Doctor Who: the World Enough and Time podcast

Celebrating 56 years of Doctor Who (and Joe Ahearne)this special episode reunites us with our old mate Brian Bowen as we trawl back through classic Doctor Who picking our favourite stories and runners up. There are plenty of surprises along the way and more divergent opinion than one might imagine. Gosh! There's also a Hartnelly quiz and a visit from the Cailleach. Enjoy lovely people. We'll be ba...

All praise to the Great One!!! Episode 18 sees us celebrate the epic six-part Jon Pertwee swansong Planet of the Spiders as we 'Om Mane Padme Hum' alongside those burnt-out city types in Deepest Mummerset. Andy and Alex cast their minds back to their first memories of the story in 1991 before fast-forwarding some 28 years (gasp!) to share how they feel about it today. Along the way they muse as to...

A special extra episode to promote the wonderful #WhoForSchools initiative set-up by Graeme and Joy of the Reality Bomb podcast. Both Alex and I have recorded special commentaries with other Who podcasters on episodes of Season 26 for this project. You can listen to these if you donate. All the details are in this episode and here: https://www.realitybombpodcast.com/whoforschools/ Our next regular...

This month, in an episode dedicated to late great Doctor Who legend Terrance Dicks, Andy and Alex look back at one the very first Troughton stories they ever saw: The Seeds of Death. The rewatch prompts them to ask heaps of questions about the the impact of T-Mat on the Earth of the time, as they worry not unduly about the size of T-Mat cubicles, transport infrastructure, obesity and why you’d bot...

Episode 16 sees us 'back on the Pondcast Bagwagon' as we plunge into the lush and velvety Gaudi-inspired world of Traken where people have suddenly stopped being terribly nice to each other. We explore the all-too temporary TARDIS team of the 4th Doctor and Adric, Kassia's somewhat confusing motivations, and the place that Roger Limb's music has in Alex's psyche. We also ask just how far should yo...

For our 15th episode we travel into the far future and the jungle planet of Zeta Minor where the Doctor and Sarah have to square up to the fearsome Anti-Matter Beast. We theorise about the strange relationship between hair and anti-matter (matter equals time plus jumpsuits) and discuss, amongst many important issues, Sarah’s ideal hair length, compression knickers, and the art of strong leadership...

Episode 14 sees Andy and Alex together again in NZ and takes us all the way back to 1963-64 and the groundbreaking debut of Doctor Who's deadliest foes: the Daleks! They recall what it was like seeing the story for the first time in 1990 and how it compares almost 30 years later. As ever they explore crucial aspects of the plot, such as: Where are all the farmer Daleks?; Why do neutron bombs take...

Our 13th episode sees us at the start of a brand new era as we review Peter Davison’s memorable debut: Castrovalva. We celebrate costume designer Odile Dicks-Mireaux and burly ballerinas in ‘Dressed for Success’, but criticise the story’s disempowerment of Nyssa and Tegan, and the seemingly endless wandering about TARDS corridors and forests that goes on. Meanwhile Alex does remarkably well in a c...

Our twelfth episode focuses on the barnstorming 1972 season 9 opener Day of the Daleks in which time-travelling guerrilla fighters seek to avert a bleak Dalek-run future Earth and the Doctor and Jo find themselves caught up in a terrifying time paradox. Elsewhere we have the usual fun with the Cailleach and a quiz. We also make reference to the new 1972 Doctor Who annual which features a story (Th...

In this month's episode Alex and Andy are in search of authentic Geordie accents, supporting characters worthy of the Hall of Fame, and information about the ubiquity of dildos in the 1980s. Elsewhere: Andy shocks Alex with his Doctor Who based Wikipedia addition, there's the return of the legendary Planet or Plan-not quiz, and the Callieach let's slip that there's an exciting Hollywood sequel on...

After a slight hiatus we return feeling very cosy indeed as we review the 1978 classic The Stones of Blood. As well as passing mention of sausage sandwiches and toasted teacakes, we examine the possibility of an extended 26-episode story called Boscawen, footwear and toe fetishes, and, er, dogging. All this and a costume designer quiz which defeats Andy almost completely much to Alex's glee. Enjoy...

Our 9th episode is a special review of the recently aired eleventh series of new Doctor Who. We reflect on the new Doctor, her fam, and the scripts and new directions for the show in 2018. We also discuss Alex's new tattoos and the fact that she has the ear of a top NZ TV exec. Elsewhere I interview my 10-year-old son, John, to get his take on the new series. Another bumper packed edition full of...

In a bumper 70-minute edition of the podcast Andy and Alex take to a beautiful sandy beach in Auckland, New Zealand. As the waves lap at the shore and they neck back Prosecco they enjoy the usual quiz, discuss the foregone conclusion that was the Curse of Peladon Hall of Fame vote, defend the Callieach from the Megara and review the forgotten Hartnell gem: The Reign of Terror. The latter prompts m...

Alex and Andy draw back the tapestries on a Third Doctor tale of political intrigue, superstition and romance: 1972's The Curse of Peladon. What will they make of King Peladon's play forJo? Or Brian Hayles' decision to make the Ice Warriors the good guys for once. And just how much will the plot make them think of the horrendous ongoing crazy catastrophe that is Brexit?! Elsewhere the Callieach's...

Episode 6 sees Andy and Alex once again separated by the whole planet and in different time zones. This month's quiz questions were devised 37 years ago, while the show crow, the Callieach is as out-of-date as ever. In 'Rewind' we explore and critique the jam-packed Season 26 opener Battlefield. Watch out for the Destroyer (termed the blue dude by Alex). Trust me you do not want to become his hand...

This 5th episode was essentially recorded as an antidote to our episode focusing on The Visitation! I was still sat across from Alex in her New Zealand home and thankfully we agreed that this episode's story - The Sun Makers - is blummin' marvellous. Also in this episode, we... - play a Hartnell episode titles quiz - receive old news - of course - from the Callieach about a certain Doctor Who Worl...

This 4th episode was recorded at Alex's dining table in Auckland during Andy's recent visit to New Zealand. Recording a podcast episode during his stay was always part of the plan but would The Visitation end up being the perfect story to rewatch together? Er, it seems not. Also in this episode, we... - play the quiz 'Plan-net or Plan-not' - receive news from the Callieach of the forthcoming unoff...

Our third episode, a relaunch of the podcast now we know what we're doing a bit more! This time we focus on the classic Doctor Who story The War Games. Also in this episode, we... - play the new quiz craze that is 'Meglos or Made up' - receive news of the missing episodes furore from the Callieach (the podcast's very own pet crow) and discuss what episodes we'd most like to see back in the archive...