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I'll Explain Later: conversations about Doctor Who
The Rescue / Planet of the Ood / Attack of the Cybermen
This month we endure six hours in make-up to bring you three Doctor Who adventures notable for their use of prosthetic masks (to varying effect). First up, it's off to the planet Dido [N.B. CHECK SPELLING], where the First Doctor makes a new friend, and Ian and Barbara are ready for cockylickin'. Then we drop by Oodsphere, where the Tenth Doctor and Donna encounter Spartacus with tentacles and a huge, ever-growing pulsating brain. And finally, a long-awaited return to Telos, where the Cybermen are getting nostalgic and Sarah Greene is encased in sticky-back plastic. Along the way, we ponder the UK space programme, what it's like to be at a dreary sales conference, and exactly what's wrong with Eric Saward's writing.
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19. Frontios
35:53||Season 4, Ep. 19We're taking a couple of weeks off recording, but to tide you over, here's a little treat from the vaults for you - a previously unreleased review of Frontios from a missing-presumed-wiped recording we made back in 2019. Along the way we consider where the vibe shift between Peter Davison and Colin Baker actually took place, why Tegan continues to have very little faith in the Doctor, and what you need to effectively convey trauma in Doctor Who.Watch this episode on YoutubeEmail usFind us on Bluesky & Instagram
18. Thin Ice
53:41||Season 4, Ep. 18This week, we catch up with the Twelfth Doctor and Bill as we skate over Thin Ice. Along the way we discuss the Doctor's morality, sing Pearl Mackie's praises and weight up which Doctors evolved the most over their tenures.Watch this episode on YoutubeEmail usFind us on Bluesky & Instagram
17. The Armageddon Factor
49:21||Season 4, Ep. 17This week, we look at the earth-shattering conclusion to the Key to Time saga with the Fourth Doctor epic The Armageddon Factor. Along the way, we get to grips with Tom Baker's late-era antics, consider some beguilingly odd telly and weigh up Bob Baker and Dave Martin's contributions to Doctor Who.Watch this episode on YoutubeEmail usFind us on Bluesky & Instagram
16. Nikola Tesla's Night of Terror
52:17||Season 4, Ep. 16This week, we turn up the voltage with the Thirteenth Doctor and chums as they face Nikola Tesla's Night Of Terror. Along the way we discuss the myths surrounding Tesla himself, the ethics of the "celeb historical", and experience some monster deja-vu.Watch this episode on YoutubeEmail usFind us on Bluesky & Instagram
15. The Hand of Fear
53:34||Season 4, Ep. 15This week, we grab a hanky and join the Fourth Doctor in saying goodbye to Sarah Jane as we wave through The Hand of Fear. Along the way, we consider Tom Baker's emotional availability, great Episode Ones, and Matt deploys an unfortunate turn of phrase.Watch this episode on YoutubeEmail usFind us on Bluesky & Instagram
14. The Fires of Pompeii
58:30||Season 4, Ep. 14This week, we watch the Tenth Doctor and Donna's rocky trip to ancient Pompeii. Along the way, we full our "Doctor Who history story" bingo card, consider RTD's input into guest-writer scripts, and weigh up the optimal number of companions.Watch this episode on YoutubeEmail usFind us on Bluesky & Instagram
13. The Crusade
51:27||Season 4, Ep. 13This week we wind right back to the Hartnell era for a look at historical epic The Crusade. Along the way we discuss ants, filming with bows and arrows, and start to unpick exactly what we do and don't want from Doctor Who stories set in Earth's past.Watch this episode on YoutubeEmail usFind us on Bluesky & Instagram
12. The Empty Child / The Doctor Dances
57:30||Season 4, Ep. 12This week we're looking back twenty years (twenty! years!) to the first proper episode written by one Steven Moffat - someone who I think we'll be hearing a bit more from in future. Along the way we discuss shame, romance and the ways in which a sprinkling of science fiction can get us closer to historical truth.Watch this episode on YoutubeEmail usFind us on Bluesky & Instagram
11. Enlightenment
01:01:07||Season 4, Ep. 11This week, in an episode recorded prior to the recent, sad passing of writer Barbara Clegg, we look aloft at the Fifth Doctor and chums as they search for Enlightenment. Along the way we consider the role of gods in Doctor Who, reasses the conventional view of Peter Davison's Doctor as "nice" and add another 80s celebrity to our cameo tally. Watch this episode on YoutubeSend us an emailFollow us on Bluesky and InstagramFor everything else, head to illexplainlater.com.