The Doctor Who Show

David Fisher was a writer who made a distinct mark on Doctor Who during the late 1970s and early 1980s, contributing a run of stories for the Tom Baker era that blended gothic atmosphere, humour, and great characters.  His scripts include The Stones of Blood, The Androids of Tara, The Creature from the Pit, and The Leisure Hive. Four very different adventures that together showcase just how adaptable his writing was within the series. Fisher also played a role in the origins of one of Doctor Who’s most beloved classics, although personal circumstances prevented him from completing his script. His story, The Gamble With Time formed the backbone of what became City of Death, later finished by Douglas Adams and Graham Williams under the pseudonym “David Agnew.” Tonight, we look at David Fisher, the stories he delivered across several seasons, and what makes each stand out. We explore his style, strengths, and quirks that define his work and why his episodes remain fondly remembered decades later. Before then, all the usual news and short topics you’ve come to expect and, after the David Fisher segment, we have listener feedback and what we’ve been watching this past month. A jam-packed episode! Tune in! Contact us: X / Twitter: @theDWshow Bluesky: @thedwshow.net Facebook: facebook.com/theDWshow Email: hello@theDWshow.net

Join Dave from the Doctor Who Show, Rob from 42 to Doomsday, and Richard from Spacefall: A Blakes 7 Podcast, after knocking back a few gin and tonics at Dave’s place and watching Day of the Daleks. Day of the Daleks is the first serial of the ninth season of Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in four weekly parts from 1 to 22 January 1972. It was the first of four Third Doctor serials to feature the Daleks, which returned to the series for the first time since The Evil of the Daleks (1967). The Doctor and UNIT investigate the attempted assassination of British diplomat Sir Reginald Styles, whose attacker apparently disappeared into thin air. And yes, there’s a musical number at the end 😉 Contact us: X / Twitter: @theDWshow Bluesky: @thedwshow.net Facebook: facebook.com/theDWshow Email: hello@theDWshow.net

For the 56th episode of THE LIST MAKERS, we discuss which (living) Doctor Who people we'd most like to see on a convention panel. Will this be particularly challenging for Rob, given his total disinterest in such events? Where will Dave take his list? Between them, can they come up with the ultimate convention guest list? What would your picks be? Why not write in and let us know? Contact us: X / Twitter: @theDWshow Bluesky: @thedwshow.net Facebook: facebook.com/theDWshow Email: hello@theDWshow.net

With the wait between THE REALITY WAR and the 2026 DOCTOR WHO CHRISTMAS SPECIAL lasting longer that the 1985 hiatus did (1 year 6 months and 24 days versus 1 year, 5 months, and 24 days), the only logical thing to do was make a pop record. Friend of the show (and sometime co-host) Mike Solko really shouldn't have put this idea in my head. Enjoy - Rob DOCTOR IN RECESS (Intro) Eighteen months is too long to wait, BBC please, don’t aggravate. (Verse 1) The TARDIS doors are shuttered, The filming lights are dim, We’re left with endless theories, And one half-regenerated him. They promised worlds of wonder, And merch from here to Mars, But when the numbers wobbled, They crash-landed the TARDIS hard. (Chorus) Doctor in recess, Let’s all answer this time stress, Doctor in recess, Our fandom’s under real duress! (Verse 2) There’s Daleks feeling restless, The Cybermen look bored, The Weeping Angels whisper, “You can blink if we’re ignored!” The Master’s doing TikToks, The Ood are serving tea, And somewhere in Cardiff, Time stands still on the BBC. (Bridge) Bring him back now, we’ll take no less, The fandom’s losing its consciousness, The universe is stuck once more, And waiting till ‘26 is such a chore. (Verse 3) We’ve learned to love each Doctor, Each face that comes and goes, From Eccleston to Gatwa, And whoever the next one shows. The monsters are all waiting, The Daleks need their cue, Without a weekly scream to stream, What’s a poor fan meant to do? (Final Chorus) Doctor in recess, Let’s all answer this time stress, Doctor in recess, Our fandom’s under real duress! Doctor in recess... The long wait’s causing time distress!

The Doctor Who partnership between Disney and the BBC has officially ended, with Disney stepping away from the co-production deal after two seasons. Although Disney will still air the upcoming spin-off The War Between the Land and the Sea, the BBC has affirmed that Doctor Who will continue “with or without Disney,” and has confirmed a Christmas special penned by Russell T Davies for 25 December 2026. Rob has thoughts. Contact us: X / Twitter: @theDWshow Bluesky: @thedwshow.net Facebook: facebook.com/theDWshow Email: hello@theDWshow.net

There's a LOT to get through this month - from missing episodes on the verge of being found, to Bad Wolf being quite annoyed at a high-profile Doctor Who writer saying what everyone else was thinking... and that's just the news, folks. After some short topics, we get to the meat of this episode - a deep dive into the Missing Adventure, Cold Fusion, the twenty-ninth novel in that series. It was written by Lance Parkin and was the only multi-Doctor story involving televised Doctors ever told by Virgin Books, pairing the 5th Doctor of Season 19 with the 7th Doctor from near the end of the Virgin New Adventures line. If you're unfamiliar with the story but want to make sense of our review, we dropped a 10-minute synopsis of the novel on our podcast feed yesterday. Look it up! To close, we open the mailbag for a ton of feedback from our listeners on a number of topics related to past podcasts and Doctor Who in general. Enjoy, dear listener. Contact us: X / Twitter: @theDWshow Bluesky: @thedwshow.net Facebook: facebook.com/theDWshow Email: hello@theDWshow.net

This episode offers a 10-minute full synopsis of the 1996 Virgin Books Doctor Who novel Cold Fusion. Since the book is now almost 30 years old, we know many listeners may not have read it recently — or perhaps ever. If you don’t want to feel left out of our Cold Fusion discussion on tomorrow’s monthly show, this episode is the perfect way to refresh your memory or get up to speed beforehand. Contact us: X / Twitter: @theDWshow Bluesky: @thedwshow.net Facebook: facebook.com/theDWshow Email: hello@theDWshow.net

In a 32nd outing for the irregular ALTERNATE GALAXIES mini-podcast on our feed, we’ve sat down with Star Trek: First Contact - as voted for by YOU - and give our thoughts on it. What did we make of it? Patrick Stewart as Jean-Luc Picard Jonathan Frakes as William Riker Brent Spiner as Data LeVar Burton as Geordi La Forge Michael Dorn as Worf Gates McFadden as Beverly Crusher Marina Sirtis as Deanna Troi Alfre Woodard as Lily Sloane James Cromwell as Zefram Cochrane Alice Krige as Borg Queen Neal McDonough as Lieutenant Hawk Dwight Schultz as Reginald Barclay Robert Picardo as The EMH Doctor Contact us: X / Twitter: @theDWshow Bluesky: @thedwshow.net Facebook: facebook.com/theDWshow Email: hello@theDWshow.net

For the 55th episode of THE LIST MAKERS, listener Justin Falkus has challenged us to come up with the top classic era stories that are under 4 episodes in length. Will there be snaps? Will Rob find a cheat? Will Dave pull out a surprise? What would your picks be? Why not write in and let us know? Contact us: X / Twitter: @theDWshow Bluesky: @thedwshow.net Facebook: facebook.com/theDWshow Email: hello@theDWshow.net

This month Mark Cockram (All of Time and Space; Nerdology UK), joins the podcast as a guest host in Dave's absence to talk about The Caves of Androzani with Rob. Before that, the usual mix of news and short topics. Then, after the chat about Davo's swansong, we open the mailbag for a ton of feedback from our listeners on a number of topics. Enjoy, dear listener. Contact us: X / Twitter: @theDWshow Bluesky: @thedwshow.net Facebook: facebook.com/theDWshow Email: hello@theDWshow.net

In a 31st outing for the irregular ALTERNATE GALAXIES mini-podcast on our feed, we’ve sat down with Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, and give our thoughts on it. What did we make of it? William Shatner as Captain James T. Kirk Leonard Nimoy as Spock DeForest Kelley as Dr. Leonard “Bones” McCoy James Doohan as Montgomery “Scotty” Scott George Takei as Hikaru Sulu Nichelle Nichols as Uhura Walter Koenig as Pavel Chekov Kim Cattrall as Valeris Christopher Plummer as Chang David Warner as Gorkon Rosanna DeSoto as Azetbur Iman as Martia Brock Peters as Admiral Cartwright Kurtwood Smith as the Federation President René Auberjonois as Colonel West Michael Dorn as Colonel Worf Contact us: X / Twitter: @theDWshow Bluesky: @thedwshow.net Facebook: facebook.com/theDWshow Email: hello@theDWshow.net

Join Dave from the Doctor Who Show, Mark & Rob from 42 to Doomsday, and Richard from Spacefall: A Blakes 7 Podcast, after knocking back a few gin and tonics at Dave’s place and watching a grab bag of four unrelated Patrick Troughton episodes from the 'Lost in Time' DVD release. The episodes: The Underwater Menace, Episode 3 Evil of the Daleks, Episode 2 The Abominable Snowmen, Episode 2 The Wheel in Space, Episode 6 And yes, there’s a musical number at the end 😉 Contact us: X / Twitter: @theDWshow Bluesky: @thedwshow.net Facebook: facebook.com/theDWshow Email: hello@theDWshow.net

For our 54th episode of THE LIST MAKERS, listener Zack Forest has challenged us for the top 'Wilderness Years' projects that aren't literature based. Hmmmmmm, with Rob and Dave approaching the era completely differently back in the day, where will these lists go? What would your picks be? Why not write in and let us know? Contact us: X / Twitter: @theDWshow Bluesky: @thedwshow.net Facebook: facebook.com/theDWshow Email: hello@theDWshow.net

This month, we’re diving into the second Colin Baker season, collectively known as The Trial of a Time Lord, but also known to many fans as the individual stories, The Mysterious Planet, Mindwarp, Terror of the Vervoids, and The Ultimate Foe. Before that, we kick things off with the usual mix of news and short topics. Then, after the Season 23 chat, we open the mailbag for a ton of feedback from our listeners on a number of topics. Enjoy, dear listener. Contact us: X / Twitter: @theDWshow Bluesky: @thedwshow.net Facebook: facebook.com/theDWshow Email: hello@theDWshow.net

Over the past five years, friend of the podcast Dylan Rees has worked at compiling the complete story of Reeltime Pictures, from the earliest days of its acclaimed Myth Makers interview tapes, through to the production of ambitious dramas and documentaries. The resulting book tells the story of Keith Barnfather’s passion and dedication to develop a valuable archive of material - starting in the days of VHS through to DVD, Blu-ray, streaming and downloads - which chronicles the complete production history of classic Doctor Who. In tonight's episode Dylan sits down with Rob to discuss the book; what inspired it, what it was like to write, and even where a complete newbie to Reeltime could start with the archive. The book will be launched at the Whooverville 16 Convention on 30 August 2025 in Derby, UK.

In a 30th outing for the irregular ALTERNATE GALAXIES mini-podcast on our feed, we’ve sat down with Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, and give our thoughts on it. What did we make of it? William Shatner as Captain James T. Kirk Ricardo Montalbán as Khan Noonien Singh Leonard Nimoy as Spock DeForest Kelley as Dr. Leonard “Bones” McCoy James Doohan as Montgomery “Scotty” Scott George Takei as Hikaru Sulu Nichelle Nichols as Uhura Walter Koenig as Pavel Chekov Merritt Butrick as David Marcus Bibi Besch as Carol Marcus Contact us: X / Twitter: @theDWshow Bluesky: @thedwshow.net Facebook: facebook.com/theDWshow Email: hello@theDWshow.net

Join Dave from the Doctor Who Show, Rob from 42 to Doomsday, and Richard from Spacefall: A Blakes 7 Podcast, after knocking back a few gin and tonics at Dave’s place and watching 1985's The Mark of the Rani by Pip and Jane Baker. How long has it been since any of them watched the story? What do they think of it, here in 2025? And yes, there’s a musical number at the end 😉

For our 53rd episode of THE LIST MAKERS, long time listener Dylan Mooney has asked us for our top Master stories. Given the character has been around 54 years, and used regularly for much of that time, it gives us quite a lot of stories to choose our lists from! What are our top Master stories? What are yours? Why not write in and let us know? Contact us: X / Twitter: @theDWshow Bluesky: @thedwshow.net Facebook: facebook.com/theDWshow Email: hello@theDWshow.net

This month, we’re diving into the two Dalek movies from the 1960s, starring Peter Cushing as the Doctor. They are, of course, Dr Who and the Daleks & Daleks' Invasion of Earth 2150 AD. Before that, we kick things off with the usual mix of news and short topics you’ve come to expect. Then, after the movie chat, we open the mailbag for a ton of feedback from our listeners on a number of topics. Enjoy, dear listener. Contact us: X / Twitter: @theDWshow Bluesky: @thedwshow.net Facebook: facebook.com/theDWshow Email: hello@theDWshow.net

In the 29th outing for the ALTERNATE GALAXIES mini-podcast on our feed, we’ve sat down with The NeverEnding Story, and give our thoughts on it. Barret Oliver as Bastian Balthazar Bux Noah Hathaway as Atreyu Tami Stronach as The Childlike Empress What did we make of it? Contact us: X / Twitter: @theDWshow Bluesky: @thedwshow.net Facebook: facebook.com/theDWshow Email: hello@theDWshow.net