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PODCAST

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Pete Pachal and Chris Taylor

There are many Doctor Who podcasts. Only one dares review the entire show... in entirely random order! Join journalists Pete Pachal and Chris Taylor as they summarize stories in record time, play the Whomoji game, enter the History Corner, answer the Four Questions to Doomsday, and cower in fear before the almighty Randomizer. New episode every Saturday!

tv & film tv reviews

All Episodes

00:46:32

Day of the Nurse (HOT TAKE: "The Robot Revolution")

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2025/04/12

It's the future, and your star registry gift just triggered a robotic uprising. Welcome to Doctor Who: The Robot Revolution, where RTD goes hard on visuals, soft on substance, and maybe too far on consent. The Pull To Open crew picks apart everything from glitchy AI metaphors to Belinda Chandra’s underbaked debut — and Pete almost expected a Robots of Death sequel. But hey, at least the Doctor's rocking pajamas and historian credentials now.Tell us what you think of The Robot Revolution on

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01:38:49

Invade for TV (Discharging “Aliens of London and...

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2025/04/05

Say it with us now: it’s not just Slitheen fart jokes. Aliens of London/World War Three is the Ecclestone-Piper powerhouse that firmly established how NuWho would grow beyond the old-school kind of Earth invasion. It would be smart, twisty, full of “real” fake media and political references. It would stuff the Prime Minister in a closet. And it would put the Doctor in new kinds of domestic jeopardy. In short, despite some slightly dodgy CGI choices, it still holds up, even 20 hours later. Oh wait,

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01:31:48

The Reich Stuff (Vivisecting “The Sontaran Experiment”)

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2025/03/29

Sontar-what now? An odd little two-parter squished between two titanic Tom Baker classics, The Sontaran Experiment manages to downgrade its clone army villain — with a flimsy mask that makes him look more like a bald white dude amid a bunch of South African “colonials”, plus evil experiments that … don’t seem very science-y? We had fun concocting this episode in our cave, though. So join us for a show sponsored by Gravbar, the adjustable all-in-one exerciser that’ll tear your pecs to shreds! Give

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01:38:41

The Companion Falls (Impacting “Earthshock”)

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2025/03/15

Adric’s fate, an unexpected "asteroid," and the triumphant return of the Cybermen—Earthshock is the definitive Doctor Who game-changer. From its big-budget action sequences to its brutal emotional gut punches, this Davison classic gave us one of the show’s most shocking cliffhangers and its most heart-wrenching companion exit. But does all the spectacle hold up, or is this the original sin of '80s Who? Join us as we crack the last logic code, psychoanalyze the Cyber Leader’s emotions

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01:33:27

Breaking Dad (Reliving “Father’s Day”)

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2025/03/01

When Doctor Who returned in 2005, timey-wimey twists like Rose saving her dad in Father’s Day had rarely been seen on screen. But one entire Moffat era later, audiences are more sophisticated. So how does this small-scale Tyler tale land 20 years later? Do we still fear the Reapers? Grab your chunky carphone and make it to the church on time as we go all Back to the Future in 1987 — and don’t miss the Rickroll, because Pull to Open really is never gonna give you up. Give your own rating for Father's

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01:36:36

Electric Screams (Shipwrecking “Horror of Fang Rock”)

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2025/02/15

Just this once, Leela … everybody dies! Horror of Fang Rock may be a kind of bottle episode (well, a tall bottle with a big electric light on top), but no Doctor Who story has a higher percentage of guest cast killed. And with this bunch of refugees from an Agatha Christie play, who wouldn’t be rooting for a Rutan to off ’em? Join us as we peer into an atmospheric fog of 1970s class war with our new blue peepers, enter a history corner on the real Fang Rock, and try not to grumble at the fake

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01:19:51

Slave New World (Liberating “Planet of the Ood”)

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2025/02/01

How do the Ood serve Doctor Who? Are they more interesting as harbingers of doom, pawns of the literal devil, or rabid victims of capitalist greed? Planet of the Ood takes the latter approach, and the result is a tale so dark even Donna Noble can’t lighten it up. Still, she (and we) can at least get on the Doctor’s case for his heavy-handed analogies. So sit back and take a shot of hair tonic while we absorb you into our giant brain. Just call us the Ood couple! (Actually, don’t.) Give your own

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01:24:37

Mazed and Confused (Mythologizing “The Horns of Nimon”)

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2025/01/18

Time waits for Nimon! Well, time waits for someone to appreciate The Horns of Nimon — the unintended finale to one of the greatest seasons of Doctor Who. With its drunk ballet bulls and a villain on a strict scenery diet, this could be a comedy classic. Or a triumph for Romana and her superior sonic. But is it? Dare to enter the labyrinth with us as we dust off our Greek myths and prepare to be sacrificed on the altar of the mighty Tom Baker. Give your own rating for The Horns of Nimon on

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01:29:37

Lord & Lady (Burglarizing “Planet of the Dead”)

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2025/01/04

A London bus, a mysterious wormhole, and a desert planet teeming with metal stingrays — Planet of the Dead boasts a hearty list of tasty Doctor Who plot ingredients even before you mix in a flirty almost-companion. David Tennant’s Doctor teams up with the aristocratic jewel thief Lady Christina de Souza in this slick, blockbuster-style Easter special. But beneath the high-speed chases and flirty banter lies a looming warning: he will knock four times. Grab your lobster card and hang on tight as we

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00:40:58

A Star Is Born (HOT TAKE: “Joy to the World”)

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2024/12/25

Good God, what is happening in Joy to the World, possibly the most time-wimey Doctor Who Christmas special to date. We’d expect nothing less from Steven Moffat, who stuffs a dinosaur, a bootstrap paradox, and a multi-Doctor story all into a holiday meal that’s anything but a turkey. You might want to dress yourself in several layers just to keep up pace with this one, but be sure to curl up in your most comfortable chair before diving in.Subscribe to our ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube

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01:27:04

A Wrinkle in Flesh Time (Enlightening “Four to...

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2024/12/21

There's bad Doctor Who that makes you ROFL. There's bad Doctor Who that just leaves you baffled. And sometimes, if you're lucky, you find both in one story. Four to Doomsday, Peter Davison's first dip in the Who pool, was a tale of two reactions for Team PTO. Good thing the political angles (incel Adric, anyone?) were so outnumbered by hilarious/dumb/hallucinatory choices (Tegan can draw like DaVinci and pilot a TARDIS by crying now?) Join us as we hurl a cricket ball of nerd rage right at the

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01:27:21

Nonrapid Transit (Jackknifing “Gridlock”)

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2024/12/07

“Stuck in traffic for ages” may be the most mundane sci-fi concept Doctor Who has ever offered. Yet Gridlock shines through the smog, even though we have to wonder why they don’t have smog-free EVs in the year five billion. How did RTD do it? Three words: great artists steal. Even when they’re stealing from the galaxy’s greatest comic, 2000AD. Join us — no, seriously, join us, we need one more passenger to take the fast lane through the snapping Macra of criticism! Give your own rating for

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01:34:28

Get Back (Reversing “The Edge of Destruction”)

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2024/11/23

In a sense, Doctor Who delivered its scariest story ever on its third outing. There’s something truly unsettling about The Edge of Destruction, especially in our unsettled times. The show seems to be tearing itself apart, annihilating dialogue, turning viewers against Ian, Susan and the Doctor (but blessedly not Barbara) when we’ve barely got to know them. But how can we make its premise make sense? Join us in a much-needed memory wipe while we run around with scissors — just don’t touch that fast

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01:28:20

Axis of Medieval (Besieging “The Time Warrior”)

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2024/11/09

Did New Who start in 2005 … or 1973? The Time Warrior fell from the stars with a surprising number of firsts for a show in its 11th year: not just the first Sontaran, but the debut of Sarah-Jane Smith, the diamond logo, the time tunnel, and a planet called (checks notes) Gallifrey. But that’s not all: Robert Holmes’ script brings a Moffat-y level of jokes and self-awareness, including the first crack about the Doctor chasing young women. But is its medieval feminism just a load of Rubeish? Join us

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01:44:13

Repeater Capaldi (Confessing “Heaven Sent”)

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2024/10/26

If we didn’t know better, we’d say we’ve been waiting to talk about this Peter Capaldi episode for 7,000 years. Or is it two billion? Time seems to drag when you’re punching a wall made of random Doctor Who. Heaven Sent was an instant classic, but is this piece of clockwork perfection also the best story ever? We confess, we’re not sure. Good thing we’ve got Alisa Stern (aka Doctor Puppet) to help us grind its gears. If you’re listening, Gallifrey, the dangerous triple hybrid that will deconstruct

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01:32:17

Better Call Thal (Refrigerating “Planet of the Daleks”)

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2024/10/12

Destination: not Skaro! “The Planet* of the Daleks” is Terry Nation’s anniversary rewrite of the classic Hartnell tale that kickstarted Doctor Who. It’s “The Daleks” in color, decades before the BBC colorized “The Daleks.” But did those weird blond Thal heroes really jive with Jo Grant and the whole groovy Pertwee era? And what’s up with the invisible heavy-breathers and squirting plants of Spiridon? Lay down on some IKEA furniture as we dust off purple fake furs from Burning Man and infiltrate the

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01:44:42

The Hateful Eight Legs (Reincarnating “Planet of the...

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2024/09/28

A tear, Sarah Jane? The Third Doctor on his deathbed forbids it! We (and tear-friendly Fifteen) may look askance these days at the end of Planet of the Spiders, but the bigger question is: has any of the preceding story aged well? Join us as we examine a Frankenstein’s spider with too many legs: Pertwee stunts, far-future colonists, “Flowers for Algernon,” ambiguous Mike Yates, arachnophobia, crystallography, tantric Buddhism, one clairvoyant, one exotic dancer, and a little something called

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01:25:42

Forgotten Realm (Rectifying “The Girl Who Waited”)

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2024/09/14

Just how dangerous is traveling with the Doctor? It’s a fair question after revisiting The Girl Who Waited, which looks surprisingly dark 13 years after it aired — especially now that many who watched it back then are now closer in age to older Amy Pond. Join us as we ponder: Did this “Doctor Lite” episode portray Matt Smith as excessively cowardly? Why couldn’t Amy and Amy pass the Bechdel test? And what’s up with all those flying syringes? Give your own rating for The Girl Who Waited on

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02:18:17

Island Time (Cast Interviews from Long Island Who)

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2024/08/31

We shared a long, hot summer with Doctor Who, and we couldn't think of a better way to close it out than getting our TARDIS on at the 2024 Long Island Who convention! Blessedly, we were able to interview several people involved with the show — both actors and people behind the scenes — and we coaxed some original thoughts out of them. We also got a peek into what the future holds for the Toymaker, which was news to us. Please enjoy this XXL episode of Pull To Open, packed full of interesting

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01:31:54

Burning a New Leaf (Mulching “Terror of the Vervoids”)

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2024/08/17

Terror of the Vervoids isn’t exactly the greatest Doctor Who story ever. Those plant-based villains were just … weird. But this bizarre aria from Colin Baker’s long swan song is now surprisingly relevant to the age of Ncuti. Why does Mel just appear out of nowhere? Is the Doctor just allowed to browse his future, or is there something more sinister at play? Pour a nice cool carrot juice, and don’t rage-quit the pod when we bring Sutekh’s gift of headcanon! Give your own rating for The Trial of a

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62 results

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