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On the eve of Doctor Who: A Christmas Carol, Paul Cornell's treatise on cricket prompts me to finally come to terms with Series 5.
Chip on The Doctor Who Podcast and, Separately, Coughing Up a Lung
Apologies for the reduced 2MTL output lately. Work and impending holidays have kept me very busy, and now my wife and I are both fighting off illness. I hope to have a new 2MTL up soon, but in the meantime, here's a recap of my recent appearances on The Doctor Who Podcast:
- As mentioned in my review of Running Through Corridors, I interviewed authors Rob Shearman and Toby Hadoke in DWP #53. That was one of my favorite interviews ever. (I wasn't expecting to fly it solo, but last-minute work travel left Tom unable to steer the ship. Apologies for the mixed metaphor.)
- James and I caught up on the news in DWP #54, which is a touch dated now. We did manage to name-check maybe five other Doctor Who podcasts during the show, and I promise you they were all in context, none gratuitous. Would I lie?
- Finally, and just released, in DWP #55 James and I reviewed the first half of the "fourth season" of Eighth Doctor Big Finish adventures with his new companion. Pound for pound I still get my greatest Big Finish enjoyment from Paul McGann.
Here's hoping I talk to you soon, but for now NyQuil is my first love.
2MTL 179: Top Gear's Lessons for "Doctor Who USA"
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Top Gear America's taking it on the chin, dare I say unfairly, from the purist fans of the original. And that helps me predict whether Doctor Who will follow in The Office's footsteps as another BBC property being remade for U.S. audiences.
2MTL 178: Shearman and Hadoke's Running Through Corridors, Reviewed
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Rob Shearman and Toby Hadoke's new book is the first in a series that takes a deep look at every Doctor Who episode from 1963 through 2009, beginning with the Hartnell and Troughton years. If you have any curiosity about the classic series at all, no matter how many stories you've actually seen, you won't regret snapping up a copy. Here's why.
(Many thanks to the Twitterfolk.)
BONUS: My full-length interview with Rob and Toby is on The Doctor Who Podcast #53.
2MTL 177: Timeless Doctor, Mortal Friends
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Can a time traveler ever truly leave his companions and acquaintances behind? After all, the Doctor "is" friends with Winston Churchill even though Churchill's long dead! Thoughts about the mystical — except in the Doctor's own case — connections between all times and places lie within. (This one ran a little long; sorry!)
2MTL 176: "The End of the World" Two-minute Throwback
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Resolved: "The End of the World" was the most important Series One episode to Doctor Who's breakout success in 2005. When you have a strong opening, the follow-up had better be a killer, and it was.
2MTL 175: "My" Doctor Is Not a "Bloke"
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In which the second extra scene in the Series 5 box set, in which Amy grills the Doctor about his past companions, rings a touch false to your humble correspondent.
2MTL 174: The Series 5 Box Set Reviewed
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Despite a few areas where a little extra effort would have gone a long way, Doctor Who: The Complete Fifth Series is a worthy addition to your shelf-ful of Blu-rays and DVDs. Here's a review of the upcoming release (November 8 in the U.K., November 9 in North America).
Another take: Michael's Tin Dog Podcast 142.
2MTL 173: "Death of the Doctor," Resonating Concrete, and Knowing Your Modern Doctors
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"Rose, I'm trying to resonate concrete." Sometimes, the Doctor is tinkering with something he can't take his attention from, which traps him in a revealing conversation. It's a scripting strategy that RTD and Steven Moffat have used since 2005, most recently in "Death of the Doctor," and it's worked to great effect in revealing what makes the Ninth, Tenth, and Eleventh Doctors tick.
2MTL 172: Top Gear meets Doctor Who in "Max Warp"
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Right there at the intersection of the Venn diagram between the gearheads and the Whovians is Big Finish's Eighth Doctor Adventure, "Max Warp." Does this Top Gear parody spin out or catch fire?
Another take: The Flashing Blade Podcast 1-38.