Doctor Who: Watchers in the Fourth Dimension

It’s time for one of our many bonus episodes this season! We are joined by our good friend and official/unofficial fifth Watcher in the Fourth Dimension, Alan Siler, as we watch the not-so-recently animated story in Doctor Who, The Savages.

Join us as we spend way too much time discussing how we watched this and what other things we listened to prepare for this episode, commenting on the fact that we don’t, in fact, hate Dodo as ...

The Black Guardian Trilogy comes to an end in Enlightenment with a space race on Edwardian-inspired ships, where a dominatrix threatens Turlough, a creepy Eternal hits on Tegan, and the Black and White Guardians end as they started this three-story run: disappointingly. Still, it gives Anthony an opportunity to utter: “step on me, Mommy!” Just wow.

Unsurprisingly, we discuss the sartorial choices of the two Guardians (and which o...

Welcome, once again, to our annual house of horror special!! This year, we kickoff with, yet again, another Hammer Film. This time, we’re covering The Gorgon, featuring Peter Cushing and the wonderful treasure that is Patrick Troughton. We then move onto The Blood on Satan’s Claw, featuring the lovely Wendy Padbury and a somewhat subdued Anthony Ainley. 

Join us as we discuss Diana’s inability to recognize actors when they either...

Join us this episode as we ask the big question: How does the Big Bang happen because of something that happens after the Big Bang? See if we ever find out as we discuss the second story of the Black Guardian trilogy, Terminus.

It should come as no surprise that this story garnered some strong feelings from our crew. Did Anthony really want to rewrite almost all interactions and plot regarding the Doctor and his companions? Absol...

We kick off the Black Guardian trilogy with a new companion joining the TARDIS, the return of the Brigadier, and the return of the Black Guardian (on whose head they’ve inexplicably put a dead bird!), as we discuss Mawdryn Undead (or, to translate it from the Welsh “Dead Man Undead”!)

Join us as we make immediate judgements on Turlough, discuss how the story plays with time in a way that pre-dates Moffat by 20-odd years, question...

It’s Kinda 2: Electric Boogaloo – or as it’s better known to most people… Snakedance! Beyond the return of the Mara, we get the return of good ol’ themes of colonialism, complete with a spoiled brat heir, a difficult and ignorant historian, and a snake-oil salesman who gets his comeuppance (ironically, at the hands of snake-being!)!

Join us as we discuss what the Mara are (and how RTD has corrupted that idea), to what extent Lon ...

We're kicking-off Season 20 with Arc of Infinity! This story features Time Lords doing what Time Lords do best, the return of Omega and introduction of his mutant turkey/pterodactyl thing, and some traipsing around Amsterdam. It sounds like it should be quite good. But will the Watchers think that it’s the sort of bang that the season should start with – one that caused by anti-matter and matter colliding?

Join us as we discuss o...

We have finally made our way through the entirety of Season 19, the first run of Peter Davison as the Doctor. You all know what that means!!! It’s time for our customary season retrospective, in which we look back at the entire season, using a blend of awards, metrics, and questions from our friends on social media to make our thoughts known… And man, do we make our thoughts known this time around. As always, this was a lot of fun ...

This episode, bear with us as we meander our way through our discussion of Spare Parts. Who knew we needed to discuss fake commercials and who may secretly be Hitler while commenting on such a good Big Finish story.

Join us as we discuss our understanding of jaded scientists drinking wine to get through the day and our annoyance of a whiny teenage boy who was so susceptible to propaganda, wishing to become a cyberman. Diana and J...

Don’t you just love an insane scheme by the Master? Especially when it involves disguising himself as a horrendous racial stereotype when he has no reason to be in disguise at all? Oh, and we have some wonderful product placement for Heathrow Airport and Concorde. And this story is *somehow* the Season 19 finale. That’s right -we’re talking about Time-Flight!

Join us as we discuss the brown-ness of the 1980s, whether the episode ...

In potentially the biggest story of the Season (somehow even bigger than the Fifth Doctor’s debut in Castrovalva), we have Cybermen! Androids! Gritty troopers and gritty freighter crew! Oh, and we say goodbye to a much loved (lol) companion in what is quite possibly the most dramatic way since… well… the 1960s? Yup, it’s Earthshock!

Join us as we discuss how the designers on Starship Troopers must’ve been huge Doctor Who fans, ho...

In this episode, we dial in our love for Agatha Christie and Charlotte Brontë, as we discuss Black Orchid. How they were able to pack so much character intertaction AND a self-indulgent cricked match into only two episodes, we will never know.

Join us as we discuss the introduction of our new favourite hero (or villain) in Gurgle Man, Sarah Sutton finally being able to show off her acting chops, the Watchers’ new unit of measure:...

After the last episode where we all let out many exasperated sighs, the Watchers now let out a great sigh of relief as we discuss The Visitation!! We have finally gotten the companion interaction we deserve, even with Adric remaining a complete waste of carbon.

Join us as we discuss our return back to basics: a simple, grounded story, check. An alien race set to take over Earth, check. And an android, though we’ve never had one s...

SILENCE!! while we dive into yet another story touching on our dislike for colonialism, but engaging us, however briefly, in our appreciation for fever dreams. That’s right, dear listeners, we’re discussing Kinda this week and hopefully you all have remembered that sleeping near windchimes by yourself can have dire consequences, such as snake tattoos and lipstick teeth.

Join us as we discuss Tegan’s initial relaxed demeanor (incl...

This episode, we tackle a story that has been in the bottom quartile in both DWM’s Mighty 200 and 50th Anniversary polls – it’s Four to Doomsday! But, what will the Watchers think? This one goes probably as well as you’d expect…

Join us as we discuss how this story is built like a Hartnell story, Adric turning into an incel, what the guts of the androids are made from, how Monarch is the most affable fascist dictator ever (even b...

This episode, we finally get ourselves started on the Fifth Doctor era as the Master returns (again) to taunt our new Doctor in Castrovalva… heh heh heh…

Join us as we discuss just how young Peter Davison was when this was made, whether or not Adric was a little TOO excited at being tied up in the Master’s web (or if it’s just the harness), Tegan’s need for “enormous thrust,” Bidmead’s myriad weaknesses, and how the Master THINKS...

This episode, we discuss Doctor Who’s very first attempt at a spin-off with the rather questionable K9 and Company: A Girl’s Best Friend! It was certainly a wild ride watching this one, with plenty of witches and honking along the way…

Join us as we discuss THAT theme tune, whether K9 and Sarah Jane are actually a good pairing, whether K9 is put to good use, Brendan being put in a dress, how Simon Pegg clearly saw this story at s...

As we’ve finally made it to the end of the Tom Baker era (a feat that has taken us close to two-and-a-half years!), we are once again joined by the 5th Watcher, R. Alan Siler, who guides us through our era-spanning retrospective for the longest-running (and arguably most popular) Doctor of all time!

Join us as we discuss the best stories to sum up each Producer during the era, whether RTD and Moffatt are right about non-contempor...

Another season in the can! Season 18 done and dusted, and you know what that means… it’s time for our customary season retrospective, in which we take a look back at the entirety of the season with our blend of awards, metrics, and questions from our friends on social media. These are always a lot of fun for us to do, and we really hope that you enjoy listening to this as much as we did recording it!

Join us as we discuss how one...