The Writers' Room

By Erik and Kyle

What's The Writers' Room about?

This monthly podcast will look at Doctor Who through the writers who molded the show and their televised output. Hosted by Kyle Anderson (Doctor Who blogger for Nerdist.com) and Erik Stadnik (host of the Doctor Who Book Club podcast)

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The Writers' Room episodes:

03.16.2024
Amy's Choice & Vincent and the Doctor
This here is the good stuff! This month Kyle and Erik discuss two series five episodes written by guest writers. "Amy's Choice" by Simon Nye and "Vincent and the Doctor" by Richard Curtis. An actual Oscar nominee writing for Doctor...
02.25.2024
The Hungry Earth/Cold Blood
This month, Erik and Kyle go deep underground, some might even call it Hades itself, to discuss "The Hungry Earth/Cold Blood," the two-part series five story from future showrunner Chris Chibnall. It brings back the Silurians and gives us a...
01.21.2024
Getting Whithoused #1
Happy New Year! This month, Erik and Kyle embark on the first of what they're calling "Getting Whithoused," which is looking at the stories written by Toby Whithouse in the Steven Moffat era. Up first, "The Vampires of Venice" from...
12.18.2023
The Time of Angels/Flesh and Stone
Hello and happy December, friends. This month, Erik and Kyle are taking a trip to the crash of the Byzantium to discuss what is certainly in the running for best Smith-era Steven Moffat script, "The Time of Angels/Flesh and Stone."...
11.15.2023
The Beast Below
This month, Erik and Kyle continue the Moffat Years train with his second episode, and indeed the second Eleventh Doctor and Amy episode, "The Beast Below," an episode---to quote Kyle---with a better story than plot.
10.14.2023
The Eleventh Hour
After a few months of falderal and fiddle-dee-dee, it is finally time for Erik and Kyle to begin the proper journey into the Steven Moffat showrunner era. And boy howdy what a big one to start with. "The Eleveth Hour"...
09.15.2023
Russell T Davies Years Wrap-Up
Let's try this again! This month, Kyle and Erik say farewell (for now) to showrunner Russell T Davies. What did he bring to Doctor Who, what is his legacy? It's a lot, that's the short answer.
08.15.2023
Silence in the Library/Forest of the Dead
07.14.2023
The Girl in the Fireplace and Blink
This month we begin a new season! The Moffat Years! As a prelude, we discuss Steven Moffat's scripts during the Russell T Davies years, specifically this time "The Girl in the Fireplace" and "Blink." Nothing too major here or anything....
06.18.2023
Russell T Davies Top 11
Well, friends, sometimes you lose episodes to tech crashes. It finally happened to us. So, you aren't getting a final discussion about the Russell T Davies (1) era of Doctor Who, you instead get us doing our top 11 RTD scripts....
05.15.2023
The End of Time
It's here. It's finally here. Kyle and Erik's discussion of the RTD tenure (first one) comes to an end with sigh "The End of Time." Both parts. They're doing it. Here we go.
04.15.2023
Planet of the Dead and The Waters of Mars
And so begins the gap year specials in earnest. Kyle and Erik are very nearly at the end of the Tennant and RTD (1) years. This month, it's "Planet of the Dead" and "The Waters of Mars." One of these...
03.14.2023
The Stolen Earth/Journey's End
We are indeed approaching the end of some journey! Kyle and Erik take a look at the Series 4 finale two-parter "The Stolen Earth/Journey's End," in which Russell T Davies tried to bring back nearly everyone from his entire era,...
02.15.2023
Midnight and Turn Left
This month is a big one, folks! We're in the home stretch of the RTD1 era, talking about two of the writers' best episodes. "Midnight," series 4's companion-lite episode, and "Turn Left," the Doctor-lite episode that aired the following week....
01.31.2023
10th Anniversary Mailbag Bonus Episode!
Folks! It's a b-b-b-b-b-b-BONUS-s-s-s-s-s-s episode! To celebrate 10 years, Erik and Kyle are giving you, the free listener, access to our Patreon bonus mailbag episode. Listeners wrote in questions about our opinions, hopes, hypothetical ideas, and more all pertaining to...
01.15.2023
The Lazarus Experiment and The Doctor's Daughter
Can you believe it, folks? This episode marks the 10th anniversary of Doctor Who: The Writers Room. What a long strange trip as has been for Kyle and Erik. So many episodes, so many laughs, so many writers covered. And to...
12.15.2022
Voyage of the Damned/The Next Doctor
Hello and happy holidays, friends! As Erik and Kyle wrap up their TENTH YEAR of podcasting, they look at David Tennant's last two proper Christmas specials. It's "Voyage of the Damned" from 2007 and "The Next Doctor" from 2008. Both...
11.15.2022
The Shakespeare Code and The Unicorn and the Wasp
10.14.2022
The Sontaran Stratagem/The Poison Sky
Who had Kyle and Erik liking the season four Sontaran two-parter in their betting pool? Well surprises are part of life for Doctor Who fans. Yes, friends, our heroes beam about "The Sontaran Stratagem/The Poison Sky," so strap in. Oh, but...
09.16.2022
The Fires of Pompeii and Planet of the Ood
Our journey into the Donna Noble era of Doctor Who gets cooking with her first two proper trips in the TARDIS. First we have a favorite, "The Fires of Pompeii," written by James Moran, and then we have "Planet of the...
09.01.2022
The Runaway Bride and Partners in Crime
Hello, Donna! Yes, this month we're discussing the first two episodes featuring Donna Noble, "The Runaway Bride" and "Partners in Crime." How does Russell T Davies turn a one-off comedy guest star into the most beloved companion in the entire...
08.14.2022
The Sound of Drums/Last of the Time Lords
Faith and begorah! We're back with a new episode. Thank you all for your patience. Finally, we can discuss the two episodes that finish off Doctor Who series 3, "The Sound of Drums/Last of the Time Lords," which weeeeeeee have thoughts...
08.07.2022
Hey, We're Still Here
Hello everyone. So sorry for the extreme delay in release. We've had what can only be described as a truly hellish month of July. Erik has all the details for you in this episode, which, until we are actually able...
06.14.2022
Utopia
This month, in order to delay having to talk about a very bad two-parter, Kyle and Erik talk about "Utopia," an episode hailed by many as a modern masterpiece. But, 15 years later, does it still have that kind of...
05.14.2022
Human Nature/The Family of Blood
This month sees Erik and Kyle discussing a much beloved two-parter from series 3, "Human Nature/The Family of Blood," which has a lot of David Tennant, but not very much Tenth Doctor. Hmm? What what?
04.15.2022
The Idiot's Lantern and 42
This month, Kyle and Erik discuss two stories by writers who'd write a lot more later on. The first is Mark Gatiss and "The Idiot's Lantern" from series 2. The second is Chris Chibnall and "42" from series 3. Which...
03.15.2022
Daleks in Manhattan/Evolution of the Daleks
This month, we continue our series 3 talk by looking at Helen Raynor's oft-derided two-parter, "Daleks in Manhattan/Evolution of the Daleks," which has some interesting elements. But enough? We'll see.
02.15.2022
Smith and Jones and Gridlock
And here we are at Series 3 already! The "Oh hey, the Tenth Doctor isn't very nice" train continues with two early stories with new companion Martha Jones. We have "Smith and Jones" and "Gridlock," both from showrunner Russell T...
01.16.2022
Army of Ghosts/Doomsday
Happy New Year, dear listener! As Kyle and Erik begin their 10th year of podcasting together, they finish (pretty much) Series 2 of updated Doctor Who. It's the almost universally beloved "Army of Ghosts/Doomsday," which has a lot more to it...
12.15.2021
Rise of the Cybermen/The Age of Steel
Erik and Kyle round out their first calendar year covering the Russell T Davies era by talking about Series 2's big classic villain return: "Rise of the Cybermen/The Age of Steel." This story had a lot of heavy lifting to...
11.15.2021
The Impossible Planet/The Satan Pit
Erik and Kyle descend down into the cosmically and existentially horrific masterpiece that is "The Impossible Planet/The Satan Pit," as written by Matt Jones. Is this the best story we've looked at yet? Is it the scariest? Find out! Join...
10.15.2021
Tooth and Claw and Love and Monsters
This month, with some actual news about Russell T Davies, Erik and Kyle discuss two of his scripts from series 2. First up is Tooth and Claw, the one with Queen Victoria and the werewolves. Second is Love & Monsters,...
09.16.2021
School Reunion and Fear Her
This month, Kyle and Erik dive headlong into Doctor Who series two with a look at two episodes written by showrunners of other shows. "School Reunion" written by Toby Whithouse (Being Human) is a fan-favorite, giving the new series its first...
08.15.2021
The Christmas Invasion and New Earth
And so it begins! Erik and Kyle have wrapped up Series 1 of updated Doctor Who, and now they commence the saga of the Tenth Doctor. Where to start? Why with "The Christmas Invasion" and "New Earth," of course! But it's...
07.15.2021
Bad Wolf/Parting of the Ways
Way too fast. We're already bidding a very fond farewell to the Christopher Eccleston year of Doctor Who by discussing his swansong, "Bad Wolf/Parting of the Ways." It may be his last onscreen hurrah but it was only RTD's opening salvo....
06.15.2021
The Long Game & Boom Town
It's the penultimate month in our look at Series 1 of rebooted Doctor Who, and we have two stories showrunner Russell T Davies wrote to fill time, but, one of them at least, has transcending its limitations to become something of...
05.15.2021
The Empty Child / The Doctor Dances
Erik and Kyle dip our toes in the pool of Steven Moffat with his addition to Doctor Who series 1, "The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances." You know, there's a lot to talk about in it. So, join us, won't you? Are...
04.15.2021
Father's Day and Scream of the Shalka
This month, Erik and Kyle are discussing the series 1 episode "Father's Day," an emotional experience for both of them. But before that, the 2003 web-exclusive animated serial "Scream of the Shalka," which was to be Doctor Who. Until it...
03.15.2021
The Unquiet Dead and Dalek
This month, Erik and Kyle continue their jaunt into Series 1 of rebooted Doctor Who with the first two stories not written by showrunner Russell T Davies. Those of course are Mark Gatiss' ode to Victorian ghost stories, "The Unquiet Dead,"...
02.14.2021
Aliens of London/World War III
This month, Kyle and Erik revisit the "farting aliens" two-parter, "Aliens of London/World War III." While the humor doesn't age well, the fellas are surprised that the story is more interesting, the character drama much deeper, than memory said. And...
01.15.2021
Rose & The End of the World
Doctor Who: The Writers' Room is back, baby! After two years away from the TARDIS, Erik and Kyle have returned to tackle Doctor Who from 2005-2017. Much different than before, the fellas are going fairly chronological and what better place to...
12.15.2020
Assignment 6
We did it! Yes, another season of The Writers' Room comes to a close, and it's a good one. Sapphire & Steel's final story, "Assignment Six," gives us a lot to chew on, and some really fascinating implications. We also...
11.15.2020
Assignment 5
This penultimate episode of The Writers' Room's look at Sapphire & Steel is a bit different. Creator P.J. Hammond did not write Assignment 5, aka the one that's a murder mystery---and it shows. Instead, Kyle and Erik talk about what an S&S;...
10.15.2020
Sapphire & Steel Assignment 4
We're nearing the ending of the year and we're also starting down the road to the end of Sapphire & Steel. Assignment 4 affords Erik and Kyle opportunities to discuss poetry, spooky photography, the poetry of prose, and whether P.J. Hammond...
09.15.2020
Assignment 3
Erik and Kyle take on Assignment 3 of Sapphire & Steel, in which the elemental time menders contend with, not things from the past, but beings from the dystopian future. Is it as good as ghosty ancient things? Well, it does...
08.14.2020
Assignment 2
This month, Erik and Kyle are going into an old dilapidated railway station full of war ghosts and stuff for Sapphire & Steel Assignment 2. We talk about the morality of fighting time ghosts, the sadness of war, and the pain...
07.15.2020
Assignment 1
It's a new month, but it's also a new season! A very short new season, but a new season just the same. Erik and Kyle are looking at time fissures, ghost houses, and ambulatory alien element metal things. It's Sapphire...
06.15.2020
Episode 17 - Seelag Lester and THE END
Once again, Erik and Kyle have gotten to the end of a series! This month marks the final episode discussing The Outer Limits and they're thankfully ending with a bang. Story editor Seelag Lester is the subject, who wrote "Wolf 359,"...
05.15.2020
Episode 16 - Season 2 One-Offs
It's our penultimate episode about The Outer Limits, so why not talk about a bunch of crap? It's another of our now-ubiquitous episodes about writers who wrote only one episode. This time out it's "Cold Hands, Warm Heart," "Behold! Eck,"...
04.15.2020
Episode 15 - Jerry Sohl and Milton Krims
This month it's some episodes of The Outer Limits season 2. We cannot say fairer than that. It's a trio of stories more or less by two writers; Jerry Sohl adapted his own short story for "The Invisible Enemy," Milton Krims...

What's The Writers' Room about?

Download our free app to listen on your phone

The Writers' Room episodes:

Amy's Choice & Vincent and the Doctor

The Hungry Earth/Cold Blood

Getting Whithoused #1

The Time of Angels/Flesh and Stone

The Beast Below

The Eleventh Hour

Russell T Davies Years Wrap-Up

Silence in the Library/Forest of the Dead

The Girl in the Fireplace and Blink

Russell T Davies Top 11

The End of Time

Planet of the Dead and The Waters of Mars

The Stolen Earth/Journey's End

Midnight and Turn Left

10th Anniversary Mailbag Bonus Episode!

The Lazarus Experiment and The Doctor's Daughter

Voyage of the Damned/The Next Doctor

The Shakespeare Code and The Unicorn and the Wasp

The Sontaran Stratagem/The Poison Sky

The Fires of Pompeii and Planet of the Ood

The Runaway Bride and Partners in Crime

The Sound of Drums/Last of the Time Lords

Hey, We're Still Here

Utopia

Human Nature/The Family of Blood

The Idiot's Lantern and 42

Daleks in Manhattan/Evolution of the Daleks

Smith and Jones and Gridlock

Army of Ghosts/Doomsday

Rise of the Cybermen/The Age of Steel

The Impossible Planet/The Satan Pit

Tooth and Claw and Love and Monsters

School Reunion and Fear Her

The Christmas Invasion and New Earth

Bad Wolf/Parting of the Ways

The Long Game & Boom Town

The Empty Child / The Doctor Dances

Father's Day and Scream of the Shalka

The Unquiet Dead and Dalek

Aliens of London/World War III

Rose & The End of the World

Assignment 6

Assignment 5

Sapphire & Steel Assignment 4

Assignment 3

Assignment 2

Assignment 1

Episode 17 - Seelag Lester and THE END

Episode 16 - Season 2 One-Offs

Episode 15 - Jerry Sohl and Milton Krims