Who Cares? - Dr. Who Fans Talk TV

What does RTD think of younger generations of writers? What do his Star Trek comparisons tell us about how he sees spinoffs? Who ultimately 'owns' the show? Why do certain spinoff ideas persist? How new will RTD's new era be? How do we define 'good TV'? Why would a past showrunner return? We delve into these questions in a discussion of new Russell T Davies interviews and discourses in the lead-up...

Ephemeral culture, alienation & interconectivity, social function of TV, uncategorisability, mortality & posthumous 'final bows', contempt & gender, story generation, & more are discussed in this review of Nolly, the 2023 miniseries from Russell T Davies that serves as a tribute to Noele Gordon of the British soap Crossroads. (00:00:00) What we know of Crossroads (00:04:08) Experie...

What ideology drives Rosa? How does Spyfall conceive of history? What does it mean to blend the sci-fi butterfly effect with historical racism? What sort of scenes were cut from Rosa? What inspired Chibnall to write Spyfall? We explore these questions in a metacommentary unpacking the audio commentary tracks for Rosa, and Spyfall: Part One. Along the way, we discuss free association writing, socia...

How did Luther change in series 2? Crime mythology, dadcore storytelling, Alice magnetism, brazen corruption, illicit fun, video game killers, endearing moral disinterest, fandom-building, & more are discussed as we look at the second series of Luther, Neil Cross’ detective show starring Idris Elba and Ruth Wilson. (00:00:00) Differences from series 1 (00:11:58) Character development in series...

What is Disney & Doctor Who’s new relationship? Where is RTD taking the show now? What gets confused, & what gets clarified, between production & fandom? New interviews are scoured, as we make sense of the development of the second era of Russell T Davies. Discourse with the Doctor, mechanics of misinformation, empire-building, saviour complexes, demystification, & the Liberation o...

What makes Tesla & Demons distinct from other Chibnall Era episodes? How did their writers approach historicals? What were the contrasts and tensions within S11 & S12? We explore these questions in a metacommentary unpacking the audio commentary tracks for Nikola Tesla’s Night of Terror, and Demons of the Punjab. Along the way, we discuss tensions in historicals, earlier structures, clashe...

What was cut from Spyfall, and why? Why did Chibnall include, and mindwipe, Noor Inayat Khan and Ada Lovelace? What did he want viewers to do after watching? We explore these questions in a metacommentary unpacking the audio commentary track for Spyfall: Part Two. Along the way, we discuss phonewatching, historical agency, delayed gratification, additive iconography, educational remits, thematic i...

Experimental formats, the ‘War on Christmas’, greener grass, fatalistic myopia, the nature of satire, ergodic literature, silliness vs seriousness, embedded narratives, & more are explored in this discussion over Flip-Flop, the 2003 Doctor Who Christmas audio drama. (00:00:00) Christmas stories (00:04:53) Jonathan Morris as a writer (00:10:02) Ergodic literature (00:18:54) Promotion of the sto...

Characterising historical figures, Gatiss writing, rift origins, contrasting moralities, cultural force, immersive settings, binary oppositions, the drafting process, invective & idolatry, & more are discussed in this review of The Unquiet Dead, the 2005 Doctor Who Christmas episode from Mark Gatiss. (00:00:00) Back to 2005 (00:02:34) The episode’s purpose (00:06:29) Celebrity historicals...

Comic book London, merging British & American detectives, deindustrialisation, literal edginess, 2010 in detective TV, societal decay, murder morality, & more are discussed in this review of the first series of Luther, Neil Cross’ detective show starring Idris Elba and Ruth Wilson. (00:00:00) Thoughts on Neil Cross (00:04:39) What’s interesting about the show? (00:13:01) Noir / comic book...

Why did the Chibnall Era end the way it did? What motivated the final decisions across the three final episodes? What sort of finality did the era arrive at? How do the actor and audience relationships with Doctor Who differ? We explore these questions in a metacommentary unpacking the audio commentary tracks for The Power of the Doctor, Legend of the Sea Devils, and Eve of the Daleks. Along the w...

We discuss the first TV show from Russell T Davies! Mystical computers, proto-Doctor Who, 'no subtext', the power of TV, writing to children, showrunner semantics, career origins, genre savviness, extra novelisation material, bifurcated structure, fantastical contrasts, blonde supremacists, & more are explored in this review of Dark Season's 1991 run of six episodes. (00:00:00) Intro, first th...

Which showrunner has the best take on the Daleks? Three opposing sides battle this question out in a Doctor Who Debate! (00:00:00) Intro (00:01:20) Tomtit: Argument #1 (00:07:37) Ingiga: Argument #1 (00:12:14) Neo: Argument #1 (00:18:09) Tomtit: Argument #2 (00:23:22) Ingiga: Argument #2 (00:28:25) Neo: Argument #2 (00:34:31) Tomtit: Conclusion (00:40:38) Ingiga: Conclusion (00:45:53) Neo: Conclus...

The Fourteenth Doctor's first story is out, over a year before their actual TV specials air. Meanwhile, lots of new topics (and debates) are cropping up as Doctor Who transitions from Chibnall's era to the second era of Russell T Davies. So we discuss 14’s first story, future furor, 13 to 14’s costume debate, Disney & doomsaying, pre-emptive storytelling, fans feeling scorned, ‘sanctity’ of re...

Chibnall’s era is over. How did it end? Degeneration, past possessiveness, holographic agency, character arcs, worshipped iconography, emotional incuriosity, actors as museums, literalised toxicity, and companion therapy are just some of the topics we discuss, as we chew over the final episode of the Thirteenth Doctor’s era. (00:00:00) Intro: is this an outlier? (00:03:37) What’s a centenary? (00:...

A deep dive into the longest-running companion of Doctor Who. Who is Yasmin Khan? What is Yaz’s story, what is Yaz’s character, what has been Yaz's journey, and what is the nature of Yaz’s relationship with the Doctor? All these sorts of questions are explored through an exhaustive journey through Chibnall’s era, examining every episode, and a multitude of interviews and extras. Along the way, key...

Moffat finales, murder elitism, TV writing conventions, self-martyrdom, everyman characters, sitcom structure, intellect & indulgence, realism & redundancies, the show's future, & more are discussed in this review of the last two episodes of Inside Man, Steven Moffat’s 2022 thriller. (00:00:00) Intro & engagement with Moffat (00:05:44) Jefferson Grieff: intellect & indulgence (...

Moffat marginalia, genre savviness, Tennant charisma, whodunnits/whydunnits/whodonewhats, suspense mystery farce, lying as authorship, Brits writing America, & more are discussed in this review of the first two episodes of Inside Man, Steven Moffat’s 2022 thriller. (00:00:00) What is the show? (00:04:40) Ideas of the show (00:07:16) Jefferson Grieff, mini-cases, Sherlock style (00:13:28) Genes...

Technology & technofarce, mechanisms of control, contested history, joint authorship, iterations in Moffat's career, matrices of ideas, repressive morality, sitcom structure, evaluating Captain Jack, what's changed from 2005 to now, & more are discussed in this review of Steven Moffat's 2005 The Empty Child and The Doctor Dances episodes of Doctor Who. (00:00:00) Introduction (00:03:55) Mo...

Science fiction romance, tonal shifts, narrative exoneration, what’s unique to the book compared to the adaptations, body horror, predetermination, sequels, & more are discussed in this review of the 2003 novel The Time Traveler’s Wife. (00:00:00) Introduction & impressions (00:07:06) Thoughts on the author’s anniversary note (00:12:17) Repetition & pacing (00:19:07) Time travel metaph...

Wish fulfilment, adaptation comparisons, time travel tone, advantages of film, movie metaphors, interior vs exterior conflict, stages of grief, sweetness & sincerity, drama & stasis, & more are discussed in this review of the 2009 film adaptation of The Time Traveler's Wife. (00:00:00) Intro, & if we liked the film (00:04:04) The film's pacing & approach (00:10:06) Movie metaph...

Effective finality, mindbending time travel, miracle moments, greener grass, marriage totality, separate selves across time, ideal versions of partners, wedding metaphors, maturity levels, romance of devotion, memory perspectives, & more are discussed in this review of the 2022 finale of The Time Traveler’s Wife. (00:00:00) Intro & first thoughts (00:07:34) A wedding surprise (00:11:08) Cl...

A new Doctor Who spinoff? We discuss Doctor Who: Redacted, the 2022 audio series, looking at liminal eras, generational shifts, distinct characterisation, corrosive continuity, storytelling priorities, dramatic irony, accessibility & diversity, & more! (00:00:00) Intro & first thoughts (00:07:48) Genesis of the show (00:16:00) Generational handover (00:20:31) Differences from Big Finis...

Childhood vs adulthood, relationship scorekeeping, sacrificing identity, friend determinism, viewpoint characterisation, the right to expectations, Moffat humour, continuums of change, & more are discussed in this review of the 5th episode of The Time Traveler’s Wife. (00:00:00) Intro & haircut thoughts (00:05:26) Henry changing + the true clearing (00:10:07) The sister Alicia (00:13:17) G...

Marriage experience, future foresight, sitcom farce, multi-character specials, age attitudes, Moffat comments, fidelity & infidelity, dwelling overlong, seeing yourself and others at different ages, & more are discussed in this review of the 4th episode of The Time Traveler’s Wife. (00:00:00) Intro & first opinions (00:03:28) Changes from the book (00:09:34) The dinner party and the ro...