It's the end of an era, it's the beginning of an era. And the most wonderful time to be a Doctor Who fan. We react to the Twelfth Doctor's run-in with his former self, an officer with ties to a future, former self, his beloved companions (or ARE they?), and his farewell. And say hello to Thirteen.
Jamie's first full adventure as a companion. Fish people in synchronized swimming routines. So we talk Troughton, Whittaker, and the pressure of being "the first to Regenerate. Also, Companion File: Jamie McCrimmon.
The Episode you've been waiting for! In advance of Twice Upon a Time, we wanted to go over Tenth Planet with a fine tooth comb. It's a better story than we remembered (possibly helped by the animation by Planet 55), and that only adds to the anticipation of a new Regeneration this Christmas.
In which the Doctor goes on a "Fantastic Voyage", he and his companion get covered in sick (again), and he discovers what it means to be a good Dalek. Companion File on Clara Oswald.
It's Eleven and Amy Pond, a future Queen of England and a space Cetacean. AKA, another day at the office for Steven Moffatt. And we talk 13's costume reveal as well as a Companion File for Amy Pond.
Rose and the newly regenerated Doctor follow a psychic text to a hospital in New (x15) York and meet up with an old friend and an old nemesis. And we introduce first Doctor Companion, Katarina in our Companion Files.
The Doctor offers Rose her first ride in the TARDIS, to the End of the World! It's the first alien world of the new series, filled with blue stewards, tree people, and the Last Remaining Human, the Lady Cassandra O'Brien. Companion Files on Rose Tyler and First Doctor Companion, Steven Taylor.
The Eighth Doctor meets Charley in the Big Finish launch of their 8th Doctor Adventures within the Main Range, and it's a thing of beauty. An historical and a giant alien airship, big enough for the largest dirigible flown to that point to fit inside. Paul McGann and India Fisher team up and spark from the beginning. Also, Companion Files for First Doctor Companion Vicki and this episode's Charlotte Pollard.
Continuity, Mythology, what is "Canon" in the Whoniverse? We talk Timeline vs Chronology and lots of books and audios and where they all fit in.
Slow-moving hoovers and urban slang girl "kangs" -- Yup! It's Doctor Who in the 80s. We review the inspiration and intent and talk where we think they went off the rails. Also, Companion Files for Barbara and Mel
We ran long last week, so we are putting out a bonus episode with Companion Files for Ian Chesterton and Peri Brown. From First to . . . well, you have to listen to our take to see what we think.
Faced with the prospect of discussing a tortured Cybermen story, we turned this into a Cybermen travelogue. "Attack" takes place just before Tenth Planet, and just after Tomb of the Cybermen. To make that make sense, we talk our way through ALL Cybermen stories. And find out what makes sense and what doesn't.
The Doctor, Adric, Nyssa and Tegan land aboard a ship bound for Earth, but it carries representatives of ancient Earth cultures. And a megalomaniac with a soft spot for Adric. And Cato from the Pink Panther movies. We talk about this Silver Age of Doctor Who stories and enter 2 more Companion Files: Tegan and Nyssa.
The Fourth Doctor and Sarah Jane are joined in the TARDIS by UNIT's Medical Officer, Surg. Lieut. Harry Sullivan. Despite impressive credentials in science, Sullivan accidentally changes the ship's course and they land on a seemingly abandoned space station. It's classic 70s sci-fi -- Earth is uninhabitable. Samples of all organic life were sent into stasis in space until the Earth is safe for human life. But something got into the wiring . . . The Ark, and the Earth, need the Doctor, Sarah Jane and Harry to save it.
We talk British SciFi history, Prof Quatermass and Zen Buddhism. And the second Jon Pertwee story. Not necessarily in that order.
A Missing Serial. Which means we find a way to talk for an hour about 13 seconds of film. KIDDING! Thanks to all the nerds of the 1960s who hardwired reel-to-reel recorders to their televisions to capture sound, we have a complete audio track. Telesnaps -- on set photographs -- have been cobbled together with that nerd-sourced material to make an archive of what the creators intended. And thus, we are introduced to young Jamie McCrimmon, soon to join the TARDIS crew. Also featured in this episode -- Vic gets to discuss the Protestant Reformation, Scottish History and Civil Rights movements, all in one podcast. (Life may never be so good again.) So flin' oan a kilt and come alang wi' us oan a journey to The Highlanders.
We return to covering stories of the First Doctor, this time, its the introduction of the iconic villains of Doctor Who, The Daleks. We discuss the strength of character creation within the TARDIS crew and without, covering the happy accidents that led to the identifiable profile, the menacing presence, despite wielding household implements as weapons, and the warped soul portrayed by the unique voice distortion. And we look at the literary, historical and social influences that are the underpinnings of one of the most malevolent fictional characters in television history.
Two Who fans, one Old Who, one New Who, discuss the historic announcement that Jodie Whittaker will be the 13th Doctor. We also discuss new showrunner, Chris Chibnall, and his long-term connection to the show as both fan and writer for television. And we address some of the backlash, what disappointed us, and how we chose to respond.
The Twelfth Doctor. Is he a "Good Man?" Is he the "Grumpy Cat Doctor?" Is he another Moffat "Plot Device?" Take a "Deep Breath" and join us for our discussion of lifelong Who fan, Peter Capaldi's introduction as the Doctor.
Wow. You know it's a good finale when you want to say something clever like, "The Master and Missy and Nardole, oh my!" but Moffat crafts such a complex and beautiful goodbye to some of Doctor Who's best characters that "clever" feels trite.
Wherein Stephen Moffat takes our favorite companion in a generation and ZuZu's Petals her. But first we talk about the beautiful Picts vs Romans story, "Eaters of Light." Bill finds the 9th Legion and the Doctor finds an alien menace. And then they travel with Nardole and Missy toward a distress signal (the Doctor's theme tune) which winds up with Bill making a sacrifice and/or the Doctor failing to save his friends. It's a cliffhanger and we need a serious therapy session about it.
A New Doctor, a new Show Runner. The Moffat and Matt Smith eras begin. A crack in the wall has a little girl very scared, so scared that a Mad Man in a box doesn't rattle her at all.
The Monks Trilogy wraps up on a moody, atmospheric note with "The Lie of the Land," and Mark Gatiss wraps up his time as contributor to the show (Say it ain't so!) with the retro-Ice Warriors/Zulu tribute, "Empress of Mars."
For the first time, many New Who fans experienced a Regeneration when the Ninth Doctor gave way to his Tenth incarnation, played by David Tennant. Rose returns home with a strange looking man who insists he is the Doctor, before he passes out. Now the Earth is under attack by an alien race, and the Doctor can't be roused. Prime Minister Harriet Jones and UNIT try to handle the menace on their own, and Rose even gives it a go, but the Doctor wakes up just in time to play the role of Earth's Champion, even as he tries to figure out who he is this go-round.
Can you imagine the Pope arriving and spoiling a first date? This is Bill's life with the Doctor in it. Or is it real life? Or is it Moffat messing with us? Again? We react to Extremis, Missy's return, Nardole saving the day, Nardole with permission to dole out punishment, a pyramid that shows up out of nowhere, bacteria running amok and Bill doing what needs done to save the Doctor. And that's just the first 2 of a 3 parter!