Lifespan

Life span or life expectancy was the average length of time a lifeform would live.

In the Dark Times, all species were immortal, and so lifespans were an unfamiliar concept to many. This all changed when the Kotturuh set upon their "Great Task" where they visited planets and designated lifespans to the various species of the universe. (PROSE: The Guide to the Dark Times ^[+]Loading...["The Guide to the Dark Times (short story)"], The Dawn of the Kotturuh ^[+]Loading...["The Dawn of the Kotturuh (short story)"]) The first such species, the Birinjians, were judged harshly, and only given a lifespan of three months. (PROSE: The Dawn of the Kotturuh ^[+]Loading...["The Dawn of the Kotturuh (short story)"])

Male fertility in the Western world on an alternate Earth, according to a study done by the alternate Torchwood Institute, was linked to lifespan. (PROSE: Doctor Who: The Encyclopedia ^[+]Loading...["Doctor Who: The Encyclopedia (reference book)"], The Time Traveller's Almanac ^[+]Loading...["The Time Traveller's Almanac (reference book)"]

Tsuranga medtags indicated, among other things, patients' lifespan data. (TV: The Tsuranga Conundrum ^[+]Loading...["The Tsuranga Conundrum (TV story)"])

The First Doctor related that, relative to his universe's lifespan, aeons were no more than a "blink of an eye". (AUDIO: Daybreak ^[+]Loading...["Daybreak (audio story)"]) Indeed, the Doctor's universe began 13,500,020,012 years before 2109 AD, (PROSE: Transit ^[+]Loading...["Transit (novel)"]) and came to an end in either 60,000,000,000 (AUDIO: Zagreus ^[+]Loading...["Zagreus (audio story)"]) or 100,000,000,000,000 AD. (TV: Utopia ^[+]Loading...["Utopia (TV story)"]) One parallel universe survive as late as 100,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 (10³²) AD. (PROSE: The Infinity Doctors ^[+]Loading...["The Infinity Doctors (novel)"])

Short-lived species

The lifespan of someone brought back with a resurrection gauntlet seems to depend on the amount of energy in their body after the gauntlet has been destroyed. (TV: Dead Man Walking ^[+]Loading...["Dead Man Walking (TV story)"])

The firebird, a creature literally made out of fire, had a lifespan of only one minute. (TV: Immortal Sins ^[+]Loading...["Immortal Sins (TV story)"])

"Photocopy" clones of the Fourth Doctor and Leela created using the Kilbracken cloning technique had a maximum lifespan of eleven minutes. (TV: The Invisible Enemy ^[+]Loading...["The Invisible Enemy (TV story)"])

After the Tenth Doctor crossed paths with the Kotturuh, he used their science to grant them a lifespan of fifteen minutes. (PROSE: The Knight, The Fool and The Dead ^[+]Loading...["The Knight, The Fool and The Dead (novel)"])

There existed a species of fruit flies on Hoppledom VI that had a lifespan of twenty minutes. According to the Eleventh Doctor, "they don't even mate for life". (TV: The Pandorica Opens ^[+]Loading...["The Pandorica Opens (TV story)"])

The Family of Blood's species had a natural lifespan of only three months. The Tenth Doctor prolonged their lifespans to be indefinite. (TV: The Family of Blood ^[+]Loading...["The Family of Blood (TV story)"])

Vervoids could only live one year before they decayed. (TV: Terror of the Vervoids ^[+]Loading...["Terror of the Vervoids (TV story)"])

For one Sontaran, twelve years was considered a "good life". (TV: A Good Man Goes to War ^[+]Loading...["A Good Man Goes to War (TV story)"]) In one state of reality, the natural Sontaran lifespan was about fifty years. Only General Sontar ever reached this age due to being safely situated away from war on the Throneworld, with his consciousness being transferred to a new clone body each time. (PROSE: The Infinity Doctors ^[+]Loading...["The Infinity Doctors (novel)"]) At the time of his death, Brak was known to be the longest-lived Sontaran in history, with a lifespan of over eighty years. (AUDIO: Old Soldiers ^[+]Loading...["Old Soldiers (BBV audio story)"])

Force-grown clones such as Chip could only live half the lifespan of a human. (TV: New Earth ^[+]Loading...["New Earth (TV story)"])

Peladonians were lucky to live to 50 years; most miners only lived to 40. When they joined the Galactic Federation, medical technology allowed them to live to 65 years. (PROSE: Legacy ^[+]Loading...["Legacy (novel)"])

Poodles native to the dogworld planet were able to live for over 60 years. (PROSE: Mad Dogs and Englishmen ^[+]Loading...["Mad Dogs and Englishmen (novel)"])

Human lifespans

The human lifespan varied wildly throughout history. In 1898, the average life expectancy was 49 years, 9 months and 5 days. 100 years later, it was 66 years, 5 months and 33 days. The life expectancy of Shanghai was always exactly the current average life expectancy of Earth. (TV: The Blood Line ^[+]Loading...["The Blood Line (TV story)"]) There were also cases of humans having their lifespan extended artificially, such was the case of the heavily surgically altered Cassandra, who existed in the far future, and who once colloquially referred to not looking a day over two thousand. (TV: The End of the World ^[+]Loading...["The End of the World (TV story)"]) Using a time store to maintain youth, the Duchess and other former Torchwood India personnel lived for at least 100 years. (AUDIO: Golden Age ^[+]Loading...["Golden Age (audio story)"])

Miracle Day in 2011 stretched the human lifespan indefinitely, ceasing death, but not ageing, although this was only a temporary change. (TV: The New World ^[+]Loading...["The New World (TV story)"]) Similarly, Jack Harkness was rendered effectively immortal by the Bad Wolf; (TV: Utopia ^[+]Loading...["Utopia (TV story)"]) unlike the humans during Miracle Day, though, he didn't age and healed almost instantly. Because of this, Jack was known to have lived thousands of years (TV: Exit Wounds ^[+]Loading...["Exit Wounds (TV story)"]) and was suggested to be the Face of Boe, who had lived for billions of years. (TV: Last of the Time Lords ^[+]Loading...["Last of the Time Lords (TV story)"]) In an alternate timeline where he lost his immortality, Jack survived for 130 years before he died of old age. (AUDIO: The Death of Captain Jack ^[+]Loading...["The Death of Captain Jack (audio story)"])

Humans converted to pig slaves, however, barely lasted weeks. (TV: Daleks in Manhattan ^[+]Loading...["Daleks in Manhattan (TV story)"] / Evolution of the Daleks ^[+]Loading...["Evolution of the Daleks (TV story)"]) A Time Lord mind inside a human body created a shortened lifespan for both, quickly burning up the human body and lasting perhaps days. (TV: Doctor Who ^[+]Loading...["Doctor Who (TV story)"], Journey's End ^[+]Loading...["Journey's End (TV story)"]) The Doctor and Missy shared similar views on human life; that humans should be "in a state of constant panic" (TV: The Caretaker ^[+]Loading...["The Caretaker (TV story)"]) and that they were "born dying" respectively. (TV: Death in Heaven ^[+]Loading...["Death in Heaven (TV story)"]) The War Ollistra compared the human lifespan to that of a mayfly. (AUDIO: Day of the Vashta Nerada ^[+]Loading...["Day of the Vashta Nerada (audio story)"])

Long-lived species

Centuries-long lifespans

The Ood had a very long, unspecified lifespan as Ood Sigma lived through 100 years and didn't show any visible signs of age. (TV: The End of Time ^[+]Loading...["The End of Time (TV story)"])

Max Capricorn, the humanoid individual from Sto, ran Max Capricorn Cruiseliners for 176 years. (TV: Voyage of the Damned ^[+]Loading...["Voyage of the Damned (TV story)"]) Another humanoid with cybernetic implants, Nardole, was able to reach the age of at least 237 without apparent signs of ageing. (TV: Extremis ^[+]Loading...["Extremis (TV story)"])

The Dalek Emperor in the Last Great Time War implemented its plans for nearly 200 years. (TV: The Long Game ^[+]Loading...["The Long Game (TV story)"], The Parting of the Ways ^[+]Loading...["The Parting of the Ways (TV story)"])

Arcateenians were able to live for at least 200 years. They could also sustain a human host for that time, and the host would show no signs of age even long after the end of normal human lifespan. (TV: Greeks Bearing Gifts ^[+]Loading...["Greeks Bearing Gifts (TV story)"])

The Silurian lifespan was 200 to 250 years. Silurian-Sea Devil hybrids had a shorter lifespan due to cellular degradation. (PROSE: The Scales of Injustice ^[+]Loading...["The Scales of Injustice (novel)"])

The average Ice Warrior lifespan was 300 years, (PROSE: GodEngine ^[+]Loading...["GodEngine (novel)"]) although some lived over 400 years. (PROSE: The Dying Days ^[+]Loading...["The Dying Days (novel)"])

Lupine Wavelength Haemovariforms could live to 300 years by taking hosts. Any alteration to the lifespan of the hosts themselves was unstated. (TV: Tooth and Claw ^[+]Loading...["Tooth and Claw (TV story)"])

Zyglots lived at least 500 years, as they only mated once during that time. (COMIC: The Time of My Life ^[+]Loading...["The Time of My Life (comic story)"])

The Pied Piper lived for over 700 years. (TV: The Day of the Clown ^[+]Loading...["The Day of the Clown (TV story)"])

Zygons could live for centuries. One group of Zygons crashed in Devil's Punchbowl during the 12th century and remained there until the 1970s, approximately 800 years. (TV: Terror of the Zygons ^[+]Loading...["Terror of the Zygons (TV story)"])

The Jixen had a lifespan of 800 years. (TV: Regeneration ^[+]Loading...["Regeneration (TV story)"])

Ockorans were able to live for hundreds of years. (PROSE: The Final Sanction ^[+]Loading...["The Final Sanction (novel)"])

According to the Doradans, the Masters of Dorada came to their world "many, many generations ago" and thousands of them were still living. (PROSE: The Dream Masters ^[+]Loading...["The Dream Masters (short story)"])

Millennia-long lifespans

The inhabitants of Anu had lifespans of almost a thousand years. (PROSE: Timewyrm: Genesys ^[+]Loading...["Timewyrm: Genesys (novel)"])

The King Vampire, a Great Vampire that lay in E-Space, along with its life-extended human minions, lived for at least one thousand years. (TV: State of Decay ^[+]Loading...["State of Decay (TV story)"])

Biologically incapable of dying, Dalek mutants could live for millennia, even after their bodies had liquified. (TV: The Witch's Familiar ^[+]Loading...["The Witch's Familiar (TV story)"]) In an alternate timeline, one Dalek remained operational for four thousand centuries. (AUDIO: The Lights of Skaro ^[+]Loading...["The Lights of Skaro (audio story)"]) Another operated for billions of years. (TV: Twice Upon a Time ^[+]Loading...["Twice Upon a Time (TV story)"])

When Rory Williams existed as an Auton, he lived for over 1800 years, with no access to Auton-derived technology to maintain himself. (TV: The Big Bang ^[+]Loading...["The Big Bang (TV story)"])

The Time Lords had extremely long lifespans. One Time Lord lived to at least 7000 years. (PROSE: Lungbarrow ^[+]Loading...["Lungbarrow (novel)"]) Professor Chronotis lived for nearly 13,000 years; although he was considered extremely elderly, and had retired. (PROSE: Shada ^[+]Loading...["Shada (novelisation)"]) The Second Doctor stated that Time Lords could live forever "barring accidents." (TV: The War Games ^[+]Loading...["The War Games (TV story)"]) Missy stated that since Time Lords live so long, befriending shorter-lived species was "cradle robbing." (TV: World Enough and Time ^[+]Loading...["World Enough and Time (TV story)"]) During the era that preceded the construction of the Matrix, the average Time Lord lifespan was said to be roughly 4,000 to 5,000 years. (PROSE: A Brief History of Time Lords ^[+]Loading...["A Brief History of Time Lords (novel)"])

Osirans were able to live for thousands of years. (TV: Pyramids of Mars ^[+]Loading...["Pyramids of Mars (TV story)"])

Prisoner Zero's species were able to live for thousands of years. They considered twelve years to be "a pit stop." (TV: The Eleventh Hour ^[+]Loading...["The Eleventh Hour (TV story)"])

Gorgons were able to live for thousands of years and when inhabiting a human host; the host had a prolonged lifespan of 200 years. (TV: Eye of the Gorgon ^[+]Loading...["Eye of the Gorgon (TV story)"])

The Ogri were able to live for thousands of years. (TV: The Stones of Blood ^[+]Loading...["The Stones of Blood (TV story)"])

The Ukkans could live for millennia. (TV: Lost Library of Ukko ^[+]Loading...["Lost Library of Ukko (TV story)"])

The Editor of Satellite Five stated the Mighty Jagrafess of the Holy Hadrojassic Maxarodenfoe would have lived for three thousand years. The Jagrafess itself had overseen the Satellite for ninety-one years. (TV: The Long Game ^[+]Loading...["The Long Game (TV story)"])

Ux had a lifespan of thousands of years. Between 2018 and 5425, Andinio and Delph showed no signs of ageing. (TV: The Battle of Ranskoor Av Kolos ^[+]Loading...["The Battle of Ranskoor Av Kolos (TV story)"])

Tregannans lived for hundreds of thousands of years. (AUDIO: The Spectre of Lanyon Moor ^[+]Loading...["The Spectre of Lanyon Moor (audio story)"])

The parasite possessing the human Sam Doyle halted Sam's ageing, letting him live to 100, while the parasite itself lived for at least 150 million years. (AUDIO: Submission ^[+]Loading...["Submission (audio story)"])

House implied that he lived for at least half a million years. (TV: The Doctor's Wife ^[+]Loading...["The Doctor's Wife (TV story)"])

At least one member of Boekind lived slightly less than five billion years. (TV: The Long Game ^[+]Loading...["The Long Game (TV story)"], Gridlock ^[+]Loading...["Gridlock (TV story)"])

The Carrionites lived for billions of years. (TV: The Shakespeare Code ^[+]Loading...["The Shakespeare Code (TV story)"])

Divine and demonic entities were virtually immortal. The Olympians could live for an indefinite length of time. (COMIC: The Life Bringer! ^[+]Loading...["The Life Bringer! (comic story)"]) The Ancient Lights waited carefully for thirteen billion years. (TV: Secrets of the Stars ^[+]Loading...["Secrets of the Stars (TV story)"]) The Beast, Abaddon, Pwccm and other, similar creatures were also able to live for billions of years. (TV: The Satan Pit ^[+]Loading...["The Satan Pit (TV story)"], End of Days ^[+]Loading...["End of Days (TV story)"], PROSE: The Twilight Streets ^[+]Loading...["The Twilight Streets (novel)"])

Until their encounter with the First Doctor, which led to Sharlan injecting an ultimately lethal sample of Barbara Wright's blood into their people, the Ashtallans had no concept of a lifespan, noting to the Doctor that they had always existed and always would exist. (AUDIO: The Invention of Death ^[+]Loading...["The Invention of Death (audio story)"])