Highly Anticipated Season 6 of "Doctor Who" Begins Tonight on BBC America!

Is there anything that fans of Doctor Who can say to people who haven't watched it yet, that will get them to watch it? Maybe that's it's the most exciting, imaginative, adventurous, philosophical, humane and riveting entertainment that you're going to find anywhere on your television? And that's no exaggeration.

Season 6 (which is what they call it even though The Doctor has been a part of British TV since the early 1960s, but it's dated now from the revamp a few years ago) starring the superb Matt Smith in his second year as the 11th incarnation of Doctor Who premieres tonight over here on BBC America, and it's guaranteed to be a doozy! If you don't believe us, take a look at the BBC's promo for the season:




Fans of America's dwindling space program will be particularly tickled by tonight's kick-off episode entitled "The Impossible Astronaut". Here are couple of short previews of the eerie excitement coming up -- one a trailer, one a short scene, from the BBC.

This season promises extra-special thrills and a plotline that brings The Doctor and his companions Amy (Karen Gillan) and Rory (Arthur Darvill) to the U.S.A. for the first time. As you saw in the preview, President Nixon figures in the story as well as creepy extraterrestrials who are guaranteed to freak you out in typical smart and scary Doctor Who fashion.

As DW co-star Alex Kingston (above, who starred over here in ER for several seasons) pointed out in a recent interview on Entertainment Weekly.com, Doctor Who is a beloved children's favorite in Great Britain, while over here it's science fiction fans who flock to the series. Over there, The Doctor is the kind of kid's hero we just don't have over here, someone wise and witty who genuinely has the power to inspire young people to be better human beings. Here children's TV only aspires to what the advertisers want: to have the kids buy more junky products. As we've said here before, Doctor Who is the perfect example of family programming, meaning a series that could be watched by viewers of various ages and all would be grandly entertained and feel that the show had been made expressly for them.

Here is the BBC America promo for the new season starting tonight:

If you are new to Doctor Who, plan to start watching BBC America at 8pm tonight for Doctor Who Rewind which will take you through what you might want to know before diving in tonight, but even if you don't have time to catch up, I'd still sit down and just go in cold turkey. If the infectious spirit of Doctor Who doesn't capture your imagination, maybe it's just not for you. But if it does, you will have made a discovery that will stick with you the rest of your life.

Be sure to visit BBC America's Doctor Who site for more information, and there are countless other DW fansites out there that you'll want to explore once you're hooked. The only complaint I have is that BBC America doesn't always run encores of Doctor Who uncut -- beware the shortened version of this year's Christmas episode which runs following "The Impossible Astronaut" tonight, and when they replay the first episode from last season which introduced Matt Smith as the new Doctor they always cut it and lose many of the most charming moments. I advise watching the series on DVD if you're catching up, that way you'll get everything as it was intended to be seen.

Doctor Who, Season 6, premieres on BBC America tonight at 9pm!

Churchill and Daleks and Who, Oh My!

Hope you've been loving -- as we have -- Matt Smith's wonderful performance as the latest incarnation of Doctor Who, as seen on BBC America, et al. He's doing a tremendous job in keeping the excitement level high, the humor crisp and contemporary, and the sense of intelligence palpable, bristling and inspirational. There simply is no other show that so well combines good old fashioned Saturday afternoon serial-esque thrills and chills, out-of-this-world science fiction wonders, a crazy, unique and often hilarious P.O.V., and yet manages to always leave this viewer, at least, with a feeling that the world is an all right place, indeed. Not many things can give you that, I'll wager. Fun and philosophy, imagine that...

Tonight in "Victory of the Daleks" the Doctor and his spunky companion Amy Pond find themselves in WW II-era Britain, complete with Winston Churchill and the return of one of the best DW villains ever. I can't say enough good things about the Doctor, and if you haven't checked it him yet, I urge you to wait no longer.

Doctor Who airs tonight on BBC America at 8pm, with several encores. Don't miss it!

Matt Smith as Newest "Doctor Who" Coming Saturday to BBC America!

Even if you're not already a fan of the long-running and much loved British science fiction series Doctor Who, we highly recommend taking a look at the newest season, premiering tomorrow night on BBC America and on Space in Canada. In a nutshell, Doctor Who has been more-or-less on the air since 1963, with the neat plot twist of having a succession of different actors playing the title character, a galaxy-traversing Time Lord from the Planet Gallifrey. Last year the very popular 10th Doctor, played magnificently by David Tennant, regenerated into the 11th Doctor, played by 26-year-old Matt Smith, the youngest actor to ever inhabit the role.



Expectations have been very high for the new Doctor, as well as there being some trepidation that anyone could successfully step into the sneakers of Tennant's stunning and moving Doctor. Since the new season started two weeks ago in Britain, I've been able to watch the first episode already, and am thrilled to report that all feedback is positive and the new Doctor Who is bloody brilliant! I can't think of another recent entertainment experience -- save the new Star Trek movie -- that contained so much concentrated excitement, heart and sense of wonder as this new Doctor Who incarnation.

(Though you don't really need an iota of previous knowledge to enjoy Doctor Who, it might be of interest to realize that the Doctor always picks up a companion from Earth to be his traveling buddy, and you'll love how Smith's Doctor Who finds his. Charming!)

One thing that's so terrific about Doctor Who is that it's always presented very strong, intelligent and vibrant female roles for a succession of actresses, and this newest Doctor Who is no exception. Even -- especially! -- the little girl who figures prominently in the early part of the episode is amazing, exquisitely played, and unlike anything you'll see on U.S. TV.



The Doctor Who craze in the U.S. really began several Doctors -- and decades -- ago with Tom Baker's delightful interpretation from 1974 - 1981, he of the long knitted scarf and slouch hat. (Younger folks might know him as the narrator on Little Britain.) For a quick look at all 11 Doctors over the years, take a look at the short video below. You'll see that the good Doctor has become generally younger as the years go by, and a good deal wackier than the first one out, as he reflects the different seasons of the production. What has never changed is the Doctor's intelligence, humanity, courage and willingness to help Earth out of a number of mindbending catastrophes.



Don't miss Matt Smith as the new Doctor Who! I can't think of anything that you won't enjoy, except if you happen to object to outrageous monsters, frightening, spectacular and potentially Earth-shattering plot predicaments, beautiful leggy girls in British Bobby costumes, clever dialogue, beautiful English settings, or the like.

The new season -- and face -- of Doctor Who debuts tomorrow night at 8pm on BBC America. We also highly recommend tuning in an hour before for Doctor Who: The Ultimate Guide, which will tell you everything you ever wanted to know about DW. (The BBC America DW website is here, but you may also want to check out the official UK version of the Doctor Who site, which is located here.)

I think you're going to love him.

Why?

Because he's the Doctor.

BBC America on a Sci-Fi Roll!

Just when Sci Fi changes to that new horrible name and seems to lose its way, BBC America comes on strong with the best selection of incredible British science fiction/fantasy programming around. Doctor Who, Torchwood, Primeval, and now the newest series Being Human give BBCA the edge in out-of-this-world television. (Pictured above, Torchwood.)

If you missed the harrowing new Torchwood miniseries Torchwood: Children of Earth which played this past week, all five parts will repeat tomorrow, Sunday 7/26, beginning at 1pm with a special which will get you up to speed with Captain Jack Harkness and the group. I'm telling you, this special is riveting even if you've never watched the series before, and it's pretty damned shocking, too. Really horrifying in sections, especially from Part 3 onward. Yikes. Some creepy stuff.



Torchwood: Children of Earth runs straight up until 8pm, at which time BBCA presents a Doctor Who special "Planet of the Dead" -- available in HD, too -- and on Monday there's another Doctor Who special entitled "The Next Doctor". (Pictured below, "Planet of the Dead".)

Being Human, a brand new show, premiered earlier tonight. It's about a werewolf, a vampire and a ghost 20-somethings living together in Bristol, England, and the opener repeats tomorrow night at 9:15p after the Doctor Who special.

We recommend taking some time and perusing BBC America's website to find out about these great shows. There's of course no easy way to catch up on forty years of Doctor Who, but just know that there is about to be a change of actors playing the Doctor, and this might be a wonderful time to jump into the series. Torchwood has only been on for two seasons, so you've an easier way in there, and it's definitely recommended. Being Human...well, it's just the beginning, to get in at the start. And let's not forget about Primeval, which is a whopping action adventure show in its second season, with dinosaurs running all over contemporary Britain. Read about that one, too!

Lots to watch! Here's a cute trailer for Being Human, from its run on BBC 3 in Great Britain.

Torchwood, Anyone?

Does anybody around here watch Torchwood on BBC America? I've been intrigued by the show for a while and have watched parts of several episodes, and am sure that I'd love it if I stuck with it, but haven't so far, not quite. If you're like me, you probably have shows that you're pretty certain that you would like, or are inclined to like merely from the description, but maybe haven't gotten around to yet. Torchwood is one of those for me.

It's from the folks who bring you Doctor Who, and I'd also put the new DW into the "intend to watch but haven't quite gotten there yet" category, too. I've watched several of the recent episodes and have liked them a lot, but haven't quite gotten into the groove of watching regularly. This obviously says more about my intermittent viewing patterns than anything about the show, which has received uniformly positive feedback and deservedly so.

I used to watch a great deal more BBC America than I do these days. There's so much more reality programming than there used to be, which for me is not a positive. BBCA used to program a LOT more British comedy, and that's a real loss for us. They still show Coupling, which is an entertaining show, especially the seasons with Richard Coyne as Jeff. When an episode revolved around him, the show was golden -- insanely hilarious. BBCA still runs Little Britain, thank goodness, and the original The Office, but we're not seeing a lot of the great stuff we used to see. Where's The Mighty Boosh anymore, or Red Dwarf, or other old favorites or especially new cutting edge programs that we're missing over here? My gosh, the channel used to play fascinating stuff like the Dennis Pennis series (savage celebrity punking), Black Books, and other wonderful comedies. I really miss them.

No doubt they're playing it safe by taking the easy way out with middle-of-the-road crowd pleasers like cooking shows, antique shows, home makeover and personal makeover shows -- just like a lot of other cable networks. At least the personalities are Brits, which gives them a leg up in my book, but it's more of the same, isn't it? And also no doubt probably the ratings are up for the network. Any of us who know how TV works understand what you've got to do to attract viewers, but as viewers, some of us long for something a little different, and we're not quite getting it anymore from BBC America, not like we used to.

Am I an old crab? I'm grumbling too much, aren't I? Sorry about that....