Debating Doctor Who

We introduce ourselves, discuss the Bechdel test, and look at Doctor Who's frustrating lack of women writers. Then, in the second half, we debate the question: What is Doctor Who's most adventurous episode? Caroline goes to the mat for “The Girl In The Fireplace,” while Alasdair champions “The Doctor’s Wife.”

Content Warning: This episode discusses topics around self-harm and suicidal ideation in the context of this week's story. For those sensitive to those topics, we recommend skipping the section from 1:04:45 to 1:19:45. In today's epic-length episode, we look at "Can You Hear Me?" in all its strange, often wonderful glory. We look at how the story explores the inner lives of all the companions, and just how much fun this is for anyone keeping track of Doctor Who's myriad immortals. (Alasdair waves hello.) We also devote the final portion of the show to something more personal, as Alasdair discusses his--or, as of last week, also their--gender identity and how Doctor Who was so meaningful to the questions they are starting to ask. (Note: For those just interested in that discussion, we're also putting it out as a separate minisode.)

We just couldn't wait to give our thoughts on today's big announcement. Allison recounts exactly how she found out Jodie Whittaker is the first female Doctor, then she and Alasdair discuss why this is exciting and what this could mean for the future of the show. We got a whole bunch of emails from listeners with their overwhelmingly positive takes, and it guides us through a discussion of what we might expect from the 13th Doctor's stories, costume, companion(s), and more!

Classic Who neophyte Allison lobs every question she can think of at our resident expert on all things 1963 to 1989. How has the TARDIS changed over the years, both inside and out? What about the theme song and the logo, especially after the recent debut of the 13th Doctor's? Which are the best companions, and which are the least effective? Do you need to be a completist? What are 10 (though Alasdair totally cheats and picks 11) essential stories? All that and more as we dive into some weird corners of Classic Who lore!

As promised last week, Allison and Alasdair offer our picks for the best episode of each season... well, we get through the first seven seasons, at any rate. Better than we expected, honestly! Alasdair manages to pull off the seemingly impossible (especially for him) by picking pretty much entirely non-Moffat stories as his favorites from the 9th, 10th, and 11th Doctors' eras. Will he and Allison agree on their various picks? What do we look for in series-best episodes? All will be revealed!