Doctor Who: Radio Free Skaro

The drums! Glimpses of Gallifrey, the Master at his hammy finest, a Prime Minister gone mad and a wizened Doctor...the Sound of Drums was a chaotic grab bag of fun. And so was this podcast, as Steven and Warren ramble with little rhyme or reason and speculate wildly as to the future of the show, the nature of the Toclafane, and other ponderous matters. We even managed to throw a couple of promos into the mix this time. Enjoy!

The title says it all....the latest episode of Doctor Who was indeed blissful. Fast pacing, incredible character moments, a stellar performance by David Tennant...and the return of the Master. Words fail us.....or rather, they don't, for about 46 minutes and change. Jaunty ramblings ahoy!

Warren and Steven praise the thrills, chils, and statuary of Blink, the "Doctor Lite" episode that aired over the weekend across the pond. We also genuflect about the excellent episode of Dr Who Confidential that followed it, directed by and starring one David Tennant, an actor of little renown whom I'm sure will fade into well deserved obscurity soon. :) Along the way we're sidetracked into a discussion of Doctor Who spinoffs and other such ephemera, as well as speculation on next week's episode, "Utopia."

Warren and Steven are back to heap unrestrained praise (or, in Steven's case, somewhat reserved praise) on "The Family of Blood", the concluding episode of the two-part Doctor Who saga that began with last week's Human Nature", which in itself began from the Paul Cornell novel of the same name some time before. We also discuss next week's "Blink," and the inevitable finale to the season, which is sure to be a masterly set of episodes (heh).

One of the best episodes of the new season and indeed the series, Human Nature is the subject of this week's podcast. Steven and Warren discuss the episode for a solid 30 minutes, and only rarely descend into their trademark digressions and Who-trivia-oneupmanship.

After a week of meandering discussion to fill time, we're back with an actual episode to ponder and pontificate about, and so we banter back on forth about 42, Doctor Who's stab at a sorta-kinda real-time episode. We also branch off into discussion of a couple of upcoming episodes, but stay remarkably on course, given our penchant for digression.

With no episode to comment on, we've decided to devote this episode to random blather, mumblesuch and fanwankery. Our first couple of takes were felled by the Internet gods, but we managed to squeak out a half hour of conjecture and mockery. Next week, 42!

Dr. Who returns to the tried and true with a nice little monster romp involving fountains of youth, genetic tomfoolery and a bit of the ultraviolence. Not to mention a corker of a trailer for the second half of the season. Some Eurovision nonsense is getting in the way of broadcasting the episode next week, so we've decided to make this an all-request show. Email, send mp3s, or do whatever else you can think of to help us create next week's DYI podcast.

Daleks, Manhattan, and a 1930's setting would seem to be a potent stew for some good Doctor Who episodin', but unfortunately the latest pepper-pot epic doesn't really amount to much. Freyburg and I am Steven muse upon the missed chances and minor triumphs of Evolution of the Daleks in Manhattan, then veer wildly off course to discuss Freyburg's recent trip to New York and the listener gathering held last week in Edmonton. Next week, spider creatures and the fountain of youth!

Warren and Steven are back and waxng lyrical on the brilliance that is "Gridlock", an episode that had every appearance of being a throwaway bit of fluff but instead turned into a slam-bang roller coaster ride, with one of the finest bits of acting David Tennant's put into the role thus far. Great effects, imaginative characters, humor and some genuinely moving moments make for one of the best bits o' Who in the new series. Lovely! Next week, the Daleks invade Manhattan, as does Warren. We'll probably skip the podcast next week and double up to cover both Dalek episodes at once.

After getting beaten soundly by the Internet gods on both episodes 29 and the first take of episode 30 of Radio Free Skaro, we finally had a bit of luck and were able to get a decent(ish) sounding recording out of our respective compurobots. We covered Smith and Jones, the Shakespeare Code, and veered al over the conversational map to parts unknown, as would any two jaunty fellows faced with take 3 of a podcast. These are the lengths we'll go to for you, dear listeners! Enjoy!

For the first time in the history of the podcast (other than the Runaway Bride), we've got a new episode of honest to goodness Doctor Who to talk about. Smith and Jones, the first episode in Who's third season, premiered on Saturday night in England and aired shortly thereafter on computer screens throughout North America and the rest of the world. We lay down our thoughts on the show (hint: we liked it), new companion Martha Jones, various bits of ancillary promotion for the show, and our rampant speculation as to the nature of upcoming episodes, based on the tin fragments of scenes we've been spoon-fed thus far. And there's 12 more episodes to go! Huzzah!

We end our retrospective with the denouement of Eccleston's TARDIS tenure, and wax lyrical on the highlights (Father's Day, Boom Town, Parting of the Ways) and lowlights Bad Wolf...maybe?), as well as covering a bit of news, the building tension over the impending premiere of Season 3 this Saturday, and making you all suffer through sporadic coughing by Warren. Next up: Smith and Jones!

After a week's delay due to illness on the part of both myself and Steven, we're back in fighting form with the first part of a retrospective of Christopher Eccleston's lone season as the good Doctor. His reign was the beginning of Who's new era, and we ponder our anticipation prior to the premiere of "Rose," how things have changed for the series as we hurtle towards the premiere of Season 3 (12 days, w00t w00t!, and the usual digressions and balderdash, including a taunting of Podshock and flaunting of our (quite) tenuous connection to the writer of "Dalek."

It was inevitable that we would have to cover the ill-fated (and not very good) Doctor Who TV movie from the mid '90's, but Steven and Warren plunged forward with remarkable aplomb and even cheeky jauntiness as we examined the good, bad and...well, who are we kidding here, mostly bad aspects of the film. We also branch off into many a tangent, which I'm sure will provoke much debate, scolding and commentary on freyburg.com.

My erstwhile co-host Steven will disagree with me, but I think Sylvester McCoy's era was the low ebb of the classic series before it triumpantly retuned decades later. Join us as we argue, cajole, and fail to convince each other that the seventh Doctor's adventures were a bold new step for the show, or a pile of unwatchable junk.

Colin Baker's era goes under the microscope, with Steven and Warren pontificating on the highlights and lowlights of his time in the blue box. Also notable is the fact that I set up a new way of recording the podcast, resulting in much better sound quality. That is, until the end, when "Doctor in Distress" will scar both your ears and your soul.

Our retro-rama continues with Peter Davison's era. It may have started with a whimper (Castrovalva) but it ended with a certifiable masterpiece (Caves of Androzani). Magnificent! An hour and more of ranting by Steven and Warren, further proving we really are total and complete nerds.

The second half of our Tom Baker retrospective clocks in at over an hour and a bit of jaunty ramblings about The Scarf's (like how I invented that new nickname for him? Clever....) further adventures in the Vortex. It took a little Garageband noodlng to get this epic tome onto the Internets, but anything for you, dear listeners.

Part the first of our retrospective on the Tom Baker years, and we wax lyrical on the early seasons of his tenure. Genesis of the Daleks! Pyramids of Mars! Deadly Assassin! Talons of Weng-Chiang! Wall to wall brilliance, I tells ya.

Our retrospective on Doctor Number Three, Jon Pertwee, rings in at an astounding 53-odd minutes of jib-jabber on his tenure. And what an era it was! By far the most suave cat ever to pilot the TARDIS, we pay tribute to the many and various adventures of Pertwee's Time Lord. Next week, part one of our look back at the Tom Baker Years.

In the second of our retrospective series (also entitled "killing time before Season 3 begins"), we look back at the Patrick Troughton era, with the usual digressions and trenchant bon mot for which we have become notorious.

With sod all on the horizon in the way of new Who (or spinoffs) for the next couple of months, Steven and I have decided to cast our jaundiced eyes way back to the distant past, and we're examining one of the Doctor's eras each week. To start with we naturally picked the first Doctor, William Hartnell, and we managed to squeeze (amazingly) 45 minutes of discussion out of his pioneering tenure in the role. The usual meanderings, including a tale of drunken quote-yelling debauchery, round out the podcast.

It was a banner day for Doctor Who spinoffs on the first rotation of the Earth 'round the sun of 2007, with the Torchwood finale and the first episode of the Sarah Jane Adventures hitting English shores (and, shortly thereafter, everyone's computer). We've got reviews of both episodes, plus a look back at Torchwood as a whole and the usual meandering about stuff and nonsense.

The drought is over, with not only a new episode of Torchwood but the long-awaited Dr. Who Christmas special gracing the screens of Britain and the computer monitors of the Internet. We also discuss upcoming shows like the Torchwood finale and the premiere of the Sarah Jane Adventures (in a few short days!), speculate on the preview of the upcoming season shown at the end of the Runaway Bride, and veer off into completely off-topic nonsense, as per usual.

In what is either the penultimate or last Radio Free Skaro of 2006, steven and Warren review the two most recent episodes of Torchwood, then delve into some new clips from the Runaway Bride that have recently surfaced. We also discuss the veritable tsunami of Who on its way at the end of the year, with the aforementioned Bride, the two-part season finale of Torchwood, and the premiere of the Sarah Jane Adventures. And we round out the podcast with some terrible Dalek-themed Xmas music from the '60's. W00t!

Delayed, but inevitable, Radio Free Skaro #14 is out and causing trouble as only a nerdy podcast about Doctor Who can. In this episode, we discuss the two latest episodes of Torchwood, the depths of madness we sank to in order to celebrate the Doctor's 43rd birthday last week, and bits and pieces of news about the upcoming series, the Christmas special (mere weeks away), and the Sarah Jane spinoff. Ah, shenanigans.

We broke the one hour mark on the latest podcast, what with our review of the Children in Need concert, the latest Torchwood episode, and extended notstalgic reminisences of Who gone by, and our many and varied experiences growing up with the show. And we included some of our favorite selections from the concert to liven things up a bit. Ah, good times. And and AND...it's the good Doctor's 43rd birthday. He's looking good for someone sidling into middle age. But enough of my idle talk, go get the show!

After a couple of false starts and some flaky VOIP, Radio Free Skaro #12 is out in the wild. We discuss "Small Worlds," easily the best Torchwood yet, introduce our news theme (the Torchwood theme, heh...) and....wander off-topic as usual.

Our 11th episode, a review of "Cyber-Woman," the unimaginatively named but nonetheless quite decent episode of Torchwood featuring a sexy cyberlady smashing things and generally causing strife and havoc. We also once again verr wildly off course, discussing my night job taking pictures of celebrities, the weather, Monty Python, and a plethroa of other trivia, some of it even Who-related. Steven also relays how he'll be spending his Novermber 23rd, the 43rd anniversary of Classic Who. (Hint: it will be somewhat nerdy.)

Episode 10 is up, and we discuss "Ghost Machine," the latest episode of Torchwood, which features not only a star of the old series masterpiece "The Caves of Androzani," but also a nearly unrecognizable Gareth Thomas from Blake's 7. We also veer wildly off-topic and discuss the CBC, Zed, and the questionable usefulness of HDTVs.

And...we're back! Or rather, we never left, but we've got a semi-new theme song, new album art, and most importantly, a new show to talk about! Steven and I delve into the mystery that is Torchwood episodes 1 and 2, and then ramble on about the show's stellar ratings, the demise of Outpost Gallifrey, and the less than amazing numbers for Season Two's debut on the CBC. Whee!

And the long-awaited (heh) part 2 of Radio Free Skaro #8, in which we chronicle "Doomsday," the climactic final episode of the second season, is now up on the Internets. Next week we'll wait a couple more days than usual in order to properly review "Torchwood," the new (and apparently quite violent and racy) Dr. Who spinoff. Enjoy!

Bit of a different one...Steven and I were at the same place at the same time, so we decided to do a "live" two parter where we do commentary for Army of Ghosts and Doomsday. Up to you if we pulled it off, but here's part one of this epic experiment in audio audaciousness. Allons-y!

Steven and I get down to the crappier episodes of Season 2 of Dr. Who, with some slapping about of Love and Monsters (which I maintain ain't that bad) and Fear Her (terrible!) We also examine bad episodes from the Classic Who years, give a shout out to our fan Martin Frobisher, and reveal our upcoming "live" podcast in Edmonton..which will be the two of us doing a commentary track to the Season 2 finale. Neato! As per usual, the show can be heard on the web and downloaded through the feed, or via this direct link.

Yes, Steven and I managed to juggle our schedules and get RFS Numero Six out the door tonight. Much gushing about the Impossible Planet and Satan pit two-parter, some kvetching about DVD vendors and their lack of Who respect, and formative plans for a live episode in a couple of weeks time, as I will be in Edmonton over the weekend. We might even have to videotape that one, just to be total dorks.

Just a few days after the delayed episode 4 comes episode 5, where we discuss "The Idiot's Lantern," then veer off into the many and various ways Dr. Who has addressed social issues of the day. Somehow we managed to break the 34 minute mark with this rich vein of discussion.

Again with the technical difficulties! First we had a file up and die on us, then Steven's microphone generated a truly astounding amount of hum. Through it all we soldiered on, and now bring you the delayed but complete Radio Free Skaro, episode 4. We discuss the Girl in the Fireplace and the first Cybermen two-parter, then veer wildly off course and talk about webisodes, the Internet, and why there won't be any new Gallifrey episodes (and whether or not that's a good thing). At any rate, thanks for waiting and putting up with our technical troubles, and hope you all enjoy the podcast. We'll try to get #5 out sometime this weekend.

Delayed by wonky email, cut off by flaky Internet connections, and menaced by a hornet during the podcast......this one was a bit of a slog. But have no fear, Whovians, Warren and Steven have battled it out and present episode 3 of Radio Free Skaro to you in all its insect killing, Who discussing glory. We covered Tooth and Claw and School Reunion, and then veered off into touching Classic Who moments and cool death scenes.

Warren and Steve talk about the Christmas Invasion and New Earth, genuflect on the glory of Pyramids of Mars, and discuss some new rumours and scuttlebutt.

Freyburg and I Am Steven discuss the classic series, the new series, some of the differences between the two, some current news about the new series and North American DVD releases, and Freyburg manages to slag Phantom of the Opera. Be kind, it's our first episode.