- "I'm going to need a SWAT team ready to mobilise, street maps covering all of Florida, a pot of coffee, twelve Jammie Dodgers, and a fez."
- ―The Doctor
| "The Impossible Astronaut" | |
|---|---|
| Series Doctor Who Season 6, Episode 1 | |
| |
| Air date | April 23rd, 2011 |
| Writers | Steven Moffat |
| Director | Toby Haynes |
| Producers | Steven Moffat; Piers Wenger; Beth Willis; Marcus Wilson; Denise Paul |
| Starring | Matt Smith; Karen Gillan; Alex Kingston; Arthur Darvill |
| Episode guide | |
| Previous "A Christmas Carol" |
Next "Day of the Moon" |
"The Impossible Astronaut" is the first episode of series six of the 2005 relaunch series of the British sci-fi television series Doctor Who. It is the 70th episode of the series in total and the 765th episode of all Doctor Who episodes combined. It was directed by Toby Haynes and written by Steven Moffat and premiered on Saturday, April 23rd, 2011 on BBC-1. In this episode, Amy Pond and River Song receive strange blue envelopes from the TARDIS instructing them to meet the Doctor out in the deserts of Utah in the United States. When they arrive however, they discover that the version of the Doctor that they meet is actually one from two-hundred years in the future. Meanwhile, the Doctor that they are familiar with travels to the year 1969 to help the US president Richard M. Nixon solve the mystery of an anonymous child who continuously telephones him pleading for help.
Cast[]
Principal Cast[]
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Matt Smith | The Doctor |
| Karen Gillan | Amy Pond |
| Arthur Darvill | Rory Williams |
| Alex Kingston | River Song |
Guest Stars[]
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Mark Sheppard | Canton Everett Delaware, III (younger) |
| William Morgan Sheppard | Canton Everett Delaware, III (older) |
| Stuart Milligan | Richard Milhous Nixon |
| Chukwudi Iwuji | Secret Service agent |
| Nancy Baldwin | Joy |
| Kerry Shale | Doctor Renfrew |
| Marnix Van Den Broeke | The Silent |
| Sydney Wade | Little girl |
| Mark Griffin | Phil |
| Tommy Campbell | Sergeant |
| Emilio Aquino | Busboy |
| Peter Banks | Doctor Shepherd |
| Geoffrey Burton | NASA man |
| Paul Critoph | Charles |
| Adam Napier | Captain Simmons |
| Kieran O'Connor | Guard |
| Ricky Fearon | Tramp |
Notes & Trivia[]
- First episode to air in 2011.
- First episode of either series to be filmed in the United States.
- First aired on BBC America four days after the passing of former Doctor Who co-star Elisabeth Sladen. Sladen played the role of Sarah Jane Smith on the original Doctor Who series from 1973 to 1983 and also appeared in five episodes of the relaunch series as well as heading up her own spin-off program The Sarah Jane Adventures. Sladen passed away on April 19th, 2011. A dedication to Sladen was provided on the episode.
- William Morgan Sheppard and his son Mark Sheppard both play the same character, Canton Everett Delaware, III, albeit at different points in the character's lifetime. William Morgan Sheppard plays the older Canton seen during the Utah scenes while Mark Sheppard plays the 1969 Canton seen at the White House.
- First appearance of Richard Milhous Nixon in the series. Nixon was the 37th President of the United States. His years in office are remembered for several noteworthy and controversial events including opening diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China in 1972, orchestrating the ceasefire with North Vietnam in 1973, and the Watergate scandal, which ultimately led to his resignation in August, 1974.
- The beginning of this episode shows one of the rare instances where the Doctor (any incarnation) is involved in a romantic tryst. The tradition has always been that the Doctor does not take romantic interest in others.
- This is also one of the infrequent episodes where the full phrase "Doctor Who" is used, usually spoken as a question.
- Actor Stuart Milligan, who plays President Richard Nixon, also provided the voice for Colonel Stark in all six episodes of the Doctor Who: Dreamland animated miniseries. He also provided the voice for Tannoy in the "Warriors of Kudlak" episodes of The Sarah Jane Adventures.
- This is the first episode of Doctor Who with Denise Paul as associate producer. Her next episode is "Day of the Moon".
See also[]
Media
The World of Doctor Who
Doctor Who miscellaneous
External Links[]
- "The Impossible Astronaut" at IMDB
- "The Impossible Astronaut" at Wikipedia
- "The Impossible Astronaut" at the Doctor Who Wiki
- "The Impossible Astronaut" at BBC.co.uk
- "The Impossible Astronaut" at TV.com Episode Guide
- "The Impossible Astronaut" at TV Rage.com Episode Guide
See the Doctor Who (2005)/Season 6 episodes category.