Series 6 ( Doctor Who ) Series 6 of " Doctor Who " , occasionally known as season 32 to avoid confusion with season 6 , aired in 2011 . Series 6 was the first since season 26 to not introduce any new lead cast members ; Matt Smith continued on as the Eleventh Doctor , still joined by Karen Gillan ' s Amy Pond and Arthur Darvill ' s Rory Williams , from the previous series . This series was split into two parts , and dealt with overarching elements such as the Silence , the identity of River Song , and the Doctor ' s death at Lake Silencio . DWM 419 confirmed that it had been commissioned by the BBC , and producer Piers Wenger also announced the same at the BBC Press Launch for series 5 in March 2010 . Filming began in July 2010 . The main run of this series was preceded by a 2010 Christmas special written by Steven Moffat , " A Christmas Carol " . The series was split into two sections , with the first episode , " The Impossible Astronaut " , airing on 23 April 2011 . It paused after the seventh episode , " A Good Man Goes to War " , was aired on 4 June 2011 . The series picked up with the eighth episode , " Let ' s Kill Hitler " , on 27 August 2011 and ran through to the final , thirteenth episode , " The Wedding of River Song " on 1 October 2011 . Short prequels were released on the official site to publicise the series , the first time such brief productions had been made since the Tardisode s of series 2 . For the first time since the 1970s , the version of the series syndicated outside the UK contained a major difference : the opening credits of most episodes of Series 6 broadcast in Canada , US , Australia and Israel were preceded by a special introductory narration by Karen Gillan ( as Amy Pond ) explaining the concept of the series , with footage taken from Series 5 episodes . Overview . The story arc of this series involves River Song ' s true identity , revelations of the mysterious Silence referenced in series 5 and apparent death of the Eleventh Doctor . Series 6 began with the Eleventh Doctor inviting Amy Pond , Rory Williams and River Song to a picnic in Utah using blue envelopes , where a figure clad in an Apollo spacesuit shoots the Doctor and kills him before he can regenerate . After burning the Doctor ' s body , the companions find the Doctor alive and well in a café ; the Doctor that was shot and killed was a future version , and he apparently invited his companions and past self to instigate a plan in 1969 America . The rest of the series makes references to the future Doctor ' s plan and his apparently final death . The Silence was also revealed in this series ; they are a religious order dedicated to eliminating the Doctor before he can answer " the Question " . Finally , River Song ' s true identity was revealed , a mystery that has been present ever since her introduction in " Silence in the Library " in 2008 . Whilst there have subtle clues and plot points concerning a mysterious little girl , Amy ' s seemingly failed pregnancy and a lady with an eye patch throughout the first half of the series , the mystery was finally revealed in " A Good Man Goes to War " ; River Song is Amy and Rory ' s daughter , raised and indoctrinated by the Silence for the sole purpose of assassinating the Doctor . Because she was conceived within the TARDIS during flight she absorbed the energy of the Time Vortex , making her human , but with a Time Lord ' s capability of regenerating . Her Time Lord - like physiology and abilities also made her the perfect assassin for the Doctor . The series concluded with the final outcome of the Doctor ' s plan throughout the series ; the spacesuit - clad figure who killed the Doctor was River Song , with the Silence - modified spacesuit forcing her to commit the deed . However , the Doctor had faked his own death and made it a fixed point in time in order to trick the Silence , getting them off his back at least for a while . Whilst most of the universe is convinced that the Doctor is dead once and for all , a handful of individuals including his companions know otherwise . However , there were still unresolved matters following the conclusion of the series ; the Silence , whilst their numbers have fallen , are still present and they may still learn later that the Doctor was not killed . This series has also addressed a mystery that has been part of " Doctor Who " since its creation and one that head writer Steven Moffat has mentioned in at least two episodes ( " The Girl in the Fireplace " and " Forest of the Dead " ) . The oldest question in the Universe is revealed to be " Doctor who ? " Production . Crew . Producers . " to be added " Writers . " to be added " Directors . " to be added " Filming . Filming began in July 2010 , and ran through to 29 April 2011 . Television stories . Mini - episodes . DVD Box Set Mini - episodes . These five mini - episodes were released on the series 6 DVD boxset . They were all given an umbrella title of " Night and the Doctor " . Adaptations and merchandising . Home media . DVD . All episodes of series 6 were released in 2011 . DVD and Blu - ray release . The DVD release of series 6 was issued in two parts , unlike the preceding series , which was released in four or five parts over the duration of the series . Part One , which contains episodes one to seven , was released on 11th July 2011 , shortly after the airing of episode seven . Part Two was released in the autumn , shortly after episode thirteen was aired . Both parts were released as a box set on November 22 with the " Night and the Doctor " minisodes and the " Doctor Who Confidential " cutdowns . Omitted from the set , however , was the international version of the opening credits with the Amy Pond narration .