Doctor Who: Mutter's Spiral Podcast

MUTTER'S SPIRAL Podcast has awakened from its offseason slumber to discuss the Steven Moffat Era of DOCTOR WHO!  We talk all things Moffat - what we think of when we think of his stories; what's his legacy likely to be; and just exactly where does he stand all time in the Doctor Who Pantheon (Panopticon?).  He's the most prolific writer in Doctor Who history, and we'll discuss whether we rate him at the very top, or just near it. We'll also touch briefly on the leaking of footage of Jodie Whittaker as the Doctor (that's early on, and we stay un-spoilery), the naming of Segun Akinola as the new Composer, and the airing of classic Doctor Who episodes on Twitch. We hope you enjoy it!  And THANK YOU, STEVEN MOFFAT!

MUTTER’S SPIRAL Podcast is back, and we are FINALLY finishing our discussion of the PETER CAPALDI Era of Doctor Who!  Part 1 was back in episode 151, and after a short hiatus, we will wrap up our dive into Capaldi.  We'll talk about where we feel he ranks in the pantheon of Doctors; how his seasons stack up against others in the modern era; and go in detail about companions, other favorite stories, and anything else we can think of!  John especially has some really eloquent points that he makes about the Capaldi era, so that's worth a listen right there! We also give a wrap up of the #WhoAgainstGuns campaign and talk about the Target Novelizations that have just been released in the UK and on Kindle, although the physical US release isn't until June. We hope you enjoy it!

MUTTER'S SPIRAL Podcast is back, and we're talking about our involvement in #WhoAgainstGuns:   http://www.realitybombpodcast.com/whoagainstguns/ .  We're very honored to be taking part in raising money to help combat the epidemic of gun violence.  For a donation of $10, you will get a link to a podcast commentary of the classic Doctor Who story "The War Games" done by over 40 Doctor Who writers, podcasters, and fans.  As if that's not enough, STEVEN MOFFAT and PHILIP HINCHCLIFFE have also recorded commentaries on episodes !  If you donate at higher levels ($25 and $50 or more), you'll be eligible to win giveaways of SO MUCH AMAZING Doctor Who swag!  Full details at the site above, please check it out, if you haven't already! On this podcast, we'll discuss the episodes we did and what the recording was like, including the other amazing people on our sessions, as well as give some more details on the project. Donations will be accepted through the end of March, so please go to the site above to learn more and d

John and I are proud to be a part of the #WhoAgainstGuns project, put together by many in the Whovian community in response to the horrific shootings at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School and the epidemic of mass shootings and gun violence in the United States.  Attached is a 2 minute recording describing the project.  For more information, please go to : http://www.realitybombpodcast.com/whoagainstguns/

It's a few days late, but MUTTER'S SPIRAL Podcast is back to wrap up the final day of 2018's edition of the amazing Gallifrey One convention.  It was a day that transcended, due to an amazing panel called "Gallifrey Waits No More" featuring all of the ladies of Doctor Who (in front and behind the camera) at the convention (and moderated by the amazing Deb Stanish) that turned into a cathartic and harrowingly real and emotional session.  We talk about that and our reactions on this podcast (and we'll go in more detail on this and Gally in general with guests in the weeks to come).  Also, we talk about Alyssa Franke's heartfelt recap of the panel, and there's a link here to that post: Whovian Feminism on GWNM.   We'll also talk about the great Kaffeeklatsch with Rachel Talalay and Sarah Dollard that we were fortunate enough to attend; Will's meet-and-greet with Jemma Redgrave; and all of the rest of the Sunday goings-on. Please have a listen!  

A very rusty Will and John check in from Sunday Morning at GallifreyOne. We talk about the highlights from Saturday, including "This or That" with Jemma Redgrave, Camille Coduri and Sage and Kim from Head Over Feels," Moffat commentaries, RealityBomb live recording, panels, the miracle moderator that is Deb Stanish and much much more. Listen, won't you? 

Will and John check in late Friday night from GallifreyOne, North America's premier Doctor Who convention. Special guests Morgan Danger and Susan Stanton join us as we talk about our Friday highlights, including Moffat, Cornell, Talalay, Redgrave, panels and more! Listen, won't you? 

It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year on the MUTTER’S SPIRAL Podcast!  We have our great friends Kim Rogers & Sage Young of HeadOverFeels.com back with us for our Annual PREVIEW of GALLIFREY ONE, the amazing DOCTOR WHO convention upcoming this Feb. 15-18 in Los Angeles!  Gally looks to be EXTRA amazing this year with special guests headlined by STEVEN MOFFAT as well as SO MANY more actors, writers, directors, and more, plus great panels with brilliant fans of every description! One of the MOST exciting parts will be Sage and Kim bringing their "This or That" panel to the main stage at Gally with guests Jemma Redgrave & Camille Coduri!  We'll talk about how this came about along with their curation of a FAN VIDEO HAPPY HOUR at Gally, also.  Plus, we'll talk about their other panels, John's panels, and all of the OTHER panels and podcasts and symposiums that we are so excited to see!   It's a family reunion weekend for all of us, and that sense of community is what keeps bringing us back every year (

MUTTER'S SPIRAL Podcast is back, and we've got a double shot of guests this week - the Sisterhood of Burt!  Our friend and great guest Kayti Burt returns, and she's not alone - her sister Jen joins us as well!  We will talk all about the idea of fan entitlement, especially as it relates to changing narratives in fandom.  We'll talk Doctor Who, Star Wars, Harry Potter, Twin Peaks, X-Files, and other properties, so it's a wide-ranging conversation this week!  We will first get their Doctor Who origin stories and find out their favorite stories of the Capaldi Era.  We also get into Gallifrey One briefly, as the upcoming convention is their first.  Also, I'll do a ribbon reveal, as the ribbons that John and I ordered happened to arrive right as recording started.   It's an entertaining and thoughtful discussion, and Jen & Kayti are great and fun guests!  Twitter information for them: For Kayti, it's @KaytiBurt and for Jen, it's @ourownstrings .  You can get a link to their brand new podcast from their twitter

MUTTER'S SPIRAL Podcast is back, and we are talking about the PETER CAPALDI Era of Doctor Who!  It's the first part of our deep dive into the time when the Doctor was him.  On this week's episode, we do a broad overview, then we dive into ranking his 3 seasons and why (John does a good job of changing my mind in the process).  We then give our own personal top 5 episodes (or 6 in my case, plus, i cheat again and intentionally don't list what i think is the best, just because I know John will pick it, too).  It's 90 minutes of Talkin' Who!   Next week, we'll dive into some other favorite episodes, missed opportunities, favorite characters and monsters, and anything else we can think of!   We had a lot of fun recording this and discussing the greatness that is Peter Capaldi and the awesomeness of his Doctor.  We hope you enjoy it!

Happy New Year!  MUTTER'S SPIRAL Podcast is back for its 150th episode, a discussion of the DOCTOR WHO Series 6 (32) episode, "The God Complex", written by Toby Whithouse and directed by Nick Hurran.  We missed this episode on its original airing, during one of our (many) hiatus... hiatuses... hiati?, and it dovetails nicely with #148 on "The Horns of Nimon", so it gets that coveted spot as the sesquicentennial podcast! "God Complex" is an intriguing mix of creepy mystery/horror combined with a philosophical examining of our core faith/beliefs (be it in religion or other outside forces, or, in the case of Amy, the Doctor himself).  It features a Minotaur at the center of a maze, but a very different one from classic Greek Mythology (or even "Nimon", which is namechecked in this story, thus the idea to link this with "Horns of Nimon").   We dive deep in the story and its various elements, discussing what worked and what could have been fleshed out more.  We talk about the excellent guest cast, the denouement w

MUTTER'S SPIRAL Podcast is back, and we're talking about the emotional farewell to Peter Capaldi, the end of the Steven Moffat Era, "Twice Upon A Time"!  This team up of the 12th and 1st Doctors, set in frozen time just before their regenerations, was a heartfelt and moving journey which made for a fitting denouement to Peter's time as the Doctor as well as a great distillation of the last six seasons of Doctor Who under the leadership of Steven.   We will dive deep into the episode talking in great depth (we DO like to talk) about what we loved (there were many things) and even one or two parts that didn't work quite as well.  The story was rich with emotion, and we felt all of that and more.  It was a really fun conversation about what we both love about Doctor Who and this team that has brought so much joy to us.  We'll also excitedly look forward to the NEW DOCTOR, Jodie Whittaker, as we discuss her brief but BRILLIANT first appearance.  We both cannot wait until we see her first episode in full as the Do

MUTTER'S SPIRAL Podcast is back, and we're discussing the CLASSIC story from the Tom Baker era, "The Horns of Nimon"!  Now, Nimon isn't in a class with the very best Baker stories (Genesis of the Daleks, City of Death, Deadly Assassin, Ark in Space), but it's one that likely made an indelible impression if you've ever seen it.  It takes a classic story from Greek Mythology; puts a Whovian Sci-Fi spin on it; yet really and truly shows the limitations of classic Who and how sometimes, things JUST.  DON'T.  WORK.  From a truly dodgy envisioning of the Nimon to middling pacing to spectacularly over-the-top performances - both Graham Crowden (who was almost the 4th Doctor!) as Soldeed and Malcolm Terris as the Co-Pilot are chewing scenery by the mouthful, Nimon shows how a Who story can fail, yet still be glorious, campy fun, if you're in the right mood.  John and I will discuss all of this and more.  If it's a story you've seen, you can nod and laugh along with us (hopefully).  If you have NOT seen it, maybe we'l

MUTTER'S SPIRAL Podcast is back with a final wrap-up of LI Who 5 as well as some news about the upcoming Gallifrey One 29 and the new guest announcements for it (MOFFAT and MURRAY GOLD!) .  It's a quick chat talking about those topics as well as some squeeing about the teaser for TWICE UPON A TIME that was shown during the Children in Need special in the UK this past week! We'll be off next week and back the week after with a new pod--- NO, REALLY, I MEAN IT, WE WILL DO ONE .. -cast, likely focusing on a classic Series story and the modern one that featured the same Aliens, from a story we missed first time around.

A sleep-deprived and gravely-voiced John, flying solo, checks in with a mini-podcast from the Monday morning after LI Who. He talks about the panels and events from Sunday. We'll be with you soon with an overview of the weekend's activities as we gear up for the upcoming Christmas special. 

Join Will and John as they check in from Saturday night at LI Who. Ingrid Oliver, Frazier Hines, getting "Stanished," the catharsis of Head Over Feels fanvid "Happy Hour," and winning the 100k Pyramid from The End of the Earth. Who won? Who lost? Who tells our story? Only one way to find out. 

Join Will and John as they check in from their Friday night of Long Island Who. They walk and talk West Wing style and talk about the panel Ingrid Oliver has called "the best panel she's ever been on."  We also discuss Doctor 13's recently revealed costume and the shot from the next series' filming.    Listen won't you? 

MUTTER'S SPIRAL Podcast is back, and we're previewing the upcoming Long Island Who 5 convention, taking place this weekend in Islip, New York!  We'll look back at last year (our first LI Who) and then dive into what we're most anticipating about this year's edition - guests (McCoy!  Hussein!  Ward!  Manning!  Oliver!  Hines!) and seeing our Doctor Who family, plus all those fun game shows and panels!  We will also discuss some news, but there's no trivia this week. We'll be doing mini-podcasts from the convention this coming weekend, so look for those as well!   Take a listen, won't you?  Thanks!

MUTTER'S SPIRAL Podcast is BACK!  After a 3 month hiatus, John and I are back to discuss the announcement of the new "TARDIS Team" - NOT COMPANIONS, MIND YOU - made by the BBC earlier this month.  We'll discuss what we know about each of the actors joining the cast, either in full-time roles (Bradley Walsh, Mandip Gill, Tosin Cole) or in a 'returning' role (Sharon D. Clarke).  We'll talk about the notable absence of the word "companion" from the press release and speculate on what this might mean (if anything). We'll also discuss our recent guest appearance on the GALLIFREY PUBLIC RADIO podcast to discuss the Pertwee classic "The Time Monster" and also preview upcoming podcasts, mostly focusing on the upcoming LI Who 5 convention. We are excited to be back, so won't you please join us?  Thanks!

MUTTER'S SPIRAL Podcast is excited to have Kayti Burt, Associate Editor of Den of Geek, join us to discuss her time at this year's San Diego Comic Con!  2017 SDCC featured a great Doctor Who panel with Peter Capaldi, Pearl Mackie, Matt Lucas, Michelle Gomez, Mark Gatiss, and, of course, head writer and showrunner Steven Moffat. They discussed the upcoming Christmas special "Twice Upon a Time" as well as the end of their era of Doctor Who.  Kayti was at the panel AND did press interviews with everyone, so we're thrilled to have her back to share her experiences!   We'll also talk about the Britbox Classic Doctor Who panel with Colin Baker, Sophie Aldred, and Peter Davison, all of whom she interviewed, and the controversial remarks from Mr. Davison about the naming of the new Doctor, Jodie Whittaker. Kayti will share her thoughts about Jodie Whittaker's taking over the reins of WHO, plus we'll talk about some of other shows she covered at SDCC, including Outlander, The Expanse, and BIG FAVORITE of both John and