On the Time Lash

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Ben and Mark bring Series 11 to a close with two tales of spiritual saps being taken for a ride by old enemies of the Doctor. In The Battle of Ranskoor Av Kolos, Graham and Ryan get a satisfying ending even if no one else does. Whilst in The Keeper of Traken, Adric and Nyssa actually seem to like each other. What kind of evil energy is Peter Davison bringing in a few episodes' time?

Also: Geoffrey Beevers climbing up the back of you, an invitation to the wedding of the year, Tom Baker's Ghost Detectives, and bum regenerations.

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Ben and Mark can find nothing with the emotional complexity to compare with It Takes You Away and so pair it with another story featuring a frog on a chair, Four to Doomsday.

Comparing Jodie Whittaker with Peter Davison sparks some interesting discussions about the regard which each of their eras are held. Is the frog on the chair the most Doctor Who moment in post-2005 Doctor Who?

ALSO: Kwuok Facts! A Degsey's Ding-Dong Ping-Pong upset! A golden shower from Stratford Johns!

You can read Mark's Doctor Who lists here.
You can hear Ray Charles' melancholy Kermit the Frog cover here. 

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In a very special seasonal episode, Ben and Mark welcome writer and director Joy Wilkinson to the podcast to discuss writing The Witchfinders, the mechanics of the S11 writer's room, British history and folklore as well as her own love of The Daemons. 

What other stories from S11 did Joy want to write? Was the Doctor's gender the impetus or a happy accident? What the hell is going on with the Bury Man? We chat all this and more. 

ALSO: Dick Strawbridge shoots heroin, a fiendish new round of Degsey's Ding-Dong Ping-Pong and that most British of malevolent forces - mud. 

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Ben and Mark are joined by Steven from New to Who to discuss the BBC's perceived political bias through the prism of 'Kerblam!' and 'The Sunmakers'.

Isn't the system actually the problem? Is it enough in 2018 to just make a Doctor Who story about Space Amazon or do you actually have to have something to say? Is it a by-product of a more centrist approach to entertainment? And how do three men manage to cover all the potential readings of this slightly muddled tale in around 45 minutes?

The Sunmakers brings up discussions of high anxiety, Louise Jameson firing a big gun in the back of a car, flushing officials down the toilet and throwing them off the roof. And much more besides!

CONTAINS BIG SWEARS FROM THE OUTSET

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Religious tensions, post-colonialism, court intrigue,  unimaginable slaughter. It should be a right bloody laugh as Ben and Mark discuss 2018's 'Demons of the Punjab' and 1966's 'The Massacre of St Bartholomew's Eve'. 

Ben and Mark have nothing but praise for Vinay Patel's powerful portrayal of a historical moment that is woefully untaught in the history curriculum. It's Doctor Who at its most Reithian and leads to a discussion that takes in legacy, religious extremism and the Doctor's policy of 'no interference'.

Meanwhile, the Lash Lads find it harder to speak highly of John Lucarotti and Donald Tosh's flawed historical 'The Massacre of St Bartholomew's Eve'. Might this be better if we could see it? How on Earth were they portraying such a grisly and grotesque historical event on teatime telly? And what happened to the little boy on Wimbledon Common? 

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After some hot off the presses RTD reactions, Ben and Mark are joined by Pting expert Millie McKenzie to discuss 'The Tsuranga Conundrum' and 'Nightmare of Eden'.

Is 'The Tsuranga Conundrum' really as bad as everyone says it is? The discussion touches on Chekhov's abdominal pain, Chris Chibnall's limitations as a writer, the tonal inconsistencies and Ben's ginger Dad fetish. 

And then we snort a few lines and chat all about Bob Baker's insane anti-drug allegory 'Nightmare of Eden'. Is it a hard-hitting tale of the real-life cost of the drugs trade or is it just a load of daft mucking about? 

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In a creepy crawlie special, Ben and Mark discuss two giant insect stories by way of 'Arachnids in the UK' and 'The Web Planet'. 

Is 'Arachnids in the UK' even a pun? And is 'The Web Planet' actually just Doctor Who at it's most cynical?

Under discussion: 'The Green Death' for the Trump administration, the environmental impact of luxury golf courses, wobbly morals, insect movement by Roselyn De Winter, how Peter Capaldi's talking a lot of shite and Viva Las Vortis!

*Apologies for the tinniness of Mark's audio, there was a microphone issue. It's slightly less annoying than a Zarbi though. 

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Ben and Mark tackle quite the tonal tightrope as they discuss 2019's 'Rosa' and 1965's 'The Romans'. 

Dodging both white liberal hand wringing and patronising audiences of colour, Ben and Mark attempt to discuss the importance and freshness of 'Doctor Who' confronting racism head on. 

As they discuss the relevant Reithian values of both stories, they touch upon the increasing relevance of 'Rosa', amdram productions of 'Grease', the boldness of Season 11's historicals, how Ian and Barbara were definitely at it, and 'The Romans' subtle importance in establishing the character of the Doctor and the show's mission statement going forward. 

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In a very special bonus episode Ben and Mark try to unpack all the news from a packed and slightly chaotic week in Doctor Who. They've become everything they said they'd never be...

Under discussion: San Diego Comic Con, Series 13, potential replacements for both Chris Chibnall and Jodie Whittaker as well as pointless, uninformed speculation about the future of Doctor Who.

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Ben and Mark continue the Jodie Whittaker/Chris Chibnall era with looks at two races against time without much urgency - 'The Ghost Monument' and 'Enlightenment'.

Struggling to study for their NVQs, Ben and Mark tackle dodgy portrayals of coordination disorders, one of the best cliffhanger resolutions in Doctor Who and the ghost of Sydney Newman. 

Whilst back in the 1980s, the first story to be written and directed by women, 'Enlightenment' suffers from dodgy bird hats, mad eyes and the weight of hype for new viewer Mark but wins him round with its high concepts and treatments of class and religion. 

But what do the bandages say?

WARNING: Contains Star Trek chatter.

 

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