Doctor Who will be returning to our screens in a little less than a week (23 April) with the season 6 premiere "The Impossible Astronaut," and it's clear that while the Doctor may be chasing aliens, the BBC is chasing the Colonies. Although the less than lustrous Doctor Who: The Movie was set in the States, the Doctor seems drawn like a Dalek to Davros when he's on Earth to that tiny little island off the cost of France known as Britain.
If the season 6 trailer is any indication, Doctor Who will be getting even bigger, better, and scarier.
A few observations about the trailer (no real spoilers here):
- We will be hearing "Hello, sweetie" a lot this season as River Song will be a major player. We may even find out about her mysterious past.
- The overarching story will be about a new menace called "The Silence" who are responsible for the events of last season.
- There will be one or more episodes not just set, but actually filmed, in the United States.
Make no mistake, the Doctor will still be spending plenty of time in Blighty, but there will be at least a few episodes set in North America. It's not just a change in scenery, though. In addition to episodes set in my country 'tis of thee, BBC America is doing a full court press with their marketing of the show, running two page front cover ads in magazines like Spin. My feeling is this a good bet on their part. The Doctor's popularity seems to have only been growing in the US over the last few years, and this season looks like it just may be a home run for them. (I thought about continuing the sports metaphors here by making a joke here about bowling a century, but came to my senses in time. You are welcome.)
To get you ready, The Beeb have released a prequel to the first episode of the new season — a little taste of things to come — featuring Richard Nixon in the Oval office having his own Empty Child moment. At least we now know what was on those missing tapes!
