Doctor Who: Radio Free Skaro

For the first time in recorded history, in an event sure to be recorded in the annals of time across all universes parallel and otherwise, the RFS crew met in person at Gallifrey 2009 in Los Angeles, and thus was a podcast birthed from the loins of the Airport Marriott. And as a special bonus, John Williams and Neil Perryman of Tachyon TV joined in on the fun and regaled us with tales of Torchwood dodginess, Tomorrow People memories, and the utter strangeness of Sapphire and Steel.

In the last episode before the Three Who Rule arrive in Los Angeles and dispense their own particular brand of Canadian havoc, the news was sparse but the banter broad, ranging from Al Waxman's storied career all the way to....well, the shenanigans to come at Gallifrey 2009.

This week saw a surfeit of news for the Three Who Rule to chew over, and masticate they did as they analyzed, cogitated...and digressed into discussions of Matt Houston, black and white action figures, the questionable acting talents of one Derek Jacobi, and a beast named Pedantor.

The Three Who Rule had barely any news to discuss this week, but that didn't stop them from talking about the upcoming Gallifrey convention in LA, mysterious destroyed buses in Dubai, and (of all things) 80's Lee Majors vehicle "The Fall Guy." You have been warned.

The Three Who Rule plunged forward as usual into the exciting world of Doctor Who news and other related shenanigans, but took time to examine the gloriousness that was The Prisoner, the late Patrick McGoohan's psychedelic masterpiece. Be seeing you!

After a dusty couple of weeks battling Sutekh, the Hand of Sutekh, and mysterious fez-clad villains, Warren returned to North American soil from Egypt a little dusty but still full of verve for all things Who. Of course, now that the new Doctor has been announced, along with the airing of the Next Doctor, there was little in the way of real news to discuss, so the Three Who Rule made do with fawning over the impossibly cute Character Options figures due later this year, along with digressions into the works of Clint Eastwood and Tombstone, Kurt Russell's mustachioed magnum opus.

While Warren battles gun-wielding, fez-wearing servants of Sutekh, Steven and Chris discuss the big news of the announcement of David Tennant's replacement in Who's eponymous role. The Two of the Three compare the nascent Mr. Smith's ascension with the oncoming of past Doctors of yore and ultimately conclude it's far too early to know what to expect from this whippersnapper. The discussion by way of commentary of Ghost Light also occurs as the remaining hosts take on the much-overlooked Season 26 story, no doubt to the delight of the erstwhile McCoy-bashing Mr. Frey.

With Warren in Egypt seeking to be the plaything of Sutekh, it was left to Chris and Steven to hash out their opinions of the recent Doctor Who Christmas special "The Next Doctor". As if an RFS episode without Warren wasn't weird enough, both Chris and Steven were actually in the same room to record this week's installment. The resulting proximity meant that the duo stayed remarkably on topic, but still managed to find time to comment on Survivors, Coronation Street and Canada's chances at the World Junior hockey tournament. Behold!

The Three Who Rule were all back on terra firma (ie. North America) this week, and the usual Who-ish banter of course centred around the imminent showing of "The Next Doctor", due December 25th on UK TVs and computers worldwide. But that didn't stop the jaunty (and in the case of Chris, jet-lagged) japemeisters from venturing forth on the musical episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer (conclusion: crap), along with an altogether too long talk about the merits of various Star Trek series, before sauntering back to the matter at hand. Next week, Chris and Steven are left to their own devices, as Warren wanders to Egypt to battle Sutekh and save 1980 from Armageddon, seen through the TARDIS doors as terrible model photography and CSO.

For the first time in a long time, the Three Who Rule went sans commentary and digressed, postulated, and even went off topic (twice!) in the middle of a sentence. The hygiene of certain Sex in the City characters, Steve Coogan, Big Finish audios, and oh yes, the latest Doctor Who news headlines were hashed over, giggled at, and finally shunted aside as your gallant crew went completely off the rails. Hoo-ray!

And so it's come to this. At long last the RFS crew reaches "Journey's End," the final episode of Series Four, and a story that nicely sums up Who scribe Gareth Roberts term of "anticipointment." So much potential, frittered away in a fruitless wasting of the Rose story arc and Benny Hill-esque dispatchment of the Daleks. Still, Julian Bleach's Davros and the sad fate of Donna Noble rescued the episode from the Trash-Bin of Utter Contempt (next door neighbour to the Gun of Spite) and gave our three heroes much gristle to chew over, spit out, and look at askance.

More thrilling commentary, this time for the "Stolen Earth," clearly the best roller coaster ride of Series 4, if not of the entire run of the new series. It's all downhill from here though, as "Journey's End" is coming up next, and we all know how that turned out. Still, witticisms and nerdy banter ahead!

The Three Who Rule were efficacious in their praise for Turn Left, a tour de force performance from Catherine Tate and the best part of Rose's rather presumptuous arrival into Series 4. Of course, a good episode means we spend most of our time rapt in wonder and not actually commentating, but we made a special effort to lay down some bon mot as we enjoyed things being on Donna's back, Doctors dying and mirrors sending people sideways through time.Oh yes, and happy 45th birthday, Doctor Who.

"Midnight," Series Four's "Donna-lite" episode, got a solid round of "well dones" from the Three Who Rule, due to some fine acting and gold old-fashioned claustrophobic writing, harkening back to the old days of silver jumpsuits and very limited sets. We also covered what little there was to say about the two minute teaser for "The Next Doctor," airing this Christmas in England and very shortly thereafter on computers across the globe. Allons-y!

Chris ran into some serious technical difficulties this week, but eventually sucked up his pride and used a PC rather than his beloved Mac to deliver unto you, our loyal fans, a commentary of "Forest of the Dead." And that's it really, there was no news (other than a rather impressive changing of the guard in Washington, D.C.) to discuss, and for the most part the Three Who Rules stayed on-topic and focused on the episode playing out in front of them. Amazing.

Our commentary on "Silence in the Library" was upstaged somewhat by one David Tennant's decision to quit the role of The Doctor after the four 2009 specials. Fandom was agog, aflame and otherwise a-twitter with speculation on who the next Doctor will be, and we were no different, making this one of our longer prognostications. And we sort of stayed on topic every once in a while....occasionally. Also, as of next week we promise there'll be no more political appeals to our American listeners, for better or for ill.

Chris returned to the fold and lost no time flinging acerbic barbs in the direction of "The Unicorn and the Wasp," quite possibly the low point of Season 4, and certainly a story we mostly ignored in our commentary. One can hardly blame the Three Who Rule for their disinterest, but at least there's goings on in the Library (silent ones) to indulge in next week.

Steven and Warren braved the depths of mediocrity in order to bring you "The Doctor's Daughter," one of the lesser lights of Season Four. But after six months since our original viewing, it must be said that David Tennant rises to the occasion and puts in some first-rate acting in an otherwise fourth rate story. Brace yourselves and listen, chums.

With Chris still wandering around London without anything more than a 3G iPhone, it was up to Warren and Steven to again take the helm and offer the latest morsels of news about all things Who and bloviate on the Poison Sky, the second part of the Sontaran's return to form. Though precious little was actually aid about the episode at hand, Warren did manage to transfigure the Sontaran war cry into OBAM-HA! surely a new rallying cry for these final days of the American election campaign.

With the Third Guy back in England and without any Internet to speak of at the moment, it was up to Warren and Steven to bring...very little in the way of news, a brief review of the first episode of Season 2 of the Sarah Jane Adventures, and a commentary for "the Sontaran Stratagem," a welcome return of an old favorite enemy from the classic series. Not that the pair stayed on topic all that much (if at all) but nonetheless, things of a potato-headed nature were duly noted and celebrated.