Doctor Who: The Sonic Toolbox

Slices of time held in stasis as art.  It seems we just can't get away from The Day of the Doctor.   This week we try to explain those impossible 3D paintings made by Gallifreyan artists.  And while we're at it, we delve a bit into how Time Lords see and experience time.  Oh, and then there's the bit about how the Doctor can break inside the time lock that surrounds the Time War. All the while, Daisy squeeks and rasps thru larygitis recovery. Links: A-series and B-series temporal ordering philosophy A Brief History of the A-Theory/B-Theory Debate about Time

The big day has come and gone.  Our road trip, which started back in July, has come to an end.  Now it's time to sit back and unpack the souvenirs and develop the pictures we got along the way.  Or, in this case, review three more (slightly unofficial) celebrations of the 50th Anniversary of Doctor Who. This week we're talking about "The Five(ish) Doctors - Reboot", "An Adventure in Space and Time", and "The Light at the End". And we only found a few rabbits hiding in our suitcases.

We couldn't wait to get this up for you.  This week we have our raw, unedited thoughts on the 50th Anniversary special, "The Day of the Doctor".  No news, no feedback...and amazingly very little rabbit chasing.  Just gushing and squeeing and loving this best of all anniversary episodes.  WARNING: Massive spoilers.  If you haven't seen "The Day of the Doctor" yet, don't listen to this show until you do.

We're tuning it up to 11 this week.  It's time for us to take a look at the Eleventh Doctor and the story "Victory of the Daleks".  We also seem to be in the midst of a rabbit invasion, so watch your step.  There's also a bit of time traveling as our future selves pop in to review "The Night of the Doctor" that exploded onto the internet after we recorded this show. WARNING: Contains rabbit chasing Link: The Night of the Doctor

Beneath the motorway is something that keeps eating cars.  Usually, it's a pothole.  In "Gridlock" it's a plothole.  Oh, Russell T. Davies wants us to think it's the Macra, but we know better.  This week on the next to last stop on the Road Trip to the 50th Anniversary we attempt to fill in these plotholes and give you a look at the Tenth Doctor story "Gridlock". WARNING: Contains rabbits Link: About "Lord of Cragsclaw" by Bill Fawcett, the book with the Mrem.

Our journey on the Road Trip to the 50th Anniversary is almost over.  We have arrived at the next to last stop with the Tenth Doctor, David Tennant.  But we don't need to get all emotional about it, the Tenth Doctor will do that for us.   "Bigger isn't Better" from the musical "Barnum" by Cy Coleman and Michael Stewart, book by Mark Bramble  

It's time for Nine.  Christopher Eccleston gave us one year as the Doctor, so we give him part of an episode.  This week we also talk about the Ninth Doctor episode Dal...ehem, Pepperpot (no sense antagonizing them).  BTW, Daisy was wrong.  Julian Assange is in the Ecuadorian Embassy. "She Blinded Me With Science" by Thomas Dolby  

The Eighth Doctor and the TV movie.  What more can we say?  A whole lot, apparently.  Join us this week as Cheryl pontificates about her Doctor and Daisy tries to get a word in edgewise. WARNING: Contains rabbits "Where In The World Is Carman Sandiego" by Rockapella.  Yes, they're still around, they're on tour and have a new album out. Links: Oatmeal Pumpkin Cookies receipe Rockapella  

Creepy clowns, Ragnarok gods, robots and a werewolf.  Yep, "The Greatest Show in the Galaxy" has everything.  And we talk about it.  And some other stuff, too.  And news!  Join us for for this Seventh Doctor episode...and we say welcome to the show!! WARNING: Contains rabbit chasing "Psycho Circus" by KISS, off Psycho Circus (1998)  

All the world loves a clown, and while the Seventh Doctor isn't dressed as loudly as his predecessor he certainly is more entertaining.  This Doctor does magic, juggles and (famously) playes the spoons.  This week we find ourselves rrrrolling along, and rrrrolling ourrrr Rrrrrs, with the last of the original run Doctors. "Be A Clown" by Cole Porter, for the Gene Kelly/Judy Garland film "The Pirate".  Available on Amazon (NTSC) and Amazon UK (PAL).  

Come with us to Tranquil Repose, where they keep your dying loved ones in suspended animation...until Davros turns them into food to solve a intersteller famine to earn money to build a Dalek army out of humans so he can fight other Daleks... Hey, look! Peri's wearing pants!  It's Revelation of the Daleks, our Sixth Doctor stop on our road to the 50th Anniversary. WARNING: Contains rabbit chasing  

What's short tempered, grandiloquent, and difficult to look at?  The Sixth Doctor!  This week we take a look at Colin Baker's aborted foray into the TARDIS.  What makes this Doctor tick, and what makes so many Americans hate him so much.  All this, and more, on the 102nd episode of The Sonic Toolbox.  

Poor Tegan.  The Doctor just can't seem to find Heathrow for her.  Maybe she should get Nyssa and Adric to fly her there, they seem to be able to pilot the TARDIS with pin point accuracy.  And so it goes in the Fifth Doctor story, The Visitation.  We're reviewing it this week, dontcha know. The link to the Paul McGann audition clip is in last weeks show notes.  WARNING: Contains rabbit chasing

It's our 100th episode!!!  Whoo hoo!!!!  How do we celebrate it?  With... PETER DAVISON!!!!!  OK, we've made it to Daisy's Doctor.  Once known as Tristan Farnon, the Fifth Doctor is stern, testy, adorable and plaguedby many companions all at once.  This week we on our road trip we stop off in the mid 1980s to visit this Doctor in beige.  WARNING: Contains rabbit chasing. Link: Paul McGann audition tape for the Eighth Doctor  

So the White Guardian hijacks the Doctor, saddles him with a young upstart companion and sends him off on a mission.  And thus we get The Ribos Operation.  This week we take a look at this first story of the Key to Time series, the first Romana story, as we continue on our road trip to the 50th Anniversary.  Come sample this Fourth Doctor dish with us.   WARNING: Contains rabbit chasing

We all know the scarf.  Some of us have knitted, or had knitted for us, the scarf.  This week we take a look at the Doctor inside the scarf.  The Fourth Doctor was with us for seven seasons and gave us some of the best stories.  Join us for our celebration of the most iconic Doctor of them all! WARNING: Contains rabbits

We're in the Miniscope this week, watching the Doctor and Jo muck about on a circuit board, battle a Drashig and shut down some gray bureaucrats.  It's our look at the Third Doctor's story "Carnival of Monsters" as we continue our road trip to the 50th Anniversary. WARNING: Contains rabbit chasing  

Venusian Aikido.  Capes and frilly shirts.  U.N.I.T. and the Brigadier.  The Third Doctor brought us all this and more in living color.  This week is mostly all about this velvet clad, scientific advisor.  Straingly, tho, Peter Capaldi keeps creeping into our conversation.   WARNING: Contains rabbit chasing (and Peter Capaldi)  

Little pointy robots and weird shoulder pads, the Dominators were a force to be reckoned with.  The week we discuss the Second Doctor episode "The Dominators". WARNING: Big announcement reported.  Skip the news if you don't want to know.

The first regeneration, the Second Doctor.  A baggy clothed, recorder playing, childish man this new face brings to us a more recognizable Doctor.  The Second Doctor is truly the beginning of the modern day Doctor that we all know and love.  Join us this week as we talk all about him.  And Ian's back in his corner giving us a UK perspective on this Cosmic Hobo. WARNING: Contains rabbits Episode 94: The Cosmic Hobo