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!