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PODCAST

Pull To Open: A Random Doctor Who Podcast

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

01:31:31

Tachyons We Meet on Vacation (Touring "The Leisure...

Pull To Open: A Random Doctor Who Podcast ·

2026/04/25

The Leisure Hive should be a relaxing holiday: a beachside opening, fabulous costumes, and Lalla Ward dressed like she just won regatta season. Instead, we find a story with enough ideas for three serials and enough pacing for half of one. Is it a commentary on nuclear war? A tourism satire? A hard-sci-fi flex? A lizard-mafia caper? Somehow it’s all of them, plus the moment Doctor Who quietly kills off the Randomizer and ushers in the John Nathan-Turner era with neon, synths, and pure style. Join us

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01:25:09

Circus Breaker (Performing "The Greatest Show in the...

Pull To Open: A Random Doctor Who Podcast ·

2026/04/11

Come one, come all to the Psychic Circus — where the audience kills, the clowns are robots, and the Doctor may be only one striped scarf away from becoming one himself. This week, Pull To Open tackles The Greatest Show in the Galaxy, a late-McCoy oddity that somehow manages to be creepy, funny, ambitious, and weirdly relevant all at once. Is the Chief Clown an all-time villain? Are the Gods of Ragnarok a brilliant meta-commentary or a giant last-minute shrug? And most importantly: is the Doctor, in

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01:21:32

The Halftime Show (Marking the Midpoint)

Pull To Open: A Random Doctor Who Podcast ·

2026/03/28

Five years, 160 stories, one increasingly suspicious Randomizer. Pull To Open has reached the exact midpoint of its mad dash through all of Doctor Who, so Pete and Chris are taking a break from the usual TL;DW chaos to ask the big questions: How did this thing start? When did the podcast actually get good? Which Doctors and eras has the Randomizer weirdly favored — or avoided — and why does Doctor Who somehow work better in random order than almost any franchise alive? Join us as we look back on

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01:27:36

It’s a Tetrap! (Disguising "Time and the Rani")

Pull To Open: A Random Doctor Who Podcast ·

2026/03/14

September 7, 1987: a date that lives in Doctor Who infamy—at least for Chris, who rage-quit the show the moment Time and the Rani introduced the Seventh Doctor in the most cursed way imaginable. Bad wigs, mangled aphorisms, quarry overload, neon overkill, and a regeneration scene that practically dares you to change the channel: this one has it all. But is the story merely a disaster, or a pivotal disaster? Join us as we revisit Sylvester McCoy’s bumpy debut, marvel at Kate O’Mara’s all-time great

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01:32:44

Water War (Submerging "The Sea Devils")

Pull To Open: A Random Doctor Who Podcast ·

2026/03/01

The Sea Devils should be an all-timer: the Master returns, the Navy shows up, the Doctor tries to broker peace, and the monsters have one of the most iconic “emerging from the sea” entrances ever. And yet… why do we learn so little about Sea Devil society? Why is the prison run by a duffer with sword décor and futuristic venetian blinds TVs? And why does this story quietly force the Doctor into the same moral corner as Doctor Who and the Silurians — with a choice that looks an awful lot like

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01:12:40

3 Days in the Gally (Scenes from Gallifrey One 2026)

Pull To Open: A Random Doctor Who Podcast ·

2026/02/21

Pull To Open goes on location! Pete and Chris hit Gallifrey One in Los Angeles as total Gally virgins, gawping at “chemicals on fire” sunsets, accidentally learning how expensive fandom can be, and collecting hot takes like they’re limited-edition prints. Along the way: Peter Davison (and the Tom Baker advice he still can’t hear), Millie Gibson popping in like it’s no big deal, and a convention floor vibe check that can best be summarized by one hoodie: “I told you Disney was a bad idea.” Plus: fans

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01:37:11

Parallel Metal (Initializing “Rise of the Cybermen”...

Pull To Open: A Random Doctor Who Podcast ·

2026/01/31

Some stories upgrade the villains. This one upgrades everything. We venture to Pete’s World to face the stompiest reintroduction of a classic foe in rRise of the Cybermen and The Age of Steel. But are these metal men truly scary, or are they just Bluetooth bullies from Big Tech? Let’s debate the genius of rewriting Cyber-history, discuss what the story steals from Spare Parts, and say goodbye (maybe?) to Mickey. Wherever you land on this story, you have to admire it for accurately predicting Apple

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01:24:16

Bonnie Dangerously (Quartering “The Highlanders”)

Pull To Open: A Random Doctor Who Podcast ·

2026/01/17

It’s the Second Doctor’s second story, and he’s already cross-dressing, bashing heads, and doing the worst German accent this side of Oktoberfest. The Highlanders is a story where the Doctor flails through post-regeneration weirdness while Ben, Polly, and proto-companion Jamie navigate the aftermath of Culloden and a plot to sell Scots into slavery. With violent slapstick, dodgy disguises, and an unexpected showdown on a boat, this might be the most violent—and historically faithful—Doctor Who story

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01:36:28

Clash of the Eras (Mediating “Doctor Who and the...

Pull To Open: A Random Doctor Who Podcast ·

2026/01/03

Season seven of Pull To Open begins where all great potholing expeditions do: deep underground, with claw marks from the Randomizer and a moral crisis waiting at the exit. This week it’s Doctor Who and the Silurians, the only story bold enough to put “Doctor Who” in the title, and then end by asking: “So… was that a genocide?” Pete and Chris debate Malcolm Hulke’s surprisingly textured reptiles, UNIT’s “sealed permanently” semantics, and why Pertwee is somehow fully formed in his second story. Plus:

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01:33:52

Dawn of the AIpocalypse (Deprogramming “The War...

Pull To Open: A Random Doctor Who Podcast ·

2025/12/20

Long before Skynet, the British Post Office built its own murderbot. In The War Machines, a supercomputer called WOTAN tries to conquer the world by... hypnotizing secretaries and constructing clunky Dalek knockoffs in a warehouse. And honestly? It almost works. Join us as we revisit the First Doctor’s most tech-forward outing, featuring the debut of companions Ben and Polly, the Inferno Club (not that one), face-sucking elevators, and a press conference for the ages. Is this the beginning of

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01:37:25

Invasion on 34th Street (Speciating “Daleks in...

Pull To Open: A Random Doctor Who Podcast ·

2025/12/06

What happens when the Daleks land in 1930s New York and start questioning who they are? You get one of Doctor Who’s strangest detours for a marquee monster, where the Cult of Skaro grapples with ambition, identity, and a makeover ambitious enough for a Broadway musical. We dig into how Daleks in Manhattan and Evolution of the Daleks blend showbiz sparkle with Hooverville grit, why Dalek Sec’s big evolutionary leap still resonates, and how a story filled with showgirls, pig slaves, and

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01:25:35

Space: 1969 (Energizing “The Space Pirates”)

Pull To Open: A Random Doctor Who Podcast ·

2025/11/22

Ahoy, space scallywags! This week the Randomizer maroons us in The Space Pirates, the six-part “epic” so padded it should come with its own flotation device. Join us as we navigate Argonite economics, Star Trek knockoff vibes, Clancy's comedy moustache, a CEO who is definitely up to something, and a TARDIS crew who spends most of the story confused, kidnapped, or both. Is this Bob Holmes’ secret experiment? A proto–frontier-in-space? Or simply the BBC showing off their 1969 model shop? Whatever

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01:26:42

Doctor, Octopus (Filleting “The Power of Kroll”)

Pull To Open: A Random Doctor Who Podcast ·

2025/11/08

Doctor Who’s biggest monster gets his due—or does he? The Randomizer drops us into The Power of Kroll, the soggiest segment of the Key to Time season, where the squid is supersized but the stakes… maybe not so much. Join us as we wade through methane, musical glass-shattering, suspicious swampies, and the curious absence of K9. Is Bob Holmes’ least favorite script really that bad, or are we just blinded by all the green body paint?Give your own rating for The Power of Kroll on

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00:48:37

Who Returns? (Reacting to the 2026 Christmas Special...

Pull To Open: A Random Doctor Who Podcast ·

2025/10/29

Doctor Who is back, babes! The BBC has reclaimed its Time Lord, and Pull To Open is here with a full transatlantic debrief. What does Disney’s departure mean for the future of the franchise? What might RTD’s newly announced 2026 Christmas Special look like? Will it be the final chapter of RTD 2.0 or the beginning of something entirely new? Join us for Rose-tinted speculation, companion casting theories, fandom grievances, and way too many ideas for how to fix the streaming rights vortex. Plus: Jelly

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01:33:32

The Martians (Chilling “The Ice Warriors”)

Pull To Open: A Random Doctor Who Podcast ·

2025/10/25

It’s the second Ice Age and Britannicus Base is under siege—by glaciers, bureaucracy, and a hissy Martian warlord with grabby hands. Join us as we dig into The Ice Warriors, the monster debut that screams “classic” but quietly whispers “fix me.” Are the Warriors even wearing armor? How does Jamie know Shakespeare? And did humanity really get rid of all the plants? The Randomizer serves us a slow-burn base-under-siege with a plot twist that feels… scientifically questionable. But we’re here for

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01:31:20

Wolf Clan (Metamorphosing “Tooth and Claw”)

Pull To Open: A Random Doctor Who Podcast ·

2025/10/11

We are amused. Even Queen Victoria couldn’t keep a straight face through this lycanthropic slice of Tennant-era mayhem. Tooth and Claw is a kung-fu-kicking, wolf-howl-screaming, Torchwood-originating slice of steampunk nonsense, and honestly? It rules. The TARDIS misses Ian Dury and lands in the middle of an accidental backdoor pilot for Torchwood—with kung fu monks (???), an anti-wolf diamond laser, and a Queen who just wants these grinning time travelers gone. Does it all hold up? Sort of. Does it

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01:37:37

Planet Mirth (Delighting “The Happiness Patrol”)

Pull To Open: A Random Doctor Who Podcast ·

2025/09/27

Doctor Who gets political, camp, and candy-coated all at once in The Happiness Patrol. On Terra Alpha, Helen A rules with a smile—and a gun—while her confectionary executioner, The Candy Man, dishes out death by fondant. Pete and Chris dive into this neon-noir dystopia, unpack the not-so-subtle Thatcher parallels, and debate whether Sylvester McCoy’s most infamous outing is biting satire, glorious camp, or both. Happiness will prevail… but only if the Randomizer allows it.Give your own rating for

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00:56:33

Island Chat (Interviews from Long Island Who 2025)

Pull To Open: A Random Doctor Who Podcast ·

2025/09/14

What’s it like to work on Doctor Who and Torchwood when you’re not in the spotlight—but still right there among the monsters, costumes, and chaos? In this very special live episode recorded at Long Island Who, Pete and Chris chat with two veterans of the Whoniverse: Mickey Lewis, a monster actor and novelist with stories to spare (including some very punk-rock prose the BBC might not approve of), and Amy Benedict, a Hollywood mainstay whose time on Torchwood: Miracle Day gave her a fresh outsider’s

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01:34:32

Master of the Moment (Ingesting “The Time Monster”)

Pull To Open: A Random Doctor Who Podcast ·

2025/08/30

TOMTIT jokes. Chronovores. Diapers. That one time the Doctor ran interference with a cork and a fork. Welcome to The Time Monster — a Pertwee six-parter that throws everything into the vortex, including Atlantis, bird gods, and a TARDIS nesting doll. Is this Jon Pertwee’s “so bad it’s good” masterpiece? Or just a cautionary tale about letting the Master go full academia? We try to make sense of the nonsense, analyze why the Master needs to chill with the bird metaphors, and launch a bold theory:

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01:28:37

Rex and the City (Regressing “Invasion of the...

Pull To Open: A Random Doctor Who Podcast ·

2025/08/16

Dinosaurs in Doctor Who? Always a risky proposition—especially when they’re on a BBC budget in 1974. Invasion of the Dinosaurs tries to roar, but often just… stands there looking sleepy. Still, there’s more to this six-parter than claymation T-rexes. Sarah Jane gets her best early outing as a journalist, UNIT is (mostly) back together, and Mike Yates makes a shocking heel turn. Add in Operation Golden Age, one of Classic Who’s most bonkers conspiracies, and you’ve got a story that’s as much

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75 results

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