Debating Doctor Who

Latest Episodes:

Episode 41: “The Day Of The Doctor” Nov 08, 2015

Show notes

An epic 50th anniversary special demands an epic podcast, as Caroline and Alasdair obliterate the two-hour barrier (without even taking a break!) debating “The Day Of The Doctor.” But first, we read a couple emails, give some quick thoughts on the first half of the current Zygon two-parter, and discuss how the 12th Doctor has really come into his own this year, and it’s probably all down to Peter Capaldi growing his hair out. As for “The Day Of The Doctor,” Caroline has some contrarian takes on this largely beloved special, and she and Alasdair discuss how 75 minutes as masterfully executed and endlessly entertaining as this can still have some really misconceived elements. We agree everything with Queen Elizabeth I is … not great, but what about John Hurt’s War Doctor and the return of Gallifrey? And will anyone remember that, hey, Billie Piper is in this thing?

Episode 40: “The Woman Who Lived” Oct 30, 2015

Show notes

Our attempt to keep these podcasts shorter and more manageable totally fails as we come so, so close to the two-hour mark. But fear not, for it’s all in a good cause! We’ve got our latest Danielle Fan Email of the Week Award winner dropping some serious rare books knowledge, a very special round of Who Alum theater looking at David Tennant’s latest projects, and some general Big Finish talk. We then go long on “The Woman Who Lived,” which is really great, but maybe not the greatest of all time? Oh, you better believe we’re doing some nitpicking this week! Plus, a random digression into some of the show’s more notable directors, as Alasdair punches up his five favorite directors more or less on the fly. Yeah, this week is a journey.

Episode 39: “The Girl Who Died” Oct 24, 2015

Show notes

Caroline is back! And she regales us with stories of her recent trip to New York, while Alasdair details his recent stay with a Who-loving family in San Francisco. Then we read maybe our favorite fan email ever (and when you hear the last line, you’ll instantly agree), kick around the question of what would happen if a Doctor or companion just didn’t work at all, and talk the latest Star Wars trailer. Then: “The Girl Who Died,” guest starring Game Of Thrones’s own Maisie Williams! Alasdair is on record as almost aggressively loving this episode, but how does Caroline feel? As the 12th (and 7th) Doctor so eloquently put it: Time will tell. It always does.

Episode 38: “Under The Lake” / “Before The Flood” Oct 14, 2015

Show notes

Friend of the show Kate Kulzick fills in as cohost this week as she and Alasdair break down the latest two-parter, "Under The Lake" / "Before The Flood." But first, we award the Danielle Fan Email of the Week award to listener Caroline S. (no, wait, that’s too obvious, let’s say a Ms. Siede), whose question is so good that (a) we’ll probably invite her on the show next week and (b) Kate and Alasdair take like 25 minutes to answer it, despite it just being, "What’s your favorite and least favorite 12th Doctor story?" Also, the team discusses the newly announced Doctor Who spinoff and the news of John Hurt-starring War Doctor audios, which Alasdair feels people aren’t sufficiently irrationally exuberant about.

DDW Podlet: The Live Episode Oct 11, 2015

Show notes

It’s Caroline’s birthday … and she’s not here! But here’s a little present for you all, as Alasdair shares a recent live episode of the podcast at the DSI Comedy Theater in Chapel Hill, N.C. It’s a deeply silly bit of fun as Alasdair and two Who-loving improvisers discuss the show, including a worrying amount of discussion of the 1996 TV movie. We’ll be back soon as a special guest co-host joins Alasdair to chat about “Under The Lake” and “Before The Flood.”

Episode 37: “The Magician’s Apprentice” / “The Witch’s Familiar” Oct 03, 2015

Show notes

We’re back (again)! Busy schedules and crashing computers kept us away, but here we are to give our thoughts on the opening two-parter of the new season. (Spoiler alert: We liked it!) (Double spoiler alert: We *really* liked Michelle Gomez and Julian Bleach!) Also our thoughts on the comings and goings of the Doctor’s friends, as Jenna Coleman announces her departure and River Song returns at Christmas.

Episode 36: Comic Con & Season 9 Jul 25, 2015

Show notes

We get back into the swing of things with a news wrap up: We discuss all the Doctor Who-related happenings at San Diego Comic Con, share our thoughts on the new trailer, look ahead to season nine, and chat about some major developments in the world of Big Finish Audiobooks.

DDW Podlet: How We Spent Our Podcast Vacation Jul 17, 2015

Show notes

We’re sorry, we’re so, so sorry that we’ve been away for so long. But we’re finally back, chatting about what we did on our podcast vacation.

Episode 35: “The Stolen Earth” / “Journey’s End” Mar 22, 2015

Show notes

We’re back with a very special episode we recorded IN THE SAME ROOM when Alasdair came to visit Chicago. Even better, friend of the show Kate Kulzick makes her triumphant return to Debating Doctor Who! We chat about Clara’s arc in season 8, the possibility of River Song’s return, and our favorite one-off characters and concepts. Then in our second half, we make a last minute adjustment to our plans (we’ll discuss “The Bells Of St. John” and the Sontaran two-parter next week) to take a look at the RTD bonanza that is “Stolen Earth” / "Journey’s End." Kate, Alasdair, and Caroline examine the good, the bad, and the very bad of this epic two-parter.

Episode 34: “The Lazarus Experiment” and “The Rebel Flesh” / “The Almost People” Mar 04, 2015

Show notes

We read one of our all-time favorite listener emails, chat about some Doctor Who news (Missy is back!), and reintroduce Who Alumni Theater to discuss a terrible rom-com and a ridiculous sci-fi space opera. Then in our second half, we discuss two episodes that ostensibly want to explore science, "The Lazarus Experiment" and "The Rebel Flesh" / "The Almost People." We quite liked one and rather disliked the other.

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