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‘Doctor Who’ Gets Americanized

18 May, 2011 By: John Latchem

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With a promotional campaign touting “Doctor Who in America,” the venerable BBC franchise has taken on a stateside flair not just in its setting, but also its DVD plans.

In addition to a cheesy little prologue explaining the show, the latest season of “Doctor Who,” now airing on BBC America, is being split into two halves separated by a cliffhanger, a practice popularized in recent years by Syfy on such shows as “Battlestar Galactica” and the “Stargate” franchise.

Doctor Who: Series 6, Part 1, streets July 19 (order date June 14) from BBC Video as a two-disc set on DVD ($24.98) and Blu-ray ($29.98). The set includes the first seven episodes of the season, plus “Monster Files” about “The Gangers” and “The Silence.”

The set also includes “The Doctor’s Wife,” the long-awaited episode by acclaimed graphic novelist Neil Gaiman.

The series continues the adventures of The Doctor, who has been traveling through time and space on British airwaves since 1963. The latest incarnation of The Doctor (his 11th) is played by Matt Smith, joined by newlywed companions Amy and Rory (Karen Gillan and Arthur Darvill).

The second half of the season is slated to begin airing in September.

BBC Video also is repackaging the three seasons of “Doctor Who” spinoff “Torchwood” into one collection timed to coincide with the debut of the show’s fourth season on American cable network Starz.

Torchwood: The Complete Original U.K. Series is due July 19 (order date June 14) as a 14-DVD set at $119.98 and a 12-disc Blu-ray set at $129.95. The set includes all the bonus content from the original releases.

The 10-part Torchwood: Miracle Day debuts July 8.
 

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