DVD Reviews

Doctor Who: The Complete Sixth Series - Blu-ray Review

By Jeff Swindoll Nov 23, 2011, 11:44 GMT

Matt Smith and Karen Gillen make their triumphant return as the Doctor and his companion in an all-new series of Doctor Who coming to DVD and Blu-ray in 2011. This release combines the two halves of series six with the 2010 Christmas Special plus hours of bonus material to make a spectacular collectible that no fan will want to miss! The new series includes the first ever episodes shot in ...more

You have some of it perhaps, but you’ll want to hold off buying part two and just splurge on this complete set as the extra features are well worth it.  There’s one omission, but you probably own it anyway.  Another great series and set from Doctor Who.

The Doctor (Matt Smith) is a time traveling alien who is the last of his kind.  He can’t stand to jaunt around alone so he’s invited companions throughout his lifetime; currently married couple Rory (Arthur Darvill) and Amy (Karen Gillian). 

His lifetime has been a long one since his race, the Timelords, can regenerate (which has also allowed the role to be played by multiple actors in a brilliant move), but it appears that his time may be drawing to a close by a secluded lake, but first a Christmastime trip down Dickens’ way.

Showrunner and writer Steven Moffat promised a “game-changing” time for fans with the sixth series.  Did he deliver?  In a word: maybe.  In my opinion it depends on what exactly he was referring to.  Don’t want to be spoilerly, but if it was the event that happened on Lake Silencio then we knew that it wouldn’t come to pass. 

We might not have known how it wasn’t going to happen, but we knew that it wasn’t going to stand.  However, if it was the big question finale that he ends the series with then we’ll have to wait and see.  What can’t be argued is that Matt Smith has grown into his own as the Doctor and that when the show hits on all cylinders its pure magic [cue TARDIS groan here]. 

The delight and highlight of this season to me is still the Doctor’s Wife, a masterly written episode.  There are still some bumps in the road, Curse of the Black Spot is frowned upon regularly but it didn’t offend me, but the majority of the episodes come into their own and are also hinting at those lakeside events. 

The second half of the series seems to have a bit more standalone episodes, but everything always points back lakeside.  What might have rankled some Whovians, besides the way they aired with a big break after the first half of the series – oh the wait!, is that they released each half in a volume format. 

The only special features that were on those volumes were the included Monster Files.  Hopefully, you held off and waited for this set (I think it was announced when they got around to announcing volume two) since it contains the plethora of special features you’re waiting for.  It also adds in the Christmas Special and is missing the significant special feature that Blu-ray offered, the Proms concert, so you may want to hold on to that disc for it. 

The set contains the episodes A Christmas Carol, The Impossible Astronaut, Day of the Moon, The Curse of the Black Spot, The Doctor’s Wife, The Rebel Flesh, The Almost People, A Good Man Goes to War, Let’s Kill Hitler, Night Terrors, The Girl Who Waited, The God Complex, Closing Time, and The Wedding of River Song.

Doctor Who is presented in a 1080i high definition transfer (1.78:1).  Special features, all in high definition, include five commentaries (Producer Marcus Wilson, producer David Mason, and Arthur Darvill on the Impossible Astronaut, writer Neil Gaiman on the Doctor’s Wife, director Julian Simpson and actors Marshall Lancaster and Mark Bonnar on The Rebel Flesh, effects supervisor Tim Barter and actors Darvill and Neve McIntosh on A Good Man Goes to War, and writer/producer Steven Moffat, director Jeremy Webb, and actress Frances Barber on the Wedding of River Song), thirteen “Doctor Who Confidential” (totaling 2.5 hours), the hour long Confidential on A Christmas Carol, two Comic Relief sketches “Time” and “Space” (total 7 minutes), “Series Six Episode Prequels” (8 minutes), “Night and the Doctor Shorts” (14 minutes) and the Confidential about it (15 minutes), the 2 minute “Up all Night Short,” 4 Monster Files (45 minutes), and 2 minutes of trailers (aka commercials). 

The series may not have been as game-changing as forecast (well, jury could still be out) but Moffat, Smith and company did deliver a cracking series.  The complete sets piles on the extras so fans will be advised to get it instead of the volumes. 

Visit the DVD database for more information.