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"Blooping is fine"

Mark invites Pete Lambert from the Trap One and Maximum Power podcasts to submit his five Doctor Who gripes for the very literal Tinsel Tunnel in an accidental Christmas special. Which of Pete's selections will force Mark to look back on his life choices like Ebenezer Scrooge? 

Is the 45 - 60 minute long episode of Doctor Who a dead medium? Why is Mrs Flood emblematic of a problem plaguing pop culture? And who trapped that bee inside a theramin? All this and more in the final In the Timelash of 2024!

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Mark invites writer, poet and programmer Andrew Blair - a man who doesn't have a Doctor Who podcast! However, Andrew's not short of Doctor Who gripes to send down the Tinsel Tunnel. Under discussion: What would World Enough and Time be like if it was written by Christopher H Bidmead? Is "Genesis of the Daleks" truly the moral highpoint of Doctor Who? And what does fandom have in common with the Crispy Master?

You can have a go on Andrew's Big Finish Generator here.

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"Firing a Doctor Who cake up your arse"

In their final look at the 60th anniversary specials, Ben and Mark welcome back the Toymaker by pairing up The Giggle with the unmade 1980s serial The Nightmare Fair. While the sense of an ending marks the 60th miniseries out as something special, have subsequent episodes of Doctor Who ruined the party? And after almost 60 years, has anyone got a handle on how to write for the Toymaker?

Also: Mark explains why Alex Horne is the true Toymaker, Ben recounts a Rab C Nesbitt locations tour, and we ponder what the Doctor Who equivalent of Spock's helmet might be. 

James Cooray-Smith's excellent article on The Celestial Toymaker can be read here.

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"Make Earth Wet Again"

Mark invites Film Stories' Mark Harrison to submit his five choices for the Tinsel Tunnel. Why doesn't Mark want to make Earth wet again? What's hiding underneath the scratchy red blanket? And why can't the Doctor go back and save Adric? All this and more!

Apologies for any audio issues you might experience with this episode, we'd have used AI to clean it up, but we don't have Ian Levine's considerable heft....I mean, wealth.

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Mark is joined by Luke Molloy to discuss Frazer Hines' 1996 autobiography, Films, Farms and Fillies. As they pick apart the thorny topics of sexual politics, life in the public eye, and changing attitudes to age gap romances, they try to answer such questions as: 

Who was bookended by the Krankies?
Whatever happened to Bernard Cribbins' "Dick of the Week" trophy?
Did Frazer Hines' autobiography change society?

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In the second of their David Tennant and Catherine Tate specials, Ben and Mark turn their attentions to Wild Blue Yonder, and pair it with both Big Finish's Scherzo, written by Rob Shearman, and Underworld, written by Bob Baker and Dave Martin.

Ben and Mark discuss Doctor Who's changing relationship with technology, from the primitive virtual sets of Underworld to the more advanced virtual sets of Wild Blue Yonder. But was the REDACTED marketing the downfall of an otherwise terrific story? And could Big Finish release something like Scherzo today?

Also: Mark gets out the good china and the Dalek napkin rings, while Ben finds out how many cupcakes you can fit inside a Dalek. 

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Ben, Mark and the Degsestial Funmaker return for a very special On the Time Lash miniseries focused on 2023's Tennant and Tate specials. Up first is The Star Beast, which Ben and Mark pair with the original Doctor Who and the Star Beast comic and its 2019 Big Finish adaptation. Which Beast is Best? And is there such a thing as too much Star Beast?

Also: Mark learns watercolours with Peter Davison, Ben reminisces about Frazer Hines' fridge freezer and we ask the questions - 

Is RTD a hard-left agitator or centrist dad apologist? 

What separates Miriam Margoyles from John Barrowman?

And what Doctor Who related clothing item can Ben guess in just 2 questions?

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"Get some f***ing perspective!"

Mark invites Strangers in Space's benevolent overseer, J.R. Southall to submit his five choices for the Tinsel Tunnel. Their discussion takes in the cultural milieu that led to the decline of Doctor Who, showrunner sectarianism, green goo, how we watch The One Show, and whether the Doctor should always have a British accent.

Also: Which book of J.R's is too hot for publishing? Why wasn't Philip Hinchcliffe doing Parkinson? And does Doctor Who really live on Saturdays? And what is the Love and Monsters of podcasts?

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In the first of a new series, Mark invites Strictly Come Hamster co-host Rod Brown to submit his five Doctor Who gripes to be thrown into the Timelash. Rod's choices lead to discussions about childhood bullies, the extraordinary lengths we go to for some new footage, and whether Doctor Who fandom has a martyr complex.

Also: Which classic Doctor Who producer is obsessed with tits? Are we really just a bunch of sad anoraks? And which Doctor Who institution is on trial for its very life in In the Timelash series 2?

You can watch the full Doctor Who episode of The Time the Place here.

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Mark is joined by Film Stories' Mark Harrison to discuss the history of censorship and Doctor Who. From the Australian censor clips of the 1960s to the BBFC's rulings on the Ncuti Gatwa era, the two Marks unpick whether regulatory oversight and "censorship" have been good for Doctor Who.

But don't worry, there are plenty of laughs along the way, including Ofcom's ruling on "insufficient underwear", why the Sacha Dhawan Master had a particularly awful Christmas Day, and which Ncuti Gatwa episode is officially more grisly than Attack of the Cyberman.

You can read Mark D's WhoCulture piece on censorship here.
You can listen to the BBFC's Doctor Who podcast here.

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In a break from your usual programming, Mark opens the doors of the On the Time Lash pub for a book club style chat with Doctor Who podcaster at large, Luke Molloy for a chat about "Run The Shadows Walk The Sun" by John Levene.

John Levene's life story is a beautiful contradiction; a celebrity autobiography by someone who was never a "celebrity", that is both brimming with enthusiasm and seething with rage.

Join Mark and Luke as they discover how 9/11 affected John Levene, why he fired John Travolta, and the truth about Sergeant Benton's duet with Susan Boyle.

You can read Mark's original review here.

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