As Series Six of Doctor Who begins to race to its conclusion, the Doctor (Matt Smith) is on the tail end of a 200-year journey since separating from companions Amy and Rory Williams (Karen Gillan and Arthur Darvill). Before taking the steps towards his deadly encounter with the Impossible Astronaut, Madame Kovarian (Frances Barber), and the Silents, the Time Lord decides to drop in on an old friend: Craig Owens (James Corden).

But the social visit turns out to be a destiny with danger, as the Doctor begins to detect strange things afoot in a shop near Craig’s home. The two team up, and along with Craig and Sophie’s (Daisy Haggard) baby Alfie, they quickly discover a new plot from the dreaded Cybermen… and it could be a disastrous showdown.

Doctor Who
Series Six Part One
DVD | Blu-Ray
Starring Matt Smith, Karen Gillan, Arthur Darvill, Alex Kingston, Stuart Milligan, Mark Sheppard, Suranne Jones, Frances Barber
Written by Steven Moffat, Stephen Thompson, Neil Gaiman, Matthew Graham
Directed by Toby Haynes, Jeremy Webb, Richard Clark, Julian Simpson, Peter Hoar
BBC
Warner Home Video
Release Date: July 19, 2011

The BBC release of the first half of Doctor Who Series 6 presents fans a chance to grab a hold of the episodes aired this year before the second half airs on August 27. With fascination with the Time Lord at an all time high in America since the days of Tom Baker, it makes sense that the BBC would officially release Series 6 Part 1 while the time is ripe.

Series 6 of Doctor Who does not kick off immediately after the previous adventures in Series 5. Instead, some time has passed, and companions Amy Pond (Karen Gillan) and Rory Williams (Arthur Darvill) have been separated from the Doctor (Matt Smith) for an as of yet unexplained reason. The companions and River Song (Alex Kingston) obtain an invitation in TARDIS-blue envelopes to meet somewhere in the United States at a specific time.

There’s only a few weeks left before Doctor Who returns to TV, and both BBC and BBC America are ramping up promotion in the lead up to the relaunch of Series 6. The BBC has released another new trailer, a follow-up to the first teaser previewed at SDCC. You can view the new trailer at the bottom of this post.

While it’s a short teaser, it does give fans a glimpse of a lot of new footage – though not too much to spoil any surprises along the way. There are a few more people wearing an eye patch, which adds to the mystery of new villain Madame Kovarian (Frances Barber).

We also get a few glimpses of companions Amy Pond (Karen Gillan), Rory Williams (Arthur Darvill), and River Song (Alex Kingston); and of course the Doctor himself, Matt Smith.

Also, a new promotional poster has been floating around the web lately, in the run-up to the return of the show. The design is fantastic, so I figured I would also include it in this post in its full-size glory.

Doctor Who
Series 6, Episode 7: A Good Man Goes to War
Directed by Peter Hoar
Written by Steven Moffat
Starring Matt Smith, Karen Gillan, Arthur Darvill, Alex Kingston, Frances Barber, Charles Baker, Dan Johnston, Christian Chong, Joshua Hayes, Damian Kell, Neve McIntosh, Catrin Stewart, Richard Trinder, Annabel Cleare, Henry Wood, Dan Starkey, Simon Fisher, Danny Sapani, Hugh Bonneville, Oscar Lloyd, and Nicholas Briggs
BBC America
Air date: June 7, 2010

Doctor Who is certainly a show that often raises more questions than it answers and “A Good Man Goes to War” is a perfect example of this. Yet, when the series provides answers, it’s done in such a satisfying way that the various unanswered questions don’t matter. While “A Good Man Goes to War” poses many of these unanswered questions, there’s also a surprising amount of clarity. Before we dive into some of these queries, let’s take a look at the bulk of the episode.

The mid-series finale for Series 6 of Doctor Who is here, and while Amy Pond (Karen Gillan) and her baby are being held captive by Madame Kovarian (Frances Barber) and the Cleric Military, the Doctor (Matt Smith) and Rory Williams (Arthur Darvill) call upon old debts from a variety of unlikely allies to form an “army,” as A Good Man Goes To War.

The Doctor will rise higher than ever before, and fall so much further – and the true identity of the enigmatic River Song (Alex Kingston) will finally be revealed…

During TARDISblend 29, we review the events of A Good Man Goes To War, the conclusion to the first half of the current season. We discuss the final revelation of who River Song truly is, and the band of companions the Doctor unites for his army to find Amy Pond. We look at the consequences of the Doctor being seen and feared as a great warrior, and speculate on what to expect for the second part of Series 6.

We also discuss the recent news about Series 7 – which now looks like it will be split across the end of 2012 and the beginning of 2013. We recommend some Classic Doctor Who, and reveal a spoiler for Torchwood: Miracle Day. All this and more on the latest TARDISblend!