The British Bit is a weekly column bringing you the latest culture from across the pond.
The last time we saw the Doctor he had rebooted the universe via Big Bang II and taught a stodgy old man to love Christmas. This Saturday, he’s back and he’s coming to America.
Matt Smith reprises his role as the eleventh incarnation of the Doctor in the popular British television show Doctor Who, which returns for its sixth series. He’s joined by companions Amy Pond (Karen Gillan), Rory Williams (Arthur Darvill) and the aloof River Song (Alex Kingston).
It looks like executive producer Steve Moffat has quite a few things planned, from personal timeline alignments (and misalignments) to emotional wrenching, plot twists, secrets and “the Doctor’s darkest hour.” The first seven episodes will be broadcast through June with a “cliffhanger that changes everything,” and the last six episodes will air in the fall. Oh, I just got a chill down my spine. With so many possibilities, the new series looks very promising.
I, for one, hope it lives up to all the teasers. Everyone’s favorite Doctor was David Tennant, so we all spent series five whining and complaining about Smith, simply because he wasn’t Tennant. We just weren’t ready to move on. Now that the separation anxiety has subsided, we can begin to truly appreciate Smith’s embodiment of the role — as long as he takes full advantage of the thrilling new scripts. It’s time to cement his place in Doctor Who folklore.
What frustrated me personally about the tenth regeneration was the apparent lack of continuity with previous series. There are no references to previous companions and Smith’s Doctor doesn’t even exhibit the twinges of poignant affectation that would have helped reorient us in his mind. I can understand wanting to make a clean break from the Tennant years, but so many changes were easily frustrating to deeply engaged fans.
Our one hope for connecting the incarnations is River Song, who first appeared in a two-parter with Tennant in series four, resurfaced for four episodes with Smith and returns in the premiere of the new series.
“River, who are you?” the Doctor says at the end of series five.
“You’re going to find out very soon,” she answers. “And, I’m sorry, but that’s when everything changes.”
Cue the chills again. With any luck, we’ll get more of her backstory now and establish once and for all whether she’s the Doctor’s wife. Hopefully we’ll also learn why the TARDIS exploded, why it had been drawn to Amy’s time in the first place and what the Silence was.
In preparation for Saturday’s big event, watch the series trailer repeatedly until you think you know what’s going to happen. And for those of you who may have missed them, two mini-episodes of Doctor Who were produced for Britain’s Red Nose Day and aired in March. They’re short and fun, and they showcase Gillan at her cheeky best.
And for those of you planning to dress up, fezzes are out. Stetsons are in.