<P> Reviewing the first half, Dave Golder of SFX praised the change in direction Moffat had taken with the show, calling it "more visually impressive and more narratively rewarding than anything we've had before". The Guardian's Dan Martin was positive towards the first six episodes, despite calling "The Curse of the Black Spot" a "wasted opportunity" and noting that it would be a risk to serialise the story too much . He particularly praised the way Amy, Rory, and the Doctor had developed since the last series . </P> <P> Sam McPherson of Zap2it said that, despite a few "duds", the sixth series was the "strongest" since Doctor Who's revival in 2005 . Despite disliking the finale as a conclusion, The Independent's Neela Debnath praised the character development seen in the series as well as the "cinematic quality". She also was positive to the dynamic between the Doctor, Amy, and Rory, as it was different from other characters seen previously on the show, and continuing with the same character allowed the series to feel more "multi-layered". Charlie Jane Anders of io9 described it as "of the most unusual, and structurally ambitious, eras in Doctor Who's history" and praised the way the story revolved around the Doctor . DVD Talk's John Sinnott gave the series four out of five stars, feeling that it "(didn't) quite hit the heights" of the fifth series but was "still pretty good (and light years past any other SF show currently in production)". Despite finding the solution "witty, unpredictable...and very satisfying", he stated that the subplots were "a bit convoluted" and potentially confusing, and they "seem to drop the mystery of the person in the space suit for a large part of the season and (focus) on other odd events". He also noted that the plots of the consecutive episodes "Night Terrors", "The Girl Who Waited", and "The God Complex" were similar . </P> <P> Reviewing the whole series, SFX's Ian Berriman was more critical, giving it three and a half out of five stars . He heavily criticised the story arc, finding it too complicated and the solution unsatisfying, and noted that it lacked "emotional impact". Anders felt that the story arc, especially the finale, suffered from Amy and River not being portrayed as believable characters . Digital Spy named Doctor Who the eighth best show of 2011, feeling that the series was "something of a mixed bag" with episodes of varying quality but generally praised the acting of the cast "Matt Smith was firing on all cylinders--there's a confidence that comes with knowing you're a hit with viewers--while Arthur Darvill's Rory excelled in his first year as a series regular" Gavin Fuller of The Daily Telegraph wrote that "The Wedding of River Song" was "an uneven ending to a slightly uneven series which at times has been in danger of overcomplicating itself, but still has been one of the most creative and distinctive series on television". The series was also criticised by viewers and the press for being "too scary" for young children, "too complicated", and running the risk of alienating casual viewers . Arnold T. Blumburg of IGN stated that the sixth series "inspired seriously divided reactions in fandom" and, in his opinion, "the show has never been more unevenly written or emotionally distant". </P> <P> "A Christmas Carol" was nominated for the 2011 Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation (Short Form), but lost to the fifth series finale "The Pandorica Opens" / "The Big Bang". "The Doctor's Wife", "A Good Man Goes to War", and "The Girl Who Waited" were nominated for the same award for 2012, with "The Doctor's Wife" winning . "The Doctor's Wife" also won the 2011 Ray Bradbury award . </P>

When does the sixth season of house of cards start