The Doctor Who Podcast

This week on the Doctor Who Podcast Trevor, James, Ian and Leeson throw out the schedule, give scant regard to planning, and laugh in the face of anything close to a script. Yes, it’s another of our internationally renowned Geek Outs! A diverse array of topics are discussed, ranging from animation, Doctor Who trolls and Mindwarp. Join the boys as they throw caution and common sense to the wind.

James, Ian and Michele were lucky enough to attend the Gallifrey convention in Los Angeles this year, and now that they have returned to their respective parts of the world they come together again in the Campervan to discuss what they thought of the 24th Gallifrey convention. Ian and Michele also review the final two stories in the Big Finish Counter Measures box set.

Today the DWP present the second epic quiz showdown that took place at the recent Gallifrey convention in Los Angeles. In this mighty battle is the long awaited rematch between the DWP (championed by James, Ian, Michele and ring in Luke from the Minute Doctor Who Podcast) and those lyrical funsters The Oodcast. Keen listeners to the DWP might remember the previous Gallifrey quiz between these two podcast behemoths, and it didn’t go too well for the boys from the DWP… What will happen this time?  Will the Oods be triumphant again?  Or will the DWP (and a ring in) wrestle back the title of quiz champions? Hosted once again by friend of the show Andrew Smith (who stood in valiantly at the last minute in place of Ed Stradling), we will see who is victorious, and who headed off to the convention closing ceremony with their tails tucked firmly between their legs. A big, big thank you goes out to Chip from the Two Minute Timelord Podcast for going above and beyond the call of duty to secure this particular recording of the quiz for us.

We all have our own guilty pleasures.  Whether it be that sneaky trip to the fridge at midnight to have chomp on that chocolate bar without having to share it or taking delight in sitting down to enjoy The Phantom Menace, engaging in activities we know would raise eyebrows from our peers makes our guilty pleasures all the more enjoyable! Doctor Who is the same.  We all enjoy parts of the show that others frown upon. Our own little moments of joy in a show that might not necessarily be considered as such by other fans. In this episode, Tom and Leeson discuss their own Who related guilty pleasures, along with Ian and Michele’s own secret loves from the shows history. Tom and Leeson also find time to discuss what is happening currently in the world of Doctor Who.  With that in mind, for those that are sensitive to spoilers, it may be best to avoid the first 16 minutes of this episode.  The conversation is only slightly spoilerish – Tom and Leeson allude to facts already officially released and publicly available.  Neither rumoured plot points or unofficial news is discussed.  

A very special quiz this time around from the Doctor Who Podcast. We present today the first of two quizzes that our very own Campervan inhabitants took part in whilst enjoying the delights of the Gallifrey One convention in Los Angeles. For this quiz Ian and James went up against the quizzing might of Josh and Steve from The Memory Cheats podcast. Quiz master is friend of the show Andrew Smith, writer of the 80s story, Full Circle. And hosting proceedings (which really just gives him an excuse to make some cheap shots at the contestants) is another dear friend of the show, Chip, host of the Two Minute Timelord podcast. Two mighty teams, with thousands of kilometres of water between them, brought together to compete in the quizzing arena.  Exciting huh? Thanks to Chip for making the audio recording of this mighty battle available to the DWP.

It’s another journey into the world of Big Finish – join Trevor, Leeson and Tom as they take a look at this Fifth Doctor, Turlough, Nyssa and Tegan trilogy released towards the end of 2012.  This eclectic collection of stories sees the TARDIS materlise in Calcutta, on a meteor and in Australia proving once again just how inventive the minds of those amazing bods at Big Finish really are. But did the Campervan occupants like them?  Never a podcast to hold back, tune in to this latest edition of The Doctor Who Podcast to find out.  Howzat?!

In just a few days, the DWP Campervan will be packing up and preparing itself for dematerialisation.  The co-ordinates are set for Los Angeles where hoards of Doctor Who fans will be travelling to from all four corners of the globe to celebrate fifty years of the show we call Doctor Who at the annual Gallifrey One convention. Sadly, some of the Campervan occupants will be absent – Trev, Leeson and Tom’s invites failed to show up at the correct space-time co-ordinates, and they are therefore destined to miss the campervan’s departure – in very a similar way that Tegan missed the TARDIS at the end of Timeflight. Will they end up in Amsterdam?  Let hope not.  For Amsterdam’s sake. In the meantime, pull up a chair a listen to Chip from the highly acclaimed Two Minute Timelord podcast and Chris from The Oodcast as they chat to James about their imminent travel plans, panels, podcast panels, cosplay – you name it, they chat about it. This IS our preview of The 24 Hours of Gallifrey – and you are MOST welcome!

The last in our current series of Burning Issues here at the DWP – the thorny subject of “How Far Can Sacred Cows be Pushed?”  How much that we hold dear about our beloved program is open to reinterpretation, reimagining and redesign and how much about the history of the show do we need to consider when creating more of it? In the Campervan alongside James and Trevor is a special guest to help get to the bottom of this complex issue – the host of A Mad Man with a Box Podcast, Stephen Prescott.  

In a short break from our Burning Issues mini-series, James and Michele take a look at some of the recent Big Finish special releases and discuss the new adaption of Love and War and also take a look at the two Sixth Doctor, Jago and Litefoot stories, Voyage to Venus and Voyage to the New World.  James also gets to chat to Bernard Holley who stars in Love and War. All that and a competition to boot! James also caught up with Stephen and got an update on the exciting goings on at the upcoming Big Blue Box 2 convention.

This week is the second of our Burning Issues series – trying to provide answers and debate around some of the touchstones that have cropped up during a past Doctor Who Podcast. Today we have been charged by ALMANAC (A Love and Monsters Appreciation nnnnddd Activity Club) to get to the bottom of an issue.  Love and Monsters, the first true Doctor-lite episode in the modern era of the program – is it comedy genius or not worthy of the logo? Tasked to discuss this issue are Trevor, James and Michele. As always, we want the listeners of The DWP to decide this stories fate. Get your thoughts in to feedback@thedoctorwhopodcast.com.

This week the first in our series of Burning Issues – unresolved questions posed on the Doctor Who Podcast in previous episodes that we hope to be able to provide answers for. The first of these is in response to a statement Tom made on a previous DWP – that the classic series story Genesis of the Daleks should be “put in a box and buried”, further stating it was the worst story of the first twenty years of the program. Such an assertion could not go unchallenged.  So we have put Tom on trial in this episode – he must answer for his most heinous crime.  The case for the defence and prosecution will be set, then it will be up to you, our wonderful listeners to decide on the verdict.  Let us know at feedback@thedoctorwhopodcast.com just where Genesis of the Daleks should sit in the history of the show.

Welcome to another fun packed year of THE Doctor Who Podcast, the friendliest, most stylish, informative and most importantly totally FREE podcast out there! It wouldn’t be a new year of THE Doctor Who Podcast without the hosts speculating on what will happen in the Doctor Who universe in 2013, the anniversary year for this amazing show.  Trev, James and Leeson offer up their suggestions for what will be going on this year, partly cause it is fun to guess, but mainly because we look forward to revisiting them again in a years time and see how badly we were wrong! The team also go over the predictions from the beginning of 2012 and see how many of them came true. Share your thoughts on what you think is a sure fire bet in 2013.  feedback@thedoctorwhopodcast.com is the place to send those musings.

We bring you a very special episode of the DWP this week – James spoke to DVD value-added-material producer, Mr Ed Stradling.  Ed is responsible for producing a ridiculously high number of extra features that have been included on Doctor Who DVDs, the first of which saw the likes of Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss talk about Earthshock all the way back in 2003!  Ed also talks about Ian Levene’s project to re-construct Planet of the Giants back into the four part-story originally conceived, the results of which appear on the DVD, and discusses rumours about missing stories being found. So sit down with a  cuppa tea, put your feet up and listen to James and Ed talk Doctor Who for half an hour!

In what will be the DWPs last podcast for 2012, we go over the feedback which we have received from you regarding the 2012 Christmas special, The Snowmen. Be warned, there are multiple kooky theories, time eddies and informed comments abound in this episode! A big thanks from the whole DWP team for your support this year and we hope you have enjoyed the podcasts from us.  A bigger year for 2013 is planned, with more interviews, exclusives and special themed shows than ever before.  Have a great New Year and see you all in 2013, the anniversary year!

Now that you have celebrated Doctor Who, Christmas-style, let the DWP team of Trevor, James and Tom take you on another special journey. The boys, full of Christmas food settle down to review the latest offering from the Doctor Who production team, the 2012 Christmas special, The Snowmen. A special snowmen themed DWP feedback episode will be released next week, and you still have time to get in your audio feedback concerning the Christmas special!