Series 6 (Doctor Who)


 * For the 6th season of the original series, see Season 6.



Series 6 of Doctor Who, sometimes known as Season 32 to avoid confusion with Season 6, is expected to air on BBC One in Spring and Autumn 2011. DWM Issue 419 has confirmed that it has 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 started in July 2010. This series was preceded by a 2010 Christmas Special, written by Steven Moffat. The series will be split into two pieces, first airing sometime around Easter. It will then stop after episode seven is aired. It will pick up from episode eight in the Autumn, and run through to episode thirteen. Short prequels were released on the official site to publicise the series.

Cast
It has been confirmed that Matt Smith will return as the Eleventh Doctor. Producers also confirmed that Karen Gillan will return as Amy Pond and Arthur Darvill will stay for the full series as Rory Williams, the first male companion to do so since 1975. Alex Kingston will also return as River Song, with her character revealing her true identity to the Doctor.

Primary cast

 * Eleventh Doctor - Matt Smith
 * Amy Pond - Karen Gillan
 * Rory Williams - Arthur Darvill

Secondary cast

 * River Song - Alex Kingston

Casting notes

 * Steven Moffat confirmed on Doctor Who Confidential that River Song's identity and background story will be revealed in Series 6.
 * Steven also stated that the unanswered questions of Series 5 - the Time Field cracks, the silence, and the mysterious external force that took control of the TARDIS and tried to make it explode - will play a role.
 * There are currently no plans to bring back Paul McGann or any other Doctors.
 * James Corden will be reprising his role as Craig Owens in an expected sequel of The Lodger. Gareth Roberts will be writing the episode.
 * Idris, appearing in The Doctor's Wife, will coincidentally be playing his wife.

Aliens and enemies

 * Kazran Sardick
 * Sky shark
 * Sky fish

Writers
Neil Gaiman has confirmed that he is writing an episode for the first half of this series. Gaiman told BBC News that his episode was originally titled The House of Nothing and was said to be the third episode of Series 6 on Neil Gaiman's twitter page. However, it was later revealed that Steve Thompson would be writing the third episode and Gaiman's episode pushed back to the fourth. Steven Moffat will return as Executive Producer and Head Writer and will write six episodes, including the 2010 Christmas special. It has been rumoured that Tom MacRae and Paul Cornell are writing for Series 6, though Cornell denied the rumour.
 * Steven Moffat (6 episodes - Including the Christmas Special)
 * Steve Thompson (1 episode)
 * Neil Gaiman (1 episode)
 * Matthew Graham (2 episodes)
 * Mark Gatiss (1 episode)
 * Toby Whithouse (1 episode)
 * Gareth Roberts (1 episode)
 * Tom Macrae (1 episode)

Directors

 * Toby Haynes
 * Richard Clark
 * Adam Smith
 * Peter Hoar
 * Edgar Wright (Not confirmed)
 * Jeremy Webb
 * Nick Hurran
 * Steve Hughes

New crew
DWM 424 confirmed on page 5 the following:
 * Sanne Wohlenberg will take over as Producer for Blocks One and Two.
 * Michael Pickwoad will be the new Production designer.
 * Barbara Kidd will be the new Costume designer.
 * Di Barton will be the new Line producer.

Production notes

 * Piers Wenger and Beth Willis will be staying as Executive producers.
 * Richard Clark will direct two episodes; the episode written by Neil Gaiman (originally third, moved to fourth), and the episode written by Mark Gatiss (originally fourth, moved to ninth).

Television stories
The first episode will air in the UK on the 23rd April It will air in the United States on BBC America on the same day.

Regular season
The series has been commissioned for 13 episodes, with 7 episodes being broadcast in Spring 2011 and the remaining 6 episodes in Autumn 2011. This is the first time this has happened in the 47 year history of Doctor Who, with the series usally being aired in just one block over a period of around 3-4 months.

Episode notes
''An army of monsters from outer space will make a carbon copy of the handsome Doctor as they invade Earth. However, the Time Lord will only discover the clone when he comes face to face with himself as he investigates the alien invasion, and tries to foil the extra-terrestrial beings’ plans to take over the world. His companions Amy and Rory also become confused when they can’t work out which is the real Doctor and which is his double, and whom they should be taking instructions from.'' The Doctor and his companions Amy and Rory, find themselves on a secret summons that takes them on an adventure from the desert in Utah, right to the Oval Office in 1969 
 * Steven Moffat will write 6 episodes: A Christmas Carol, Episodes One and Two, Episode seven and Episode Eight and Episode Thirteen
 * Episodes 12 and 13 will be a two parter
 * During an interview with Neil Gaiman on BBC breakfast he revealed that his episode is "very spooky" and that fans "are likely to be biting their nails off by the end".
 * On his blog, writer Neil Gaiman released a short conversation between Amy and the Doctor that did not meet the final cut in the episode wrote, also confirming that he had finished it.
 * On-set photos for episode nine showed some new doll-like monsters which may be featuring in episode three, as that was due to be set in a doll's house.
 * For the first time in the revived series, it will open with a two-parter, in which the Doctor, Amy and Rory arrive in Utah in the 1960′s and get caught up in an adventure that marks the return of River Song.
 * There will be a three-month wait between the series split.
 * It has been announced that Mark Gatiss' episode is now episode nine, Neil Gaiman's episode is now episode four and a new episode, written by Steve Thompson, will be episode three.
 * Episode 9, which was rumoured to be called What are Little Boys Made of? will now be called either House Call or Night Terror
 * A synopsis of "The Rebel Flesh" and "Gangers" has been released:
 * Matt Smith has stated that there will be a 2011 Christmas Special
 * Episode one was going to be called 'The Year of the Moon' and episode two was 'Look Behind You'. These have now been changed to 'The Impossible Astronaut' and 'Day of the Moon' respectively.
 * Episode seven, originally entitled 'Demon's Run' will be changed to either 'A Good Man Goes to War' or 'His Darkest Hour  
 * Three prequels, for three different episodes, one of which is the opening episode will be shown on the official site before they are broadcast.
 * Steven Moffat confirmed that the question Amy was going to ask the Doctor in Space will return in Series 6.
 * The official synopsis (according to the BBC America TV Schedule) of "The Impossible Astronaut" is:

Rumours

 * In The Brilliant Book, several "hints" about Series 6 were revealed.
 * Matt Smith will leave after the 2011 series, a rumour picked up by several other media sources..
 * This has been denied by Matt Smith and Karen Gillan
 * Another BBC insider said that Smith will stay until the 50th anniversary of the show, in 2013.
 * Karen Gillan is leaving the series and Amy Pond will be killed off at the climax to the spring half of the series.
 * Matt Smith has denied the rumours that Amy will die, or that Karen is leaving.
 * However, the rumours have resurfaced after Matt Smith gave an interview for Big Issue, which hinted at her departure
 * Matt Smith was being measured for a new outfit.
 * He was later seen on set donning a new tweed jacket, but there were no major changes to the outfit, though the elbow patches were gone.
 * A new outfit will appear, which removed the tweed jacket and is replaced with a green coat
 * River Song will die.
 * This would be difficult as she already died in DW: Forest of the Dead.
 * The Celestial Toymaker will return.
 * The Daleks may return in their "old" form.
 * Steven Moffat has stated that the Daleks are not likely to return for Series 6, but, when they do return, the "old" Daleks will feature.
 * Viewers will see more of the Doctor's TARDIS.
 * We will see River Song as a child.
 * Dutch actor Marnix Van Den Broek is rumoured to play a character known as "The Silent". Given the similarity in name to the Silence, it is rumoured that they are the same character.
 * We will learn of the identity of River Song.
 * This is rumoured to be the cliffhanger to the Spring season.
 * The Doctor will meet a President of the USA.
 * This is now going to be Richard Nixon.
 * Skaro may be revisited.
 * One of the episodes will feature a "future Doctor".
 * There are rumours about Neil Gaiman's story being set in a giant doll's house this also seems more likely due to the working title of his story being "The House of Nothing".
 * There will be a episode with an Egyptian theme.
 * This looks more positive now that a rumour has surfaced about the redesigned classic Cybermen returning, mummified in an Egyptian tomb, which will be written by Steven Thompson.
 * There will possibly be an episode set in an Ice Base.
 * The Mara will return.
 * The Weeping Angels will return.
 * There will be a one-off Easter special.
 * The TARDIS will be cloned.
 * We will find out who River Song killed. Steven Moffat has said "a good man will die – a good man, and a hero to many."
 * The Silence will be a completely new enemy, and won't be a villain that has been seen before.
 * Neil Gaiman's story will contain something - or someone - that we have not seen since The War Games.
 * The enemy in episode nine will be called "House" or "The House".
 * Cybermen will appear.
 * The Cybermen will be newly designed Cybermen.
 * In episode seven, the Cybermen will be planning to trap and capture the Doctor, before freezing him.
 * Cyberman may appear in episode six, entitled 'Gangers' had it is speculated that episodes six leads into episode seven
 * Cybermen will appear in episodes twelve and thirteen
 * Rory and Amy will leave the Doctor.
 * Amy will become pregnant.
 * Amy and Rory will have a major fallout
 * The Clerics from The Time of Angels and Flesh and Stone will return.
 * The end of episode 7 will be reminiscent to Star Wars Episode V.
 * This is rumoured to be something similar to Carbon freezing.
 * Craig Owens may travel in the TARDIS.
 * Episode 12 will feature a character looking back to their childhood
 * Craig Owens has had a baby.
 * Cyberships will appear in episode 12.
 * Amy will be unnaturally aged in one episode.
 * Silurians will appear in episode seven.
 * The Pandorica Alliance will return in episode seven.
 * It is rumoured that the second episode will air the day after the first.
 * It is rumoured Jenny will return, this time in her second incarnation.
 * Suranne Jones's Idris from episode four is the Doctor's wife.

DVD and Blu-ray release
The DVD release of Series 6 will be in two parts, unlike the past series which was released in four to five parts. Part One, which will contain episodes one to seven will be released in Summer, shortly after the airing of episode seven. Part Two will be released in the Autumn, shortly after episode thirteen is aired. Both parts will be released as a box set at the end of the year.