Doctor Who: The TARDIS Tavern

We've been doing this little podcast for just over two years, and it occurred to us suddenly that we've never had a Christmas episode.  Every other podcast seems to be cashing in on this holiday thing, so we figured we'd just jump in and join the fray.  Join us as we exchange gifts, drink egg nog, and talk about "The Feast of Steven," Doctor Who's first ever Christmas episode.  See you next year, kids.

Please join us on Facebook, send us dirty emails at tardistavern@gmail.com, and follow us on Twitter via @tardistavern and @tardistaverntit.

And so we've come to this.  The bottom of the bucket.  The last frontier.  Number 200 in Doctor Who Magazine's poll: "The Twin Dilemma."  Is it as bad as they say?  Can we sit through an hour and half of this without wanting to strangle those twins and make a couple of bookends?  Frankly, we're a little relieved to get these five episodes behind us and start reviewing some good stuff.  Like maybe "Fear Her."  Or perhaps even some Pertwee, right Steve?  Join us and Lord Zimon as we imbibe and discuss.

Why doesn't anyone want to join us on Facebook anymore?  We don't suck that much!  Email us at tardistavern@gmail.com, follow Sean on Twitter via @tardistavern, Steve via @tardistaverntit, and Josh via @whomejz.

Four down and one to go.  This time we discuss "Timelash," number 199 of Doctor Who Magazine's 2009 poll.  This time around we're joined by Matt of The Raggedy Podcast.  Did watching this hour and a half of fluffery incite us to hurl ourselves into the Timelash?  Or did we half-heartedly embrace it?  (See also: Episode 54, in which we talk "Underworld.")

Plus we have one cryptic bit of audio feedback from a loyal listener as well as an email suggesting good Doctor Who for the Halloween weekend...er, better late than never I suppose.

Join us on Facebook and send us feedback at tardistavern@gmail.  Also catch Sean on Twitter via @tardistavern, Steve via @tardistaverntit, and Matt via @androiddreamer!

After a brief cutaway to a discussion of Series Six, we're back to business again with our "Craptastics" series, in which we review the bottom five stories of Doctor Who Magazine's 2009 poll.

This time we discuss #498 in the poll, the infamous "Time and the Rani."  Joining us for the fun is Steven of Radio Free Skaro, who makes us feel like buffoons with his encyclopedic knowledge of the show (as if he needed help with that).  Is Mel redeemable in this one?  Does Kate O'Mara do good imitations?  Why does the Doctor play spoons on the Rani's breasts?  Will they ever have a "Time and the Rani" Lego set?  All these questions will be answered...and more, including some cryptic audio feedback from one of our favorite listeners.

Did you know that we only have 126 followers on Facebook?  You could be #127!  We also like receiving audio feedback at tardistavern@gmail.com.  Also, catch Sean on Twitter via @tardistavern and Steve via @tardistaverntit.  We really need to plug these things when we record, but frankly we're just too drunk to remember.

This episode we're taking a little detour from our "Craptastics" series to bring on Lord Zimon and discuss the recently-completed series six.  You've already heard us waflle on regarding "Let's Kill Hitler" and "Closing Time," but what did we think of the remainder of the Eleventh Doctor's adventures?  We cover them all, from "The Impossible Astronaut" to "The Wedding of River Song."

Whether you like series six or not, I'm sure there's one thing we can all agree on...aren't we glad the arc is over and we can get back to good old monster-of-the-week?

We encourage audio feedback to be sent to tardistavern@gmail.com.  Also, follow Sean on twitter via @tardistavern, Steve via @tardistaverntit, and Josh (a/k/a Lord Zimon) via @whomejz.  Catch up with us one Facebook, GetGlue, and your latest pub crawl.

We are both pleased and honored (or should I say "honoured"?) to be joined by our latest guest bartender, Paul Heath of The Pharos Project, our sister podcast from across the pond which also celebrates drunken fandom.

The topic this time is the serial "Underworld," ranked #197 in Doctor Who Magazine's "Mighty 200" poll.  Some of us can only remember the crappy CSO, while others have a special place for this story in the cockles of their warm little hearts.  Does this story truly deserve its reputation as one of the five worst stories of all time.  Time (and several jiggers of bubble gum vodka) will only tell.

We also poke a bit at the previous evening's contribution to the Eleventh Doctor's range, "Closing Time."  Fun little romp or waste of time twaddle?  Time (and a few cigarettes) will only tell.

Our email is tardistavern@gmail.com.  Follow Sean on Twitter via @tardistavern.  Follow Steve on Twitter via @tardistaverntit.  Follow Paul on Twitter via @kungfuyoda.  Be the 127th person to join us on Facebook (we're never going to beat The Omega Podcast at this rate) and check in on us at GetGlue, if you're into that sort of thing.

In 2009, much to the delight of, well, people like us, Doctor Who Magazine released "The Mighty 200," a listing of readers' ratings of the existing 200 stories, from "An Unearthly Child" through "Planet of the Dead."  The list rated the stories from best to worst.

We could talk about the latest Matt Smith story, but why do that when every other podcast is?  Instead, we're spending the next five episodes focusing on the five lowest rated stories in DWM's list.  We won't tell you which five they are in case you don't want to know, but we start from number 196 on the list and will work our way down to 200.

And so, without further ado, we discuss the much-maligned "Time-Flight," featuring the Fifth Doctor, Nyssa, and Tegan, quite possibly the blandest, beigiest trio ever to travel in the TARDIS (yes, this is Sean writing this).  Does it deserve to be in the bottom five?  Spoiler: One of thinks so.  Oh yeah, there's also talk of "Let's Kill Hitler," two weeks after you've heard every one else's opinion of it.  You might be surprised what we think.

Let's make this part short: Tardistavern@gmail.com, Twitter via @tardistavern and @tardistaverntit.  Facebook, GetGlue, blah blah blah.

We are joined by Katrina and Chris from the excellent Radio Free Skaro for a fun discussion of the Ninth Doctor adventure "Dalek."  It's been a long time since The TARDIS Tavern ventured into Christopher Eccleston land (we did "The Long Game" a while back), so this was a particularly fun event for us, in addition to being joined by two friends who have made previous appearances as guest bartenders.

The scotch flows and the discussion gets heated.  Could David Tennant play the Doctor as well as Eccleston did in this story?  Does using American actors in a UK production underplay the performance of the actor?  And can you guess which of the four of us didn't really enjoy "Dalek" the way 90% of the fan community seems to?  All these questions shall be asked in Episode 51 of...The TARDIS Tavern!

Join us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, blah blah blah.  @tardistavern, @tardistaverntit, tardistavern@gmail.com.  Just communicate with us and we'll send you pie.

Almost two years ago, on November 1, 2009, (back when there were only eight or so Doctor Who podcasts) we unleashed out first episode of The TARDIS Tavern onto an unwilling public.  Six months later, somebody actually started listening to us.

We would like to dedicate our 50th episode to every one of you who has ever downloaded and listened to one of our episodes, particularly those of you who have listened from the beginning or gone back and reviewed those that you missed.  We would also like to thank every one of our guest bartenders: David Hooie, Louis Trapani, Erik Stadnik, Liz Peloso, Josh Zimon, Eric Escamilla, Katrina Griffiths, Wes and Wendell Duellman, Adam and Alicia Pearson, John Branigan, Chris Burgess, and Marty Hooie.  Also, a very special "Huzzah!" to John "Cyber Testicle" Branigan for procurring the signed photo from Sylvester McCoy, who no doubt thinks we're an old gay couple celebrating our anniversary.

For your pleasure, we have wrangled together some lovely audio feedback and a very special commentary of a very special film that we know for a fact hasn't been done by Radio Free Skaro.  Also, we announce the names of our four "lucky" contest winners.

Don't forget to join us on Facebook, email us at tardistavern@gmail.com, and follow us on Twitter via @tardistavern and @tardistaverntit.

Since we haven't visited the era of the First Doctor since our review of "The Gunfighters" some time ago, we return to digest and discuss "The Time Meddler" with our esteemed colleague Lord Zimon.

You may have noticed that next episode will be our 50th, so keep your ears peeled to learn how to win one of four fabulous prizes (some are less fabulous than others).  And keep sending us that audio feedback, folks!  (Insert subtle request for audio congratulations on our 50th episode here.)

Follow us on Facebook, email us at tardistavern@gmail.com, and follow us on Twitter too!  Catch Steve via @tardistaverntit, Sean via @tardistavern, and Josh via @whomejz.  Yay.

Do you know anyone whose favorite Doctor is Colin Baker?  Yeah, neither do we.  One just can't resist to bring up "The Twin Dilemma" or that coat when discussing poor Mr. Baker.  Yes, we all know he redeemed himself quite well with Big Finish, but much of his television work on Doctor Who is questionable.

But it ain't all that bad.  There are those of us (including Sean) that feel "The Twin Dilemma" has its virtues.  But that's a topic for another podcast.  Today, as we're joined by the lovely Lord Zimon himself, we discuss "Attack of the Cybermen."

Bloody hands, a fat Cyber Controller, and a plot constructed of Swiss cheese.  What more can one really ask for, other than three opinions that span the spectrum about this slightly controversial story?

[Insert the usual feedback request here.]  Keeping it short: tardistavern@gmail.com, Facebook, @tardistavern, @tardistaverntit, @whomejz, blah blah blah...

In the event you like, never, listen to our podcast, then you probably don't realize that by the end of a recording one or both of us gets unbelievably drunk (that's the point of the whole thing, really).  Many apologies go out to listener Hannah Rothman who has been sending us some splendid feedback the last couple months.  Unfortunately, during the recording of Episode 47, a certain someone was too intoxicated to read her entire email.  For your reading pleasure, it has been posted below.  Enjoy!

Greetings, o' Nipples-of-Venus o' th' Tavern!

Back with the usual. Hopefully this one won't be as huge a textdump as my last couple, but prepare for waves of agreeing and disagreeing.

First of all, regarding your debate about the writing style of the show. I'm going to have to side with Sean on this one in agreeing that I don't think Doctor Who is really the right venue for, as he put it, "JJ Abrams-style writing." Personally, I prefer the RTD  (and, to an extent, season 5 Moffat) style of mystery build-up arcs with subtle hints being dropped somewhere in every episode so we can have our little nuggets to keep the fans buzzing but don't take as much away from having fun running around and exploring all of time and space. I feel like the closest thing we've had to a romp this season was Curse of the Black Spot, and I wouldn't go so far as to call it a full-on romp because the atmosphere was so dark (same for The Doctor's Wife.) Also, I NEEEED to know who River Song is. Moff's been cockteasing us with this long enough.

I was surprised hear that despite all the nitpicks I had with Black Spot, you guys managed to point out all the ones I didn't notice (the last group not landing on the beds and that one pirate in the store room who randomly disappears), but I definitely agree with you about the horrific inconsistencies with the reflective surfaces. That was the big thing that drove me up the wall. Also, I can't quite wrap my brain around what kind of alien race or culture would build a virtual doctor like that. I can understand the beauty aspect to an extent, but what about the singing that made everyone loopy? Was that supposed to be the anesthetic? And what about her Angry Face? Were they really that in need of something so vicious-looking to protect their patients? Who would they be protecting them from? Also, Re: The Doctor's Wife, yes Idris reminded me a LOT of Helena Bonham Carter. Did either of you guys think that that whole episode felt like a piece of really really good fanfiction? (Neil Gaiman has admitted that this was his fanfic)

Moving back to the actual theme of your last episode, "Dalek" was my very first introduction to the Daleks and may have been the episode that shifted me from a reluctant viewer to a casual viewer when I was first starting out with the show nearly 2 years ago. Yes, Rob Shearman did a GREAT job at making them scary and I spent most of the latter half going "OH JESUS JUST KILL THE FUCKER" at the screen, not to mention the "oh shit" moment I had when they showed up en masse at the end of Bad Wolf. Since then they've gone down a bit, but I still prefer them to the Cybermen. When my mom and I had the Daleks vs. Cybermen debate, I realized that I actually dislike the Cybermen for the same reason she likes them more than the Daleks. Mom thinks that the Daleks are one-trick ponies and the Cybermen are more interesting villains because they used to be human, which was exactly why I found them dull in the first place. I'll explain why, since my reason is a very very stupid one: one of my first major fandoms (around late elementary school) was the Sonic the Hedgehog comic series which had a lot of plot points that revolved around the families and loved ones of the main characters being turned into robots. So when I saw that same concept used for the Cybermen in New Who, my brain immediately went "seen it." I say this is a stupid reason because I knew even then that Doctor Who was around LONG before Sonic. Also, yes you should DEFINITELY listen to Jubilee. While it does share some key elements with the episode Dalek, it's a profound, compelling, and VERY dark story in its own right that will leave you with some very powerful questions about the nature of human history (yes, it's that deep.) Speaking of the Daleks, what exactly appeals to you about the new Moffat-era Daleks? (I'm genuinely curious here.) I remember reading somewhere that Moff wanted children to "want to go up and lick them" and I completely fail to understand why any producer of Doctor Who would ever want that for any reason (unless, of course, they were making Dalek candy.) Quite honestly, the only thing I like about them is their exploitability for bad jokes. I remember my fellows over at the LiveJournal macro community ihasatardis had an EPIC field day when Victory of the Daleks aired and the macro-makers successfully exhausted nearly every joke imaginable for them (Mighty Morphin' Dalek Rangers, Dalek Pride, Daleks: Taste the Rainbow, iDaleks, etc.) in one weekend.

Also, regarding Davros, I've only seen one Classic story with him so I can't say much on the subject of him being overused back in the day, but it wasn't until I saw him in Classic Who that I started to find him a really cool villain. When I saw him in The Stolen Earth/Journey's End I found him pretty generic, but then I watched him in Genesis of the Daleks and he was suddenly catapulted into a great, devious, and engaging character. Like Jubilee, I highly recommend the Big Finish story "Davros" (not to be confused with the "I, Davros" series) as it's a fascinating character study piece and Terry Molloy is in top form. Also, the Sixth Doctor waking up for a day of work, picking out a tie, and making Davros get him tea is a glorious thing to behold (I swear this actually happens.) I think I've said pretty much all I have to say about the Cybermen except that I'm probably in the minority in liking the 80's Cybermen more than the Troughton-era Cybermen. I remember the first time I watched Tomb of the Cybermen (which was my second Classic story ever), I actually laughed at the first episode cliffhanger where the Cyberman dummy jumps out of the wall. When I watched Earthshock, I found myself liking them a lot more because of their more humanized voices and not despite of it. I know that giving the Cybermen anything resembling personality defeats the whole purpose of them, but maybe that's just how I roll. Finally, the Big Finish audio Spare Parts. It's like Genesis of the Daleks for the Cybermen and I HIGHLY recommend it (it makes a good Christmas story, too.)

So I have to ask: the "Sontarians" and the "Silurthians" are tied for being the third most popular over the Master? Really? Shame. I judge you from afar. And also blame the alcohol. I think this was the first episode where I could actually hear you guys pouring your drinks. My main beef against calling that serial "Doctor Who and the Silurians" is that I feel like it gives the heavily misleading impression that his name is "Doctor Who" and not "the Doctor." (Let's not get started on the Target novel titles.) I know he's called that in every credit sequence until Davison, but this one's different because it's in the title. *curmudgeonly fangirl*

As for the Master, Sean I'm glad I'm not the only one who likes to watch John Simm's spontaneous pop music scenes repeatedly. I think my very first exposure to the Master was a YouTube clip from the end of The Sound of Drums when he starts blaring Voodoo Child while breaking open the sky. Once I saw it in context, I remember thinking "EVERY SUPERVILLAIN SHOULD BE LIKE THIS." Afraid I can't contribute much for Delgado's Master (only seen him in The Sea Devils so far), but would you agree that Anthony Ainley's Master could be described as the Fifth Doctor's stalker? I mean, he shows up twice in all three of his seasons (if you count The Five Doctors as part of season 20) and he talks like he just wants to throw Peter Davison over the TARDIS console and take him roughly from behind. Eric Roberts' Master, on the other hand, gives me horrifically mixed feelings. As an Adric fan, I feel like it would be hypocritical of me to straight-up hate another Doctor Who character, but I give Roberts!Master leeway for two reasons. One, this incarnation was just a one-off so we don't have to see that much of him. Two, at the end of the day, he's still the Master and the Master is my all-time favorite Doctor Who villain. Although the scene with "I always dreeeeessssss for the occasion" makes my soul die, which must make me a masochist because I've watched that scene SO many times.

That said, Steve, I'm still judging you for hating Spearhead From Space. The Pertwee poster is down now that I'm back home, but it will still haunt you in spirit. Also, if the Autons were good enough to scare John Barrowman as a child, they should be good enough for any Whovian. But I may forgive you now that I know you like the Mara. Kinda is easily my favorite Fifth Doctor serial (I loved it enough to buy it twice, once on iTunes and then the DVD when it came out in April) and I think it would be cool to see the Mara come back in New Who at some point. I didn't care for Snakedance that much, but I was highly amused by the dubious fashion choices that Could Have Been Avoided If They Had A Sassy Gay Friend. (I thought Martin Clunes' character might've filled that role, but he was one of the biggest victims.) I should really listen to Cradle of the Snake...

Trying to zoom through the rest here since this is dragging on way too long:

Yes on the Celestial Toymaker; love Kandyman; Omega = easily one of my favorite Classic villains of all time, was really disappointed when they didn't bring back Stephen Thorne to play him in Arc of Infinity because his epic massive hamminess was WONDERFUL. Also, that scream he makes when he sees what's happened to him in The Three Doctors was one of the most heartwrenching villain moments in the series ever. As for the Rani...please, Santa Moff, can we has?

Well, I failed. This was a textdump.

Love, HannahWith loves,

It may go without saying that we at The TARDIS Tavern are relatively fond of the Seventh Doctor's era.  You may remember our stellar review of "The Greatest Show in the Galaxy" and the fact that one of us has a soft spot for "Paradise Towers."  It was only a matter of time before we discussed "Ghost Light," one of the most controversial and mind-bending stories of the era.  We are joined by scholar Erik of The Doctor Who Book Club Podcast to discuss the merits of the story, and he will join Steve in convincing Sean that this is the epitome of a great Doctor Who story.

So sit back, relax, and evolve with us as we discuss "Ghost Light."  And get fucking smashed in the process.

Uh, yeah, like get in touch with us at tardistavern@gmail.com.  Be warned: we may be too drunk to read your email at the end of the show, so audio feedback is preferred.  Plus, look for us on Facebook!  As for Twitter, catch Sean via @tardistavern and Steve via @tardistaverntit.  If you want to follow our current guest bartender, you can catch Erik via @sjcaustenite.  We're also very fond of playing Words with Friends.

Remember a while back when we (or at least Steve) picked our favorite companions and discussed them?  We have decided to dip our sticks in that territory once more, except this time we talk about villains!  Not just our favorite villains, but those that are recurring and popular in Doctor Who.  Daleks, Cybermen, Silurians, Sontarans, Ice Warriors, the whole lot.

And remember in Episode 45 when Sean poured his drunken bile all over "The Impossible Astronaut"?  Well, he makes what Daniel Tosh would call a "Web Redemption," and we also briedly touch on "The Curse of the Black Spot" and "The Doctor's Wife."  We're breaking precedent here, as we pride ourselves on being one of the few podcasts that focuses on the classic news whilst the new series is on the air.

And, finally, we recommend taking a gander at the Matthew Waterhouse panel recording by Tim Drury of Tim's Take On.  Check it out here.  (No, this is not the panel at which Mr. Waterhouse was seen gazing lovingly into Sean's eyes.)

This is the part where we promise free kittens if you send feedback (audio feedback is particularly yummy) at tardistavern@gmail.com.  Also, follow sean on Twitter via @tardistavern and, whaddya know, Steve has become a Twitter zombie as well!  You can follow him via @tardistaverntit.  Oh,

We are joined once again by Josh Zimon, who has belovingly become the Frazier of our Cheers.  We reminensce heavily about our memories of Sarah Jane Smith, from her days with the Third Doctor to her work on The Sarah Jane Adventures.

Oh, boy oh boy, do we have feedback for you!  Listener Hannah Rothman has kindly supplied us with both audio and email feedback, as well as some other bits and bobs from other listeners.

And it wouldn't be a complete Doctor Who podcast without mention of "The Impossible Astronaut," even though at the time of this release everyone has already seen it, digested it, and passed it.

Send your feedback and complaints to tardistavern@gmail.com and don't forget to join us on Facebook.  We've also discovered that someone was kind enough to put us on GetGlue, although we're a little confused about it and don't quite get the point of GetGlue, but it was nice of them to do that anyway.  Oh, and we almost forgot -- Steve is back on Twitter.  You can read his thoughts via @tardistaverntit, follow Sean via @tardistavern, and follow Josh via @whomejz.

Remember a couple episodes ago Steve was quite adamant that he hated "Spearhead from Space"?  Or what about when he spewed his bile all over "Carnival of Monsters"?  Man, did the hate mail and negative Facebook postings sing their rage!  Well, Sean and Josh of the Mostly Harmless Cutaway podcast sit Steve down to watch a Pertwee favorite: "Inferno."

We'd also like to welcome Josh as a regular to the show.  You won't be seeing him every time, but he will occasionally pop in with some historic insight because, well, he's kind of smart and stuff.  Think of him like Frazier in Cheers.

PLEASE send us some lovely audio feedback and we might play it if you're nice.  Join us on Facebook and read Sean's ramblings on Twitter via @tardistavern or Josh via @whomejz.  Well worth it!

[Editor's Note: This was a very heavily edited episode for us, not only because one of us was so drunk he decided it needed to be trimmed down, but because we had a discussion about which Doctor Who actor or actress would be next to die.  Sadly, within a week we lost Elisabeth Sladen.  For once, we decided to show some tact and that conversation now lies on the cutting room floor.  However, join us next time as we discuss and respect some of our favorite Sarah Jane Smith moments.]

Fresh off our bender with Bonnie Langford (wasn't that a hoot?), we join forces with Marty Hooie of the Hoo on Who podcast.  As always, it's the bartender's choice, and Marty graced our existence with a viewing of "The Horns of Nimon."

Remember how we pretty much tore "The Gunfighters" a new asshole?  Or do you recall how we hailed "The Greatest Show in the Galaxy" as the best thing since flavored lube?  Where do you think we're going to place this little story within that spectrum?  We're not usually partial to spoilers in the show notes, but you owe us one, Marty.

[Enter the usual crap here about feedback, Facebook, and Twitter.  We'll make it easy this time: tardistavern@gmail.com and @tardistavern.  Now go watch "The Horns of Nimon."]

"NIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIMON!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

We know her as the star of such Doctor Who gems as "Time and the Rani" and "Dragonfire," but the one question on every fans mind is, Just who is Bonnie Langford?

Few remember her premiere on the Dancing on Ice show, or its follow-up, Champion of Champions.  And who could forget her on Who Wants to be a Millionaire? and The Weakest Link.  And we all remember Noel Coward's controversial remark on her performance as a young actress during a play in which a horse defacted on stage: "If they had shoved the child's head up the horse's arse they would have solved two problems at once.

But what really makes Bonnie Langford tick?  What are her memories of Doctor Who and working with Colin Baker and Sylvester McCoy?  Will she return to Big Finish?  Can she still hold that scream?  All these questions and more are answered as The TARDIS Tavern spends an evening with Bonnie Langford.

Also, a big thank you to John Branigan for arranging the interview.  We love you, John!

Please send us feedback on this, our crowning moment, to tardistavern@gmail.com.  Join us on Facebook, and send Sean dirty tweets @tardistavern.

What with vacations and illnesses and ungodly work schedules, we've scrambled back to the bar to record yet another bit of pdcasting gold.  Ironically, we discussed Douglas Adams' work back in Episode 41, so we really had to slap our brains to for something clever to give you for Episode 42.  Thus, we present a discussion of the third series story "42," with the Tenth Doctor and Martha.

Those of you who prefer your podcasts a little more succinct may enjoy this one, as we elected to go "lite" on time and then slap you over the head with something a little more heavy next time.  (Hint: it involves a group of skinny teenagers and a pantomime minotaur.  Heavy, huh?)

By the way, a special thank you to David Burson (a/k/a Draculasaurus on the internet) for our new logo.  Sean is particularly pleased with it, as David has shed him of about 50 pounds.

Please join us on Facebook, send us feedback to tardistavern@gmail.com, and follow Sean on Twitter via @tardistavern.  We're always hungry for feedback and suggestions, so keep them coming!

As the Boys return from Gallifrey One they settle back down at the Tavern.  While Steve is suffering withdrawals from Gally; Sean is blissful as ever, especially at the spotting of the latest and greatest Guest Bartender, Chris Burgess, from the Radio Free Skaro podcast.  The three review one of the most scandalous classic stories ever...Shada.  With Chris’ liberal booze pouring will the Boys be capable of having a coherent conversation about this Season 17 abortion?  Listen and find out! 

Please leave us some feedback or else Steve will be forced to release that blackmail Gally photo of Sean, Matthew Waterhouse, and a large salad bowl of tapioca.  Hurry and email us at tardistavern@gmail.com.  Or join us on Facebook, and follow Sean on Twitter via @tardistavern. 

Steve’s plans of releasing an episode a day for Gally 22 was sabotaged by a massive amount of alcohol.  Saturday morning starts off with the Tavern boys bright eyed and bushy tailed.  The next recording is on the subsequent day.  Hung-over and a lot worse for the wear they discuss their previous day adventures.

Reporting live from Gallifrey 22 Sean and Steve give their quick impressions of their first day of the event.  With a little help from an all-star cast from Josh & Eric (Mostly Harmless Cutaway podcast), David (AKA Draculasaurus) & his wife April, Johnnie Walker, Erik (Doctor Who Book Club podcast), and Louis (Podshock podcast).  Tune in tomorrow night for more Gally goodness.

For those of you that have never been there, you just don't know what you're missing.

As of this writing, it is five days until Gallifrey 22 begins in sunny Los Angeles, California.  We're looking forward to seeing Peter "Fifth Doctor" Davison, Sarah Sutton, Janet Fielding, and a barage of other Doctor Who celebrities.  Really, it's a nerd's wet dream.

In this episode, we talk a bit about the schedule, what we're looking forward to, and what first-timers might expect.  It must be said in every description of Gallifrey, however, that it's not just about the celebrities and the panels.  It's also about meeting friends for that same time every year and, at least for us, a time for copious amounts of booze to flow late into the night.  (That's like every other night of the year, really.)

Oh, and there's some lovely feedback as well.

Speaking of which, please send feedback to tardistavern@gmail.com, join us on Facebook (we have 100 members now!), and follow Sean's tweets via @tardistavern.

Ah, 1968.  Robert Kennedy was killed.  Nixon came into power.  The Vietnam War raged on.  And in the U.K., Doctor Who premiered "The Dominators," one of those few Second Doctor stories still available for public consumption.

Join us as we celebrate the North American DVD release of the story by taking a gander at the story and regurgitate our critical opinions.  Is "The Dominators" a finely aged wine?  Or a long-spolied swill?  Listen and find out.

We have a contest going on.  Send us some clever audio feedback and we'll send you...um something.  Send it to tardistavern@gmail.com.  Oh, and while you're at it, get at us on Facebook.  Also, read Sean's impressions after a box of red wine via Twitter: @tardistavern.

Perhaps the second (or maybe third...maybe even fourth) question new Who fans ask each other upon meeting after "What's your favorite Doctor?" is "Who's your favorite companion?"  From Susan Foreman to Amy Pond, each companion has influenced the program in his or her own little way.

In this very special edition of The TARDIS Tavern, we each cherry pick our favorite companions and discuss them (okay, Steve cherry picks them, Sean just sort of, well...you'll see).  Even after our favorites are out of the way, we talk about some of the best companions who we didn't mention and, of course, we can't help but bring up some of the companions whose donations to the show were less than spectacular.

Please send us feedback at tardistavern@gmail.com, join us on Facebook, and follow Sean on Twitter via @tardistavern.  Oh look...rocks!

Out of all the guest bartenders who have graced us in The TARDIS Tavern, perhaps there's no one we've anticipated more than John of the Cyber Testicle Podcast.  Imagine our delight when John could finally join us over a few pints and discuss Doctor Who.  The only drawback, of course, is that we had to partake at 10:00 a.m. our time (2:00 p.m. John's time).  Oh well, at least it was Saturday.

Every year or so Big Finish, who is constantly reminding us that "subscribers get more," plops out a special episode available only to those who took a second mortgage on their house to become subscribers.  Fortunately, the tavern's library is constantly being upgraded with Big Finish releases (I wish I could call them "review copies"...hint, hint, Nick Briggs) and, of course, Mr. Testicle himself is always equipped with the latest.  So this time around we feature a spoiler-free review of The Four Doctors, the latest free blowjob from Big Finish.

Remember back in Episode 34 when we refrained from swearing to avoid tainting a 13-year-old's ears?  Well, we kind of made up for that in Episode 35.  The explicit tag was never so appropriate.

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