Dr. Who Season 6 — Revelations

Moffat_BBCThe Official BBC Doctor Who site is featuring an interview with series producer Steven Moffat.
Asked how season six of the revived DOCTOR WHO will differ from last year, they recieved an intriguing reply.  

“Well, we’ve moved through the funfair a bit— we’ve done the rollercoaster, now we’re on the ghost train. Last year, in a way, was all about saying, don’t worry, it’s still him, it’s still the same show, nothing’s really been lost. Losing a leading man like David Tennant is seismic —unless you gain a leading man like Matt Smith.
It’s been the biggest joy to see him stride in and just claim that TARDIS for his own. But now he’s really here, and the part is his, and the bow tie is cool, he’s ready to lead us places we didn’t know existed. Last year we reassured you – this year, to hell with that, we’re going to worry the hell out of you. How well do we really know that man, or what he’s capable of? We’re putting the Who? back in the Doctor.

Oh, there’s a big story being told this year, and major mysteries from the very off. As ever, in this show, the stories all stand alone, and every episode is a perfect jumping-on point for a new viewer. But at the same time the over-arching plot will be a bigger player this year. More than hints and whispers— we’re barely ten minutes into episode one before our heroes face a dilemma that they’ll be staring at months from now. And there will be no easy answers.”

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Click to Enlarge

Questioned whether there will be new monsters, the writer/producer responded that there will be, indeed.

“They’re … scary. Very scary. And, ohh, I don’t want to say more —there’s the Silence in 1 & 2, the Siren, in episode 3, the Gangers in 5 & 6, all these are more than just freaky costumes and masks; there are SCARY ideas here. And just wait till you meet Idris in episode 4.
… But it’s not JUST scary – it’s funny and moving and revelling in its own insanity too. “

Asked how the characters have evolved, Steven Moffat replied:
“The big difference, I suppose, is how long the Doctor is hanging around in the lives of his Companions. His normal MO is get them while they’re young, and leave them while they’re young too. He’s careful to put them back where he found them, before he screws up their lives. But here he is, married couple on board—and much as he loves them both, he does wonder if it isn’t time he got out of the way. Before something really BAD happens.

Regarding the mid-season break, which will end in a cliff-hanger, the producer emphasized a difference.

“Normally our cliff-hangers are lives being threatened. With this one, three lives are changed FOREVER.”
 

'Doctor Who' Season 6 Trailer

Courtesy of the BBC, here’s the full-length Season Six trailer for DOCTOR WHO.
 

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Click to Enlarge

DOCTOR WHO’s two-episode season premiere will be Saturday, April 23rd at 9:00 PM/8 Central on BBC America, begining with Part One, The Impossible Astronaut.
Matt Smith returns as the Doctor along with, Karen Gillan as companion Amy Pond,  Arthur Darville (Rory), and Alex Kingston as the enigmatic River Song.  

'Dr. Who' Season 6 "Prequel"

Via BBC One and Doctor Who TV comes this teaser that the BBC is calling a prequel to Season Six’s DOCTOR WHO premiere episode, The Imposible Astronaut.
Written by series producer Steven Moffat, this preview stars Stuart Milligan, best known in the UK for the TV series JOHNATHAN CREEK, but a familiar voice to comic book fans in the US as the voice of Superman/Clark Kent in the 1993 SUPERMAN LIVES audio drama  made by BBC Radio. (And the Riddler in 1994’s Batman BBC Radio adaptation KNIGHTFALL.)
The Impossible Astronaut premieres April 23rd in the UK and on BBC America here.

Doctor Who Season 6 Premeire

Entertainment Weekly was the first to announce that DOCTOR WHO’s Season Six premiere on BBC America will begin Saturday, April 23rd at 9 p.m ET.
That will part one of a two-part season premeire, writen by producer opener  Steven Moffat (SHERLOCK).
The premeire show is the first to bring the principal cast on location to the USA, though episodes set in the US, and second unit work have be done before. The Fox pilot movie with the seventh (Sylvester McCoy) and eighth (Paul McGann) Doctors was shot in Canada, though set in San Fransico.
The story is described thusly:

 “The Doctor (Matt Smith), and his companions Amy (Karen Gillan) and Rory (Arthur Darvill), find themselves on a secret summons that takes them on an adventure from the desert in Utah — right to the Oval Office in 1969.”

Familiar  location  Mounment Valley, seen in such classics as THE SEARCHERS, serves as a setting. Actor Mark Sheppard (SUPERNATURAL, BATTLESTAR GALACTICA) guest stars.

DOCTOR WHO Season 6 Art
DOCTOR WHO Season 6 Art

 In a new development for the show, the Sixth season will be split, with seven episodes broadcast this Spring, and the remaining six scheduled for the Fall. Producer Moffat amusingly notes that this will allow him to have two premieres and two dramatic season finales for the year.

'Doctor Who' Production Clip

In this behind the scenes footage by “Timeboyy”, Matt Smith’s Doctor seems to have discovered a robotic Cybermat — a kind of spy/killer device of the cybernetic Cybermen, in a British shop with returning guest star James Corden as Craig Owens (Season Five’s The Lodger).
It’s for the sixth season two-part episode entitled The House of Fraser.
According to DoctorWhoTV, it’s  rumored that the seventh episode will feature the Cybermen  capturing the Doctor, freezing him and taking him away. This will be a mid-season cliff-hanger break, a first for the series.  

Cybermat, new green topcoat.
Cybermat, new green topcoat.

When the series returns after a hiatus, the episode will begin wil the Doctor’s companions, Amy, Rory and River Song, searching for him.
Not confirmed, but it does fit in with writer/producer Steven Moffat’s announced plans for a dramatic mid-season finale.

Steven Moffat's Jekyll: Cinefantastique Podcast Spotlight #2

Bloody Good Monster: James Nesbitt as JEKYLL.
Bloody Good Monster: James Nesbitt in JEKYLL.

And the dream comes true for one young, idealistic podcast host. After months of campaigning, Dan finally gets a chance to bring Steven Moffat’s (DOCTOR WHO) BBC series, JEKYLL, to the table for an extended discussion. Listen in as CFQ editor Steve Biodrowski and theofantastique.com‘s John W. Morehead join Dan Persons in a spirited and detailed appraisal of this updated sequel to Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic novella, and learn whether this radical reenvisioning — featuring standout performances by James Nesbitt (BLOODY SUNDAY) and Gina Bellman (COUPLING), plus corporate conspiracies, weird science and, oh yes, lesbian private detectives — is worth your time.

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Dr. Who Christmas – Plot Details

BBC official synopsis for DOCTOR WHO’s Christmas Special, A Christmas Carol:

Amy and Rory are trapped on a crashing space liner, and the only way The Doctor can rescue them is to save the soul of a lonely old miser, in a festive edition of the time-travelling adventure, written by Steven Moffat.
But is Kazran Sardick, the richest man in Sardicktown, beyond redemption? And what is lurking in the fogs of Christmas Eve?

DoctorWhoChristmasCarol_1

 
Amy Pond is played by Karen Gillan, Rory Williams by Arthur Darvill, The Doctor by Matt Smith and Kazran Sardick by Michael Gambon. (Opera singer Katherine Jenkins makes her first acting appearance).

A slight touch of deja vue here, the 2007 Christmas special, Voyage of the Damned,  featured the 10th Doctor (David Tennant) dealing with a space liner version of The Titanic and the acting debut of singer Kylie Minogue.

Dr. Who Does 'A Christmas Carol'

BBC America announced that it will be premiering the DOCTOR WHO Christmas Special A Christmas Carol on the same day it airs in the UK—Christmas Day!

BBC AMERICA TO PREMIERE
DOCTOR WHO SPECIAL ON CHRISTMAS DAY

Harry Potter’s Michael Gambon Guest Stars in the Holiday-Themed Adventure
Following Matt Smith’s appearance on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson on Tuesday November 16, BBC AMERICA announces that the new Doctor Who Christmas Special will premiere in the U.S. for the first time on Christmas Day. The festive Dickens-inspired adventure, A Christmas Carol, is penned by award-winning lead writer and executive producer Steven Moffat (Sherlock, Coupling) and premieres Saturday, December 25, 9:00 pm ET.

Behid the Scenes Photo © BBC Television
Behind the Scenes Photo © BBC Television

Newlyweds Amy Pond (Karen Gillan) and Rory Williams (Arthur Darvill) are joined by Harry Potter’s Michael Gambon and Opera diva Katherine Jenkins, for what may be the Doctor’s most Christmassy adventure yet.
Lead Writer and Executive Producer, Steven Moffat, commented on the upcoming special: “Oh, we’re going for broke with this one. It’s all your favorite Christmas movies at once, in an hour, with monsters. And the Doctor. And a honeymoon. And … oh, you’ll see. I’ve honestly never been so excited about writing anything. I was laughing madly as I typed along to Christmas songs in April. My neighbors loved it so much they all moved away and set up a website demanding my execution. But I’m fairly sure they did it ironically.”
Perry Simon, General Manager, Channels, added: “Doctor Who has become a key part of the BBC AMERICA schedule, and having the opportunity to air A Christmas Carol on Christmas Day is like receiving our very own holiday gift. The Timelord may travel through time and space, but he’s certainly found a home at BBC AMERICA.”
Doctor Who is currently filming in Utah for next season’s two-part premiere set in the U.S. during the late ‘60s. Matt Smith, Karen Gillan, Arthur Darvill, Alex Kingston and guest star Mark Sheppard are all in production stateside. The next season premieres spring 2011 on BBC AMERICA.
In the run up to A Christmas Carol on Christmas Day, BBC AMERICA will be running a marathon of the series, beginning at midnight on December 24 and leading up to this year’s special. The marathon includes previous Christmas specials and a selection of favorite Doctor Who episodes from recent seasons.
Christmas Day will also see the premiere the Doctor Who Prom, a live concert featuring stars Matt Smith, Karen Gillan and Arthur Darvill as hosts. The Doctor Who Prom was filmed earlier this year at the world renowned Royal Albert Hall and features appearances from the Weeping Angels, Daleks and the TARDIS. The BBC National Orchestra of Wales, who record the soundtrack for the series, present a selection of intergalactic music – including Murray Gold’s music from the TV show, plus a selection of classical favorites.
Fans can catch up on the new Doctor’s first season with Doctor Who: The Complete Fifth Series Blu-ray and DVD, both are now available in stores.

Dr. Who 'Meanwhile…' — Clip

From the DOCTOR WHO: The Complete Fifth Series Limited Edition Box Set (available from the CFQ Store, ) come two “Meanwhile in The TARDIS” mini-episodes.
Shot especially for the DVD, and written by writer/producer Steven Moffat, they fill in some humorous gaps of the Doctor (Matt Smith), and companion Amy Pond (Karen Gillan) getting to know each other.

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Click to Purchase

The first vignette is set  between “The Eleventh Hour” and “The Beast Below”. 
Amy Pond freaks about a bit about the nature of the TARDIS and the Doctor — who’s heard it all before, but perhaps not as manically.
We’ll post the second one tomorrow.
Via DoctorWhoTV