Mon, 27 April 2026
This month (a little late), Kyle and Erik look at the first two Doctor Who scripts by Jamie Mathieson, "Mummy on the Orient Express" and "Flatline." Conveniently, they happen to have been sequential episodes 8 and 9 from Series 8. Without giving too much away, these might be the best non-Moffat scripts of the season and the best the Clara and Twelfth Doctor relationship gets. So there's that.
Direct download: Mummy_on_the_Orient_Express_and_Flatline.mp3
Category:Doctor Who -- posted at: 6:53pm EDT |
Sun, 15 March 2026
This month, Kyle and Erik have to face their personal Waterloo with a pair of episodes from the middle of Series 8 that form the middle of the Doctor-Clara-Danny triangle, and which consequently are not fun to watch. Those are "The Caretaker," written by Gareth Roberts and Steven Moffat, and "Kill the Moon," written by Peter Harness. Would you rather a good episode or an interesting episode? Why not neither! |
Sun, 15 February 2026
This month, Erik and Kyle are looking at the Capaldi era's first true heavy hitter, Series 8, episode 4, "Listen," as written by Steven Moffat. Twelve years after the episode first aired, how do the strange tone, sparse plotting, and complex character implications hold up? Is Rupert/Danny/Orson(?) Pink sitting well with us this go-round? And what DOES scare everyone in the universe? |
Tue, 20 January 2026
Happy New Year, dear listeners! To kick off our 14th year (!!!) talking about Doctor Who on a podcast, we're discussing two episodes co-written by Steven Moffat. The first, "Into the Dalek" with Phil Ford and the second, "Time Heist" along with Stephen Thompson. What even are these episodes? What works and doesn't about them? And we get our introduction of Danny Pink. Oh Danny Boy. |
Fri, 19 December 2025
Folks! It may be the end of 2025, but it's a brand new era, a brand new season, and a brand new Doctor for Erik and Kyle. Having bid a fond farewell to the Eleventh Doctor, this month they discuss the first adventure of the Twelfth. That is, of course, Deep Breath, written by showrunner Steven Moffat. How well does this 11-year-old episode hold up, and what can we already learn about what will be the most divisive season of the Moffat era? WOOHOO! |
Sat, 15 November 2025
Amazingly, folks, it's time to bid farewell to Matt Smith and the Eleventh Doctor. While Erik and Kyle have already spoken about each of his stories at length, this month they're going to discuss the era as a whole. What did Steven Moffat do right and what did he need to revamp for his second Doctor? And what was the very worst Matt Smith story? Next month, we take a Deep Breath... |
Wed, 15 October 2025
Time (ha) has come to bid the Eleventh Doctor farewell. It's also time to talk about the biggest comedown in Doctor Who history. How did Steven Moffat follow up the glory of "The Day of the Doctor?" Well with the decidedly messy "The Time of the Doctor." Erik and Kyle talk about the last episode for Matt Smith and what it positions for the Peter Capaldi years to come. |
Sun, 14 September 2025
It's finally here! The episode Erik and Kyle have been waiting for since they began Doctor Who's modern series. It's the 50th anniversary special, "The Day of the Doctor," quite simply the best Doctor Who episode of all time. Spoilers, big fans. |
Fri, 15 August 2025
As we head toward wrapping up the Matt Smith years, it has come time to talk about two incongruous episodes. First, "A Town Called Mercy" by Toby Whithouse and then "The Name of the Doctor" by Steven Moffat. Not a lot connect these two aside from both being in Series 7 but we needed 'em checked off the list. One is a mealy mouthed pastiche of Italian westerns and the other is a pastiche of episodes that have plots that make sense. Sooooooooo.... Anyway, next month it's The Day of the Doctor, yaaaaaay! Support us on Patreon for bonus episodes! Patreon.com/TheWritersRoom |
Tue, 15 July 2025
It's another episode of Mark Gatiss here on Doctor Who: The Writers' Room. This month, Erik and Kyle look at the two stories Gatiss wrote for Series 7B. First up, "Cold War," the story that reintroduced the Ice Warriors aboard a Russian submarine in 1983. Second, "The Crimson Horror," a penny dreadful riff with the Paternoster Gang and a delicious Diana Rigg performance. Are these maybe Gatiss' best scripts? |
Sun, 22 June 2025
This month, Kyle and Erik look at the two stories written for Doctor Who by Luther creator Neil Cross. Those are, as commissioned, the Nigel Kneale-inspired "Hide" and the many other things-inspired "The Rings of Akhaten." One of those stories was immediately derided upon release while the other was generally considered good. Will that still be true 12 years later? Let's find out! |
Thu, 15 May 2025
Erik and Kyle return to their old pal Steven Moffat for a pair of stories smack in the middle of the muddy series 7B, "The Snowmen" the only mid-series Christmas special, and "The Bells of Saint John" which officially introduced Clara Oswald Prime. Do these stories work? Do we like them? Why is Clara the best and people need to accept it?
Direct download: The_Snowmen_and_Bells_of_Saint_John.mp3
Category:Doctor Who -- posted at: 2:09pm EDT |
Tue, 15 April 2025
Every once in a while Erik and Kyle have to talk about exceedingly boring episodes of Doctor Who. That time is now as our heroes look at the two scripts credited solely to Stephen Thompson, aka the guy who wrote stuff for Steven Moffat when he was too busy. Those episodes are "The Curse of the Black Spot" and "Journey to the Centre of the TARDIS," two episodes that legally exist. |
Sun, 16 March 2025
Like it or not, it's impossible to talk about the Steven Moffat years without discussing the single most ubiquitous other writer of the era, Moffat's longtime collaborator and co-creator of Sherlock, Mark Gatiss. In the first of many episodes about Gatiss' Who output, Kyle and Erik discuss "Victory of the Daleks" and "Night Terrors," one of which might even be better than you think.
Direct download: Victory_of_the_Daleks_and_Night_Terrors.mp3
Category:Doctor Who -- posted at: 1:08pm EDT |
Sun, 16 February 2025
It's finally time to say goodbye to the Ponds...mostly. Despite a few straggler episodes we have yet to discuss, this month's podcast is all about the farewell story for Amy and Rory, "The Angels Take Manhattan." How does Steven Moffat bid his era's first companions adieu? Are we happy with it? Why are the Angels in it? Did River Song really write a whole book about herself? Weird. |
Mon, 20 January 2025
This month, Kyle and Erik have good news and bad news. The bad news is we have to talk about "Dinosaurs on a Spaceship" and "The Power of Three." The good news is we won't have to talk about a Chris Chibnall script for like five more years. Anyway, these two episodes certainly aren't the worst things ever, and in many ways they set the stage for what Chibnall would do during his time as showrunner, for good or ill. One thing we can say for these stories is that they're imperfect, to put it mildly.
Direct download: Dinosaurs_on_a_Spaceship_and_Power_of_Three.mp3
Category:Doctor Who -- posted at: 1:57pm EDT |
Wed, 15 January 2025
Hi folks, just a quick update. Kyle who lives in LA has thankfully not had to evacuate due to the fires still raging and have ruined people's lives. But, because it was a fluid situation, it meant we weren't able to record when we had planned. So this month's episode will be a few days late. In the meantime, we're donating our entire Patreon for the month to the LA Food Bank and we encourage anyone who can to do the same. lafoodbank.org/fire |
Sun, 15 December 2024
The year that was 2024 has wound down and instead of wallowing in misery, Kyle and Erik are talking about some Doctor Who Christmas episodes! Specifically the first two penned by showrunner Steven Moffat. Those are, of course, "A Christmas Carol" from 2010 and "The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe" from 2011. It's very much a story of greatness and lameness in equal measure. One is one of Moffat's best ever scripts, and one...isn't. Also! We're launching a Discord in 2025! Listen to the episode to find out how you can join the community.
Direct download: A_Christmas_Carol_and_Doctor_Widow_Wardrobe.mp3
Category:Doctor Who -- posted at: 12:00am EDT |
Sun, 24 November 2024
This month, Kyle and Erik get into the beginning of the end of the Amy and Rory years and the end of the beginning (kind of) of the _____ Oswald years. That's right, it's the scary, surprising, and super good "Asylum of the Daleks," possibly the best Moffat episode we've talked about in months. |
Tue, 15 October 2024
What a weird pair of episodes to talk about together, eh? To wrap up (most of) our discussion of series 6, we're delving into "The Girl Who Waited" by Tom McRae and "The Wedding of River Song" by none other than Steven Q. Moffat. On to series 7, eh?! |
Tue, 17 September 2024
Comedy is a subjective thing. Some things you once found funny might not hold up a decade later, especially if the person who wrote them turned out to be a bigot and the primary guest star proving himself to be a twat. Anyway, unrelated, this month we're talking about The Lodger and Closing Time, both written by Gareth Roberts with special guest star James Corden. |
Sun, 18 August 2024
We reach the midpoint of Series 6, with the very weird pair of highly plot-relevant episodes, "A Good Man Goes to War" and "Let's Kill Hitler," both by Steven Moffat. What works, what doesn't, what is pure mess and what is great characterization? River Song, Melody Pond, Mels, and Lorna Bucket...what names! Don't Colonel Runaway too soon. |
Mon, 15 July 2024
This month, Kyle and Erik get contentious surrounding the Matthew Graham two-parter "The Rebel Flesh/The Almost People," which introduced the concept of Gangers into the series six silliness. One of your intrepid hosts thinks it's a very bad story and the other thinks it's pretty okay. Arguments aplenty! |
Tue, 18 June 2024
This month, Kyle and Erik discuss the two episodes written by acclaimed novelist/author/showrunner Neil Gaiman. Arguably the biggest guest writer ever to write for the series, Gaiman's stories---"The Doctor's Wife" from series 6 and "Nightmare in Silver" from series 7---have an interesting history, and a diametrically opposed fan reaction at the time. But are either warranted? Have they aged like wine or milk? |
Fri, 17 May 2024
Can Steven Moffat follow up a tremendous two-part finale, and a brilliant Christmas special, with a satisfying premiere? If you ask Kyle and Erik...sort of? It's time for Series 6, and that's a whole thing.
Direct download: Impossible_Astronaut_Day_of_the_Moon.mp3
Category:Doctor Who -- posted at: 6:10pm EDT |
Sat, 11 May 2024
Truly the culmination of the most ambitious series of Doctor Who yet, Kyle and Erik look at Steven Moffat's tremendous two-part finale, "The Pandorica Opens" and "The Big Bang." Might it be his crowing achievement, even with so many other episodes to love? |
Sat, 16 March 2024
This here is the good stuff! This month Kyle and Erik discuss two series five episodes written by guest writers. "Amy's Choice" by Simon Nye and "Vincent and the Doctor" by Richard Curtis. An actual Oscar nominee writing for Doctor Who! Can you even believe it?!
Direct download: Amys_Choice__VIncent_and_the_Doctor.mp3
Category:Doctor Who -- posted at: 12:01am EDT |
Sun, 25 February 2024
This month, Erik and Kyle go deep underground, some might even call it Hades itself, to discuss "The Hungry Earth/Cold Blood," the two-part series five story from future showrunner Chris Chibnall. It brings back the Silurians and gives us a remix of Third Doctor story elements before falling on its face trying to do something interesting but failing miserably. |
Sun, 21 January 2024
Happy New Year! This month, Erik and Kyle embark on the first of what they're calling "Getting Whithoused," which is looking at the stories written by Toby Whithouse in the Steven Moffat era. Up first, "The Vampires of Venice" from series 5 and "The God Complex" from series 6. |
Mon, 18 December 2023
Hello and happy December, friends. This month, Erik and Kyle are taking a trip to the crash of the Byzantium to discuss what is certainly in the running for best Smith-era Steven Moffat script, "The Time of Angels/Flesh and Stone." The Weeping Angels, River Song, the Crack, it's all here! And no beating around the bush, we pretty much love it.
Direct download: The_Time_of_Angels_and_Flesh_and_Stone.mp3
Category:Doctor Who -- posted at: 5:28pm EDT |
Wed, 15 November 2023
This month, Erik and Kyle continue the Moffat Years train with his second episode, and indeed the second Eleventh Doctor and Amy episode, "The Beast Below," an episode---to quote Kyle---with a better story than plot. |
Sat, 14 October 2023
After a few months of falderal and fiddle-dee-dee, it is finally time for Erik and Kyle to begin the proper journey into the Steven Moffat showrunner era. And boy howdy what a big one to start with. "The Eleveth Hour" may be Moffat's masterpiece, and a taste of things to come. We are EXCITED. |
Fri, 15 September 2023
Let's try this again! This month, Kyle and Erik say farewell (for now) to showrunner Russell T Davies. What did he bring to Doctor Who, what is his legacy? It's a lot, that's the short answer. |
Tue, 15 August 2023
Direct download: Silence_in_the_Library_and_Forest_of_the_Dead.mp3
Category:Doctor Who -- posted at: 1:33am EDT |
Fri, 14 July 2023
This month we begin a new season! The Moffat Years! As a prelude, we discuss Steven Moffat's scripts during the Russell T Davies years, specifically this time "The Girl in the Fireplace" and "Blink." Nothing too major here or anything. Timey Wimey begins here! |
Sun, 18 June 2023
Well, friends, sometimes you lose episodes to tech crashes. It finally happened to us. So, you aren't getting a final discussion about the Russell T Davies (1) era of Doctor Who, you instead get us doing our top 11 RTD scripts. So, a draft rather than a discush. It happens. Enjoy! |
Mon, 15 May 2023
It's here. It's finally here. Kyle and Erik's discussion of the RTD tenure (first one) comes to an end with sigh "The End of Time." Both parts. They're doing it. Here we go. |
Sat, 15 April 2023
And so begins the gap year specials in earnest. Kyle and Erik are very nearly at the end of the Tennant and RTD (1) years. This month, it's "Planet of the Dead" and "The Waters of Mars." One of these won a Hugo for being one of the best pieces of sci-fi of the modern age. The other, did not. Care to guess which one's which? |
Tue, 14 March 2023
We are indeed approaching the end of some journey! Kyle and Erik take a look at the Series 4 finale two-parter "The Stolen Earth/Journey's End," in which Russell T Davies tried to bring back nearly everyone from his entire era, plus Davros. Lot going on, shame about the bad stuff. |
Wed, 15 February 2023
This month is a big one, folks! We're in the home stretch of the RTD1 era, talking about two of the writers' best episodes. "Midnight," series 4's companion-lite episode, and "Turn Left," the Doctor-lite episode that aired the following week. Both showcase Davies' trademark cynicism and have their own kinds of terrors. Neither are feel-good, but we sure like 'em! |
Tue, 31 January 2023
Folks! It's a b-b-b-b-b-b-BONUS-s-s-s-s-s-s episode! To celebrate 10 years, Erik and Kyle are giving you, the free listener, access to our Patreon bonus mailbag episode. Listeners wrote in questions about our opinions, hopes, hypothetical ideas, and more all pertaining to our favorite show, Doctor Who. Please enjoy! If you'd like to join our Patreon and get more episodes like this, head to patreon.com/thewritersroom and pledge $1 or $3 to get all the goodies.
Direct download: Patreon_Bonus_Episodes_-_10th_Anniversary_Mailbag.mp3
Category:Doctor Who -- posted at: 12:13pm EDT |
Sun, 15 January 2023
Can you believe it, folks? This episode marks the 10th anniversary of Doctor Who: The Writers Room. What a long strange trip as has been for Kyle and Erik. So many episodes, so many laughs, so many writers covered. And to commemorate 10 years, the fellas are...talking about bad Doctor Who. That's right, the two episodes written by accomplished playwright Stephen Greenhorn, "The Lazarus Experiment" and "The Doctor's Daughter." They really ought to have planned this better. Oh well.
Direct download: The_Lazarus_Experiment_and_The_Doctors_Daughter.mp3
Category:Doctor Who -- posted at: 12:23am EDT |
Thu, 15 December 2022
Hello and happy holidays, friends! As Erik and Kyle wrap up their TENTH YEAR of podcasting, they look at David Tennant's last two proper Christmas specials. It's "Voyage of the Damned" from 2007 and "The Next Doctor" from 2008. Both of them written by Russell T Davies, our old pal. Enjoy, be safe, and help us celebrate our 10th anniversary by sending questions for a Q&A episode to erikandkyle@gmail.com.
Direct download: Voyage_of_the_Damned_and_The_Next_Doctor.mp3
Category:Doctor Who -- posted at: 12:36pm EDT |
Tue, 15 November 2022
Direct download: The_Shakespeare_Code_and_The_Unicorn_and_the_Wasp.mp3
Category:Doctor Who -- posted at: 12:00am EDT |
Fri, 14 October 2022
Who had Kyle and Erik liking the season four Sontaran two-parter in their betting pool? Well surprises are part of life for Doctor Who fans. Yes, friends, our heroes beam about "The Sontaran Stratagem/The Poison Sky," so strap in. Oh, but Americans don't say "clever," so there's that.
Direct download: The_Sontaran_Strategem_and_The_Poison_Sky.mp3
Category:Doctor Who -- posted at: 7:04pm EDT |
Thu, 15 September 2022
Our journey into the Donna Noble era of Doctor Who gets cooking with her first two proper trips in the TARDIS. First we have a favorite, "The Fires of Pompeii," written by James Moran, and then we have "Planet of the Ood" written by Keith Temple. Moral decisions and fixed points in time! Fun, fun, fun. |
Thu, 1 September 2022
Hello, Donna! Yes, this month we're discussing the first two episodes featuring Donna Noble, "The Runaway Bride" and "Partners in Crime." How does Russell T Davies turn a one-off comedy guest star into the most beloved companion in the entire modern series? It's quite the feat!
Direct download: The_Runaway_Bride_and_Partners_in_Crime.mp3
Category:Doctor Who -- posted at: 12:00am EDT |
Sun, 14 August 2022
Faith and begorah! We're back with a new episode. Thank you all for your patience. Finally, we can discuss the two episodes that finish off Doctor Who series 3, "The Sound of Drums/Last of the Time Lords," which weeeeeeee have thoughts about, let's say that. Next up: Donna!
Direct download: Sound_of_Drums_Last_of_the_Time_Lords.mp3
Category:Doctor Who -- posted at: 6:24pm EDT |
Sun, 7 August 2022
Hello everyone. So sorry for the extreme delay in release. We've had what can only be described as a truly hellish month of July. Erik has all the details for you in this episode, which, until we are actually able to record our proper Series 3 finale discussion, will be a previous Patreon exclusive episode where your two intrepid hosts debate the most important writers in classic Doctor Who. More to come soon, and thanks for your patience.
Direct download: It_Came_From_Behind_the_Paywall....mp3
Category:Doctor Who -- posted at: 1:37pm EDT |
Tue, 14 June 2022
This month, in order to delay having to talk about a very bad two-parter, Kyle and Erik talk about "Utopia," an episode hailed by many as a modern masterpiece. But, 15 years later, does it still have that kind of impact? YANA! CHANTHO! JACK! MAAAAATHAAAAAAA! |
Sat, 14 May 2022
This month sees Erik and Kyle discussing a much beloved two-parter from series 3, "Human Nature/The Family of Blood," which has a lot of David Tennant, but not very much Tenth Doctor. Hmm? What what? |
Fri, 15 April 2022
This month, Kyle and Erik discuss two stories by writers who'd write a lot more later on. The first is Mark Gatiss and "The Idiot's Lantern" from series 2. The second is Chris Chibnall and "42" from series 3. Which one do we like better? |
Tue, 15 March 2022
This month, we continue our series 3 talk by looking at Helen Raynor's oft-derided two-parter, "Daleks in Manhattan/Evolution of the Daleks," which has some interesting elements. But enough? We'll see. |
Tue, 15 February 2022
And here we are at Series 3 already! The "Oh hey, the Tenth Doctor isn't very nice" train continues with two early stories with new companion Martha Jones. We have "Smith and Jones" and "Gridlock," both from showrunner Russell T Davies.
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Sat, 15 January 2022
Happy New Year, dear listener! As Kyle and Erik begin their 10th year of podcasting together, they finish (pretty much) Series 2 of updated Doctor Who. It's the almost universally beloved "Army of Ghosts/Doomsday," which has a lot more to it than meets the eye. Ghosts, for one thing. Join our Patreon for bonus episodes, including our breakdown of Flux! Go to patreon.com/thewritersroom today. |
Wed, 15 December 2021
Erik and Kyle round out their first calendar year covering the Russell T Davies era by talking about Series 2's big classic villain return: "Rise of the Cybermen/The Age of Steel." This story had a lot of heavy lifting to do, but does it succeed? Let's find out!
Direct download: Rise_of_the_Cybermen_and_The_Age_of_Steel.mp3
Category:Doctor Who -- posted at: 12:00am EDT |
Mon, 15 November 2021
Erik and Kyle descend down into the cosmically and existentially horrific masterpiece that is "The Impossible Planet/The Satan Pit," as written by Matt Jones. Is this the best story we've looked at yet? Is it the scariest? Find out! Join our Patreon for bonus episodes every month. http://patreon.com/thewritersroom.
Direct download: The_Impossible_Planet_and_The_Satan_Pit.mp3
Category:Doctor Who -- posted at: 12:00am EDT |
Fri, 15 October 2021
This month, with some actual news about Russell T Davies, Erik and Kyle discuss two of his scripts from series 2. First up is Tooth and Claw, the one with Queen Victoria and the werewolves. Second is Love & Monsters, the one nobody likes but that is actually pretty good.
Direct download: Tooth_and_Claw_and_Love_and_Monsters.mp3
Category:Doctor Who -- posted at: 12:00am EDT |
Thu, 16 September 2021
This month, Kyle and Erik dive headlong into Doctor Who series two with a look at two episodes written by showrunners of other shows. "School Reunion" written by Toby Whithouse (Being Human) is a fan-favorite, giving the new series its first real taste of the classic with the return of Sarah Jane Smith. "Fear Her" written by Matthew Graham (Life on Mars) is the oft-derided also-ran of series two, which might well be better than its reputation. |
Sun, 15 August 2021
And so it begins! Erik and Kyle have wrapped up Series 1 of updated Doctor Who, and now they commence the saga of the Tenth Doctor. Where to start? Why with "The Christmas Invasion" and "New Earth," of course! But it's not all just fun and games. Already they can sense the darkness inherent to Doctor number 10...and Kyle's kind of not into it. |
Thu, 15 July 2021
Way too fast. We're already bidding a very fond farewell to the Christopher Eccleston year of Doctor Who by discussing his swansong, "Bad Wolf/Parting of the Ways." It may be his last onscreen hurrah but it was only RTD's opening salvo. How'd he do for his first season as showrunner? |
Tue, 15 June 2021
It's the penultimate month in our look at Series 1 of rebooted Doctor Who, and we have two stories showrunner Russell T Davies wrote to fill time, but, one of them at least, has transcending its limitations to become something of a classic. And the other one is "The Long Game." |
Sat, 15 May 2021
Erik and Kyle dip our toes in the pool of Steven Moffat with his addition to Doctor Who series 1, "The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances." You know, there's a lot to talk about in it. So, join us, won't you? Are you my mummy? |
Thu, 15 April 2021
This month, Erik and Kyle are discussing the series 1 episode "Father's Day," an emotional experience for both of them. But before that, the 2003 web-exclusive animated serial "Scream of the Shalka," which was to be Doctor Who. Until it wasn't. Two Paul Cornell stories? Why yes!
Direct download: Fathers_Day_and_Scream_of_the_Shalka.mp3
Category:Doctor Who -- posted at: 12:00am EDT |
Mon, 15 March 2021
This month, Erik and Kyle continue their jaunt into Series 1 of rebooted Doctor Who with the first two stories not written by showrunner Russell T Davies. Those of course are Mark Gatiss' ode to Victorian ghost stories, "The Unquiet Dead," and Robert Shearman's indelible reintroduction of a classic villain, "Dalek." But do they hold up the way our heroes remember? Hmmm. |
Sun, 14 February 2021
This month, Kyle and Erik revisit the "farting aliens" two-parter, "Aliens of London/World War III." While the humor doesn't age well, the fellas are surprised that the story is more interesting, the character drama much deeper, than memory said. And Mickey maybe isn't as big an idiot as we thought? WHAT?! |
Thu, 14 January 2021
Doctor Who: The Writers' Room is back, baby! After two years away from the TARDIS, Erik and Kyle have returned to tackle Doctor Who from 2005-2017. Much different than before, the fellas are going fairly chronological and what better place to start than showrunner Russell T Davies' first two episodes, "Rose" and "The End of the World?" |
Tue, 15 December 2020
We did it! Yes, another season of The Writers' Room comes to a close, and it's a good one. Sapphire & Steel's final story, "Assignment Six," gives us a lot to chew on, and some really fascinating implications. We also talk about the show as a whole, and prepare you all for the return of Doctor Who: The Writers' Room! |
Sun, 15 November 2020
This penultimate episode of The Writers' Room's look at Sapphire & Steel is a bit different. Creator P.J. Hammond did not write Assignment 5, aka the one that's a murder mystery---and it shows. Instead, Kyle and Erik talk about what an S&S serial looks like interpreted through the pen of former Doctor Who scribes Don Houghton and Anthony Read. The answer: not as good. |
Thu, 15 October 2020
We're nearing the ending of the year and we're also starting down the road to the end of Sapphire & Steel. Assignment 4 affords Erik and Kyle opportunities to discuss poetry, spooky photography, the poetry of prose, and whether P.J. Hammond is a pessimist. Fun! |
Tue, 15 September 2020
Erik and Kyle take on Assignment 3 of Sapphire & Steel, in which the elemental time menders contend with, not things from the past, but beings from the dystopian future. Is it as good as ghosty ancient things? Well, it does have the first appearance of Silver...and a creepy baby man monster things. Neat! |
Fri, 14 August 2020
This month, Erik and Kyle are going into an old dilapidated railway station full of war ghosts and stuff for Sapphire & Steel Assignment 2. We talk about the morality of fighting time ghosts, the sadness of war, and the pain of lost love. But, like, it's fun! |
Wed, 15 July 2020
It's a new month, but it's also a new season! A very short new season, but a new season just the same. Erik and Kyle are looking at time fissures, ghost houses, and ambulatory alien element metal things. It's Sapphire & Steel! P.J. Hammond's landmark in weird sci-fi. We begin, sensibly, with Assignment 1. |
Mon, 15 June 2020
Once again, Erik and Kyle have gotten to the end of a series! This month marks the final episode discussing The Outer Limits and they're thankfully ending with a bang. Story editor Seelag Lester is the subject, who wrote "Wolf 359," the amazing two-parter "The Inheritors" and the final episode ever, "The Probe." |
Mon, 15 June 2020
Once again, Erik and Kyle have gotten to the end of a series! This month marks the final episode discussing The Outer Limits and they're thankfully ending with a bang. Story editor Seelag Lester is the subject, who wrote "Wolf 359," the amazing two-parter "The Inheritors" and the final episode ever, "The Probe." |
Fri, 15 May 2020
It's our penultimate episode about The Outer Limits, so why not talk about a bunch of crap? It's another of our now-ubiquitous episodes about writers who wrote only one episode.
Direct download: Episode_16_-_Outer_Limits_One-Offs_2.mp3
Category:television -- posted at: 12:00am EDT |
Wed, 15 April 2020
This month it's some episodes of The Outer Limits season 2. We cannot say fairer than that. It's a trio of stories more or less by two writers; Jerry Sohl adapted his own short story for "The Invisible Enemy," Milton Krims rewrote a Stephen Lord treatment into "Keeper of the Purple Twilight," and then Krims rewrote Sohl for "Counterweight." And that's not all the rewriting there was in these. Not by a longshot. |
Sun, 15 March 2020
Friends! Because we're all having a rough go of it socially distancing, we thought we'd give you a little extra treat. The commentary we normally do once a month for our Patreon patrons is free for all to hear! Stay safe and stay healthy!
Direct download: TWRTOL_Patreon_Bonus_--_DW_Oxygen_Commentary.mp3
Category:Doctor Who -- posted at: 10:00pm EDT |
Sun, 15 March 2020
This month, Kyle and Erik are back talking about The Outer Limits season two, and with it...a writer! It's Robert C. Dennis, a very prolific TV writer who here is adapting three short stories and re-writing another writer's story for a fourth. They are "Cry of Silence," "I, Robot" (no, not that one), "The Duplicate Man," and "The Brain of Colonel Barham". Some of these are good and some of them super aren't!
Direct download: The_Outer_Limits_-_Robert_C._Dennis.mp3
Category:television -- posted at: 12:00am EDT |
Sat, 15 February 2020
What's this now?! Why yes! Erik and Kyle have given The Outer Limits a break for a month in order to talk about Doctor Who again! As part of the Who For Schools initiative, a lucky raffle winner got to decide what New Who episode we discussed. The winner has chosen "Oxygen" by Jamie Mathieson. We're talking Capaldi, Nardole, Bill, and dystopian capitalism. Yay! |
Tue, 14 January 2020
Happy New Year! And what could be happier than covering one of sci-fi's most famous writers? That's right, for episode one of our look at The Outer Limits season 2, we're talking about the great Harlan Ellison and his two scripts, "Soldier" and the immortal "Demon with a Glass Hand." Next month, it's more Doctor Who...for a bit.
Direct download: The_Outer_Limits_-_Episode_13_-_Harlan_Ellison.mp3
Category:television -- posted at: 10:00pm EDT |
Sun, 15 December 2019
Can you believe it's been a year already? Kyle and Erik finish up their 12 months of discussing the first season of The Outer Limits with a countdown of their top 10 and bottom 5 episodes! Next year we begin season 2, with the two episodes written by the great Harlan Ellison! If you have a suggestion for a classic genre show to discuss after The Outer Limits, email us at erikandkyle@gmail.com!
Direct download: The_Outer_Limits_-_Episode_12_-_Season_1_Wrap-Up.mp3
Category:television -- posted at: 12:00am EDT |
Thu, 14 November 2019
This month, Erik and Kyle only have two episodes left in season one of The Outer Limits. Fittingly, they're both would-be spin-offs from each of the show's two driving creative forces. First up is "Controlled Experiment," a comedy take on sci-fi from series creator Leslie Stevens. Second is the bat-poop crazy "The Forms of Things Unknown" from head writer Joseph Stefano. |
Tue, 15 October 2019
In this month's penultimate look at the first season of The Outer Limits, Kyle and Erik discuss four stories by four different writers, to varying degrees of interest. Those episodes are: Two of them are really quite good!
Direct download: The_Outer_Limits_-_Episode_10_-_One-Offs.mp3
Category:television -- posted at: 12:00am EDT |
Sun, 15 September 2019
This month, as we head to the end of The Outer Limits season one, we have a quartet of very odd stories, all featuring input from story editor and Joseph Stefano's right-hand man, Lou Morheim. These include "The Mice," "Second Chance," "Moonstone," and "The Chameleon." Robert Towne wrote that last one.
Direct download: The_Outer_Limits_-_Episode_9_-_Lou_Morheim.mp3
Category:television -- posted at: 12:00am EDT |
Thu, 15 August 2019
This month, Erik and Kyle keep digging deeper into the troubled psyche of The Outer Limits season 1's showrunner, Joseph Stefano. These three episodes--"The Invisibles," "The Bellero Shield," and "A Feasibility Study"--each represent the writer's best (and most upsetting) traits. |
Sun, 14 July 2019
This month, Erik and Kyle are joined by writer, podcast, smart person extraordinaire, Paul Cornell to discuss the Outer Limits episode "Nightmare." Find Paul on Twitter, and check out his podcast, Hammer House of Podcast. |
Fri, 14 June 2019
This month we begin our look at The Outer Limits' most important writer, producer, and story-shaper, Joseph Stefano. We go in-depth on "It Crawled Out of the Woodwork," "The Zanti Misfits," and "Don't Open Till Doomsday," and figure out what Gothic Sci-Fi really means. |
Sun, 19 May 2019
This month, your faithful hosts have three stories from three different writers of The Outer Limits. First up is "The Human Factor" by David Duncan, an episode that seems like The Thing but is more like Face/Off. Next is "Corpus Earthling," a creepy little story about alien rocks by Orin Borsten. And finally, "Tourist Attraction" by Dean Riesner, a former child actor who went on to work with Clint Eastwood. Fun! |
Tue, 16 April 2019
This month, Kyle and Erik look at two more writers of The Outer Limits. It's Jerome Ross, who wrote "The Man with the Power," and Anthony Lawrence, who wrote "The Man Who Was Never Born" and "The Children of Spider County." Enjoy! |
Fri, 15 March 2019
An early contender for MVP writer of The Outer Limits season one, veteran TV writer Meyer Dolinsky wrote three fascinating and troubling episodes, two considered legitimate classics. First is "The Architects of Fear" which inspired Alan Moore's Watchmen; the paranoid Cold War thriller "O.B.I.T."; and a legitimately weird one, "ZZZZZ" about a super attractive bee woman. |
Thu, 14 February 2019
This month, Erik and Kyle delve further into The Outer Limits by talking about two episodes written by the writing team of Allan Balter and Robert Mintz ("The Hundred Days of the Dragon," "The Mutant"), and the one episode written by Ellis St. Joseph ("The Sixth Finger"). |
Tue, 15 January 2019
Here we go! A new year and a new season. Erik and Kyle are embarking on their journey into the 1960s sci-fi anthology series The Outer Limits, which ran for 49 episodes on ABC TV in the United States and has since been reappraised time and again. We know a thing or two about series that began in 1963 that have gone on to longevity. To begin, we look no further than the series' creator, Leslie Stevens, who wrote and directed four episodes during the first season. We're only talking about three of them in this episode, and they are "The Galaxy Being," "The Borderland," and "Production and Decay of Strange Particles." |
Tue, 1 January 2019
Hello everyone! Happy New Year! First and foremost, welcome to 2019 and The Writers Room's new direction. It's still Erik and Kyle discussing old TV sci-fi, but for the next year or so, we'll be talking about the original 1963-1965 series The Outer Limits. To start with, we're doing a bit of a primer about the series, how it came to be, who were the key creative types in charge of its 49 episodes, and what kinds of stories you can expect on the journey. First full episode about series creator Leslie Stevens will arrive January 15. Sorry for the sound issues in this episode, it will not be indicative of the whole run, we assure you. We just didn't have time to re-record. And finally, please consider supporting our new Patreon! Patreon.com/TheWritersRoom |
Sat, 15 December 2018
It all comes down to this! Erik and Kyle finish up their six-year journey into the writers of classic Doctor Who with part two of their listener question answer thing.
Direct download: Episode_69_-_The_Big_Wrap-Up_part_2.mp3
Category:Doctor Who -- posted at: 12:00am EDT |
Sat, 17 November 2018
This month, friends, it's all over bar the shouting. Kyle and Erik tackle some of YOUR questions and discussion topics about their six year journey into the writers and writing of the classic series of Doctor Who. On order are things like which script editors were the best, what Doctor/companion teams were best served on screen, and what we'd recommend to new viewers. As referenced in the episode, here's the blog of Erik's more specific recommendations for first-time classic whovians. |
Mon, 15 October 2018
66 episodes down covering individual writers of classic Doctor Who, and only one to go. Crazy. Erik and Kyle finish up their revisitation of Eric Saward, six years after the initial foray, by talking about his two Dalek stories--Resurrection of the Daleks and Revelation of the Daleks. One of them is good but not a Doctor Who story, the other definitely is a Doctor Who story but is terrible. What fun. The fellas also tell you what's coming in the new year for this podcast feed and let you know there's still time to turn in your questions/discussion topics for the two-month podcast wrap-up!
Direct download: Episode_67_-_Saward_Revisitation_2.mp3
Category:Doctor Who -- posted at: 1:23am EDT |
Sat, 15 September 2018
The end is the beginning is the end! When we started our journey through the first 26 years of Doctor Who via the writers and the stories they wrote, we tried to start big, by tackling the stories written by '80s script editor Eric Saward, and in doing so, we bit off more than we could chew.
Direct download: Episode_66_-_Saward_Revisitation_1.mp3
Category:Doctor Who -- posted at: 1:01am EDT |
Wed, 15 August 2018
Whoa. We did it, everyone. With this month's episode, we conclude our quest to discuss the first 26 years of Doctor Who via the writers and the stories they wrote. We're finishing the initial run with a bang, by talking about David Whitaker's two Dalek stories--"The Power of the Daleks" and "The Evil of the Daleks." Both are hailed as lost classics, and for good reason. Erik and Kyle break down all things obedience and extermination. |
Wed, 15 August 2018
Whoa. We did it, everyone. With this month's episode, we conclude our quest to discuss the first 26 years of Doctor Who via the writers and the stories they wrote. We're finishing the initial run with a bang, by talking about David Whitaker's two Dalek stories--"The Power of the Daleks" and "The Evil of the Daleks." Both are hailed as lost classics, and for good reason. Erik and Kyle break down all things obedience and extermination. |
