Which Doctor Who stories dig deepest into faith, gods, belief, and the divine?

From the black-and-white classics to the modern era, we’ve ranked our favourite episodes that wrestle with religion and unpack where each one takes the topic.

Got twenty minutes? Come with us.

And while you’re here... what would make your list? Drop us a line and tell us why.

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Bluesky: @thedwshow.net X / Twitter: @theDWshow Email: hello@theDWshow.net Substack: thedwshow.substack.com Facebook: facebook.com/theDWshow

There are some TV shows that are perfectly suited to Alternate Galaxies. And then there’s The X-Files, a show that Rob has loved since it first hit Australian television in 1994, watched from beginning to end multiple times, and spent his university years discussing with strangers on the early Internet. The problem? It’s over 200 episodes long, and Dave had somehow managed to go through the entire 1990s, the 2000s, the 2010s and most of the 2020s without watching it.

So, we needed a plan.

That plan has been to throw Dave into the deep end - but only six episodes deep to start with. Rob has picked six stories from the first four seasons that don't require you to know the show's mythology, while trying to give Dave a proper taste of the enormous tonal range of The X-Files. There are monsters, Satanists, serial killers, psychic phenomena and alien abductions, but also some extremely funny episodes where the show gleefully takes the piss out of itself. Dave then immediately broke the rules by watching a seventh episode, because apparently six episodes of homework wasn't enough.

Our selections take us from the early monster-of-the-week classic Squeeze, through the Satanic weirdness of Die Hand Die Verletzt, the melancholy brilliance of Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose, the genuinely harrowing Oubliette, the gloriously bonkers Jose Chung's From Outer Space and finally the dark serial-killer story Paper Hearts.

We'll keep Dave's rougue choice a secret for now.

Did you watch the X-Files back in the day? Have you watched it since? What do you think of Rob's episode choices? Which ones would you have given Dave?

Contact us:

Bluesky: @thedwshow.net X / Twitter: @theDWshow Email: hello@theDWshow.net Substack: thedwshow.substack.com Facebook: facebook.com/theDWshow

This month on the podcast, we saddle up and head for Mercy, Nevada, where the Doctor encounters a gunslinger, a disgraced alien doctor, a town full of terrified humans, and one hell of a moral dilemma.

We’re talking A Town Called Mercy - the 2012 Eleventh Doctor story that asks some pretty uncomfortable questions about mercy, vengeance, guilt and whether the Doctor gets to decide who deserves to live.

Before that, there’s the usual assortment of news and short topics, and afterwards we dig into the mailbag for a heap of listener feedback.

So grab your hat, keep an eye out for cyborgs, and ponder what YOU would do with an alien war criminal.

Enjoy, dear listener.

Contact us:

Bluesky: @thedwshow.net X / Twitter: @theDWshow Email: hello@theDWshow.net Substack: thedwshow.substack.com Facebook: facebook.com/theDWshow

Listener Brandon Moore set us a challenge this month: What are the greatest single episodes of Doctor Who that are part of larger, multi-part stories?

From the classics to Nu Who, we’ve picked our favourites and taken a look at what makes these individual episodes stand out.

If you’ve got 20m to spare, we’d love you to tune in.

What would make your list? Why not write in and let us know?

Contact us:

Bluesky: @thedwshow.net X / Twitter: @theDWshow Email: hello@theDWshow.net Substack: thedwshow.substack.com Facebook: facebook.com/theDWshow

In today’s episode we look at The Paradise of Death – the five-part BBC Radio 5 Doctor Who audio drama starring Jon Pertwee as the Third Doctor, originally broadcast weekly from 27 August to 24 September 1993.

Before that, we kick things off with the usual mix of news and short topics. Then, after the audio drama chat, we open the mailbag for a ton of feedback from our listeners on a number of topics.

Enjoy, dear listener.

Contact us:

Bluesky: @thedwshow.net X / Twitter: @theDWshow Email: hello@theDWshow.net Substack: thedwshow.substack.com Facebook: facebook.com/theDWshow

Listener Frankie Naughton set us a challenge this month - who are the greatest directors from the classic era of Doctor Who?

From the atmospheric to the ambitious, the stylish to the inventive, we’ve picked our favourites and taken a look at what made their work stand out.

If you’ve got 20m to spare, we’d love you to tune in.

Who would make your list? Why not write in and let us know?

Contact us:

Bluesky: @thedwshow.net X / Twitter: @theDWshow Email: hello@theDWshow.net Substack: thedwshow.substack.com Facebook: facebook.com/theDWshow

Don’t Read the Comments is an irregular podcast on our feed where we ignore the show’s title and actually read online comments relating to something going on in the world of Doctor Who.

Today, Rob is reading comments from the Gallifrey subreddit relating to the latest rumours about the future of Doctor Who. Specifically, reports that American production company Electric Entertainment is interested in taking over the show, with David Tennant reportedly wanted back in the role of the Doctor.

Electric Entertainment boss Dean Devlin has since confirmed the company is interested in Doctor Who, while denying that any negotiations with the BBC have taken place.

So what does the Gallifrey sub make of the prospect of Tennant returning to Doctor Who for a third bite at the Time Lord cherry? Rob finds out.

Contact us: Bluesky: @thedwshow.net X / Twitter: @theDWshow Email: hello@theDWshow.net Substack: thedwshow.substack.com Facebook: facebook.com/theDWshow

Join Dave from the Doctor Who Show, Rob and Mark 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 The Hand of Fear.

The story sees the Fourth Doctor, played by Tom Baker, and Sarah Jane Smith, played by Elisabeth Sladen, investigating the discovery of a mysterious fossilised hand following a quarry explosion. Before long, Sarah is possessed by an alien consciousness, while the Doctor is left trying to work out exactly what has fallen to Earth and what it wants.

Originally broadcast in four weekly parts from 2 to 23 October 1976, The Hand of Fear is probably most notable for marking Elisabeth Sladen’s final regular appearance as Sarah Jane Smith and the last story in which the Doctor and Sarah travel together in the TARDIS.

So pour yourself a G&T and join us as we get to grips with one of the Fourth Doctor era's most memorable departures.

Contact us: Bluesky: @thedwshow.net X / Twitter: @theDWshow Email: hello@theDWshow.net Substack: thedwshow.substack.com Facebook: facebook.com/theDWshow