It was so popular last year that we decided to do it again! Join us this holiday season as we introduce you to twelve of our favourite podcasts in the 12 Days of Podmas.
Some of the luckiest fans of TV shows and films are those who manage to turn their hobby into a living. Just look at Russell T. Davies, who watched Doctor Who from a very young age, tuning in to see the first regeneration in 1966, and grew up to become the programme’s showrunner not just once but twice. We should all be so lucky as to have an opportunity to mix business and pleasure.
Another Doctor Who aficionado who has made a name for himself is Toby Hadoke, his truly extraordinary breadth of knowledge making him an invaluable fixture in the special features and commentaries of the DVD and Blu-ray releases of the programme. He has even written and performed a pair of one-man shows, centred around his lifelong passion for the series: Moths Ate My Doctor Who Scarf and My Stepson Stole My Sonic Screwdriver.
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Hadoke is also an award-winning stand-up comic, presenter, writer, actor, and all-round thoroughly splendid chap, all of him. Added to his growing list of professional achievements is podcaster, with Toby Hadoke’s Time Travels, focusing on his love of that venerable Time Lord. There are actually three separate strands to his podcasts, one of which is ‘Indefinable Magic’, in which he waxes lyrical about different aspects of Doctor Who in an entertaining fashion, describing these as “whimsical essays inspired by the show”.
Another is ‘Happy Times And Places’, which sees friends and guests nominating Doctor Who stories for Hadoke to watch, ones that are their personal favourites, and challenging him to find something positive to say about every episode, even the absolute clunkers. During the course of these real-time commentaries, Hadoke finds his long-held or preconceived notions being challenged, as he comes to see each adventure through new eyes. Videos of Happy Times And Places can be found on his YouTube channel.
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Finally, we have ‘Too Much Information’, where Hadoke takes us on an episode-by-episode factual tour of the series, and in the process reveals a whole trove of information, some of which is entirely new. For such a well-documented property as Doctor Who, unearthing unknown material is certainly no mean feat, so kudos to him. Hadoke’s output across all three strands is light, funny, and engaging, never letting it become inaccessible to anyone but hardcore devotees. Like Reithian tradition of old, he informs, educates, and entertains. Toby Hadoke’s Time Travels are the trip of a lifetime.
Toby Hadoke’s Time Travels is available on various platforms.