A Hamster With a Blunt Penknife - a Doctor Who Commentary podcast

Joe & Jason; duelling with swords whilst agreeing with each other. Is Matthew Waterhouse unfairly maligned? Does Janet Fielding give the worst single performance of a Doctor Who companion in this? Joe gets mardy about fans and Dodo, and Jason celebrates Jackie Lane.

Joe & Jason; with 17 year scores to settle! We’re talking contributors and this time around we focus on director Peter Grimwade; focussed, antagonistic, creative, manic and stylish. Jason is back, and Joe is deliriously happy.

Joe & David; coming to terms with the 🐹 formula. All the factions of Paradise Towers are coming together, and it’s time to bring down Richard Briers taking the piss. Doctor Who has rarely been this camp, or as structurally satisfying as this.

Joe & David; putting an end to everything in Paradise Towers! The ultimate quoting session! The deaths of Tabby & Tilda, the possession of the Chief Caretaker, Maddy’s silence and the pool robot provoke much laughter. We shouldn’t love this, but we do.

Joe; learning about the end of the universe. Time is fucked, we’re diving into memories, the regulars are having great fun with multiple roles and Chris Chibnall indulges a ‘sideways’ adventure. It’s all a bit weird, and impressive.

Joe & David; and the fear factor score game. Are the mucky fingers of Andrew Cartmel all over this script? Is it too silly or too scary? Or a weird fusion of both? David offers a touching treatise on why Doctor Who is a massive comfort in tough times.

Joe & David; they don’t want us to be Kangs! David has an obscene love for this story, and Joe is trying to beat some sense into him. We’ve come to quote and admire the marvellous script and laugh at the arch performances. Be warned, this is some camp fabulousness.

Joe & Si; In the same room! What makes us more excited…David Tennant’s hair, the VFX, marvellous Martha, Travis Oliver, Boe, the Macra, the titles, the emotion in the script, the hilarious guest characters…this is just magical.

Joe - in love with Flux! Let me count the ways I love this; the production value, the simple but vivid storytelling, Jodie Whittaker being magnificent, very scary and very funny Sontarans, Dan’s parents, Swarm and Azure…

Joe & Steven; the rulers of a dead world! A worthy, action packed finale…or does this all fall apart in the end? And how will Steven and I possibly choose just three things that we adore about this story?

Joe & Steven; helicopter fetishists! Which two Doctor Who directors would get married and produce the ultimate story? Vaughn is losing his shit, and we love it. And Troughton gets to play the desperate hero in the way only he can.

Joe & Steven; loving the incidental score (except one bizarre jingle). The scariest ever Cyberman scenes in the his episode? The most iconic? Or is this simply the best episode of Doctor Who yet?

Joe & Steven; you…you….men! We talk maverick Derrick Sherwin, and what season seven might have looked like if he had stuck around. Would there have been more comedy? Birthing the Cybermen? Doctor Who all on film?

Joe & Steven; reaching the end of The Invasion (Part One). What are the two Target novels that we both have nostalgic affection for? Much discussion of the Cybermen, what works and what doesn’t with this iconic foe. And why Steven wouldn’t work as a Cyberman.

Joe & Steven; Packer gets some attention, and the best Doctor Who henchmen. Is he miscast, or a perfect fusion of comedy and sadism? How many ways can you say the name ‘Packer?’ His relationship with Vaughn is one of the many highlights of this story.

Joe & Steven; enjoying existing 60s episodes! Steven explains the word mercurial, and why it applies to Patrick Troughton’s Doctor. Are we missing a trick with Zoe and Isobel as the Doctor’s companions? Where is UNIT located in the 70s?

Joe & Steven; secret agents in SpyFi! We talk about missing episodes, animation, how to create suspense and atmosphere, the incredible score, the diverse genres of season six, and Steven’s favourite of the year.

Joe & Steven; ‘Connect!’ Super bitch Aunt Sally, self congratulatory RTD and Manning, our hearts are broken, Britbox’s Bing Bong thingy, flaming maggots, ‘here kitty kitty’, a devastating ten minute coda and of course a massive explosion.

Joe & Steven and the synopsis of Death! A love of spinning tape technology, but questioning whether the evil here should have been fantastical, rather than simply human. More Pertwee, Manning and UNIT love. This is peak Doctor Who.

Joe & Steven; Brian Blessed love! We talk about the best TV show ever made…and fail to mention Doctor Who! Finally - a positive Jon Pertwee experience! Prepare yourself for Steve’s Brigadier theory

Joe & Steven; menaced by the fire by a maggot! We talk domestic scenes in Doctor Who, Gruntleigh the Ogron, the inevitability’s of having a recurring cast, ‘the one with the Giant Maggots’ myth and whether Barry Letts was far more interested in the sexes than we thought.

Joe & Steven; armed with Blueprint fit Survival! We discuss the work of Michael E Briant, whether Doctor Who can handle going regional without being offensive, how being emotionless affects an actors ability to act and Steven’s brilliant take on political environmentalism and how the planet is doomed.

Joe & Steven; bright green and dead! What are the resonances between this and Planet of the Spiders? Is Robert Sloman the forgotten Doctor Who writer? And why is this the definitive first episode of Doctor Who? Does this one have it all?

Joe solo! Chills, excitement, ambition, wealth of characters and a huge dollop of fun - Doctor Who is back and it’s better than ever. Let’s talk about it.

Joe & Mark; Blue Peter presenters! We’ve saved the best for last! Mechanoids! Steven! Mechanoids! Hi-fi the Panda! Mechanoids! Firefights! Mechanoids! Heartbreaking goodbyes! The Chase ends on an incredible high.