with you.”

But Donna’s new powers as a Time Lord proved to much for her and the doctor had to wipe her mind.

Before he wiped her mind she said: “I was going to be with you forever. Travelling in the Tardis. The doctor and Donna.”

She collapsed and woke up with no memory of the Doctor or their adventures.

The Doctor warned her family that is she ever had a glimour of recognition she would burn up.

He told her hard-faced mother: “For one shining moment she was the most important woman in the universe.”

The mother answered: “She still is to me.”

To which the doctor said: “Perhaps you should tell, once in a while.”

As the doctor leaves the house Donna’s grandfather tells the doctor: “Every night when it gets dark and the stars come outI will look up on her behalf and think of you.”

A lonely doctor then flies off in his Tardis, to return in six months for a Christmas Day special called The Return of the Cybermen.

Russell T Davies, the show’s mastermind insisted that the last episode should remain a secret and persuaded the BBC not to include preview tapes.

He has gone to extraordinary lengths to maintain the element of surprise.

Aside from insisting on total secrecy for last night’s episode greatest coup has been the return of Rose Tyler who was the Doctor’s assistant until she quit the show in. 2006.

When it was announced that she would be returning there was speculation that it would be a brief appearance towards the end of the run.

The key scene where Rose appears in episode one was removed from the version shown at the celebrity audience and then slotted into the broadcast version.

The character’s appearance in episode caused a sensation among fans who were unaware it was going to happen.

Guest stars including Felicity Kendal, Alex Kingston and Peter Capaldi all had to sign confidentiality contracts before they began work.

Last night marked the end of the fourth series of the show following its return in 2005.

The latest instalments have been an enormous success for the BBC reguarly pulling in audiences in excess of six million.

The end of the thirteen-part series marked the end of a special era in Doctor Who’s history. It was the last complete series to be overseen by Russell T Davies, the writer who masterminded the reinvention of the character in 2005.

Davies will write and produce the Christmas Day special and will be involved in four other one-off episodes. Apart from these there will be no further episodes of Doctor Who made until 2010, when Steven Moffat, who has worked on some of the show’s most famous episodes, will mastermind a new series.

The latest incarnation of Doctor Who has been a massive success for the BBC. Many in the television industry had believed the character was past his sell-by date, and that the era of family viewing had also died.

But the show devised by Davies became a phenomenon, pulling in massive audiences and producing two spin-off series. Last year’s Christmas Day special, which co-starred Kylie Minogue, was watched by more than 13 million people.

But Davies is famous for springing surprises and no-one is ruling out the fact that Tennant might yet survive in the role. Fans of the actor have pointed out that he has been seen filming the Christmas special

In the penultimate episode, of the current series one of the show’s most popular characters, the former prime minister Harriet Jones, was executed by a dalek firing squad.

Source: The Telegraph 6th July 2008