The Doctor Who Show

Dirty Utopia (Deep Space Nine)

This episode of Alternate Galaxies heads to Deep Space Nine, the Star Trek series that broke the mould, and maybe still divides fans more than any other.

Dave has lived with DS9 for decades, knows its arcs, its politics, its slow burns and big payoffs. Rob is coming in cold(ish), watching it properly for the first time in the past few months and seeing it all with fresh eyes. Quite a contrast!

The guys dig into what DS9 was trying to do, how it evolved over seven seasons, the shift from episodic comfort food to long-form storytelling not just on DS9 but on 90s TV overall, and whether its darker tone and moral greys actually pay off. 

Along the way they talk characters, war, religion, politics, Ferengi episodes, and all the ways this show remains the black sheep of the Star Trek canon.

Join them as they look at one of sci-fi TV’s most ambitious series.

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Top Nostalgic Stories (The List Makers)

For the 58th episode of THE LIST MAKERS, we discuss our top nostalgic stories from Doctor Who. These are the stories which resonate alongside our personal history with the show and thus push all the right nostalgia buttons for us.

What would your picks be? Why not write in and let us know?

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The Long Goodbye (Stranger Things)

After nearly a decade in the Upside Down, Stranger Things is finally complete and on this episode of Alternate Galaxies, we sit down to take in the whole saga, from the very start to the closing moments of the final episode. 

With the full story now on the table, we look at how the show evolved, what it was building toward (if it even knew itself), and how it holds together when viewed as one complete narrative rather than 9 years of waiting on a story that lasted 4 years in-universe.

We talk characters, themes, tonal shifts, nostalgia overload, ageing kids, big swings, weird choices, and whether the ending actually earned it. 

An affectionate but honest look at one of the defining genre TV shows of the last decade, now that we finally know how it all ends.

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The Unicorn and the Wasp / Time Heist

Well, here we are dear listener, at the end of 2025 - and the end of our 10th journey around the sun as a podcast.

In more recent years we've done something light and fluffy for the holidays, so tonight we continue that tradition and look at two 'fun' episodes from Nu Who - The Unicorn and the Wasp, and Time Heist.

The Unicorn and the Wasp is the seventh episode of the fourth series, which was aired on BBC One on 17 May 2008.

Time Heist is the fifth episode of the eighth series, which aired on BBC One on 20 September 2014.

Before then, all the usual news and short topics you’ve come to expect and, after the episode reviews we have listener feedback and what we’ve been watching this past month. Enjoy!

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Top Classic Seasons (The List Makers)

For the 57th episode of THE LIST MAKERS, we discuss our top classic seasons of Doctor Who. Incredible that it took us 57 episodes to reach this point but hey, better late than never! Frankly we've been having too much fun along the way to get to some of these more 'low hanging fruit' topics but, thanks to a listener suggestion for the Hat of Rassilon, we're finally doing it!

What would your picks be? Why not write in and let us know?

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Ask Mr Producer!

Hi everyone – Dave here!

Many of us know a LOT about how TV was made during the classic era of Who, but I realised I don’t know much AT ALL about how modern Who (and TV generally) is made!

So, I invited friend of the podcast – and an Emmy winning producer – Dylan Rees on the show to discuss these matters! It’s a little more in depth than our usual style, but I hope you’ll find this one-off chat interesting!

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Writing Who: David Fisher

David Fisher was a writer who made a distinct mark on Doctor Who during the late 1970s and early 1980s, contributing a run of stories for the Tom Baker era that blended gothic atmosphere, humour, and great characters. 

His scripts include The Stones of Blood, The Androids of Tara, The Creature from the Pit, and The Leisure Hive. Four very different adventures that together showcase just how adaptable his writing was within the series.

Fisher also played a role in the origins of one of Doctor Who’s most beloved classics, although personal circumstances prevented him from completing his script. His story, The Gamble With Time formed the backbone of what became City of Death, later finished by Douglas Adams and Graham Williams under the pseudonym “David Agnew.”

Tonight, we look at David Fisher, the stories he delivered across several seasons, and what makes each stand out. We explore his style, strengths, and quirks that define his work and why his episodes remain fondly remembered decades later.

Before then, all the usual news and short topics you’ve come to expect and, after the David Fisher segment, we have listener feedback and what we’ve been watching this past month. A jam-packed episode! Tune in!

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Gin & TARDIS #10 – Day of the Daleks

Join Dave from the Doctor Who Show, Rob from 42 to Doomsday, and Richard from Spacefall: A Blakes 7 Podcast, after knocking back a few gin and tonics at Dave’s place and watching Day of the Daleks.

Day of the Daleks is the first serial of the ninth season of Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in four weekly parts from 1 to 22 January 1972. It was the first of four Third Doctor serials to feature the Daleks, which returned to the series for the first time since The Evil of the Daleks (1967).

The Doctor and UNIT investigate the attempted assassination of British diplomat Sir Reginald Styles, whose attacker apparently disappeared into thin air.

And yes, there’s a musical number at the end 😉

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Top Living Convention Panellists (The List Makers)

For the 56th episode of THE LIST MAKERS, we discuss which (living) Doctor Who people we'd most like to see on a convention panel. Will this be particularly challenging for Rob, given his total disinterest in such events? Where will Dave take his list? Between them, can they come up with the ultimate convention guest list?

What would your picks be? Why not write in and let us know?

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Doctor in Recess (7" Mix)

With the wait between THE REALITY WAR and the 2026 DOCTOR WHO CHRISTMAS SPECIAL lasting longer that the 1985 hiatus did (1 year 6 months and 24 days versus 1 year, 5 months, and 24 days), the only logical thing to do was make a pop record. Friend of the show (and sometime co-host) Mike Solko really shouldn't have put this idea in my head. Enjoy - Rob

DOCTOR IN RECESS

(Intro)
Eighteen months is too long to wait,
BBC please, don’t aggravate.

(Verse 1)
The TARDIS doors are shuttered,
The filming lights are dim,
We’re left with endless theories,
And one half-regenerated him.

They promised worlds of wonder,
And merch from here to Mars,
But when the numbers wobbled,
They crash-landed the TARDIS hard.

(Chorus)
Doctor in recess,
Let’s all answer this time stress,
Doctor in recess,
Our fandom’s under real duress!

(Verse 2)
There’s Daleks feeling restless,
The Cybermen look bored,
The Weeping Angels whisper,
“You can blink if we’re ignored!”

The Master’s doing TikToks,
The Ood are serving tea,
And somewhere in Cardiff,
Time stands still on the BBC.

(Bridge)
Bring him back now, we’ll take no less,
The fandom’s losing its consciousness,
The universe is stuck once more,
And waiting till ‘26 is such a chore.

(Verse 3)
We’ve learned to love each Doctor,
Each face that comes and goes,
From Eccleston to Gatwa,
And whoever the next one shows.

The monsters are all waiting,
The Daleks need their cue,
Without a weekly scream to stream,
What’s a poor fan meant to do?

(Final Chorus)
Doctor in recess,
Let’s all answer this time stress,
Doctor in recess,
Our fandom’s under real duress!
Doctor in recess...
The long wait’s causing time distress!

Doctor Who and the Mouse That Quit

The Doctor Who partnership between Disney and the BBC has officially ended, with Disney stepping away from the co-production deal after two seasons. Although Disney will still air the upcoming spin-off The War Between the Land and the Sea, the BBC has affirmed that Doctor Who will continue “with or without Disney,” and has confirmed a Christmas special penned by Russell T Davies for 25 December 2026.

Rob has thoughts.

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Frozen Assets (Cold Fusion; a Virgin Missing Adventure)

There's a LOT to get through this month - from missing episodes on the verge of being found, to Bad Wolf being quite annoyed at a high-profile Doctor Who writer saying what everyone else was thinking... and that's just the news, folks.

After some short topics, we get to the meat of this episode - a deep dive into the Missing Adventure, Cold Fusion, the twenty-ninth novel in that series. It was written by Lance Parkin and was the only multi-Doctor story involving televised Doctors ever told by Virgin Books, pairing the 5th Doctor of Season 19 with the 7th Doctor from near the end of the Virgin New Adventures line.

If you're unfamiliar with the story but want to make sense of our review, we dropped a 10-minute synopsis of the novel on our podcast feed yesterday. Look it up!

To close, we open the mailbag for a ton of feedback from our listeners on a number of topics related to past podcasts and Doctor Who in general.

Enjoy, dear listener.

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Cold Fusion (Novel Synopsis)

This episode offers a 10-minute full synopsis of the 1996 Virgin Books Doctor Who novel Cold Fusion.

Since the book is now almost 30 years old, we know many listeners may not have read it recently — or perhaps ever.

If you don’t want to feel left out of our Cold Fusion discussion on tomorrow’s monthly show, this episode is the perfect way to refresh your memory or get up to speed beforehand.

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Assimilate This (Star Trek: First Contact)

In a 32nd outing for the irregular ALTERNATE GALAXIES mini-podcast on our feed, we’ve sat down with Star Trek: First Contact - as voted for by YOU - and give our thoughts on it.

What did we make of it?

Patrick Stewart as Jean-Luc Picard
Jonathan Frakes as William Riker
Brent Spiner as Data
LeVar Burton as Geordi La Forge
Michael Dorn as Worf
Gates McFadden as Beverly Crusher
Marina Sirtis as Deanna Troi
Alfre Woodard as Lily Sloane
James Cromwell as Zefram Cochrane
Alice Krige as Borg Queen
Neal McDonough as Lieutenant Hawk
Dwight Schultz as Reginald Barclay
Robert Picardo as The EMH Doctor

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Top Classic Stories Under 4 Episodes (The List Makers)

For the 55th episode of THE LIST MAKERS, listener Justin Falkus has challenged us to come up with the top classic era stories that are under 4 episodes in length. Will there be snaps? Will Rob find a cheat? Will Dave pull out a surprise?

What would your picks be? Why not write in and let us know?

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