Through the Vortex: Classic Doctor Who

This special edition of the podcast has my dear friend Hannah and I discussing "The Romans"....among other things! This was an experiment for us and there were a few minor recording issues, but I think we ended up having a pretty interesting discussion that covers both this serial as well as other aspects of Classic and New Who. Enjoy! ____ NEXT TIME:  The Web Planet ( Episodes: "Th...

The one where the Doctor has way too much fun....a perfect serial to introduce Newbies to the First Doctor! Commentary and analysis for Doctor Who's  "The Romans" Team TARDIS has been chilling in a Roman villa when the Doctor and Vicki get bored and go to Rome to meet Nero! But there is conspiracy afoot. Meanwhile, Ian and Barbara are captured by slave traders and suddenly must surv...

My Dearest Vicki!!!!! A new companion is coming to the TARDIS. Commentary and analysis for Doctor Who's  "The Rescue" On the planet Dido, Vicki and Bennett have been terrorized for months by Koquillion, a monstrous being whose race murdered the enter crew of their spaceship after they crash landed. The rescue ship is coming soon and they just need to survive a few more days. But eve...

BBC and BBC America recently dropped trailers for Season 13 of Doctor Who, and I thought I would share my thoughts in another installment of New Who News! If you all are interested in short reactions to the new season of DW as it is coming out, do drop me an email to let me know! I'm super excited for it. Special thanks to Cathlyn "Happigal" Driscoll for providing the beautiful artw...

Let's Celebrate the complicated legacy of Susan Foreman, the Doctor's Granddaughter and First Companion! I'll discuss Susan's (perhaps unfair) reputation as "The Screamer," what makes Susan special as a companion, her unique relationship to the Doctor, Mentor/Mentee relationships generally between the Doctor and Companion, the problematic aspects of Susan's devel...

Apocalyptic London. Daleks. Resistance Fighters. Robo-men. Companion-worthy side characters. Some of the most iconic shots of Classic Who....and an ending the changed the show forever. Welcome to commentary and analysis on Doctor Who's  "The Dalek Invasion of Earth!" Arriving in a London seemingly devoid of people, Team TARDIS quickly realizes that the Daleks have invaded the planet...

He is returning! I thought I would share my thoughts on Russell T. Davies returning to New Who as showrunner upon Chibnail's departure. This is a departure from my regular scheduled programming, but I thought the news warranted some commentary. If you like this sort of odd out of the blue episode, do let me know and I'll try to do more of them in future. Special thanks to Cathlyn "H...

Honey, I Shrunk Team TARDIS. What a weird start to Season #2....Commentary and analysis on Doctor Who's  "Planet of Giants." After the doors to the TARDIS open during materialization, Team TARDIS is shrunk to roughly the size of an inch. They must traverse a typical English backyard and house to safely return to the TARDIS. Meanwhile, the regular-sized humans who own the house are e...

We've made it through the first season of Classic Who! This special episode looks at the first series overall and considers how the individual characters have grown, what makes the historicals great, the experimentation with the science fiction episodes, and what made this first season unique. NEXT TIME: Serial #9 The Planet of Giants (Episodes: "The Planet of Giants," "Dangero...

Is this still a kid's show? Commentary and analysis on Doctor Who's  "The Reign of Terror!" Attempting to return Ian and Barbara to their time and place, the Doctor accidentally lands the crew in the middle of the Reign of Terror just outside Paris. Soon Ian, Barbara, and Susan are being taken to the guillotine and the Doctor is impersonating a regional official trying to save...

Commentary and analysis on one of the most overlooked serials of the era.... "The Sensorites." The TARDIS arrives on a ship whose crew is trapped aboard by a telepathic race known as the Sensorites. Soon, however, Susan discovers that the Sensorites are not aggressors but terrified of the humans who might want to exploit their resources. Taken to the Sense-Sphere, the Doctor and company...

Commentary and analysis of one of the most celebrated serials of the First Doctor's era  "The Aztecs." The TARDIS arrives in an Aztec tomb which seals when the Team exits. Now Barbara is mistaken for a goddess, Ian is training to be the leader of armies, Susan is off at Aztec finishing school, and the Doctor is in the Aztec's version of a retirement home. All must find a way ba...

Commentary and analysis of Doctor Who's first attempt at an epic quest.... "The Keys of Marinus!" The planet Marinus was once ruled over by a machine which prevented its people from perpetrating any act of evil, but the machine was disassembled centuries ago to prevent the evil Voord from using the machine to enslave the planet. Now, Arbitan, the keeper of the machine, needs Team TA...

Commentary and analysis of Doctor Who's first lost serial "Marco Polo!" Stranded with a malfunctioning TARDIS on the "Roof of the World" in Cathay (China), Team TARDIS is taken in by Marco Polo on his vast caravan travelling to Kublai Khan. Marco takes possession of the TARDIS in order to gift it to Kublai Khan and the team must try to convince him to give it back. Meanwhi...

Commentary and analysis of Doctor Who's shortest serial "The Edge of Destruction!" The TARDIS crashes and the Team is trapped inside--and no one is quite themselves! Tensions run high as each member of the crew has to confront whatever force has come aboard the TARDIS....or is the real problem inside them all along? BARBARA: Yes. Or we're imagining things. We must be. I mean, h...

Commentary, context, and analysis for Doctor Who's second serial "The Daleks"! The Tardis crew arrives on a seemingly dead planet only to discover the primary inhabitants are the terrifying and iconic Daleks! And they want to destroy not only Team TARDIS but the other inhabitants of the planet: the peaceful Thals. The Doctor : Nothing can live outside if you do that, nothing! Dalek...

Context, commentary and analysis on Doctor Who 's first serial "An Unearthly Child" (1963)!  I go through the first episode in detail and then compare it to the unaired pilot, then discuss Shakespearean Cavemen! "If you could touch the alien sand and hear the cries of strange birds... and watch them wheel in another sky - would that satisfy you?" (The Doctor to Ian) NEXT T...

Why on Earth do I want to do a whole podcast going serial by serial through Classic Doctor Who? Well, it's a journey--through time and space! Here's my ten-year adventure from Whovian newbie to super fan. I also go over the basics: What is Classic Doctor Who? How do you watch it? What's with the missing episodes? Is it worth it? (Spoilers: Oh, so, so much.) Find yourself a companion...