Doctor Who

Doctor Who Review – 7.1 ‘Asylum of the Daleks’

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Giant Dalek statue on SkaroJames gives us his review of ‘Asylum of the Daleks‘ as a first reaction ahead of our podcast commentary, coming later today online now! Does this story restore the Daleks as effective villains, or do they just rely on nostalgia value for their survival? SPOILERS ahoy!

It’s amazing that this episode wasn’t spoiled well ahead of broadcast, and it’s undoubtably better for it. There’s at least two twists in there that I don’t think anyone coming in blind will expect, so I’m going to save talking about those until the end so as to avoid spoiling it for you.

Let’s get right down to it. The Daleks are no longer a good Doctor Who villain. They survive more on nostalgia value than anything else, and there’s not really been a New Who episode that showcases them as potentially lethal threats since Dalek. The closest thing we’ve had to an episode in which the Daleks constitute a real threat since then is The Stolen Earth/Journey’s End, episodes which hardly stands as a high point for villainous masterplans.

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Opinion: Why the Doctor is not the core of Doctor Who

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William HartnellWith Doctor Who returning to our screens shortly and the question “Doctor Who?” hanging over current storylines, Swithun Dobson considers Time Lords, TARDISes, and Time Travel to ask: what is the essence of the show?

Contrary to popular conceptions, at its core it’s not even about the Doctor. If we travel back to 1963 we do of course meet the TARDIS and the Doctor but we soon realise that they are the frame in which the story is hanged. Ostensibly most of the first two seasons revolve around the TARDIS team trying to get Ian and Barbara home to 1960s London after being kidnapped by the Doctor for rumbling his affairs, so why take a roundabout route visiting Kublai Khan, Robespierre and the Sensorites?

Interestingly, from the modern Who perspective, none of the early serials focus on the character of the Doctor. The earliest story is The Tenth Planet but that just establishes that he can rejuvenate; the whole mythos of regeneration comes a lot later. Even The Deadly Assassin which establishes the 12 regeneration limit really focuses on the Master trying to cheat death.
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Doctor Who Commentary – 5.13 ‘The Big Bang’

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It’s the end, but the moment has been prepared for. Sarah Burrow and P.G. Bell draw our Series 5 commentaries to a close.

Where can a show turn when it’s just wiped out the whole of existence? Why, the National Museum of Wales, of course! We discuss whether the show over-uses its most regular locations and wonder when the polar bears joined the alliance against the Doctor. Plus, does the wibbly-wobbly, timey-wimey runaround still hold up, or is it just lots of exposition interrupted by bouts of repetitive action? And can we have Matt Smith dancing in every episode, please?

All this and more, in the latest Impossible Podcast! Download us now!

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 58:40 — 53.7MB)

That’s it for our Series 5 commentaries, but we’ll be commentating on Series 7 week by week, as it happens, so stay tuned!

Doctor Who Commentary – 5.12 ‘The Pandorica Opens’

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Join Sarah and Peter as they plough headlong into the first part of Doctor Who’s Series 5 finale!

It’s been a long journey since ‘The Eleventh Hour‘ and, as Moffat moves his pieces into position for the final confrontation, we chart his progress through the series so far. Did he deliver on his early promises? Has he beaten Russell T Davies at his own game? And, more importantly, has the production team found a way to lessen the embarrassment of those awful new-look Daleks? All this plus: zombie Cybermen, rubbish Romans, horror movie homages and the speech to end all speeches. Oh, and Rory’s back! Yay!

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 55:09 — 50.5MB)

Doctor Who Commentary – 5.11 ‘The Lodger’

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A little later than usual, Caleb and Sarah continue our run of Series 5 commentaries.

Comedy masterpiece or a joke too far? We take a long hard look at Gareth Roberts’ light-hearted fish-out-of-water tale and ask some serious questions. Did this story forever change the tone of Matt Smith’s portrayal of the Doctor? Could the show ever work with a permanent male companion? And would James Corden be the one for the role? Let us know what you think, in the comments below or via Facebook and Twitter!

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 49:11 — 45.1MB)

Doctor Who Commentary – 5.10 ‘Vincent and the Doctor’

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Tony Curran as Vincent Van Goch holding a self portrait painting

Caleb and Sarah discuss Scottish accents, art and death, rom-coms and more in our fan commentary on series 5 Doctor Who episode, ‘Vincent and the Doctor’!

The Doctor and Amy meet famous painter Vincent van Gogh in this episode penned by none other than Richard Curtis. But is Saturday teatime sci-fi the right slot for exploring themes of depression and suicide? Or is this episode proof that Doctor Who can be broader and deeper on the small screen than weekly alien invasions and unlikely raising of the stakes to imperil all of reality itself? Let us know what you think, in the comments or via Twitter and Facebook!

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 55:15 — 50.8MB)