Doctor Who star Matt Smith has revealed more details about the show's upcoming Christmas special.

The festive instalment will feature Harry Potter star Michael Gambon and singer Katherine Jenkins in key roles.

Smith told USA Today: "I had great fun making [the episode] because obviously it was the middle of July and there's loads of fake snow. There's lots of snow, crackers and turkey, and that goes hand-in-hand with the spirit of The Doctor and Doctor Who."

He added that the special would focus heavily on The Doctor's own festive spirit.

"It's showcasing humans at their most open and giving and kind," he said. "It's everything The Doctor's about."

Smith also referred to his role on the sci-fi drama as "the greatest part I've ever played".

"What's so wonderful about playing The Doctor is it's all based on invention," he explained. "You're given this white canvas to invent and paint on, and he can be any colour. I really want to push the boundaries of this part into next year now and keep raising the bar."

The as-yet-untitled Doctor Who special will air on BBC One this Christmas.

[Source: Digital Spy]

The sixth series of Doctor Who will open with a two-parter set in the US, the BBC has announced.

Scenes will be filmed in the Utah desert for a story set in the late '60s in which the Doctor, Amy and Rory find themselves on a secret summons to the Oval Office.

The episodes have been written by new series boss Steven Moffat and co-produced with BBC America.

Production starts in Cardiff this month with Matt Smith and Karen Gillen.

Alex Kingston will reprises her role as River Song.

Moffat said: "The Doctor has visited every weird and wonderful planet you can imagine, so he was bound get round to America eventually.

"And of course every Doctor Who fan will be jumping up and down and saying he's been in America before. But not for real, not on location - and not with a story like this one."

It has been announced previously that series six has been split into two blocks, with the first airing on BBC One in spring 2011 and the second block showing in autumn 2011.

** DWO will be flying out to Utah this Tuesday (long before filming begins) to record a short documentary in the Utah Desert itself. If you have any recommendations on places we should visit, email us: films@drwho-online.co.uk.

[Source: BBC News]