Series 6 (Doctor Who 2005)
Series 6 of Doctor Who, occasionally known as season 32 to avoid confusion with season 6, was aired in 2011. DWM 419 confirmed that it had been commissioned by the BBC, and producer Piers Wenger also announced the same at the BBC Press Launch for series 5 in March 2010.
Filming began in July 2010. This series was preceded by a 2010 Christmas special written by Steven Moffat, A Christmas Carol. The series was split into two sections, with the first episode, The Impossible Astronaut, airing on 23 April 2011. It paused after the seventh episode, A Good Man Goes to War, was aired on 4 June 2011. The series picked up with the eighth episode, Let's Kill Hitler, on 27 August 2011 and ran through to the final, thirteenth episode, The Wedding of River Song on 1 October 2011. Short prequels were released on the official site to publicise the series, the first time such brief productions had been made since the Tardisodes of series 2.
Series 6 was the first series of the revival in which neither the Doctor nor the companion were new.
For the first time since the 1970s, the version of the series syndicated outside the UK contained a major difference: the opening credits of most episodes of Series 6 broadcast in Canada, US, Australia and Israel were preceded by a special introductory narration by Karen Gillan (as Amy Pond) explaining the concept of the series, with footage taken from Series 5 episodes.
Overview
The story arc of this series involves River Song's true identity, revelations of the mysterious Silence referenced in series 5 and apparent death of the Eleventh Doctor.
Series 6 began with the Eleventh Doctor inviting Amy Pond, Rory Williams and River Song to a picnic in Utah using blue envelopes, where a figure clad in an Apollo spacesuit shoots the Doctor and kills him before he can regenerate. After burning the Doctor's body, the companions find the Doctor alive and well in a café; the Doctor that was shot and killed was a future version, and he apparently invited his companions and past self to instigate a plan in 1969 America. The rest of the series makes references to the future Doctor's plan and his apparently final death.
The Silence was also revealed in this series; they are a religious order dedicated to eliminating the Doctor before he can answer "the Question".
Finally, River Song's true identity was revealed, a mystery that has been present ever since her introduction in Silence in the Library in 2008. Whilst there have subtle clues and plot points concerning a mysterious little girl, Amy's seemingly failed pregnancy and a lady with an eye patch throughout the first half of the series, the mystery was finally revealed in A Good Man Goes to War; River Song is Amy and Rory's daughter, raised and indoctrinated by the Silence for the sole purpose of assassinating the Doctor. Because she was conceived within the TARDIS during flight she absorbed the energy of the Time Vortex, making her human, but with a Time Lord's capability of regenerating. Her Time Lord-like physiology and abilities also made her the perfect assassin for the Doctor.
The series concluded with the final outcome of the Doctor's plan throughout the series; the spacesuit-clad figure who killed the Doctor was River Song, with the Silence-modified spacesuit forcing her to commit the deed. However, the Doctor had faked his own death and made it a fixed point in time in order to trick the Silence, getting them off his back at least for a while. Whilst most of the universe is convinced that the Doctor is dead once and for all, a handful of individuals including his companions know otherwise.
However, there were still unresolved matters following the conclusion of the series; the Silence, whilst their numbers have fallen, are still present and they may still learn later that the Doctor was not killed. This series has also addressed a mystery that has been part of Doctor Who since its creation and one that head writer Steven Moffat has mentioned in at least two episodes (The Girl in the Fireplace and Forest of the Dead). The oldest question in the Universe is revealed to be "Doctor who?"
Cast
Recurring
- The Eleventh Doctor - Matt Smith
- Amy Pond - Karen Gillan, Caitlin Blackwood
- Rory Williams - Arthur Darvill
- River Song - Alex Kingston
- Madame Kovarian - Frances Barber
- Silents - Marnix Van Den Broeke
- Henry Avery - Hugh Bonneville
- Toby Avery - Oscar Lloyd
- Madame Vastra - Neve McIntosh
- Jenny - Catrin Stewart
- Strax - Dan Starkey
- Dorium Maldovar - Simon Fisher Becker
- Craig Owens - James Corden
- Sophie - Daisy Haggard
- Winston Churchill - Ian McNeice
Guest
- Kazran Sardick - Michael Gambon
- Abigail Pettigrew - Katherine Jenkins
- Canton Delaware - Mark Sheppard
- Richard Nixon - Stuart Milligan
- Idris - Suranne Jones
- House - Michael Sheen
- Jennifer Lucas - Sarah Smart
- Miranda Cleaves - Raquel Cassidy
- Colonel Manton - Danny Sapani
- Lorna Bucket - Christina Chong
- Adolf Hitler - Albert Welling
- Mels - Nina Toussaint-White
- Young Rory Williams - Ezekiel Wigglesworth
- George - Jamie Oram
- Alex - Daniel Mays
- Gibbis - David Walliams
- Rita - Amara Karan
- Val - Lynda Baron
- Gantok - Mark Gatiss
Television stories
Christmas special
| Episode Number |
Title | Writer | Director | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| N/A | A Christmas Carol | Steven Moffat | Toby Haynes | First Christmas special for the Eleventh Doctor; special guest star appearance by Michael Gambon. Debut of the Eleventh Doctor's Shetland tweed ensemble. |
Spring half
| Episode Number |
Title | Writer | Director | Prequel | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 & 2 | Pt. 1: The Impossible Astronaut Pt. 2: Day of the Moon |
Steven Moffat | Toby Haynes | Prequel | First appearance of the Silence and Madame Kovarian. Return of River Song. Dedicated to Elisabeth Sladen. A future version of the Doctor appears to be killed. First appearance of Melody Pond, who later regenerates for the first time. |
| 3 | The Curse of the Black Spot | Steve Thompson | Jeremy Webb | Prequel | Debut of Henry Avery and Toby Avery. Reappearance of Kovarian. |
| 4 | The Doctor's Wife | Neil Gaiman | Richard Clark | Reappearance of the Ood. | |
| 5 & 6 | Pt. 1: The Rebel Flesh Pt. 2: The Almost People |
Matthew Graham | Julian Simpson | Reappearance of Kovarian and introduction of the Flesh concept. Amy is revealed as a Ganger, which the Doctor destroys, while the real Amy has been abducted and is about to give birth. The Doctor learns of his impending demise. | |
| 7 | Pt. 1: A Good Man Goes to War | Steven Moffat | Peter Hoar | Prequel | Return of River Song, along with the Cybermen, Judoon, Silurians, Henry Avery and Toby Avery, Danny Boy, Kovarian, The Church, the Headless monks and Dorium. First appearance of Vastra, Jenny and Strax. Birth of Melody Pond. Beheading of Dorium. River reveals her identity as Amy and Rory's daughter. |
Autumn half
| Episode Number |
Title | Writer | Director | Prequel | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | Pt. 2: Let's Kill Hitler | Steven Moffat | Richard Senior | Prequel | Conclusion to A Good Man Goes to War. Return of River Song, initially in the form of Mels, still going by the name of Melody Pond. Mels regenerates for the second time into the appearance of River Song and then gives up her regenerations to resuscitate the Doctor, adopting her new identity as River. First appearance of the Teselecta. BBC America's premiere broadcast of the episode included an extra scene which aired during a commercial break, presented in animation/motion comic format. |
| 9 | Night Terrors | Mark Gatiss | Richard Clark | Amy is turned into a living doll. First appearance of the 'Tick Tock' rhyme. | |
| 10 | The Girl Who Waited | Tom MacRae | Nick Hurran | Features two versions of Amy Pond- present and future. The older Amy later perishes. The Doctor is confined to the TARDIS for most of the episode, arguably making the serial Doctor-lite. | |
| 11 | The God Complex | Toby Whithouse | Nick Hurran | Amy and Rory leave the Doctor. Cameo appearance of the Weeping Angels. The Doctor's greatest fear is explored but left unrevealed. | |
| 12 | Closing Time | Gareth Roberts | Steve Hughes | Reintroduction of the Cybermats and return of Craig Owens, Sophie, the Cybermen, River Song, Madame Kovarian and the Silence. Amy and Rory appear in a cameo. At least 200 years have passed for the Doctor between this serial and the previous one. | |
| 13 | The Wedding of River Song | Steven Moffat | Jeremy Webb | Prequel | Reappearance of Amy, Rory, River Song, Winston Churchill, Charles Dickens, Dorium (as a head), the Silence and Kovarian. Possible death of Kovarian. In-episode dialogue confirms Brigadier Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart has passed away. Marriage of the Doctor to River. The Doctor survives the attempt on his life using the Teselecta. The River fresh from the events of the Byzantium crash appears and reveals she knew this. Introduction of the "Fall of the Eleventh" prophecy and last use of the 'Tick Tock' rhyme. |
Mini-episodes
Doctor Who Confidential mini-episode
| Episode Number |
Title | Writer | Director | Notes |
| N/A | Death Is the Only Answer | Pupils from Oakley CE Junior School | Jeremy Webb | Appearance of an Ood |
Comic Relief mini-episode
| Episode Number |
Title | Writer | Director | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| N/A | Pt. 1: Space Pt. 2: Time |
Steven Moffat | Richard Senior | First multi-part made-for-charity story of the BBC Wales series. |
DVD Box Set Mini-episodes
These five mini-episodes were released on the series 6 DVD boxset. They were all given an umbrella title of Night and the Doctor.
| Episode Number |
Title | Writer | Director | Notes |
| 1 | Bad Night | Steven Moffat | Richard Senior | While Amy and Rory sleep, the Doctor and River have adventures. |
| 2 | Good Night | Steven Moffat | Richard Senior | The Doctor and Amy talk, and the effects of the crack in time and Big Bang II on Amy's memories are explained. |
| 3 & 4 | Pt. 1: First Night Pt. 2: Last Night |
Steven Moffat | Richard Senior | Multiple Rivers and multiple Doctors intersect on the nights of their first and last dates. Last Night is set immediately before Silence in the Library from one of the River's perspective. |
| 5 | Up All Night | Tom MacRae | Unknown | Prequel to Closing Time. Reappearance of Craig Owens and Sophie. The Doctor does not appear. |
Episode notes
- Series 6 is the first series of the 2005-present revival not to include Daleks, save for a cameo appearance by the Supreme Dalek in the finale.
Adaptations and merchandising
Home media
DVD
All episodes of series 6 were released in 2011.
| name | Number and duration of episodes |
R2 release date | R4 release date | R1 release date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Doctor Who: A Christmas Carol A Christmas Carol |
1 × 60 min. | 24 January 2011 | 3 March 2011 | 15 February 2011 |
| Doctor Who: Series 6, Part 1 The Impossible Astronaut / Day of the Moon The Curse of the Black Spot The Doctor's Wife The Rebel Flesh / The Almost People A Good Man Goes to War |
6 x 45 min. 1 × 50 min. |
11 July 2011 | 4 August 2011 | 19 July 2011 |
| Doctor Who: Series 6, Part 2 Let's Kill Hitler Night Terrors The Girl Who Waited The God Complex Closing Time The Wedding of River Song |
4 x 45 min. 2 × 50 min. |
10 October 2011 | 3 November 2011 | 8 November 2011 |
| Doctor Who: The Complete Sixth Series includes A Christmas Carol |
1 x 60 min. 3 x 50 min. 10 x 45 min. |
21 November 2011 | 1 December 2011 | 22 November 2011 |
Novels
- Dead of Winter
- The Way Through the Woods
- Hunter's Moon
- Touched by an Angel
- Paradox Lost
- Borrowed Time
- The Silent Stars Go By
- Dark Horizons
Audiobooks
DVD and Blu-ray release
The DVD release of series 6 was issued in two parts, unlike the preceding series, which was released in four or five parts over the duration of the series. Part One, which contains episodes one to seven, was released on 11th July 2011, shortly after the airing of episode seven. Part Two was released in the autumn, shortly after episode thirteen was aired.[1] Both parts were released as a box set on November 22 with the Night and the Doctor minisodes and the Doctor Who Confidential cutdowns.[2] Omitted from the set, however, was the international version of the opening credits with the Amy Pond narration.
Footnotes
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