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Matt Smith
The Impossible Astronaut/Day of the Moon
Eleventh Doctor Logo


Synopsis


The Silence
The Silence
 July 1969. Man takes his first, tentative steps on the Moon. That's one small step for man, one giant leap for... okay, you've heard that one before. But a lot more happened on Earth that year than mankind remembers.

 Four small TARDIS-blue envelopes. A date, time, and map reference. "We've been recruited," ponders River Song. All roads lead to Lake Silencio, in Utah, on one balmy day in April. And an astronaut. An Apollo astronaut in the lake. Impossible? Not today. For the heavens have become a part of man's world, and this is the day that someone is going to die.



General Information

Season: Thirty Two (New Series 6)
Production Code: 6-1/6-2
Story Number: 215 (New Series: 59)
Episode Numbers:771 - 772 (New Series: 75 - 76)
Number of Episodes: 2
Percentage of Episodes Held:100%
Working Titles:"Year of the Moon" (episode 1) and "Look Behind You" (episode 2)
Production Dates: October 2010 - January 2011
Broadcast Started: 23 April 2011
Broadcast Finished: 30 April 2011
Colour Status: HD Colour
Studio: BBC Wales (Upper Boat, Pontypridd)
Location: USA: Lake Powell (Utah); Monument Valley (Utah, USA); Lone Rock Beach (Utah, USA); Valley of the Gods (Utah) and Glen Canyon Dam (Arizona)
UK: Cardiff, Eddie’s Diner (Cardiff Bay); 45 Avondale Crescent (Cardiff); Le Monde (Cardiff); Glamorgan Building (Cardiff University, Cardiff); Millennium Stadium (Car Park Entrance 4 and Level 6 Stairwell, Cardiff); The Coal Exchange (Mount Stuart Square, Cardiff Bay); West Bute Street (Cardiff); Crockherbtown Lane (Cardiff); Troy House (Monmouthshire); Graystark Hall (St Athan, Vale of Glamorgan); Mamhilad Park Industrial Estate (Pontypool, Wales); Fillcare Ltd (Talbot Green, Wales) and Tredegar House (Newport).
Writer:Steven Moffat
Director:Toby Haynes
Producer:Marcus Wilson
Executive Producers:Beth Willis, Piers Wenger and Steven Moffat
Associate Producer:Denise Paul
Script Executive:Lindsey Alford
Script Editor:Caroline Henry
Editor:Tim Porter
Production Executive:Julie Scott
Production Manager:Steffan Morris
Production Assistant:Charlie Coombes
Production Designer:Michael Pickwoad
Director of Photography:Stephan Pehrsson
Casting Director:Andy Pryor CDG
Line Producers:Diana Barton and David Mason (US)
Costume Designer:Barbara Kidd
Make-Up Designer:Barbara Southcott
Cameramen:Matthew Lepper (Assistant), Simon Ridge (Assistant), Svetlana Miko (Assistant) and Joe Russell (Operator)
Visual Effects:The Mill
Special Effects:Real SFX
Prosthetics:Millennium FX
Stunt Co-ordinator:Crispin Layfield
Stunt Performer:Jo McLaren
Incidental Music:Murray Gold
Special Sounds (SFX Editor):Paul Jefferies
Sound Recordist:Bryn Thomas
Music Orchestrated By:Ben Foster
Music Conducted By:Ben Foster
Music Performed By:The BBC National Orchestra of Wales
Music Recorded By:Gerry O'Riordan
Music Mixed By:Jake Jackson
Title Sequence:Frame Store
Title Music:Ron Grainer and the BBC Radiophonic Workshop. Arranged by Murray Gold
Story Dedicated To: In Memory of Elizabeth Sladen 1948 - 2011
Number of Doctors: 1
The Doctor: Matt Smith (The Eleventh Doctor)
Number of Companions: 2The Companions: Karen Gillan (Amy Pond) and Arthur Darvill (Rory Williams) Number of Acquaintances: 1The Acquaintance: Alex Kingston (River Song) (Rejoins and Departs) Additional Cast: Mark Sheppard (Canton Delaware), William Morgan Sheppard (Old Canton Delaware), Manix Van Den Broeke (The Silent), Stuart Milligan (President Richard Nixon), Chuck Iwuji (Carl), Mark Griffin (Phil), Sydney Wade (Little Girl), Nancy Baldwin (Joy), Kieran O'Connor (Prison Guard), Adam Napier (Captain Simmons), Henrietta Clemett (Matilda), Paul Critoph (Charles), Emilio Aquino (Busboy), Kerry Shale (Doctor Renfrew), Glenn Wrage (Gardner), Jeff Mash (Grant), Tommy Campbell (Sergeant), Peter Banks (Doctor Shepherd), Frances Barber (Eye Patch Lady), Ricky Fearon (Tramp)Setting: USA: Utah (22nd April 2011); White House, Washington D.C. (1969); Area 51 (1969); Florida (1969); Cape Kennedy (July 1969); Graystark Hall Orphanage (1969) and New York (1969)
Other: Stormcage Containment Facility Villains:Impossible Astronaut, Ood and The Silence

The Episodes

No. Episodes Broadcast
(UK)
Duration Viewers
(Millions)
In Archive
771The Impossible Astronaut23 April 201143'33"8.9Yes
772Day of the Moon30 April 201145'59"7.3Yes

Total Duration 1 Hour 30 Minutes


Audience Appreciation

Average Viewers (Millions) 8.1
Doctor Who Magazine Poll (2011)81.50%  (Position = 2 out of 13)
Doctor Who Magazine Poll (2014)77.72% Lower (Position = 58 out of 241)
Doctor Who Magazine Poll (2023) Position = 7 out of 39


Archives


 Both episodes exist and are held in the BBC's Film and Videotape Library.



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Notes

Only the First 50 Story Notes are shown below - Click to Show All Story Notes


This story was written by Steven Moffat who wanted this season to start with a two-part story in an attempt to start the season better than the previous season premieres.

Steven Moffat has stated that this was one of the darker stories of the season, but it still maintained the same level of humour.

This story features The Silence, the force responsible for causing the TARDIS to explode in the 2010 story "The Pandorica Opens/The Big Bang" and they have been described as being ‘the scariest monsters yet’. The creation of the Silence was partly inspired by the figure from the Edvard Munch painting The Scream.

Before the broadcast of this story a short exclusive scene serving as a ‘prequel’ for the first episode was released on the show’s official website (with a slightly shorter version shown on BBC1 the evening before). This brief scene was written by head writer Steven Moffat and was produced by the regular Doctor Who production team. It was intended to set the scene for this story in a scary and mysterious style.

The short scene depicts Richard Nixon, played by Stuart Milligan, receiving a recorded phone call of a girl’s voice while sitting in the Oval Office. The girl, whose voice the president appears to recognise from a previous call, begs him to ‘look behind you’, warning him that there is something there. The president angrily refuses and the line goes dead. The camera then pans around him to show an out-of-focus, inhuman figure standing to the president’s right.

The prequel for this story is the first that are planned to premier on the website over the course of this season, each features a specially-recorded material, similar to the Tardisodes which accompanied Season Twenty Eight (New Series 2) in 2006.

This is the first time, in the revived series, that a two-part story has opened a season. This is in fact the first two-part story to open a season since the 1985 Sixth Doctor story "Attack of the Cybermen" that opened Season Twenty Two.

This story opens with a still-caption tribute to actress Elisabeth Sladen. The caption says ‘In Memory of Elizabeth Sladen 1948 - 2011’ and was in recognition of this popular actress who passed away four days before this story was broadcast. Elisabeth Sladen had previously appeared in the show as companion Sarah Jane Smith, and as the same character in the spin-off series The Sarah Jane Adventures.

American actor Stuart Milligan was cast as President Nixon. Stuart Milligan has played other presidents in the past including Dwight D. Eisenhower. Prosthetic pieces were applied on his cheeks, nose and ears to resemble President Nixon as much as possible. He also practiced how President Nixon would speak, but initially found it difficult since he had to wear false teeth.

Stuart Milligan appeared in Jonathan Creek and provided the voice of General Stark in the 2009 Doctor Who animated story Dreamland and the voice of the Tannoy in The Sarah Jane Adventures story the "Warriors of Kudlak". He also starred in the 2006 Big Finish Productions Sixth Doctor audio story "The Reaping".

Mark Sheppard, who played Canton Delaware, appeared in Battlestar Galatica, Supernatural, Dollhouse and 24.

For the scene depicting the older Canton Delaware, it was planned for actor Mark Sheppard to appear older using makeup effects. He successfully suggested instead that his father, William Morgan Sheppard, play the role.

Ricky Fearon, who played the tramp, previously played the part of Foreman in the Torchwood episode "To the Last Man".

This story marks the first time that Doctor Who has featured extensive location footage within the United States. The American-produced 1996 Eighth Doctor film "Doctor Who: The Movie" was filmed in Canada. Some second-unit establishing shots of New York and the Statue of Liberty were filmed on Liberty Island for the 2007 Tenth Doctor story "Daleks in Manhattan/Evolution of the Daleks", but none of the cast of this earlier story were involved in the location shooting.

Filming took place in the state of Utah. For the opening shot for the location, director Toby Haynes wanted it to be epic so that the audience could recognise where the story was set.

The scenes involving the picnic and the future-Doctor dying took place on the shore of Lake Powell. The sequence where Delaware chases Amy was shot in the Valley of the Gods in Utah. The sequence where Delaware chases Rory was shot at the Glen Canyon Dam in Arizona. The Dam sequence was the final scene to be shot in the States. The sequence where Delaware chases River Song in New York was in fact shot in central Cardiff. A set was later constructed in a studio for the jump sequence, and Alex Kingston was replaced by a stunt woman to perform the jump. The scenes set in Area 51 were filmed in a large disused hanger in South Wales. The Florida orphanage was filmed at the abandoned Troy House in Monmouthshire.

The Oval Office set was constructed at Upper Boat Studios in South Wales. 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. The main problem for building the set was the plastering; the crew normally plaster one wall at a time for normal rooms, but because the Oval Office was round, they had to do the entire set at once.

Steven Moffat wanted to add as many American icons as he could into this story. These included a Stetson hat, a 1950’s Edsel Villager and a yellow school bus.

The American-style diner scene, where the companions are reunited with The Doctor, is actually located in Cardiff Bay.

River Song notes that the Easter Island statues were created in The Doctor's honour.

The envelopes that Amy, Rory and River Song receive each contain the date '22 April 2011' (the day prior to the first broadcast of the first episode of this story), the time '16:30 MDT' and the coordinates: 37° 0' 38"N 110° 14' 34"W

Steven Moffat, having enjoyed writing episodes featuring River Song, wanted to give her an impressive entrance. Director Toby Haynes had Alex Kingston block the Sun light from the camera angle and blowing smoke from her revolver.

Amy Pond and Rory Williams are seen watching a Laurel and Hardy film on television. In this film The Doctor is shown dancing and wearing a fez. This was achieved by Matt Smith dancing in front of greenscreen. The old movie used was the 1939 Laurel and Hardy film "The Flying Deuces" directed by A. Edward Sutherland. It stars Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy and The Doctor’s intervention comes as the comic duo are dancing to "Shine on Harvest Moon".

The Eleventh Doctor was seen drinking a glass of wine in the 2010 story "The Lodger" - but in this story he clearly dislikes it. The Doctor has tried wine in his previous incarnations. The Third Doctor found a particular wine to his taste in the 1972 story "Day of the Daleks", extolling its virtues and declaring it was ‘a touch sardonic perhaps, but not cynical’ and the Fourth Doctor unwittingly sipped poisoned wine in the 1976 story "The Brain of Morbius".

The space suit worn by the future-Doctor’s killer was a fabricated replica of an Apollo space suit. It was waterproofed so that the killer could come out of the water as in real life space suits were not designed to be used in water.

The inclusion of The Doctor getting killed felt like a season ender for some of the producers, but was actually there to ‘kick it off’. In writing the death scene of the future version of the Eleventh Doctor, Steven Moffat wanted to acknowledge to the audience that Time Lords are not invincible, and could still die permanently if killed before The Doctor has a chance to regenerate.

The Doctor looks at the front and then back of his hands before he is about to regenerate as he did in the 2005 story "The Parting of the Ways" and the 2009/2010 story "The End of Time". As he begins to regenerate The Doctor is killed before the process completes.

It has been reported that in filming the death scene the filming crew noticed that Karen Gillan was genuinely upset and ‘was acting her heart out’.

In filming the ‘Viking funeral’ scene, Director Toby Haynes wanted to film this scene during the sunset. However, as the sun set over the desert, rather than the lake, he filmed this scene during sunrise, when the sun rose over the water.

Alex Kingston had to genuinely slap Matt Smith several times in a scene because it was difficult to fake. Alex Kingston recalled that after a few takes, Matt Smith got red cheeked and grew frustrated at having to do the sequence over and over again.

The ‘older’ Eleventh Doctor is 1,103 years old while the ‘younger’ Doctor states his current age as being 909 years old.

The Doctor states that the year 1482 is full of glitches, but also says 1969 is ‘easy’. This may suggest that some years are harder to travel to than others.

President Nixon is not the first President we have seen in the show. Abraham Lincoln appeared in the 1965 First Doctor story "The Chase" and at the beginning of the 1988 Seventh Doctor story "Remembrance of the Daleks" we catch a tiny fragment of one of President John F Kennedy’s speeches. Later, in the 2005 Ninth Doctor story "Rose" Clive, who had made it his life’s work to seek out The Doctor, showed Rose Tyler a photo of John F Kennedy where The Doctor was clearly visible in the background.

The Doctor makes the TARDIS invisible when he materializes in the Oval Office. The notion of an invisible TARDIS is not entirely new... Back in the early 1960’s when the concept of Doctor Who was being fleshed out by the BBC, two of the programme’s initial creative forces, Cecil Edwin Webber and Sydney Newman, wrote a four-page outline for the show. Their intention for The Doctor’s craft was clear: ‘...we do not see the machine at all; or rather it is visible only as an absence of visibility... (The Doctor) has achieved this 'disappearance' by covering the outside with light resistant paint...’ The document went on to say, ‘characters can bump into it’. It would be almost half a century before The Doctor does just that, when he collides with his cloaked TARDIS in the Oval office. Previously the Second Doctor did have trouble finding the TARDIS in the 1968 story "The Invasion".

In the 1977 Fourth Doctor story "The Talons of Weng-Chiang", one of The Doctor’s friends mistakenly declares that the Time Lord must help out Scotland Yard, but here it is The Doctor himself who implies he works for the world-famous organisation.

The Doctor requests Jammie Dodgers and a Fez as he did in the 2010 stories "Victory of the Daleks" and "The Pandorica Opens/The Big Bang".

In the White House restroom scene Joy believes the alien to be a person wearing a Star Trek mask. Also wen Amy is talking to the agent outside of the restroom, a boom mike can be seen over his shoulder.

When Canton is still reeling after learning some of the secrets of the TARDIS, The Doctor is heard to say to him, ‘Brave heart, Canton!’. The Fifth Doctor used to encourage and reassure Tegan Jovanka with the words ‘brave heart’ and moments before he regenerated, the Fifth Doctor had a vision of his former companion quoting the phrase back to him.

Amy Pond swears on fish fingers and custard - a reference to the meal that The Doctor devoured when they first met in the 2010 story "The Eleventh Hour".

The Doctor’s teasing reference to Mrs Robinson alludes to the character played by Anne Bancroft in the 1967 film "The Graduate", directed by Mike Nichols. She is a character who is attracted to a much younger man - hence River Song’s reaction!

The Doctor once again asks River Song who she murdered (see "The Time of Angels/Flesh and Stone").

River Song is seen mocking The Doctor for brandishing his sonic screwdriver in a gunfight and tells him to go ‘build a cabinet, similar to a comment Captain Jack Harkness had with the Ninth Doctor in the 2005 story "The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances".

The Doctor is seen opening the TARDIS with a snap of his fingers (see also the 2008 story "Silence in the Library/Forest of the Dead").

Rory reveals that he remembers the two thousand years he spent as an Auton guarding the Pandorica with Amy inside, but that he doesn’t always have those memories (see "The Pandorica Opens/The Big Bang").

River Song tells Rory that she and The Doctor are travelling through time ‘in opposite directions’. She comments that a day is coming when ‘he'll look into my eyes, and not have the faintest idea who I am. And I think it's going to kill me’. In the 2008 story "Silence in the Library/Forest of the Dead", the Tenth Doctor meets River Song for the first time (from his perspective) and at the conclusion of that story, River Song is killed saving the people trapped inside the Library’s core.

The control panel River Song and Rory find in the underground tunnels is the same control panel that was found in the upstairs flat in the 2010 story "The Lodger". When The Doctor discovers the control room, in the second episode, he is heard to declare: ‘Very Aickman Road!’ - another reference to the alien technology The Doctor encountered when he shared a house with Craig Owens in "The Lodger". The original set was adapted to give it a darker, evil feel.

The second episode of this two-part story introduces the ‘Eye Patch Lady’, a mysterious figure, which briefly appears to Amy in the orphanage. It has been revealed that we will see this character again. The ‘Eye Patch Lady’ is played by Frances Barber whose previous credits include Boudica (aka the Warrior Queen) which starred Alex Kingston as the eponymous historical leader.

When the Silent reveals his species’ name to The Doctor, The Doctor has flash-backs to two stories from Season Thirty One (New Series 5) - "The Eleventh Hour" and "The Vampires of Venice" – so reminding us that references to the Silence can be found as far back as the Eleventh Doctor’s first story.

At one point President Nixon reminds Gardner, ‘Son, I am your Commander in Chief’. This title is conferred on all US Presidents according to Article II of the American Constitution. It refers directly to the President’s overall leadership of his nation’s military forces.

As they part company, The Doctor cheekily asks President Nixon to deliver a message! He asks ‘Tricky Dicky to say ‘hi’ to David Frost for him - a reference to the famous interviews between Frost and the (by then) former President Nixon, conducted in 1977.


Show All Story Notes >>>>



First and Last

The Firsts:

 The first story of Season Thirty Two (New Series 6).

 President Nixon is the first US President to be involved in a Doctor Who story.

 The first time, in the revived series, that a two-part story has opened a season.

 The first appearance of The Silence.

 The first time that Doctor Who has featured extensive location footage within the USA.

 Caroline Henry's first involvement in the show as Script Editor.

 The first Doctor Who story to be produced by Marcus Wilson.

 Denise Paul's first involvement in the show as Associate Producer.


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Story Images

Show Text
Stetson's Are Cool
Stetson's Are Cool
The Doctor Regenerating
The Doctor Regenerating
The Doctor Being Shot
The Doctor Being Shot
The Silence
The Silence
 
A Scared Amy
A Scared Amy
President Nixon
President Nixon
The Astronuat
The Astronuat
Canton Delaware
Canton Delaware
 
The Doctor Incarcerated
The Doctor Incarcerated
River Song
River Song
Amy
Amy
Regeneration
Regeneration




Quote of the Story


 'Time isn't a straight line, it's all bumpy-wumpy. There's loads of boring stuff - like Sundays, and Tuesdays, and Thursday afternoons - but now and then there are Saturdays! Big temporal tipping points when anything's possible! The TARDIS can't resist them - like a moth to a flame, she loves a party - so I give her 1969 and NASA, 'cause that's space in the 60s... and this is where she's pointing.'

The Doctor



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Release Information

FormatTitleRelease Date (UK)Code NumberCover ArtRemarks
Video
DVD
Series 6 Part 1: - Episodes 1-7July 2011BBCDVD 3428Photo-montage
Video
Blu-Ray
Series 6 Part 1: - Episodes 1-7July 2011BBCBD 0151Photo-montage
Video
DVD
The Complete Sixth Series Box SetNovember 2011BBCDVD 3430Photo-montageDVD boxed set containing all 12 stories
Video
Blu-Ray
The Complete Sixth Series Box SetNovember 2011BBCBD 0153Photo-montageBlu-Ray boxed set containing all 12 stories
Video
DVD
The Complete Sixth Series Box Set (Limited Edition)November 2011BBCDVD 3564Photo-montageLimited Edition DVD boxed set containing all 12 stories
Video
Blu-Ray
The Complete Sixth Series Box Set (Limited Edition)November 2011BBCBD 0193Photo-montageLimited Edition Blu-Ray boxed set containing all 12 stories
Audio
CD
Original Television Soundtrack - Series 6December 2011Photo-montageMusic by Murray Gold
Video
Blu-Ray
The Complete Series 1-7 Box Set (Limited Edition)December 2013BBCBD 0242Photo-montageLimited Edition Blu-Ray boxed set containing all Series 1-7 stories at full 1080p high definition
Video
DVD
The Complete Sixth Series (2014 Re-release)August 2014BBCDVD 3970Photo-montageBoxed set containing all 12 stories
Video
Blu-Ray
The Complete Sixth Series Box Set (Limited Edition Steelbook)August 2020BBCBD 0505Photo-montageLimited Edition Blu-Ray Steelbook boxed set containing 12 stories


In Print

No Book Release
Doctor Who Magazine - PreviewIssue 433 (Released: May 2011)
Doctor Who Magazine - ReviewIssue 434 (Released: June 2011)
Doctor Who Magazine - Time TeamIssue 509 (Released: March 2017)
Doctor Who Magazine - Time TeamIssue 510 (Released: April 2017)
Doctor Who Magazine - The Fact of FictionIssue 541 (Released: September 2019)

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Photo Gallery


The Doctor and Companions/Acquaintance

 
Matt Smith
The Eleventh Doctor

   

Alex Kingston
River Song
Karen Gillan
Amy Pond
Arthur Darvill
Rory Williams
   




On Release

DVD Cover
DVD Cover

BBC
VIDEO
Blu-Ray Cover
Blu-Ray Cover

BBC
VIDEO
Complete Series DVD Box Set
Complete Series DVD Box Set

BBC
VIDEO
Complete Series Blu-Ray Box Set
Complete Series Blu-Ray Box Set

BBC
VIDEO
   
Ltd Edition DVD Box Set
Ltd Edition DVD Box Set

BBC
VIDEO
Ltd Edition Blu-Ray Box Set
Ltd Edition Blu-Ray Box Set

BBC
VIDEO
Original Television Soundtrack Cover
Original Television Soundtrack Cover

BBC
AUDIO
Complete Series 1-7 Ltd Edition Blu-Ray Box Set
Complete Series 1-7 Ltd Edition Blu-Ray Box Set

BBC
VIDEO
   
Complete Series DVD Box Set<BR>(2014 Re-release)
Complete Series DVD Box Set
(2014 Re-release)

BBC
VIDEO
Complete Series Blu-Ray Limited Edition Steelbook Box Set
Complete Series Blu-Ray Limited Edition Steelbook Box Set

BBC
VIDEO



Magazines

Doctor Who Magazine - Preview: Issue 433
Doctor Who Magazine - Preview: Issue 433

Marvel Comics
Doctor Who Magazine - Review: Issue 434
Doctor Who Magazine - Review: Issue 434

Marvel Comics
Doctor Who Magazine - Time Team: Issue 509
Doctor Who Magazine - Time Team: Issue 509

Marvel Comics
Doctor Who Magazine - Time Team: Issue 510
Doctor Who Magazine - Time Team: Issue 510

Marvel Comics
   
Doctor Who Magazine - The Fact of Fiction: Issue 541
Doctor Who Magazine - The Fact of Fiction: Issue 541

Marvel Comics


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