Tag Archives: Christmas

Doctor Who Commentary – 7.0 ‘The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe’

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Merry Christmas! Caleb Woodbridge, Sarah Burrow and P. G. Bell go through the wardrobe to discuss this year’s Doctor Who Christmas special, The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe!

In our latest podcast commentary, we discuss the influence of C S Lewis on Doctor Who, whether Matt Smith should have a child as a companion, the criminal underuse of Bill Bailey, Steven Moffat’s gender politics, the place of fairytales in Doctor Who, the extraordinary in the everyday and much more.

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:11:08 — 32.6MB)

What did you think of this year’s Christmas special? Did it enchant you, or did you feel it could have been better? What other classic Christmas stories would translate well to Doctor Who?

Doctor Who Commentary – 4.0 ‘Voyage of the Damned’

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David Tennant and Kylie Minogue face the Heavenly Hosts‘Twas the night before Christmas Eve… and our resident Scrooge Swithun Dobson and very own Tiny Tim Caleb Woodbridge return to do battle between humbug and good cheer in their commentary on Voyage of the Damned, a tale of the Titantic in space, evil angels, and killing Kylie Minogue at Christmas!

Join us as we discuss whether the disaster movie format is compatible with the traditional Doctor Who good versus evil showdown, the representation of angels in pop culture, the deification and deconstruction of the Doctor, and much more. And a merry Christmas to all of you at home!

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:21:26 — 37.3MB)

Don’t forget to check out our spoiler-free preview of this year’s Christmas special, The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe, and come back in a couple of days for our podcast commentary on the same!

Doctor Who Spoiler-free Review – 7.0 ‘The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe’

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Previewing the Doctor Who Christmas special is like opening presents early: a guilty yet irresistible pleasure. But is Steven Moffat’s Narnia-inspired The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe a cracker or a turkey?

The story begins with a bang, literally, with a madcap escape for the Doctor. In the course of his adventure, he encounters Madge Arwell, played by Claire Skinner, in a role that isn’t a million miles off her part of the Mum in Outnumbered. Mr Smith voice artist Alexander Armstrong appears in the flesh as her husband Reg, while the casting directors of Doctor Who show their talent once more at finding good child actors for the parts of Cyril and Lily. Throw in Bill Bailey and co as the comedy support act, and Matt Smith doing his patent blend of age-old wisdom and child-like enthusiasm, and you’re all set for the now-traditional “Christmassiest Christmas ever!”

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Doctor Who Commentary – 3.0 ‘The Runaway Bride’

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Our Christmas countdown continues as Sarah Burrow, Swithun Dobson, James Willetts and P.G. Bell revisit Catherine Tate’s fan-baiting debut as companion-to-be, Donna Noble. “For better or for worse…”

There’s no denying that comedian Catherine Tate is the heart and soul of the 2006 Christmas special. But did we love her or hate her? Join us as we pick sides and discuss other noteworthy aspects of the show’s second festive outing, including: cliffhangers, cleavage, Gallifrey, and why Torchwood would need Segways.

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:12:09 — 66.1MB)

And there’s still more to come! Visit again next week when we’ll be discussing ‘Voyage of the Damned’. Was it really a disaster in every sense? Until then, head down into the comments section and let us know what you thought of this latest podcast.

Doctor Who Commentary – 2.0 ‘The Christmas Invasion’

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Tis the season to be jolly! In the first of a series of festive treats, Swithun Dobson, P.G. Bell, Sarah Burrow and – specially flown in from the North Pole – James Willetts revisit the very first Doctor Who Christmas Special, ‘The Christmas Invasion’.

Remember when the show was still trying to prove itself? When David Tennant was the new kid on the block? When we had yet to visit an alien world? It all seems so long ago now, so how does this yuletide special hold up to scrutiny? Join us as we discuss killer Christmas trees, why the Doctor doesn’t like Christmas and try to think of some other Christmas-themed entertainment that’s actually Christmassy. (Here’s a clue… Die Hard).

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:09:32 — 63.7MB)

How did you like this blast from Christmas past? We want to hear from you! Head down into the comments to share your thoughts, and be sure to come back next week for our next Christmas Special commentary – ‘The Runaway Bride’.