Intriguing casting spoiler

[Pseudo]

Marnix Van Der Broeke who appeared as Death in the Sky Television adaptations of "The Hogfather" and "The Colour of Magic" is in the opening two-part story as "The Silent" It could just be a coincidence, but I think it's fair to say that the character might be connected to the last series' unresolved "Silence will fall" plot thread.

 

[Admiral_Young]

Perhaps this "The Silent" is the main big bad for this season?

 

[Starkers]

Or maybe it's just some monkish character who never speaks

 

[The Nth Doctor]

I can't help but wonder if Moffat will go against convention and deal with the big bad in the opening of the season and focus on something entirely different for the rest of the season (i.e. River).

 

[Bones2]

^
I wouldn't be surprised. After all, if the Silence goes through another whole season, that means with the split season that the whole plot thread will have carried through from The Eleventh Hour to not long before Christmas 2011 (or something). I suspect he'll sort it out early in the series and go on to something else. Hopefully not River though, she gets on my bloody wick.