The Writers' Room

Erik and Kyle

  • 1 hour 8 minutes
    The Angels Take Manhattan

    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.

    16 February 2025, 8:43 pm
  • 1 hour 31 minutes
    Dinosaurs on a Spaceship/The Power of Three

    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.

    20 January 2025, 6:57 pm
  • 2 minutes 16 seconds
    Update on LA Fire Situation

    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

    15 January 2025, 6:18 pm
  • 1 hour 29 minutes
    A Very Moffat Christmas part 1

    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.

    15 December 2024, 5:00 am
  • 53 minutes 23 seconds
    Asylum of the Daleks

    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.

    24 November 2024, 11:39 pm
  • 1 hour 13 minutes
    The Girl Who Waited and The Wedding of River Song

    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?!

    15 October 2024, 10:10 pm
  • 58 minutes 39 seconds
    The Lodger & Closing Time

    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.

    17 September 2024, 6:22 pm
  • 1 hour 15 minutes
    A Good Man Goes to War and Let's Kill Hitler

    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.

    18 August 2024, 6:33 pm
  • 59 minutes 45 seconds
    The Rebel Flesh/The Almost People

    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!

    15 July 2024, 4:00 am
  • 1 hour 3 minutes
    Neil Gaiman

    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?

    18 June 2024, 6:38 pm
  • 1 hour 18 minutes
    The Impossible Astronaut/Day of the Moon

    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.

    17 May 2024, 10:10 pm
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