"Doctor Who" The Impossible Astronaut (TV Episode 2011) - IMDb The Doctor Matt Smith. [4], The episode was written by Steven Moffat, who took charge of the show in 2010. [4] When Canton first leaves the TARDIS, the Doctor remarks, "Brave heart, Canton," a reference to the Fifth Doctor's recurrent statement to his companion Tegan Jovanka, "Brave heart, Tegan. [19] The episode was the third most watched on BBC One, and sixth overall for the entire week ending 24 April. Who sent them? Along the way they meet Richard Nixon, president of the United States of America, and former FBI agent Canton Everett Delaware III. They also have a lot of suspense building up and I want to know what happens next.In conclusion, Doctor Who is finally back to its roots and we can only help it stays that way throughout the series. News of this angered Moffat. It was first broadcast on 23 April 2011 in the United Kingdom on BBC One, the United States on BBC America and in Canada on Space. I loved series 1, 2, 3 and 4 of Doctor Who and this episode has returned to those days with this episode.In my opinion, series 5 was very weak, with ridiculous stories, Matt Smith trying to copy David Tennant's brilliance and a finale that was confusing and unrealistic beyond comprehension, using bad excuses to wrap up plot holes. In 2011, Canton was invited by a future version of the Doctor to the place where the Doctor would be shot and killed. During the picnic, a figure from the lake in an American astronaut suit shoots the Doctor multiple times and his body falls. The suit worn by the future-Doctor's killer was a fabricated replica of an Apollo space suit. Prosthetic pieces were applied on Milligan's cheeks, nose, and ears to make him resemble Nixon as much as possible. "[5] The aliens' design was partially inspired by the figure from the Edvard Munch painting The Scream. With Stuart Milligan, Marnix Van Den Broeke, Sydney Wade. [5], Kingston had to genuinely slap Matt Smith several times in a scene because it was difficult to fake. River and Rory explore a vast network of tunnels that have apparently spread across the planet for centuries, unnoticed by the human population and populated by the Silence. [13] Filming took place in the state of Utah. Four envelopes, numbered 2, 3 and 4, each containing a date, time and map reference, unsigned, but TARDIS blue. Watch Doctor Who: Season 6 The Impossible Astronaut on DIRECTV The Doctor, Amy and Rory respond to a summons that leads them to the Oval Office in 1969; the Doctor promises to … ", "Doctor Who, episode 1: The Impossible Astronaut, review", "Doctor Who series 6 episode 1 review: The Impossible Astronaut", "Doctor Who returns with a shocking twist", "Who needs a plot? [26] In Canada, the episode was seen by 538,000, making it the most watched Who episode for the channel, and its most watched telecast in 2011. [21] An additional 300,000 viewed the episode from BBC iPlayer within two days of its original broadcast. With Amy (Karen Gillan), Rory (Arthur Darvill) and the always elusive Dr. River Song (Alex Kingston) on his side, the Doctor is ready to take on the world – or so we hope. The episode was dedicated to Elisabeth Sladen, known for playing former companion Sarah Jane Smith, who died from cancer on 19 April 2011. The episode was written by show runner Steven Moffat and directed by Toby Haynes. Amy Pond, Rory Williams, River Song and the Eleventh Doctor receive a mysterious summons that takes them on an adventure to 21st century Utah and Florida in 1969. However, following the screening a fan gave away the entire plot of the two episodes on an internet forum. My rambling thoughts on Doctor Who: The Impossible Astronaut. Despite this he added that the majority of Doctor Who fans are "spoiler-phobes," who refused to go online to be spoiled. In an interview on BBC Radio 5 Live, Moffat stated; [4], In the Doctor Who Confidential episode following the broadcast of "The Impossible Astronaut," Moffat stated that in his view, it was one of the darker episodes of the series, but still maintained the same level of humour. "[35] In addition, Marshall believed the alien antagonists "give the Weeping Angels a run for their money in scare factor. The American-style diner scene when the companions reunite with the Doctor in this episode is actually located in Cardiff Bay. Scenes on the roadway were filmed on U.S. Route 163[14] (several miles east of the coordinates listed on the Doctor's invitations). It was reportedly up by 71,000 from "The Eleventh Hour". Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? Because the production crew had access to several pictures and plans of the real office, they were able to replicate it in almost every detail. He offers them a picnic, and then a trip to "space 1969". [20] It received an Appreciation Index of 88, one of the higher scores for the weekend. The episode marks the first appearance of John Barrowman as Captain Jack Harkness, who would become a recurring character in Doctor Who and the lead character of the spin-off series Torchwood. A man with a can of gasoline called Canton Everett Delaware III arrives, telling Amy, Rory, and River that the dead man is the real Doctor. "[33] Jeffery rated the episode five stars out of five. BBC Press Release. Canton Delaware Mark Sheppard. The TARDIS had been previously turned invisible by damage to its visual stabiliser in the Second Doctor story The Invasion (1968). And what is the relevance of their only other clue: "Space 1969"? This strange summons reunites The Doctor, Amy, Rory and River Song in the middle of the Utah desert and unveils a terrible secret that The Doctor's friends must never reveal to him. (23 Apr 2011). The team deals with the Silence, a religious order of aliens which has members who can make people forget their encounter with them when they look away. [16], "The Impossible Astronaut" was first broadcast on BBC One in the United Kingdom on 23 April 2011 at 6 pm. Behind him stands an out-of-focus member of the Silence.[2][3]. Moffat wanted the 2011 season to start with a two-part story in an attempt to begin with more gravity and a wider scope in plot,[5] as well as wanting the episodes to be one of the darker ones in the series. [25] When Live + 7 day DVR ratings were added, the total rose to 1.8 million. During a break from their travels with the Eleventh Doctor, his companions Amy and Rory are sent envelopes summoning them to Utah at a specific time and location. This plot twist is simply stunning, and it's difficult to imagine even casual viewers not sitting up to pay attention at this point. After many months of waiting, Doctor Who season 6 has officially begun. Regeneration Impossible was the fifth story of the tenth season of Big Finish Productions' Short Trips series. She begs for the President to look behind him, but he asks how she got that number, which the "spaceman" told her. Just who is Canton Everett Delaware the Third? "The Curse of the Black Spot" is the third episode of the sixth series of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. The Doctor's body is burned in a Viking funeral. Meanwhile, Amy meets and takes a photograph of one of the leaders of the Silence, a group she also saw by the lake which people forget about any time someone stops looking at them. [15] The Laurel and Hardy film The Flying Deuces,[4] in which the Doctor intruded, was done by Smith dancing in front of greenscreen.[5]. Trying to understand the enigmatic hints about "Space 1969" the older Doctor mentioned and a man they meet in 2011 called Canton Evrett Delaware III (Mark Sheppard and William Morgan Sheppard), they travel to the United States in 1969 and discover a scared girl (Sydney Wade) who is trapped inside a spacesuit. Who sent them? "[5] In filming the "Viking funeral" scene, Haynes wished to film it during the sunset. It was directed by Toby Haynes and written by Steven Moffat and premiered on Saturday, April 23rd, 2011 on BBC-1. The Impossible Astronaut A page for describing Recap: Doctor Who S32 E1 "The Impossible Astronaut". Four envelopes, numbered two, three and four - each containing a date, time and map reference, unsigned, but TARDIS blue - begin the latest series of the time-travelling adventures. It consisted of twelve stories and fourteen episodes. Television episodes set in Washington, D.C. Television episodes directed by Toby Haynes, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 7 January 2021, at 03:36. Was this review helpful to you? He left them gasoline to burn the Doctor's corpse; the Doctor had secr… Killing the Doctor leaves the shape of the series mapped out, raises the bar so that no one is safe, and sees Amy, Rory and River facing a terrible dilemma. "[4] When Amy asks the younger Doctor to trust her, he asks her to swear to him on something that matters. He then hangs up and leans back. At some point before the broadcast of the episode, it and "Day of the Moon" were released in a press screening, where a number of fans were invited to attend. Matt Smith (The Doctor), Karen Gillan (Amy), Arthur Darvill (Rory) Search for "The Impossible Astronaut" on Amazon.com, Title: The production team present asked them not to give away any spoilers. If you are denied those, it's vandalism. Brew also complimented Haynes' work in the United States, saying it was an improvement from "Daleks in Manhattan", which featured British actors attempting to play with American accents. With high production values, innovative CGI from Oscar-winning company The Mill, an all-star cast and scripts from the cream of British writers led by Russell T Davies, Doctor Who is the ultimate adventure in the human race -- gripping, breathtaking and action-packed. She tells him it is about monsters, to which he replies "Young lady, there are no monsters in the Oval Office." The Doctor, Amy, Rory and River Song are reunited in the Utah desert. The pair had also played two versions of the same character about a year earlier in an episode of NCIS (2003). The inclusion of the Doctor's death felt like a series ender for some of the producers, but was actually there to "kick it off. The scenes involving the picnic and the future-Doctor dying took place on the shore of Lake Powell. 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