Author Archives: Swithun Dobson

About Swithun Dobson

Swithun has apparently been watching Doctor Who since he was 3 years old, although his conscious fandom only began in the mid 90s with the repeats on BBC2. He is critical of most stories but at heart he's a contrarian. In his solar system Classic Who is his home planet with its two moons, Big Finish and BBC/Virgin books, all of which orbit the great light of the original Prisoner; New Who in contrast is a barren rock orbiting a dying sun. What he likes is, according to him, somewhat rare: a tightly crafted, dramatic story in which an interesting idea is made flesh.

Points of Who #3: Doctor Who, Sherlock, The Hunger Games

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In the third episode of Points of Who, we take a wide-ranging discussion of the latest news about Doctor Who and the wider worlds of science fiction and fantasy:

Caleb and Swithun discuss:

  • (from 1 min) The recovery of missing episodes of Doctor Who from Galaxy 4 and The Underwater Menace: celebration or disappointment?
  • (from 19 min) How should the 50th anniversary of Doctor Who be marked by the BBC, by fans, and by us as a podcast?

Sarah and Caleb discuss:

  • (from 29 min) The Sherlock finale, The Reichenbach Fall, including just how did Sherlock survive that fall?
  • (from 39 min) The Hunger Games trailer – how will the film compare to the book?
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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 51:41 — 23.7MB)

Doctor Who Commentary – 5.01 ‘The Eleventh Hour’

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Remember all those commentaries we never got round to in Series 5? Well, here they come!

The team take advantage of Doctor Who’s extended leave of absence to fill in some of the gaps in their back catalogue, starting with Matt Smith’s debut adventure. Click below to find out what Caleb Woodbridge, Swithun Dobson, Sarah Burrow and P.G. Bell make of the newly regenerated series. Does the shadow of Russell T. Davies still loom large? How does Amy keep up her mortgage repayments on a kiss-o-gram’s salary? And when will the show ever get round to a Groundhog Day episode?

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:17:37 — 71.1MB)

Points of Who #2: Doctor Who movie rumours and series 6 DVD review

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In the second Points of Who, we go beyond our commentaries to catch up on the Doctor Who news and rumours.

In this episode:

  • Caleb and Sarah discuss David Yates’ original comments on making a Doctor Who film.
  • Swithun and James discuss Steven Moffat’s response and what they’d like to see from a Doctor Who movie.
  • Caleb and Sarah discuss the Night and the Doctor mini-episodes.
  • Caleb gives his in-depth review of series 6 as a whole.

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 40:18 — 18.5MB)

Should Doctor Who go to Hollywood, or is it better suited for the small-screen? How does series 6 hold up now it’s out as a box-set? Let us know your thoughts below!

Doctor Who Commentary – 4.0 ‘Voyage of the Damned’

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David Tennant and Kylie Minogue face the Heavenly Hosts‘Twas the night before Christmas Eve… and our resident Scrooge Swithun Dobson and very own Tiny Tim Caleb Woodbridge return to do battle between humbug and good cheer in their commentary on Voyage of the Damned, a tale of the Titantic in space, evil angels, and killing Kylie Minogue at Christmas!

Join us as we discuss whether the disaster movie format is compatible with the traditional Doctor Who good versus evil showdown, the representation of angels in pop culture, the deification and deconstruction of the Doctor, and much more. And a merry Christmas to all of you at home!

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:21:26 — 37.3MB)

Don’t forget to check out our spoiler-free preview of this year’s Christmas special, The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe, and come back in a couple of days for our podcast commentary on the same!

Doctor Who Commentary – 3.0 ‘The Runaway Bride’

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Our Christmas countdown continues as Sarah Burrow, Swithun Dobson, James Willetts and P.G. Bell revisit Catherine Tate’s fan-baiting debut as companion-to-be, Donna Noble. “For better or for worse…”

There’s no denying that comedian Catherine Tate is the heart and soul of the 2006 Christmas special. But did we love her or hate her? Join us as we pick sides and discuss other noteworthy aspects of the show’s second festive outing, including: cliffhangers, cleavage, Gallifrey, and why Torchwood would need Segways.

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:12:09 — 66.1MB)

And there’s still more to come! Visit again next week when we’ll be discussing ‘Voyage of the Damned’. Was it really a disaster in every sense? Until then, head down into the comments section and let us know what you thought of this latest podcast.

Doctor Who Commentary – 2.0 ‘The Christmas Invasion’

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Tis the season to be jolly! In the first of a series of festive treats, Swithun Dobson, P.G. Bell, Sarah Burrow and – specially flown in from the North Pole – James Willetts revisit the very first Doctor Who Christmas Special, ‘The Christmas Invasion’.

Remember when the show was still trying to prove itself? When David Tennant was the new kid on the block? When we had yet to visit an alien world? It all seems so long ago now, so how does this yuletide special hold up to scrutiny? Join us as we discuss killer Christmas trees, why the Doctor doesn’t like Christmas and try to think of some other Christmas-themed entertainment that’s actually Christmassy. (Here’s a clue… Die Hard).

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:09:32 — 63.7MB)

How did you like this blast from Christmas past? We want to hear from you! Head down into the comments to share your thoughts, and be sure to come back next week for our next Christmas Special commentary – ‘The Runaway Bride’.