Debating Doctor Who

Alasdair is visiting Chicago, so he drops by Allison's place to record an in-person episode. Friend of the show Kate Kulzick joins us for the opening of this, the second edition of our big look at the Master, to discuss the character's origins in the classic series and what has and hasn't carried over to the new series. Then it's just Alasdair and Allison discussing this pair of two-parters, one of which is generally very good with a couple faults here and there, and the other is... ooh boy, where even to begin with the other one? There's a ton of Michelle Gomez praise, as is customary, but we also have more than a few positive things to say about John Simm's incarnation. But then that's just the tip of an especially bonkers iceberg.

Alasdair is in Chicago, so he stopped by Allison's apartment to record a bunch of episodes. First up, here's a half-hour's worth of series 11 discussion with friend of the show Kate Kulzick, in which we break down the recent news that incoming showrunner Chris Chibnall is considering a switch to 10 hour-long episodes instead of the traditional 45-minute format. While this sounds like a simple bit of arithmetic, we use this as an excuse to take a deep look at Chibnall's Who resume, the difference in pacing stories at those various lengths, and what two-parters actually work as 90-minute stories in the first place.

It's the first part of our big look at the Master, so basically we're just going to be praising Derek Jacobi and Michelle Gomez for most of the episode. They are just so, so good at what they do, while "Utopia" and "Dark Water"/"Death In Heaven" are a fascinating mix of obvious flaws and sneaky greatness. The series three episode has fun just letting all its continuity collide and discovering character moments amid all the mess, while the series eight two-parter is a little too keen to tell you the point of all this, but it's frequently brilliant all the same. We'll be back next week with a look at the next round of Master stories, "The Sound Of Drums"/"Last Of The Time Lords" and "The Magician's Apprentice"/"The Witch's Familiar"!

First up, Pearl Mackie said some stuff about the Christmas special, so our podcast charter requires we drop everything and listen to what the woman behind Bill Potts has to say. Then we take a look at two often overlooked episodes, one of which might be the single most forgettable story in all new Doctor Who. If nothing else, it's got the most ridiculously generic title, which leads to Alasdair listing off equally generic Tom Baker era titles, much to Allison's amusement. We do talk some about the 10th Doctor and Lady Christina de Souza having adventures together, and Allison admits she's actually a bit of a fan of UNIT scientist Dr. Malcolm Taylor. Then, we talk about "Time Heist." Short version: Holy crap, this episode isn't a classic or anything, but we kind of seriously love "Time Heist." It's so fun and cool! And then join us next week as we look at two eras' very different takes on the Master with a look at "Utopia" and "Dark Water"/"Death In Heaven"!

The cohosts of the great new podcast "Talking Who To You" join Alasdair to discuss the Big Finish audios. We offer a beginner-friendly yet still in-depth to the vast world of Doctor Who audios. Which stories should you start with? What should you avoid? We pick some favorite stories and arcs, and we dig into what Big Finish does well and areas where it struggles. If you're at all curious about the audio adventures but aren't sure where to start, this ought to be the podcast for you! And also check out Alasdair's appearance on a recent "Talking Who To You" episode, where he joins Kevin and J.G. to discuss "The Holy Terror."

We take a look at two of Chris Chibnall's more notable contributions to the show before he starts running it next year, even if we do have to negotiate some serious technical difficulties to get through it all. We offer a moderately positive appraisal of the Silurian two-parter, as it's a story that has a lot of neat ideas that it just never quite develops as much as it probably ought to. Still, not bad! And "The Power Of Three" remains a lovely character piece, with one's opinion of it pretty much turning on how much you find the rather unconvincing monster element a problem. And join us next week for a look at the show getting its sleek (or silly, often silly) thriller on with "Planet Of The Dead," featuring a real-live jewel thief as the guest companion, and the early 12th Doctor adventure "Time Heist"!

It's a River Song-stravaganza! We go deep on all things River Song with a look at adventures she had with three different Doctors: her first and final adventure with the 10th Doctor in the library, her wedding with the 11th Doctor, and her heartbreaking swanswong with the 12th Doctor. There's a lot to love about all these stories, even if "The Wedding Of River Song" does leave Allison feeling deeply grumpy. But mostly we're here to praise these stories and all Alex Kingston brought to the role of River across her seven years of appearances on the show. We just try to offer an appropriately raucous and saucy episode to do River proud. And join us next week for a Chris Chibnall preview as we look at two of his efforts and see what they might hint at for series 11 with "The Hungry Earth"/"Cold Blood" and "The Power Of Three"!

First up, are you in the Chicago area and interested in going to a potential live episode on Saturday, October 14? Let us know if you are! Now, to business: We look at a pair of maligned historical Dalek stories, and we mostly conclude that, yeah, these stories deserve some maligning. "Daleks In Manhattan"/"Evolution Of The Daleks" so obviously wants to be a dumb sci-fi B-movie, but it can't quite find the right way to combine its theoretically weighty subject matter with that sense of fun. Also, it's time to roast Andrew Garfield's Tennessee accent, because my goodness. "Victory Of The Daleks," on the other hand, does at least have some really lovely work from Karen Gillan, and Alasdair has a theory to help you find something interesting in this one. Look, neither of these is good, but we had a lot of fun discussing them regardless, so this is well worth the listen. And join us next week for a big three-story River Songstravaganza with "Silence In The Library"/"The Forest Of The Dead," "The Wedding Of River Song," and "The Husbands Of River Song"!

No, we didn't think "The Crimson Horror" would be our first repeat episode either, but we're kind of happy about it! After all, it's Allison's first time discussing this 11th Doctor and Clara adventure, and she has plenty to say about Diana Rigg and Rachel Stirling's supporting turns. There's a ton in both episodes about trauma and abuse in the context of stultifying Victorian society, and we dig into some of that. "The Next Doctor" features not one but two lovely Doctor performances by people named David, while we're still trying to figure out why the 11th Doctor has totally forgotten about the concept of personal space. It's... it's not great! But there's still a lot to like in both these episodes, as we consider a pair of stories that manage to be rather more than the sum of their occasionally underwhelming parts. Next week: We go for a double feature of early 20th century Dalek silliness with "Daleks In Manhattan"/"Evolution of the Daleks" and "Victory of the Daleks"!

We open with a lengthy consideration of the rumor that Bradley Walsh could be the new companion, and what a 57-year-old man would be like as part of the TARDIS team. Also, we take a moment to recognize how seriously great the cast of Law and Order: UK was. Then it's debate time, and for the second straight week the series four entry crushes the series 7B contender, as we both admit we have no idea what's going on in "Journey To The Centre Of The TARDIS," and not in a cool, "Warriors' Gate" kind of way. At least it often looks pretty. But "Turn Left" has plenty to recommend it, including four great performances. Also, Rose is in it! (We kid Billie Piper, but she's totally right when she's said she forgot how to do Rose's voice.) Anyway, this episode is great. And join us next week for a pair of Victorian romps, as we look at "The Next Doctor" and our first (entirely accidental) repeat pick, "The Crimson Horror"!