Classic Rewatch: Planet of the Spiders

Everyone has their phobias, be they great or small. For some, they focus on mortal dangers, like heights, open waters, small spaces. For others, they are rooted in the misunderstood or the alien, such as snakes, French mimes, or spiders. So what is the Doctor’s fear? What is that one flaw in their character that could be exploited so adeptly by a powerful adversary, that even they are found without rebuttal, without a plan, without a solution? It’s rats, isn’t […]

Classic Rewatch: The Monster of Peladon

If you know us well, you know that even when assessing the most lopsided and poorly executed story from Doctor Who, be it the new or classic era, we’re going to strain at our harnesses to remain positive, and find commendable aspects of the script, the production, the performances. Headed into this week, a number of you expected us to have to get a well-balanced meal and a good nap in first, in order to do the same with our […]

Classic Rewatch: Death to the Daleks

We can thank Terry Nation for the conceptualization and creation of one of the most iconic and long-lasting villainous forces ever created in televised science fiction. What we can’t always thank him for is a really compelling story that uses them. This week, we scratch our heads a bit at the Third Doctor and Sarah Jane story from Season 11, “Death to the Daleks”. All the basic components of a great episode are there, from concept to cast, but the […]

Classic Rewatch: Invasion of the Dinosaurs

If you were handed the keys to a spacious house, complete with every amenity, and seated on a sprawling property, but every room had a distinct and inescapable unpleasant odor, could you still enjoy the place enough to call it home? If you won a high-performance luxury car, but the trunk (boot) kept popping opening randomly and the radio wouldn’t stop playing “Memories” from Cats at full volume, could you make it your daily commuting vehicle? It’s difficult to gain the fullest […]

Classic Rewatch: Planet of the Daleks

It was the best of times; it was the worst of times. It was a season of “classic” Doctor Who that had fans then and now reveling in the performances, loving the on-screen chemistry, and even enjoying the plotlines and creativity that writers and producers were bringing to the table. And then…Terry Nation came back. Without much to offer in the ‘originality’ department. But hey — purple fur cloaks for everybody! Joined this week by television producer and devout classic […]

Classic Rewatch: Frontier In Space

Doctor Who has always been rife with complex backstories and themes of conflict drawn from the news and events of the time. Call it “present day problems, presented in another day”, if you will. From workers striking against the regime, to species in tense stalemates on the brink of war, to contending with the horrific aftermath of genocide and mutually assured destruction, the program has used our own chaotic world and its occupants as the inspiration for otherworldly tales. When […]

Classic Rewatch: Carnival of Monsters

Yes, we’ve been doing this podcast for well over five years. Yes, we’re all pretty positive, upbeat people who not only share enjoyment of the Doctor Who legacy, but enjoy each other’s company, as well. But no, we don’t always agree. In fact, in instances like this, we differ wildly. It’s okay, though. We’ll keep Jay around because he’s a genuinely good-hearted, intelligent, humorous guy. (Even if he would have no idea what a PRECIOUS GIFT of a classic story […]

Classic Rewatch: The Three Doctors

Typically, we use this lead-in moment to identify some sort of parallel between the classic story we’ve been returning to, and the daily lives we lead. Sometimes, it’s the connection between the television adventure, and our own socio-political climate. Perhaps a dissertation on the disparity between the haves and the have-nots. It could even be a study on the way we deal with trauma, near-death experiences, or the futility of war. And sometimes, we throw all that aside, and say, […]