126 – The Return of Doctor Mysterio (Yeah!)

Our last first of the year is the first episode of 2016 (finally!), “The Return of Doctor Mysterio”. Join Deb, Erika, Katrina, Liz, and Lynne for an almost-full set of Verities discussing this comic book pastiche and whether it succeeded wildly or failed mildly.

Did you love this Christmas special? Did you think it was just okay? Did you see it in the theatre? Let us know all these things (and anything else you have on your mind about this year of firsts) in the comments!

^E

Also covered:

• Lynne listened to the Tennant-Tate Big Finish adventure, Technophobia!
• Kat starred in a recent Doctor Who’s Line, Is It? … Anyway? episode!
• Liz enjoyed Matt Smith in Pride and Prejudice and Zombies!
• Erika
  • showed “Black Orchid” to appreciative classic Who n00bs!
  • finally framed a couple Tom Baker pictures!
• Deb can’t believe Verity! is featured in an article in the Doctor Who Magazine Yearbook!

Bonus links:
Lynne’s blog post about Pride and Prejudice and Zombies
Graham Kibble White’s additional blog post on Verity!
Inverse‘s article about comic book Easter eggs in the Xmas ep

Download or listen now (runtime 1:26:00) 

122 – Doing the Robot

Another excellent first for you this week! Join Deb, Erika, Lynne, and Tansy as we discuss the 4th Doctor’s first episode. It’s also a first in a few other ways–including in our hearts for some.

How do you feel about “Robot”? Do you love the big lug, the wackypants new Doctor who defeats him, and Sarah Jane’s go-get-’em attitude? Or do you think it’s so blatant a King Kong ripoff it distracts you from the story. Let us know in the comments!

^E

Also covered:

• Lynne purchased secret Doctor Who-themed Christmas presents for Michael! [Please note, the link here is a generic link and in no way hints at whatever Lynne might’ve purchased.]
• Tansy looks forward to seeing “The Power of the Daleks” in a movie theatre!
• Erika can’t wait for Chicago TARDIS, where she and Lynne will present Verity: In Defense Of!
• Deb
  • by now has already had wild fun at LI Who!
  • adores the new Doctor Who scarf and hat!

Download or listen now (runtime 1:14:29)

118 – Washing Clothes in Adriclandia

It’s another old-school first! This time, it’s the first episode directed by Fiona Cumming (though not her first association with Doctor Who), as well as the first Fifth Doctor episode. There’s A Lot of fun to be had. And yes, sometimes there’s a quote so good you just have to give up on shoehorning the DW ep title into the podcast ep title.

What do you think about “Castrovalva”? Do you love the script and direction and acting and everything else all the time? Or did you get bored with the tromping through the forest? Let us know in the comments!

^E

Also covered:

• Lynne
  • squees mightily over certain (possibly spoilerey) leaked set pics from series 10!
  • has a Peggy Carter FunkoPop fig at her desk at work!
• Erika
  • has hockey fever and cheers for Team North America in the World Cup of Hockey!
  • will be doing a Doctor Who panel at Edmonton Expo with Steven, Sam Maggs, and Mark Meer!
  • will be attending the Now Hear This Podcast Festival in Anaheim in late October!
• Deb
  • cannot wait to get her hands on Paul Cornell and Christopher Jones‘s new Third Doctor comic!
  • also has hockey fever and can’t wait for a soon-to-begin podcast (by ladies!) called Shut Your Five Hole!

Bonus links:
Verity! won a Parsec Award! (As did Uncanny Magazine Podcast and The Incomparable)
The Fangirl’s Guide to the Galaxy: A Handbook for Girl Geeks
The astronaut mansplainer
Companion Piece: Women Celebrate the Humans, Aliens and Tin Dogs of Doctor Who
Toby Hadoke’s Who’s Round – interview with Fiona Cumming

Download or listen now (runtime 1:05:51) 

116 – Spearheading a New Era

Once again we dip into Classic Who with an episode steeped in firsts. Join Deb, Erika, Kat and Tansy as they revisit “Spearhead From Space” and talk about the first Third Doctor story, the first Liz Shaw story, the first Doctor Who in color and more! Listen as Deb and Tansy squee, Erika (shockingly) discovers that she actually likes a Pertwee story and Kat being amused at the mayhem.

How does “Spearhead from Space” fare in your Classic Who rankings? Do you feel this is a good jumping off point for Classic Who or do you think this story is an outlier. Can you identify Mr. Seely’s accent and WHAT is up with those tan lines?

Leave us a comment and let us know what you think!

^D

Also covered:

• Tansy discovers postcards from Tom Baker to her mother!
• Kat discovers a Doctor Who location is near her ancestral home!
• Erika
  • joins Steven and Josh at The High Council Podcast to watch “Paradise Towers”!
  • wishes Radio Free Skaro a happy Tenth Anniversary!
• Deb
  • enjoyed the #fav7Who party on Twitter!
  • had fun participating in the Ravellenic Games on Ravelry (membership required)!

Download or listen now (runtime 1:22:00) 

114 – Aztec Savvy

It’s a sangria-fueled classic-Who-episode of Verity! Join Deb, Erika, and Katrina as we cover a pure historical, “The Aztecs”. As usual, we don’t all fall in line with received fan wisdom, but for a change, the majority of us do.

Are you a fan of “The Aztecs”? Or are you bored by the lack of sci-fi elements? Let us know in the comments!

^E

Also covered:

• Kat fangirls over The Fangirl Life: A Guide to All the Feels and Learning How to Deal by Kathleen Smith (as well as Kathleen’s blog)!
• Erika found Kate McKinnon’s character in Ghostbusters as affecting as many female Doctor Who fans found Ace-in-a-tux!
• Deb reminisces over the very first Verity!-related recording, an interview on ep 342 of Radio Free Skaro!

Bonus links:
Lazy Doctor Who covers “The Aztecs”
Doctor Who: The Writers’ Room

Download or listen now (runtime 1:12:29) 

113 – Law & Order: Marinus

Our trip through classic season one is back to moving pictures! Join Deb, Erika, Lynne, and Tansy as we cover Terry Nation’s eclectic 6-parter, “The Keys of Marinus”. There’s a lot to love and some to not-love. Listen and see who thinks which parts are which!

How do you feel about this story? Do you love its fairy-tale nature and the multiple adventures? Or do you think it drags? If the latter, which parts drag? We’re super-curious to know, so please tell us in the comments!

^E

Also covered:

• Lynne
  • guested on the Just Enough Trope podcast!
  • acquired the 12th Doctor’s sonic screwdriver!
• Erika celebrated Canada Day with a Lazy Doctor Who mini-marathon!
• Tansy watched 60s Doctor Who (including “The Underwater Menace”) with children!
• Deb
  • enjoyed the Doctor Who: The Fan Show + Doctor Puppet!
  • LOLed at David Tennant reading tweets to Donald Trump (NSFW)!

Bonus links:
Lazy Doctor Who covers “The Keys of Marinus”
Blake’s 7
Outside In: 160 New Perspectives on 160 Classic Doctor Who Stories by 160 Writers (shout-out to Cassandra Fredrickson, who wrote about “The Keys of Marinus”)

Download or listen now (runtime 1:17:56) 

112 – Paddy Russell (Fang) Rocks!

It’s a rare Verity! two-hander! Join Erika and Lynne as we chat about Doctor Who‘s first female director Paddy Russell, specifically, her final story “Horror of Fang Rock”. Turns out there are a number of reasons this story works as a “first”, so we’re still well within our annual theme. Totally. Really.

What do you think of “Fang Rock” and Paddy’s direction? Do you find it as atmospheric and moody and delightful as we do? Or do you think it’s a lot of talking in small rooms? Let us know in the comments!

^E

Also covered:

• Lynne
  • is thrilled the series 10 read-through has begun!
  • gets to talk about Doctor Who at an academic summer camp!
• Erika
  • met Annette’s teeny tiny foster kittens “Doctor Mew” and “Roary the Roman”!
  • posted pics of the LEGO Verities in the TARDIS!
  • hopes “Heaven Sent” will make the final ballot for the Emmy Awards!

Download or listen now (runtime 1:09:56) 

110 – Mehnlightenment

It’s a classic-Who first! Join Deb, Erika, and Katrina as they talk about the first Doctor Who story written by a woman, Barbara Clegg’s “Enlightenment”. Not for the first time, Erika and Kat go against received fan wisdom and are lukewarm at best toward this story. Good thing Deb is here to balance things out.

What do you think of “Enlightenment”? Are you drawn in by its fascinating concepts? Or left cold by a lack of connection to what’s happening on screen? Let us know in the comments!

^E

Also covered:

• Kat is thrilled by Janto reunion news:
  • John Barrowman and Gareth David Lloyd are recording together again!
  • They recorded a video at Ianto’s Shrine!
• Erika enjoys the joy of her spouse at getting the 12th Doctor’s sonic screwdriver!
• Deb points out some scraps of new DW content:
  • The Legends of River Song!
  • David Tennant and Catherine Tate’s new Big Finish audio!

Bonus link:
Our Amazon Giveaway goes until May 27!

Download or listen now (runtime 1:07:40) 

108 – 1 New Companion & 2 Classic Stories

We are all over the map this week! Join Deb, Erika, Katrina, and Liz as we discuss all sorts of interesting Doctor Who goodness.

First, we dump our “happy thing” segment and break our no-news rule because the announcement of a new companion is a Big Deal! We’re excited about having a new face in the TARDIS, but the level of excitement varies wildly between Verities.

Next, we continue our run through classic season 1 with “The Edge of Destruction”. It’s a fascinating set piece that delves into the characters of our first TARDIS team in a spooky and often disturbing way. Chillingly delightful!

Finally, we touch on our first missing story, “Marco Polo”. There are oodles of ways to consume this one, and we all did it differently. We compare various methods and talk about the story itself. Opinions vary on this one even more than they do on the new companion.

Oh, and in addition to all that, we’re doing another Verity! GIVEAWAY! If you need some cool fan merch, Redbubble is the place for you, and we’re giving away a $25 gift certificate. To enter, just head over to the Giveaway Post and leave a comment before Friday, May 6th! (NOTE: If you’re one of our amazing, intelligent, attractive Patreon supporters, you’re entered automatically!)

As for the comments section here, let us know what you think of Bill, “The Edge of Destruction”, “Marco Polo”, your favorite Doctor Who comedy podcasts, and whatever else we touched on. We’re all ears!

^E

Bonus links:
“Real” video by Years and Years (ft Pearl Mackie)
“asBill Evenson”
The Audio Guide to Babylon 5
Lazy Doctor Who covers “The Edge of Destruction” and “Marco Polo”

Download or listen now (runtime 1:41:10) 

Extra! – You Never Forget Your First

…except when you do. Join Deb, Erika, Liz, and Lynne as we struggle to remember a bunch of Doctor Who firsts. We talk tat, books, Big Finish, and more! That “more” includes fanworks, so I’m including this for Liz once again:

So what were your firsts in these categories? And what other firsts would you like to hear about? Let us know in the comments!

^E

Related links:

Dalek Krack

United Fan Con 2000
Chicago TARDIS
Gallifrey One
Seasons of Fear
The Sirens of Time
Storm Warning
The Doctor Who Programme Guide
The Terrestrial Index
The Doctor Who Pattern Book
The Eight Doctors (as covered by The Doctor Who Book Club Podcast)
Lazy Doctor Who

Download or listen now (runtime 44:51)