Debating Doctor Who

Sorry this one is a bit late. The last few days have been a (wonderful) whirlwind, but hopefully that's the last time I need to make such an excuse. Anyway, we work our way through an odd, underwhelming, but not awful finale. What parts work? (Hi, Graham!) What parts don't? (Ugh, it's you, Tim Shaw.) Why doesn't this work, and we can't just say "Tim Shaw" and be done with it? We'll be back sometime -- probably after the holidays -- to talk series 11 generally, and look out for our take on the New Year's special after it airs!

Yeah, this one is incredible. Not our podcast, necessarily, at least not Alasdair's way over-clocked audio. (Sorry about that one.) But "It Takes You Away" is something really beautiful and special, and Allison especially has a ton to say about it. We look at how this episode explores the nature of grief, but also how that's only such a tiny fraction of everything that's going on here. Honestly, I'm not even sure how to summarize this one. Just give a listen if you're feeling so kind.

It's the landmark 112th episode of The Alan Cumming Discussion Hour! Allison and Alasdair dive into the gloriousness that is Alan Cumming as King James I, and also we talk a bit about the Doctor Who episode he happens to be spending time in. Actually, we have a lot to say about this one beyond just Cumming's admittedly brilliant performance, and Allison especially looks closely at what works and what doesn't about its handling of the Doctor's gender and how it affects her role in the story. Also, Alasdair transcends the very notion of self-parody with a fantasy casting suggestion that has to be heard to be believed.

We celebrate Doctor Who's 55th birthday by discussing the show's big look at automation and corporate culture. Alasdair really loved this one, so much so he starts breaking out the "Robots Of Death" comparisons, which is high praise from a classic Who fan. Allison wasn't feeling this one as much, but she finds herself warming to "Kerblam!" over the course of the discussion. All that plus general discussion of how this episode handles robots and the future, how this feels like a low-key turning point for Jodie Whittaker as the Doctor, and how Alasdair's girlfriend has some points to make via text about some stuff he said during our "The Woman Who Fell To Earth" discussion!

The latest episode joins "Rosa" as a heartbreaking, intimate look at one of the 20th century's grimmest chapters. But does it succeed in at last deepening Yaz? We dive deep into this mostly brilliant, beautiful episode, one that feels a long, long time coming for a British cultural institution like Doctor Who. As for the question of the show's least defined companion, well, we don't exactly have good news there, but at least we have a lot to say about just where Yaz stands six episodes in. Plus Allison reveals why she loves this episode's aliens so damn much, and Alasdair takes us all on a long-winded journey through the new series's historical episodes. Oh, and we also digress quite a bit to talk about dream guest stars. We both definitely have types.

We get in some proper debating in this episode, albeit in the most happy and agreeable of ways! Allison really enjoyed this episode, Alasdair had some reservations, and we end up meeting somewhere in the middle. Topics include: What sets apart Chris Chibnall's sci-fi world-building? How does the Doctor's gender inform the scene where she's called out for being selfish? Is it possible to do a successful male pregnancy subplot? Just how many characters can this show pay time and attention to before poor Yaz gets a look-in? All that and more, so come listen!

We're coming late and through a raft of pre-recording technical difficulties, but we're here! We're not huge fans of this past week's episode, but we don't exactly dislike it either. It's just sort of there, really, and we try to figure out why this one feels so insubstantial. Maybe this would work better if either of us were arachnophobes. As it is, we find some stuff to like here, especially in what the story says about Graham and grief, but we also wonder if the show has quite zeroed in yet on what sets the new Doctor and Yaz apart. The show very much feels like a work in progress, and we're still pretty sure that's a good thing? Have a listen and see what you think.

We take a long, sometimes faltering look at one of the most powerful Doctor Who episodes we’ve seen in a long time. “Rosa” is a stunningly accurate, always respectful telling of the civil rights pioneer’s story. Does it also work as an episode of Doctor Who? Does that even matter? Two extremely white people try their best to capture the nuances of an episode that entirely deserves nuanced discussion. Plus we go on some odd tangents about one-shot villains and big American guest stars. Oh, and we don’t forget to roast “The Shakespeare Code” and Andrew Garfield’s incredible American accent in “Daleks In Manhattan”, so fear not.

It took a second, we know, but we're here to talk about the new Doctor's first trip to an alien world. We have a few small but concrete issues with this episode, more than balanced by a lot of big but kind of elusive things we really liked. We discuss which characters are connecting and which really should but haven't had the material to do so yet. We talk about how the world-building here feels different from what we've grown used to over the past 10 seasons. We wonder about the apparent arcs of this season and whether we'd be okay if the show just kind of got on and had some straightforward adventures, but oh well. All that and more, so come listen!

We're back... and it's about time! (Again.) Yes, we've been on hiatus, but we couldn't let a whole new era, whole new season, and whole new Doctor pass us by, now could we? So Alasdair and Allison are here to discuss their thoughts on the 13th Doctor's first adventure. We talk about Jodie Whittaker's arrival in the role, what it's like to see such a different approach to companions, and even a little about the episode's monster, even if we do totally forget to discuss that bit until right before the end. We're excited for the new season, and we're excited to be back to talk about it. Let's do this!