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TARDIS Guide
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Overview

First aired

Saturday, April 23, 2011

Production Code

2.1

Written by

Steven Moffat

Directed by

Toby Haynes

Runtime

45 minutes

Story Type

Two-Parter

Time Travel

Past

Tropes (Potential Spoilers!)

Invisibility, Amnesia, By Royal Command, Celebrity Historical, Doctor Who?, Fake Regeneration, Fixed point in time, It's bigger on the inside, LGBTQA+, Meeting in the wrong order, Mind Control, Pregnancy, Spoilers, Time Travel Pivotal, Working Chameleon Circuit

Story Arc (Potential Spoilers!)

Amy's Pregnancy, Melody Pond, Silence Will Fall

Inventory (Potential Spoilers!)

Fez

Location (Potential Spoilers!)

Earth, USA, Utah

UK Viewers

8.86 million

Appreciation Index

88

Synopsis

Amy Pond, Rory Williams, River Song and the Eleventh Doctor receive a mysterious summons that takes them on an adventure to 21st century Utah and Florida in 1969.

Along the way they meet Richard Nixon, president of the United States of America, and former FBI agent Canton Everett Delaware III.

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Characters

How to watch The Impossible Astronaut:

Watch on iPlayer Doctor Who Confidential
Blu-Ray

The Complete Sixth Series [Steelbook]

Blu-Ray

The Complete Sixth Series

DVD

The Complete Sixth Series

Blu-Ray

Series 6: Part 1

DVD

Series 6: Part 1

Reviews

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6 reviews

This review contains spoilers!

Rewatched Apr 23rd 2025

Despite the fact that the episode begins by killing off beloved children's icon Doctor Who, this episode has always felt effortlessly cozy to me. Maybe it's that 11 / Amy / Rory / River companion dynamic which I always love, the effortlessly fun dialogue Stephen Moffat injects into every scene, or even the small mystery of figuring out exactly where the girl is calling from. No matter what, I can always come back to this episode (And its second part) and enjoy watching it just as much every time.

Equilius

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Review last edited on 24-04-25

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Best season opener of all New Who.

MarkOfGilead19

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Review last edited on 17-10-24

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There wasn't a whole lot of plot explained in the first episode but I liked it. The pacing was a little off and I too am hoping to see something a little different than the timey-wimey stuff but yeah, it was good.

AndyUK

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Review last edited on 23-09-24

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This review contains spoilers!

The Silence are my favourite villain, really love their whole idea and concept. This introduction episode is very, very good.

The9thCyberLegion

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Review last edited on 22-09-24

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What?

captainjackenoch

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Review last edited on 18-08-24

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Statistics

AVG. Rating792 members
3.99 / 5

Trakt.tv

AVG. Rating1,335 votes
4.25 / 5

Member Statistics

Watched

1648

Favourited

163

Reviewed

6

Saved

4

Skipped

1

Quotes

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Amy, the Doctor, and Rory, in America. The Doctor is wearing a Stetson.
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DOCTOR: I wear a Stetson now. Stetsons are cool.

— Eleventh Doctor, The Impossible Astronaut

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Transcript

[Palace]

(The restored Monarch and his guards charge through the building.)

CHARLES: Out of my way!

(His way is blocked by a locked door. Inside the room, a large unfinished painting shows the naked Doctor as Neptune about to be crowned by a cherub.)

CHARLES [OC]: Doctor! Doctor! Doctor! Doctor!

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