Lots of Planets Have a North

Back with the Twelfth Doctor, we find plenty of superlatives to throw at ‘Listen,’ including comparing it to both a critically acclaimed horror film and an episode of Buffy (which is also critically acclaimed), not to mention finding the Master’s secret origin in it. That done, we spend almost no time on ‘Time Heist,’ find a surprising amount to say about ‘The Caretaker’ (including a scurrilous ru...

It’s our long-awaited return to our beloved Peter Capaldi, even if we do find him in particularly offputting mode (count how many times the word “abrasive” comes up in the first ten minutes). We ponder whether the early Capaldi era is too aesthetically tentative at times, Victorian London is finally done justice in ‘Deep Breath,’ and ‘The Caretaker’ unexpectedly emerges as the crucial episode of t...

In this episode, the Eternals have some distressing contemporary resonances, the Master is smoked paprika, and Terminus has an obvious reading that somehow neither of us have encountered before (do get in touch if you know a source that does it well). Ciarán somehow manages to get the words “moral ambiguity” and “Black Guardian” into the same sentence without breaking the English language, before...

In this episode, we finally confront the great schism of the podcast: Ciarán and Jacob’s respective takes on the Fifth Doctor. This cathartic outburst done, we settle into giving Eric Saward some credit for once (though not for long), lamenting the wasted potential of numerous actors and, naturally, some Black Guardian impressions. Come to find out why the Davison-era TARDIS team is “peak neoliber...

NOTE: This episode was recorded before the most recent charges against Huw Edwards were publicly released, and it’s likely that our tone in discussing him would have been less light-hearted had it been recorded a few weeks later. I [Ciarán] don’t see this as inherently a bad thing, as it’s in keeping with the very lightweight nature of ‘Fear Her,’ but it is somewhat less than timely, and deserves...

Clockwork robots attack the Enlightenment, Cybermen attack every conceivable concept, and Mark Gatiss somewhat confusedly attacks the concept of empire and the post-war state. Join us as we talk Ricky’s Newsround gang, people being sucked off by the TV (I said what I said) and Sutekh stuck at the bottom of a crater. Also, Tat Wood (of About Time) is referenced so often that he might as well be cre...

The time has come for us to face down David Tennant once more, presumably in some kind of overwrought shouty showdown. We go from cat nuns to werewolf-worshipping kung fu monks, thus confirming (yet again) that Catholics are inherently evil and sexy, and Alfred Tennyson proves surprisingly relevant. Jacob reveals secrets of his childhood, Ciarán reveals secrets of the English education system, and...

In the second part of our look at Tom Baker’s final season, we wax (appropriately) lyrical about Warrior’s Gate, muse on the poor observation skills of the people of Traken, and mourn Aunty Vanessa (because someone has to). Jacob has issues with Traken as a moral fable, Ciarán ponders whether the Keeper is more Arthur Scargill or Ian Paisley, and we come to a distressing realisation about the inha...

After a long absence in E-space, we’ve returned to talk Tom Baker’s climactic final season, featuring the uses of science and knowledge, the collapse of the post-war consensus, and, unfortunately, Adric. Jacob suggests some fun new torture methods for the CIA, Ciarán is unimpressed by the name ‘Dexeter,’ and we want our vampires as hammy as possible. Keep an ear out for Jacob’s fortuitous predicti...

With the dawn of the RTD2 era now in sight, we bid our final farewells to Chris Chibnall’s tenure on the show. Ciarán gets worked up about Sea Devils, Branwell just can’t wait for the Slithenaissance, and Jacob is lost for words more than once. We share our top 3 and bottom 3 episodes of the era, and discuss what the legacy of this era is likely to be. Our Top 3: 0:55 Our Bottom 3: 29:22 Legacy: 5...

As we endure the long wait between the end of the Chibnall era and the advent of RTD2, we cast an eye backwards over the last 5 years. What went well? What went wrong? Has Branwell recovered from ‘The Witchfinders’ yet? Join us as we talk the good and bad of diverse representation, the vagaries of the Timeless Child plotline, and whatever was (or, more pertinently, wasn't) going on between the Doc...

After a long break to recover from the overwhelming impact of ‘Heaven Sent’/‘Hell Bent,’ we’re back to talk all things historicals. How have different types of historicals worked over the course of the series? What works and what doesn’t? And what kinds of settings would we like to see explored? Featuring a lengthy discussion of the return of RTD (this was recorded a while ago…), a David Mitchell(...

Ciarán breaks down the “sacrificial companion,” Bethan discusses the Hybrid as a meditation on the usefulness of storytelling, and Jacob finds all human life in ‘Heaven Sent.’ Join us as we talk alien refugee camps and legal authority, struggle to find enough superlatives for ‘Heaven Sent,’ and have our longest single-episode discussion to date on ‘Hell Bent.’ Farewell, Series 9, we will miss you...

Bethan takes a stand on behalf of Vikings, Jacob wants more Civil War action, and Ciarán is here to pinch your benefits. Join us as we ponder Sam Swift’s odds of living beyond the next week, the simultaneously complex and simple ethics of the Zygon two-parter, and where ‘Sleep No More’ fits on the Mark Gatiss “fine” scale. ‘The Girl Who Died:’ 00.37 ‘The Woman Who Lived:’ 26.18 ‘The Zygon Invasion...

As we begin our mammoth look at Series 9, Jacob gets excited about hybridity, Bethan gets excited about Missy, and Ciarán just gets excited about this series in general. Join us as we talk alt-right Daleks, the brilliance of Peter Capaldi and Jenna Coleman, and Francis Fukuyama’s “end of history.” Apologies for the audio weirdness a little over an hour in; it’s the result of a semi-successful salv...

In the concluding part of our look at Season 13, we talk popular modernist aesthetics, Gothic traditions, and fan reverence for this season. But all of this is overshadowed by the advent of Bethan’s hero, Harrison Chase. Look upon his plants, ye mighty, and despair. ‘The Android Invasion:’ 00.46 ‘The Brain of Morbius:’ 23.38 ‘The Seeds of Doom:’ 52.56 Rankings: 1.08.23 Season Summary: 1.19.24 Twit...

In the first part of our look at Season 13, Jacob talks nascent Scottish devolution and imperial metaphors, Bethan gets excited about Anti-Man, and Ciarán gets very annoyed at ‘Pyramids of Mars’ in general. After wading through an awful lot of cynical Gothic horror, we ask: what makes a classic? ‘Terror of the Zygons:’ 18.26 ‘Planet of Evil:’ 46.29 ‘Pyramids of Mars:’ 1.13.41 Twitter: @LotsPlanets...

For our second festive special, we take a look at Matt Smith’s Christmas episodes. We find lots of nice things to say about ‘A Christmas Carol,’ lots of mixed things to say about ‘The Doctor, The Widow and the Wardrobe,’ and not much at all to say about ‘The Snowmen.’ ‘A Christmas Carol:’ 01.22 ‘The Doctor, The Widow and the Wardrobe:’ 32.14 ‘The Snowmen:’ 1.11.22 (Yes, the beginning of the discus...

In the final part of our look at series 6, we ponder how Cher would get on in ‘The God Complex,’ try to figure out what the Cybermen are doing in ‘Closing Time,’ and send the Doctor our thoughts and prayers. Featuring Ciarán denying that he is a “partisan going to the barricades” and Bethan revealing herself to be a centrist. ‘The God Complex:’ 00.46 ‘Closing Time:’ 19.50 ‘The Wedding of River Son...

In the second part of our look at series 6, Jacob expounds on ‘The Rebel Flesh’/‘The Almost People’ as a Marxist fable, ‘Night Terrors’ surprisingly turns out to be slightly better than “fine,” and we have our strongest disagreements to date on ‘Let’s Kill Hitler.’ Which is to say, one of us thinks it’s all right. ‘The Rebel Flesh’/‘The Almost People:’ 00.39 ‘A Good Man Goes to War:’ 23.05 ‘Let’s...

In the first part of our examination of The Marmite Season, Jacob explores the pros and cons of the Silence as “avatars of capitalism,” Bethan criticises Amy’s CPR skills, Ciarán somehow can’t seem to remember the title of the first episode of the series, and ‘The Doctor’s Wife’ proves surprisingly contentious. Apologies for all the sirens; there appears to have been some kind of crime wave taking...

NOTE: This episode was recorded before the recent allegations relating to Noel Clarke's history of harassment and abuse. While we maintain a distinction between Clarke and the character of Mickey Smith, we understand if anyone feels unable to hear positive things about Clarke now, and we stand with his victims. In this episode, we each go through our top 5 companions, and talk about those we’ve lo...

In the second part of our examination of Season 11, Jacob explains how Monster of Peladon is a mid-70s reassertion of the idea of the social contract, Bethan mourns for Aggedor, and Ciarán waxes lyrical about the Third Doctor’s regeneration. Join us as we ask: was Season 11 actually quite good after all? Monster of Peladon: 00:39 Planet of the Spiders: 33:27 Series Round-up: 1:08:32 Twitter: @Lots...

In the first part of our look at Season 11, we ponder The Time Warrior’s attitude to women, Invasion of the Dinosaurs’s attitude to ecological movements, and Death to the Daleks’s attitude to having a decent plot. What’s Jeremy Corbyn doing on a spaceship? Where exactly is Bloodaxe supposed to be from? Explore these and other enduring mysteries with us! Twitter: @LotsPlanetsPod Theme Music: "Speci...

For a festive special, we take a look at the David Tennant era Christmas specials. We discuss how the Sycorax work as an imperialism metaphor, The Runaway Bride’s weird disdain for Donna Noble, and Jackson Lake’s French son. Which of these episodes do we all agree is actually pretty good? Spoiler: it’s not Voyage of the Damned. Twitter: @LotsPlanetsPod Theme Music: "Special Spotlight" Kevin MacLeo...