Series 6 Build Up (Was First official trailer for Series 6)

I've watched the trailer maybe a dozen times now, counting the one in C=O's post.

I'm not sure I like the sound of River's voiceover. "Darkest hour, etc."

And maybe it's just that I read one too many of Mad Larry's blog posts, but I am starting to view trademark Moffat elements like spooky everyday objects (dolls) and kids with a jaded eye.

But as long as every episode has Matt Smith, I'm on board and happy. "I've killed all of them." Ha.

How y'all been? Sorry it's only quarterly that I pop in. I'm making the rounds. Also stopped by GB for a few posts. Who knew internet posting could be so time-consuming?

Hacky! You've been absent for far too long, and I insist you stop in here more often. Besides the fact that I thoroughly enjoy your avatar, your insights and observations are always excellent grist for Wrinkly conversations.

Patrick wrote:Hacky! You've been absent for far too long, and I insist you stop in here more often. Besides the fact that I thoroughly enjoy your avatar, your insights and observations are always excellent grist for Wrinkly conversations.

What the Fast-Living One said.

*waves to Hacky*

Yup, I do like my avatar here.

Have you seen the alternate trailer with the clip of the new monster at 0:23?

Do you have a linky Mike?

This blog has a link to the video and a couple of stills:
http://lifetheuniverseandcombom.blogspot.com/2011/03/new-version-of-doctor-series-6-trailer.html

BBC America has also produced its own trailer that has some additional content. The ones I saw were pretty crappy camera phone recordings off of TV though.

Yes, the camera phone stuff simply wasn't good enough to post. Thank you for your assistance in this matter.

And now BBCAmerica have released a trailer, with Mark Sheppard doing the voice over:

Is it me, or is this one so much better than the BBC One version?

Oh, nice find, Cat! I saw this for the first time last night, myself. Excellent stuff!

*sets off in search of said trailer*

*returns having found said trailer*

Great stuff! I's likes it, my precious.

Woah. I think that looks awesome.

Far superior to the one we got over here.

Sid Seadevil wrote:Far superior to the one we got over here.

Yes, indeed.

From Den of Geek

Doctor Who series 6 episodes 1 & 2 spoiler-free review

The first two episodes of Doctor Who series 6 - The Impossible Astronaut and Day Of The Moon - were screened at the press launch of the show in London. And here's what we thought...

Firstly, a bit of business. This review of the opening two episodes of Doctor Who series 6 is spoiler-free. That, having just sat through said two episodes, is no easy task, so you’ll have to forgive me for erring on the side of caution. Hence, I’m going to be deliberately sketchy on whatever story points I talk about. Nor will there be any hidden, subtle clues I'm tucking away. For trust me on this one: this is one series opener that you don’t want spoiled for you. And I’ve no intention of doing that.

What I can tell you is this. In 90 minutes, Steven Moffat has not only laid down a fascinating, intriguing path for the show to follow over the coming months (dying to tell you more there, but can’t), he’s also put together an opening adventure that’s quite brilliantly funny, narratively intricate, contains genuine jumps (it's exceptionally creepy at times), and sets a very, very high bar for what’s to follow.

I do appreciate that few come out of an early preview of Doctor Who saying it's rubbish. But this is the real deal: if you want proof that Britain can produce world-class science-fiction television, it’s right here. And it goes out to a family audience at Saturday teatime.

Enough superlatives for the minute, though. The Impossible Astronaut and Day Of The Moon mark the first time that Doctor Who has opened a series with a multi-part episode since it was revived back in 2005. Both episodes are penned by Steven Moffat, both share the heavy lifting between four main characters (the Doctor, River Song, Amy Pond and Rory), and both are set to have you screaming at your TV sets when the credits roll (both boast excellent cliffhangers, certainly).

Moffat has tremendous fun here setting everything up, too. When we first meet Matt Smith’s Doctor, it would be fair to say that he’s not in his usual outfit, and he’s not in his usual place. And before five minutes has been clocked up, we’ve had a bit of Laurel & Hardy, an escape movie pastiche, and a series of invitations being passed around. As the episodes progress, too, the humour doesn’t let up. There’s an inspired use of a swimming pool, plenty of playing on the American location for most of the adventure, some clever lines based around real world events, and Moffat even sneaks in a “Is that a Star Trek thing?” line, and gets away with it.

But there’s very much sinister business at work, too, and here’s where the story backs into one or two of the unresolved threads from the last run of the show. It's an uneasy Doctor we meet, and what follows takes the story to some quite dark places. That means that Matt Smith’s ability to switch between light and dark at the flick of a switch is very much required. Smith, as you might expect, is more than up to the job. Yet the story hinges on four key performances, from Smith, Arthur Darvill, Karen Gillan and Alex Kingston, and not one of them lets the side down. Credit, too, to director Toby Haynes, who is on equally strong form.

I did think at the mid-way point of the story that this was the kind of adventure that could have sat later in the run in years gone past. Yet as things moved on, and more and more new and old plot threads were brought in (and one of the new plot threads at least might just melt the Internet), its positioning became clear: The Impossible Astronaut and Day Of The Moon are joining two series together, and with considerable skill. It does mean you need to pay more attention than you might be used to for such early episodes, but that's hardly a bad thing.

For let’s make no bones about this: this is a dense, tremendously ambitious and elegantly constructed way to open a series. It pushes those four core characters in very different ways, and establishes moments that I wouldn’t be surprised if we were flashing back to come the winter, when this run of Who comes to an end. In fact, I'd pretty much guarantee it. I should also point out that amidst the packed 90 minutes, there are some brilliant monsters, very much schooled in the Moffat way. And there are some excellent devices brought in to make the most of them.

You can read as much into the words above as you like, by the way, but they’ve been kept very, very vague, even if they don't appear so. Honestly.

It’s probably fair to say, by way of counter-balance, that The Impossible Astronaut and Day Of The Moon won’t win many fans amongst those who haven’t liked how Steven Moffat went about Doctor Who last year. But then we’ve not met too many people who fall into that category, quite honestly.

For everyone else, I can only endorse what you already know: Doctor Who is in exceptionally safe hands, and if you had doubts over whether the new series could live up to the last, then I’d wager they won’t be around come the end of the month.

The last word is saved, though, for the people at the BBC in charge of giving Steven Moffat future commissions and lots of money. They are the people who would be wise to follow the words of the Doctor early on in The Impossible Astronaut, when he says “Whatever happens now, you do not interfere”.

For behind Doctor Who is very clearly a genius at work. And on the basis of these two opening episodes, the show itself is in exceptional, confident form. The rest of the series certainly has an awful lot to live up to. I've a feeling it might.

Well, I read the above with increasing anticipation and excitement until I came to this

It’s probably fair to say, by way of counter-balance, that The Impossible Astronaut and Day Of The Moon won’t win many fans amongst those who haven’t liked how Steven Moffat went about Doctor Who last year. But then we’ve not met too many people who fall into that category, quite honestly.

I do wish he hadn't put that in because, given my misgivings about last series, it has put a bit of a damper on my excitement.

Hmm, I just went to the BBC website to check on something else entirely and clicked on Matt Smith talks... something or other which was pretty interesting and boosted my anticipation level back up.

Happy chance ...

Confirmed episode titles and writers

1. The Impossible Astronaut (Steven Moffat)
2. Day Of The Moon (Steven Moffat)
3. The Curse Of The Black Spot (Steve Thompson)
4. The Doctor's Wife (Neil Gaiman)
5. The Rebel Flesh (Matthew Graham)
6. The Almost People (Matthew Graham)
7. A Good Man Goes To War (Steven Moffat)

Summer Break

8. TBC (Steven Moffat)
9. What Are Little Boys Made Of? (Mark Gatiss)
10. TBC (Tom MacRae)
11. The God Complex (Toby Whithouse)
12. TBC (Gareth Roberts)
13. TBC (Steven Moffat)

C=O, does that mean only 1&2 and 5&6 are double episode stories or is there another (the finale?) which has its episodes written by different people? Or maybe he season has a different format entirely?

Well, it's difficult to judge the quality of a season based solely on the titles of the episodes. That said, I have to say I have a growing sense of anticipation about this sixth series. BBC-America are running non-stop promotions for the show, and it's having the effect of making me quite eager for the new series to get started.

andrea wrote:C=O, does that mean only 1&2 and 5&6 are double episode stories or is there another (the finale?) which has its episodes written by different people? Or maybe he season has a different format entirely?

7&8 are one story split by the summer break. Epiosde 13 and the Christmas Special may also be one story. Not sure yet.

I don't think we'll get the title of episode 8 until the credits roll on A Good Man Goes to War.

I'm liking these titles. I'm even prepared to give Mark Gatiss' story the benefit of the doubt.

I too like these titles. There's a certain lyricism that Doctor Who never really has had before...

Mark Sheppard is an excellent actor who has always added a touch of class to the numerous US genre shows he's been involved with. So having him back in a home-grown production is great news.