The Impossible Astronaut

The Impossible Astronaut is the first episode of Doctor Who Series 6. It is the first episode of 2-part story starring Matt Smith as the 11th Doctor, Karen Gillan as Amy Pond and Arthur Darvill as Rory Williams. This episode features River Song and the Silence. Check out the latest dvd.

The story is set in America and you will see the Doctor wearing a Stetson.

The Impossible Astronaut was written by Steven Moffat and directed by Toby Haynes. It will be shown on the 23 April 2011 in the UK on BBC One, in the U.S. on BBC America. It will premiere in Australia on ABC 1 on the 30th of April 2011, one week later.

 Cast:                      Matt Smith (Eleventh Doctor)

 Companions:        Karen Gillan (Amy Pond)
                          Arthur Darvill (Rory Williams)

 Guests:                  Alex Kingston (River Song)
                          Stuart Milligan (Richard Nixon)
                          Mark Sheppard (Canton Everett Delaware III)

 Length:                 45 minutes, 1st of 2-part story

The working title for episode 1 was The Year of the Moon while episode 2 was Look Behind You.

The story is set in America and you will see the Doctor wearing a Stetson.

Four envelopes, numbered 2, 3 and 4, each containing a date, time and map reference, unsigned, but TARDIS blue. Who sent them? And who received the missing number one? This strange summons reunites the Doctor, Amy, Rory and River Song in the middle of the Utah desert and unveils a terrible secret the Doctor’s friends must never reveal to him. Placing his life entirely in their hands, the Doctor agrees to search for the recipient of the fourth envelope – just who is Canton Everett Delaware the Third? And what is the relevance of their only other clue: ‘Space 1969′? Their quest lands them – quite literally – in the Oval Office, where they are enlisted by President Nixon himself to assist enigmatic former-FBI agent Canton (Mark Sheppard), in saving a terrified little girl from a mysterious spaceman.

The story continues in Episode 2 (Part 2) 'Day of the Moon'.

This episode Preceded by Followed by 'Space' and 'Time' (mini episodes) and 'A Christmas Carol' (episode)
 

Someone will die in the first 10 minutes? But who?

The big teaser they're using to promote the series – and the subject of the four covers of this month's Doctor Who Magazine - and that's that one of the show's four leads; The Doctor, Amy Pond, Rory Williams and River Song, will die. Well that happens, it happens early, it's devastating and it's a proper death, with a funeral and everything.

The Silence

After much speculation the new alien menace “The Silence” finally arrive in Doctor Who. Looking someone like a cross between traditional depictions of ET’s and Men In Black it is believed that once they have been seen, if the person looks away again they forget that they have even spotted one. Makes for an intriguing concept much in the same vein as The Weeping Angels. They have also been described by Matt Smith as the scariest aliens the show has ever seen. Quite a claim.

River Song’s Identity

River Song’s identity maybe  be revealed in this story. Since the first screening of Silence in the Library in 2008, people having been speculating who River Song is and there have been numerous theories. Even a song has been written by Vic Stathopoulos called 'Who is River Song'.

Doctor Who set in the USA

Although the Doctor has journeyed to America before in story line terms there has never been any actual filming there. This time the Doctor and crew visit the USA during the 1960’s when space exploration was literally taking off. The barren plains of the Utah deserts will give the story a breathtaking backdrop and the mysteriously named Lake Silencio surely has references to the “Silence will fall” theme of last series. Therefore it is likely that once again a story arc will bleed throughout the entire series. In fact that leads to the next point.
 

Prequel

On 25 March 2011, a short exclusive scene serving as a 'prequel' for the first episode was released on the show's official website. The prequel depicted Richard Nixon (portrayed by Stuart Milligan) receiving a recorded phone call of a girl's voice while sitting in the Oval Office. The girl, whose voice the president appears to recognise from a previous call, begs him to 'look behind you', warning him that there is something there. The president angrily refuses and the line goes dead; the camera then pans around him to show a silhouetted figure standing to the president's right.