Doctor Who: The Complete Sixth Series review (BBC)

Title:  Dr. Who:  The Complete Sixth Series

Distributed by:  BBC

Release Date:  November 22, 2011

Own it:  This BBC title is available for purchase in Blu-Ray from the BBC America Shop.


If you live in a house like mine, you know exactly what a Dalek is, what a Tardis does, and you even have a "favorite" Doctor (and he isn't one that has been the Doctor in recent years).  When approached, I gleefully accepted a copy of Dr. Who:  The Complete Sixth Series, courtesy of BBC, mainly because my husband has been a Dr. Who fan his whole life, though I have just been casually watching for a few seasons.  I have missed some of the journeys that the Doctor and his companions have taken, and I enjoy getting caught up and seeing what kind of trouble the Doctor gets into next.  I admit that I was a bit ticked off to get a new Doctor so soon, but Matt Smith has a way of growing on you.  Hubby wholeheartedly agrees with me on that point because he wasn't too sure about the "new Doctor" at first either.

In fact, until the DVD arrived, hubby had a bunch of Dr. Whos piled up in the DVR in the living room, which he hadn't had time to watch because the kids tend to take over the TV during the weekends when he has more time for relaxing a bit with the Doctor, Rory, and Amy.  This season, we got a better feel for River and just where she fits into the grand scheme.  I really liked the actress who plays River (she played in ER) for this role.  She's familiar to us Americans who will recognize her, but she's definitely British, and fits in well with the rest of the cast.  Matt Smith comes across brilliantly with humor and (dare I say?) humanity.  There were some episodes that I truly could not have envisioned past Doctors playing the role.

Here are a few comments from my Dr. Who loving hubby, who loved the Sixth Series on DVD:

"The video quality is what you'd expect from DVD, but disappointing to someone who is used to HD." 

I'd have to agree with him on this point.  Call me spoiled now, but we typically don't buy movies or TV series that aren't on Blu-Ray unless the kids will be watching them in the car.  Because you will want to feel like you're practically one of the Doctor's companions,  hubby recommends buying Dr. Who: The complete Sixth Series on BluRay if you can afford it/support the format. 



"It's very nice to not have commercials and to be able to watch them one right after the other (Dr. Who-a-thon)."

When it comes to watching TV, we tend to watch our favorite shows in succession.  We spent one whole weekend a few years ago watching NCIS back-to-back to get caught up in time for the next season to begin.  When hubby does manage to score some well-deserved TV time, he tends to watch his shows in succession too, particularly his beloved Dr. Who.  He thoroughly enjoyed being able to watch his favorite show sans commercials one right after the other.  All 13 episodes were within the 6 Disc set. 


We also like to take movies with us when we travel to watch in the hotel room where the cable is non-existent or doesn't carry our favorite channels. Hubby travels for business, he likes to take movies along to help pass the time in the hotel room at night.


Bonus for me:  This DVD contains the 2010 Christmas Special (A Christmas Carol), which is one of my most favorite episodes that I've seen to date.  The plot was an incredible story and the singing at the end was a haunting melody (Abigail's Song - Silence Is All You Know) that stuck with me through the year. I asked to watch that episode first, but hubby talked me into letting him pick up where he left off on the DVR.

Bonus for hubby:  There's hours of bonus features to be enjoyed after you've watched all of the episodes.  Who doesn't love bonus features?

Final hubby comment:

"This is the latest season.  I had my doubts with another new doctor, but Matt is turning out to be a good doctor.  He and the companions have definitely grown on me.  River Song's secret was, although by the time it came in the episode I expected it, still definitely a surprise."

Overall, we enjoyed the Sixth Series and look forward to the next season.  I recommend the Blu-Ray version for the Dr. Who fan on your Christmas list.  

Be on the look out for a Dr. Who themed giveaway to be listed very soon!  You won't want to miss out!

Disclosure:  The title reviewed above was provided to me at no cost to me by the sponsor, BBC, through a third party, for the sole purpose of review.  Though the item was free to me, the opinions expressed are my own or related to comments made by family members with regard to their experience with the product.