Doctor Who: Toby Hadoke’s Time Travels

This isn't really a proper episode in the sense that (a) there's no Doomsday to follow this and (b) the format is slightly different in that the guest (top writer, script editor and comedian Tom Neenan) is in the room! Tom was doing a preview of his amazing new Edinburgh show at XS Malarkey (the comedy club which has a regular MC who just happens to be the host of this podcast) and so a plan was c...

The podcast which goes through every single episode of Doctor Who in order and gives you the Who, What and When in (too much) detail. Susan is back from her holidays but the weather in Mexico is about to eclipse everything else as blood gets spilt on the sacrificial alter and, unusually, our heroes lose. Doctor Who proves that even in its early days it was ambitious and complex as this fascinating...

From the dusty vaults ... here we have the self proclaimed Champion of the Damned, Frazer Gregory, extolling the virtues of this under-loved tale. Will you agree with his preaching, or condemn him to be crushed underneath a giant rock for blasphemy? #doctorwho #doctorwhoreaction #doctorwhocommentary #doctorwhocomedian #tobyhadoke #doctorwhofacts #positivedoctorwho #classicdoctorwho Please support...

Well there is certainly a lot of correspondence about this one! It has definitely divided opinion, sometimes within the story itself. But everyone is trying very hard - on the commentary and the correspondence! Possibly trying harder than the people making it. Or are we being unfair? Well, Nev Fountain, prolific and admired writer, is prolific and admiring in his praise for the final episode of th...

How do we feel about this one? Tonally this is where Doctor Who seems to be leaning into its production difficulties by upping the humour... but humour in Doctor Who is so hard to judge. Is it to do with tone? Delivery? Context? Or is it simply personal taste? Well, the latter definitely comes into it, and will certainly dictate how viewers respond to a lot of what takes place in this episode. Nev...

Nev Fountain continues his tour of Gallifrey and takes us to the episode that features no Borusa... so one of the best things about the story is conspicuous by its absence. And Nev and Toby have already both voted for Milton Johns. So they will have to look very carefully and closely at this one, and hope it doesn't deliver any unpleasant surprises. Oh, and this is also probably the rudest Happy T...

Things are hotting up on Gallifrey, and design work aside, your host is also feeling more warmly towards this story. But will he and his illustrious guest - comedy stalwart Nev Fountain - agree with each other about the episode's strong points or are their thought channels on completely different wavelengths? The version of this released on You Tube will feature full video (of Toby, not the copyri...

Here we go, it's time for the space doo-doo to hit the space fan (which is probably made of a gaudily prime coloured vacuum formed plastic because, you know, SPACE!). The Doctor is up to no good and Gallifrey is undergoing a crisis of tone... but will Nev Fountain manage to choose something that chimes with the rest of us, or has he successfully shielded his mind so that we don't know what he is u...

Big Finish, Dead Ringers and Private Eye wit Nev Fountain has booked us a trip to Gallifrey in order to extol the virtues of a Doctor Who story stuck in that awkward place in the show's history that no-one seems to quite be able to get to grips with - Season 15. It starts with a spaceship shot but very soon there's a continuity error... but all that is soon forgotten when the Doctor starts behavin...

Another treat from the vaults - the Happy Times and Places spent with Remembrance of the Daleks all packaged together for an all-in-one jaunt. Special guest Charles Norton is behind some of the most celebrated Doctor Who physical media releases, and he also has a book out about radio drama from Telos Publishing, so don't forget to order your copy NOW! #doctorwho #doctorwhoreaction #doctorwhocommen...

One of the very best writers, reviewers, and chroniclers of TV and Film science fiction, Steve O'Brien, has chosen a New Series episode as a sequel to his championing of Black Orchid some years ago. It's not the Series One episode that is generally on the top of anyone's list, but has time been kinder to it? Will Steve and your host Toby Hadoke share a taste for dinner and bondage? Or will the who...

Time to get reacquainted with another story from the Happy Times and Places archive. This time delightful You Tuber extraordinaire Josh Snares shares their love for this Hartnell tale renowned for its comedic shenanigans. There's a comedy emperor, a comedy death and ... er ... a comedy attempted sexual assault. Different times. Different Times and Places in fact #doctorwho #doctorwhoreaction #doct...

And so this rewarding visit to one of Doctor Who's least celebrated 70s adventures comes to a close. It's am entry in the canon that really encapsulates the aims of Happy Times and Places : to give a fresh, positive look at a Doctor Who story, and learn to appreciate it for what it is as opposed to what it isn't. Guest Simon Curtis, the TT producer, has been a real help in this regard. Thanks Simo...

Things are starting to get a bit repetitive now, but this story isn't the only six parter in which that happens. Besides, there are some excellent moustaches, some excellent villains and the Bakewell Tart of Death! What's not to love? #doctorwho #doctorwhoreaction #doctorwhocommentary #doctorwhocomedian #tobyhadoke #doctorwhofacts #positivedoctorwho #classicdoctorwho Please support these podcasts...

SPOILERS HEREIN Be warned, this is a brand new commentary which takes in and describes the moving pictures featured in this recovered episode. So do not listen until you've watched the thing. Three people who saw these at the secret launch - host Toby and guests Oliver Crocker and Tim Burrows - recall the day that Peter Purves was lured to Leicester. And they try to choose the best thing about Dev...

SPOILERS! Be warned, this is a viewing of the actual episode, so if you haven't yet seen it and don't want to be spoiled, wait until you have had a chance to enjoy all the treasures within The Nightmare Begins. Taking advantage of the immense privilege of being able to see this recovered gem early, your host, and two other lucky colleagues (Tim Burrows from The Missing Episodes podcast and writer...

And so things hot up on the planet (not in terms of the weather, it's still grey and gloomy) that I can't be bothered to try to spell right now. Perhaps I need some sort of Adjudicator - although the one here might have another agenda... but we all know that even 50 year old spoilers can mess things up for some so just have a listen and see where we go. #doctorwho #doctorwhoreaction #doctorwhocomm...

It's wet and overcast and there are muddy boots aplenty : sounds like a typical English holiday. Your host had a disaster recording this one, so this is attempt number two. If at first you don't succeed then try, try and try again ... a saying which has a repetitiveness strangely apposite for this story. Still - your host and guest Simon Curtis are having much more fun here than fan opinion would...

This is a repackaged repeat: an old episode of Happy Times and Places with a new intro and outro to reflect the discovery of this episode ...an episode which was lost when this edition was recorded. Hopefully this re-release will whet your appetite for the imminent release of Devils' Planet for the first time since 1965.  The Daleks continue with their planning whilst the Doctor and co master the...

And so we get a new influx of characters who each represent an aspect of bullying mining conglomerate IMC. There are plenty of actor facts to detract us from the story which is a shame as Colony in Space has plenty going for it. But we manage to cover it, with guest Simon Curtis being upfront about wanting your host to actually win this one. But as the Colonists demonstrate, all you need is an ene...

This is an old episode of Happy Times and Places with a new introduction (and maybe some post credits secret joy) which might, hopefully, help to pass the time between now and the newly recovered episodes appearing on iPlayer. I hope they whet the appetite. But to emphasise - the main body of this is a repeat, pure and simple, from the time that the late Ian K McLachlan chose his favorite things a...

An illustrious occasion - Jon Pertwee's first journey into outer space. So break out the ... beige. And the dungarees. And the moustaches. So many moustaches. TV producer Simon Curtis has chosen this story so what will a genuine industry professional be able to tell us about what makes this un-celebrated serial worth a look. It's always been considered to be closer to the Pertwee era slagheap than...

Another ombnius in case you have a long journey or tedious household task or, I dunno, marathon that you're doing. If you dont like it though, just shout "this isn't real" and it'll turn into a cardboad cuthout. Illustrious fan of yore David J Howe takes us through the highpoints of this, a favourite story of his, as we get to grips with the facts (well, opinions) of fiction. #doctorwho #doctorwho...

The bride in question is on holiday so there's something rather filmic about her in the episode that is named after her. There's cocoa, connivance and cunning aplenty as our heroes find themselves lost in history and desperate to find a way out. And there's time to consider a couple of guest stars, one of whom will return to the show whilst the other vanished rather, but whose travels took him far...

John Halstead, voice of the Monoids (specifically the especially thick Monoid 2 and the rebellious Monoid 3) in The Ark has never been interviewed about his time on Doctor Who. He's not even done any conventions (but he has done one signing). John likes the "f" word and uses it liberally and it has been left intact herein. So be warned. This is a colourful one. And it has never been heard before....