Series 6 (Doctor Who)

Series 6 — 2010-11
Doctor:	Eleventh Doctor
Companions:	Amy, Rory, River, Craig
Key crew
Executive producer(s):	Steven Moffat, Piers Wenger, Beth Willis
Producer(s):	Sanne Wohlenberg Marcus Wilson Denise Paul
Series details
Start date:	25 December 2010
End date:	1 October 2011
Premiere network:	BBC One
Typical episode length:	45'
More info
Main DWM coverage in issues:	428, 429, 430, 432, 433, 434, 435, 437, 438, 439
Main DWMSE coverage in issues:	29, 30, 31
Confidential:	Series 6 (CON)
Action figures for this series
One more trailer
Memorable moment
Another memorable moment
← Previous	5
Next →	7

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

main

• The Eleventh Doctor - Matt Smith
• Amy Pond - Karen Gillan, Caitlin Blackwood
• Rory Williams - Arthur Darvill

recurring

• 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

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.
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.
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, Strax and Jenny.

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. First appearance of the Teselecta.
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.
11	The God Complex	Toby Whithouse	Nick Hurran		Amy and Rory leave the Doctor. Cameo appearance of the Weeping Angels.
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.
13	The Wedding of River Song	Steven Moffat	Jeremy Webb	Prequel	Reappearance of Amy, Rory, River Song, Winston Churchill, Charles Dickens, Dorium, the Silence and Kovarian. In-episode dialogue confirms Brigadier Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart has passed away.

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

• The Eye of the Jungle
• Blackout
• The Art of Death
• Darkstar Academy

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. Both parts were released as a box set on November 22 with the Night and the Doctor minisodes and the Doctor Who Confidential cutdowns. Omitted from the set, however, was the international version of the opening credits with the Amy Pond narration.