Doctor Who: Watchers in the Fourth Dimension

Having made our way through the entirety of Season 16 and completed the quest for the Key to Time, it’s time for us to look back on the entirety of the season. Of course, we do this through our usual blend of awards-style prizes, quantitative measures, and questions from our friends on social media. These season retrospectives are always a lot of fun, so we hope that you listening to this as much...

It’s time for our Season 16 Big Finish bonus episode! Join us as we encounter the Upper Class Twit of the Year, his “Aunt,” and a succession of poor women who’ve had their bodies stole in The Auntie Matter!   Join us as we discuss how good it would have been if Reggie had been played by Hugh Laurie, the charm of English place names, Romana’s judgemental tendencies, inter-class relationships, and j...

We reach the end of the Key to Time saga, where the production team decided to put the finale in the hands of a “safe pair of hands” – Bob Baker & Dave Martin (wut?). Anyway, they give us a bonkers story where two planets are fighting a deadly nuclear war, a shadowy figure manipulates things from in between the two planets, there’s a rogue Time Lord who presents as a used car salesman (ummmm…...

Big Methane, Swampies, the legendary Philip Madoc, and Brussell Sprout-looking Giant Squid-Gods? It’s that time Season 16 where things start to drop off a bit, as we get to The Power of Kroll! There’s some drama behind the scenes on this one – including actors being turned green for much longer than planned, and script writer Robert Holmes being a little petulant!   Join us as we discuss elaborate...

We’re off to the planet Tara, where we encounter a medieval society that has electric crossbows, electric swords, and androids. And may possibly be aware of alien life? It’s confusing. Anyway, there’s a dastardly plan afoot by the cunning Count Grendel to seize the throne and then…? Well, it’s not high stakes, but it’s a lot of fun. It’s The Androids of Tara!   Join us as we talk about the Doctor’...

Oh wow! It’s the 100th Doctor Who serial! For those who don’t know, that’s The Stones of Blood – a story featuring more women that we’ve seen in a long time (including possibly the greatest batty old lady that we’ve seen to date!), a return to the gothic setting before pivoting to a space courtroom drama, and magnificent stone monoliths made out of polystyrene. What more could you possibly want in...

Bafflegab! We’re off to Calufrax (or is it Xanak?) in search of the second segment of the Key to Time, where a cybernetic old pirate and a decaying old Queen are busy declaring new golden ages of prosperity and destroying other planets. That’s right, we’re discussing Douglas Adams’ first contribution to Doctor Who with The Pirate Planet!   Join us as we discuss Douglas Adams’ outstanding dialogue...

The Watchers universe became so out-of-balance during the turbulent times of Season 15 that the White Guardian has summoned us all and instructed us to find the Key to Time so that we may bring balance back to fandom! That can only mean one thing: we’re kicking off Season 16’s Key to Time saga with The Ribos Operation!   Join us as we discuss our new companion(!), Holmesian double-acts, the smart...

It’s our customary season retrospective, as we take a look back at Season 15. If you’ve been following the podcast as we’ve talked through each story, you’ll know that we’ve fully embraced our controversial era: disliking the stories that fandom loves, and loving the stories that the fandom hates – but how will they all stand-up to our usual blend of awards, metrics, and questions from our followe...

It’s time for our seasonal Big Finish bonus episode! Join us as we discuss The Fate of Krelos and Return to Mondas – four episodes featuring the Fourth Doctor, Leela, the Second Doctor, Jamie, and the Cybermen!   Join us as we talk about the dream of a Leela/Jamie team-up (and the disappointment of it not happening), the transformation of the Cybermen into the Borg, how fantastic Frazer Hines is,...

Gallifrey, Vardans, AND Sontarans!? What is this madness!? Well, The Invasion of Time, apparently. Join us, the Watchers in the Fourth Dimension (of Rassilon) as we pick apart the Doctor’s latest return to his ancestral homeland for run-ins with high-ranking Time Lords, the introduction of exciting Time Ladies, and goodbyes to two beloved companions.   Join us as we talk about continuity errors, T...

Questionable physics, enormous amounts of CSO, and shamelessly riffing on Greek mythology in a way that hasn’t been done since Season 9? Yeah, it can only be Underworld – widely touted as the worst story of the Tom Baker era. But is it really as bad as its reputation suggests, or will the Watchers find plenty to forgive? We ARE in our controversial era, so ANYTHING is possible!   Join us as we dis...

Are you an outgoing script editor? Do you have a grievance against a government agency? Is it specifically the tax authority? Well, why not write an entire serial of a kids’ show about the unfair burden of taxes? It’s a sure-fire winner, right?!? Right!?!? Even if not, it’s what happened for us to get The Sun Makers. Good job, Robert Holmes. Thankfully, your three favourite members of Watchers in...

We continue our journey through all of Doctor Who, as we discuss the third serial of Season 15: Image of the Fendahl. Received fan wisdom has this as being one of the better stories of the season… however, we’re in our controversial era this season – will we find gothic Who’s final story be a worthy last hurrah, or will we find it to be as limp as a salt-covered leech? Listen in to find out!   Joi...

It’s time for a bonus episode! We are joined by our wonderful friend Diana Birney as we return to the very beginning, to discuss the recent re-edited, re-scored, and colourised version of The Daleks!   Join us as we talk about the good, the bad, and the ugly of this. And there’s probably more bad and ugly than good, to be honest… still, even though they cut the “Baebara” storyline and removed any...

We (finally) say hello to the legendary robotic pooch known as K9, while we also take on a giant, aggressively randy space prawn virus (yes, seriously!) which just wants to infect everyone and then BREED in The Invisible Enemy. We’ve been crying out for the weird lately… but not like this!   Join us as we discuss cheap (but actually surprisingly good) sets, the disrespect that Leela receives, the...

Surprise bonus episode drop! We are joined by our good friend Robert Lloyd as we do the inevitable and revisit The Underwater Menace in the light of the recent animation. Suffice to say, nuzzink in the vorld can schtopp us now!   Join us as we discuss Professor Zaroff’s carefully curated brand, the wonderfully snarky octopus, whether Jamie has been eating a bit too much haggis, counter-culture hip...

We kick off a brave new era as Graham Williams takes the reins of the show with the Season 15 opener, Horror of Fang Rock. This story features our only ever sighting of a Rutan – the mortal enemy of the Sontarans. It also features… rich people? Ugh. Ok, whatever, guys.   Join us as we discuss Leela’s bloodlust, Terrance Dicks’ love of the green, whether this story suffered from overspending at the...

As has become our custom, we wrap up the season with a bonus episode featuring a Big Finish story set during the season we’ve just discussed. For Season 14, we’re heading back to Tom Baker’s first release for Big Finish with Destination: Nerva!   Join us as we discuss *the squish*, actors getting older, unnecessary back stories, how the storytelling gives a sense of grand scope, yet another plot r...

It’s time for our all-singing, all-dancing Season 14 retrospective! Except, there’s no singing, and no dancing. Just the usual format, with your three erstwhile hosts having an absolute blast recapping one of the most iconic seasons of the classic show.   Join us as we talk about the departure of Sarah and the arrival of Leela, blowing the budget on Talons, the lack of women in the Hinchcliffe era...

Oh boy… it’s time for us to cover The Talons of Weng-Chiang! For a long time considered one of the greatest Doctor Who stories of all time, but more recently faced with accusations of racism, you just know that this is going to be a wild ride of a discussion!   Join us as we talk about Britbox trigger warnings, John Bennett in yellowface, creepy AF puppets with pig brains, classic Holmesian double...

It’s the most wonderful time of the year, when we once again bring you our Holiday special. This year, we are joined again by our good friend Alan Siler to discuss the iconic BBC Children’s production of The Box of Delights! Many of you have asked for us to talk about this one, and so we hope that this doesn’t disappoint!   Join us as we discuss posset pots, going swift (does someone own the copyr...

This episode, we’re off to a sandminer on a distant planet where a psychopath who believes is a robot is systematically killing off his colleagues (Agatha Christie-style) in order to create a robot revolution. Sounds convoluted, but it’s actually really good – it’s The Robots of Death!   Join us as we discuss Chris Boucher’s amazing world building (again), complex interpersonal relations, the cont...

The Doctor’s face carved on a mountain Mount Rushmore-style? Lots of scantily-clad people running around, fighting invisible monsters? Green-tinged people with a superiority complex? And then you want to add-on an insane computer?!? Chris Boucher definitely gets his Doctor Who career to an impressive start with his ambition. Yes, this episode, we’re discussing The Face of Evil!   Join us as we dis...

The Doctor’s off on a solo venture to his home planet of Gallifrey, where an old enemy awaits, but this time in a form as crispy as sesame chicken! It’s a bonkers one, with ventures into the Matrix (sadly without Laurence Fishburne), forgotten relics, a German Time Lord, and Robert Holmes driving a bulldozer through established continuity. Listen in as we discuss The Deadly Assassin!   Join us as...