FAQ

• Can I listen to your podcast without having seen the TV episodes?
• How often are new episodes of Who Back When released?
• Is it possible to add my own comments and thoughts to your podcast/online reviews?
• Is it possible to listen to the podcast outside of iTunes?
• What’s the podcast all about?
• What about the years when a single story arc would span a whole series?
• What about the movies?
• What about K-9 & Friends
• What about the Audio Dramas?
• Why start in 1963 and not 2005?
• There was a Doctor before Christopher Eccleston?
• How come I get a “Wibbly-Wobbly” Oops on your gorgeous website?
• How does your episode rating system work?
• How can I show my appreciation of Who Back When?
• Who are the marvellous hosts of this show?
• Can I ask a question that hasn’t already been answered in this FAQ?

Can I listen to your podcast without having seen the TV episodes?

Sure. As we summarise the episodes as we go along, you should be perfectly able to follow the plot and, potentially, consider it a biased, humorous, often vulgar and constantly editorialised audiobook version of the TV episodes. We do recommend that you watch the TV show, though, to avoid spoilers, because it’s fantastic!

How often are new episodes of Who Back When released?

We endeavour to release a new episode every week, but after about four years and just under 200 episodes in total, clearly we’ve been a little lax at times. To make sure you find out when a new episode drops, the easiest thing is to subscribe to us on iTunes and/or like us on Facebook. That way, you’ll get the episode when it comes out and/or be notified of its release.

Is it possible to add my own comments and thoughts to your podcast/online reviews?

Abso-friggin-lutely! Just email us your mini-reviews (maximum 250 words) of the next Doctor Who story that we’re reviewing, which is announced here, before we’ve recorded it, and we’ll happily read it out loud on the podcast, providing it’s not offensive.

(Bear in mind if you send us an essay, we may not have time to read the whole thing out loud on the air.)

There’s also a comment section on all episode pages, so that you guys can let us know how much you (dis)agree with what we said in our respective review, or even post a review of your own! Do it!

Is it possible to listen to the podcast outside of iTunes?

Sure is! You can either listen to the episodes right off this website, streaming it off searches/indices and of course the episode pages in question (just look for a play button – you’ll figure it out), or you can simply add our RSS feed to whatever reader you use. The latter has been confirmed to work on Android devices with Beyond Pod and Podkicker. If you prefer, you can even download the episode MP3 files straight from the episode pages in question, so you can listen to them offline and at your leisure.

What’s the podcast all about?

Essentially, we’ve taken it upon ourselves to summarise, discuss, review, debate and rate (or, where applicable, make fun of) every single Doctor Who episode made since the show started in 1963. In the beginning, in fact for about 100 episodes, we summarised the whole story from start to finish while stopping to discuss anything that stood out as particularly interesting in the chronology of the Doc, didn’t seem to make sense to us, or was just generally bad-ass. Since then, the podcast has taken on more of a free-form talkshow structure.

Back in the day, DW wasn’t an “alien of the week”-type show. It was more like “alien of the weeks“. Several episodes would cluster together to form one story arc. Thus, in every episode of our podcast, with the exception of the odd bonus episode, we go through one such story. We can already anticipate your next question…

What about the years when a single story arc would span a whole series?

We’ll cross that bridge when we get there. Most likely, however, we’ll find a good way of splitting up that series into multiple podcasts.

What about the movies?

Of course we’ll review them as well, silly. We’ve already reviewed the Cushing ones, the McGann movie will follow in time, and we’ll undoubtedly cover the spin-offs as well.

What about K-9 & Friends

Hell, no. Although we may do a bonus episode at some point about the show, we will not be covering every individual K-9 episode.

What about the Audio Dramas?

You asked. We answered! For a while Who Back When was also reviewing the Doctor Who 8th Doctor Adventures Audiobooks. With the immense attention given to Paul McGann’s portrayal of The Doctor after his fantastic performance in Night of the Doctor, and The 8th Doctor’s (indirect) role in the Time War, this seemed a natural place to start. Besides, McGann’s Doc is amazing, as are the Big Finish audiobooks! You can find our audiobook reviews here.

We’ve since discontinued our Audiobook reviews, but may at some point dip another toe in those magical waters.

Why start in 1963 and not 2005?

To garner a better understanding of Doctor Who. In order to understand the Doctor, we’re exploring his origins, his previous companions, friends, foes, adventures. We love Doctor Who – largely, though not solely, thanks to the 2005 reboot – and now we want to really get to know him. Have you listened to one of our episodes? Then you believe us. Have you listened to more than one? Then you probably agree with us, too.

In case you hadn’t noticed, though, we also review the New Who episodes in parallel with the Classics. At the time of updating this FAQ, we’re partway into the Matt Smith years. Great stuff!

There was a Doctor before Christopher Eccleston?

You’re in luck. Somehow, the fact that this glorious show has been in existence since 1963 – And for Timelord knows how long in parallell universes! – has eluded you. Now, sit back, relax, and realise that you’re in the perfect position to immerse yourself in what is likely to be the greatest discovery of your life.

How come I get a “Wibbly-Wobbly Oops” on your gorgeous website?

That’s because you were probably looking for content that we haven’t added to the site yet. As time passes and more and more episodes drop, you’ll be encountering fewer and fewer Wibbly-Wobblies.

How does your episode rating system work?

0 = the worst it could possibly be. 5 = optimal. The rest is all bias and nerd reasoning. It should be pointed out, though, that we pride ourselves in not judging the classic Who unreasonably harshly just because they don’t feature massive CGI pieces. Everything is judged in proper context. Ever tried keying out green screen clips when all you’ve got at your disposal is monochrome footage? Precisely; Classic and Reboot command equal respect and will be judged on equal terms… Ok, mini-rant over.

How can I show my appreciation of Who Back When?

Easy-peasy. Like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter (individually, we’re found at @ponken & @nikulele & @drewbackwhen), leave a rating and review on iTunes, vote for Who Back When on Reddit, spread the word on your social network wall of choice – and in real life, even – or just drop us a message.

Who are the marvellous hosts of this show?

Great question! Thanks for asking. You should head on over to our About page to check out our bios and photos!

Can I ask a question that hasn’t already been answered in this FAQ?

Certainly! Send us an email at whobackwhen@gmail.com and we’ll get back to you as soon as we can.

Thanks for reading our FAQ!