Best Pete Pachal and Chris Taylor Podcasts (2025)

1
Fright of Your Life (HOT TAKE: "The Well") 42:51

6d ago42:51

42:51

Doctor Who has plunged into The Well — and trust us, you’ll want to keep your back covered. Pete and Chris tackle the chills, thrills, and high-stakes mystery of Season 2’s most intense episode yet. How does the Doctor face the unknown when it stares right back at him? How is the future of humanity suddenly more fragile than ever? And what clever c…

1
Heavy Meta (HOT TAKE: “Lux”) 40:28

13d ago40:28

40:28

RTD just gave us Alan Cumming as a cartoon god named Mr. Ring-a-Ding, and that’s not even the weirdest part of “Lux.” This episode has 2D-animated monsters, film reel body horror, meta commentary on fandom, and the Doctor using regeneration energy to treat a boo-boo. Pete and Chris are here to unwrap it all — from Mrs. Flood’s nuclear foreboding to…

1
Day of the Nurse (HOT TAKE: "The Robot Revolution") 46:32

20d ago46:32

46:32

It's the future, and your star registry gift just triggered a robotic uprising. Welcome to Doctor Who: The Robot Revolution, where RTD goes hard on visuals, soft on substance, and maybe too far on consent. The Pull To Open crew picks apart everything from glitchy AI metaphors to Belinda Chandra’s underbaked debut — and Pete almost expected a Robots…

1
Invade for TV (Discharging “Aliens of London and World War Three”) 1:38:49

27d ago1:38:49

1:38:49

Say it with us now: it’s not just Slitheen fart jokes. Aliens of London/World War Three is the Ecclestone-Piper powerhouse that firmly established how NuWho would grow beyond the old-school kind of Earth invasion. It would be smart, twisty, full of “real” fake media and political references. It would stuff the Prime Minister in a closet. And it wou…

1
The Reich Stuff (Vivisecting “The Sontaran Experiment”) 1:31:48

1M ago1:31:48

1:31:48

Sontar-what now? An odd little two-parter squished between two titanic Tom Baker classics, The Sontaran Experiment manages to downgrade its clone army villain — with a flimsy mask that makes him look more like a bald white dude amid a bunch of South African “colonials”, plus evil experiments that … don’t seem very science-y? We had fun concocting t…

1
The Companion Falls (Impacting “Earthshock”) 1:38:41

2M ago1:38:41

1:38:41

Adric’s fate, an unexpected "asteroid," and the triumphant return of the Cybermen—Earthshock is the definitive Doctor Who game-changer. From its big-budget action sequences to its brutal emotional gut punches, this Davison classic gave us one of the show’s most shocking cliffhangers and its most heart-wrenching companion exit. But does all the spec…

1
Breaking Dad (Reliving “Father’s Day”) 1:33:27

2M ago1:33:27

1:33:27

When Doctor Who returned in 2005, timey-wimey twists like Rose saving her dad in Father’s Day had rarely been seen on screen. But one entire Moffat era later, audiences are more sophisticated. So how does this small-scale Tyler tale land 20 years later? Do we still fear the Reapers? Grab your chunky carphone and make it to the church on time as we …

1
Electric Screams (Shipwrecking “Horror of Fang Rock”) 1:36:36

3M ago1:36:36

1:36:36

Just this once, Leela … everybody dies! Horror of Fang Rock may be a kind of bottle episode (well, a tall bottle with a big electric light on top), but no Doctor Who story has a higher percentage of guest cast killed. And with this bunch of refugees from an Agatha Christie play, who wouldn’t be rooting for a Rutan to off ’em? Join us as we peer int…

1
Slave New World (Liberating “Planet of the Ood”) 1:19:51

3M ago1:19:51

1:19:51

How do the Ood serve Doctor Who? Are they more interesting as harbingers of doom, pawns of the literal devil, or rabid victims of capitalist greed? Planet of the Ood takes the latter approach, and the result is a tale so dark even Donna Noble can’t lighten it up. Still, she (and we) can at least get on the Doctor’s case for his heavy-handed analogi…

1
Mazed and Confused (Mythologizing “The Horns of Nimon”) 1:24:37

3M ago1:24:37

1:24:37

Time waits for Nimon! Well, time waits for someone to appreciate The Horns of Nimon — the unintended finale to one of the greatest seasons of Doctor Who. With its drunk ballet bulls and a villain on a strict scenery diet, this could be a comedy classic. Or a triumph for Romana and her superior sonic. But is it? Dare to enter the labyrinth with us a…

1
Lord & Lady (Burglarizing “Planet of the Dead”) 1:29:37

4M ago1:29:37

1:29:37

A London bus, a mysterious wormhole, and a desert planet teeming with metal stingrays — Planet of the Dead boasts a hearty list of tasty Doctor Who plot ingredients even before you mix in a flirty almost-companion. David Tennant’s Doctor teams up with the aristocratic jewel thief Lady Christina de Souza in this slick, blockbuster-style Easter speci…

1
A Star Is Born (HOT TAKE: “Joy to the World”) 40:58

4M ago40:58

40:58

Good God, what is happening in Joy to the World, possibly the most time-wimey Doctor Who Christmas special to date. We’d expect nothing less from Steven Moffat, who stuffs a dinosaur, a bootstrap paradox, and a multi-Doctor story all into a holiday meal that’s anything but a turkey. You might want to dress yourself in several layers just to keep up…

1
A Wrinkle in Flesh Time (Enlightening “Four to Doomsday”) 1:27:04

4M ago1:27:04

1:27:04

There's bad Doctor Who that makes you ROFL. There's bad Doctor Who that just leaves you baffled. And sometimes, if you're lucky, you find both in one story. Four to Doomsday, Peter Davison's first dip in the Who pool, was a tale of two reactions for Team PTO. Good thing the political angles (incel Adric, anyone?) were so outnumbered by hilarious/du…

1
Nonrapid Transit (Jackknifing “Gridlock”) 1:27:21

5M ago1:27:21

1:27:21

“Stuck in traffic for ages” may be the most mundane sci-fi concept Doctor Who has ever offered. Yet Gridlock shines through the smog, even though we have to wonder why they don’t have smog-free EVs in the year five billion. How did RTD do it? Three words: great artists steal. Even when they’re stealing from the galaxy’s greatest comic, 2000AD. Join…

1
Get Back (Reversing “The Edge of Destruction”) 1:34:28

5M ago1:34:28

1:34:28

In a sense, Doctor Who delivered its scariest story ever on its third outing. There’s something truly unsettling about The Edge of Destruction, especially in our unsettled times. The show seems to be tearing itself apart, annihilating dialogue, turning viewers against Ian, Susan and the Doctor (but blessedly not Barbara) when we’ve barely got to kn…

1
Axis of Medieval (Besieging “The Time Warrior”) 1:28:20

6M ago1:28:20

1:28:20

Did New Who start in 2005 … or 1973? The Time Warrior fell from the stars with a surprising number of firsts for a show in its 11th year: not just the first Sontaran, but the debut of Sarah-Jane Smith, the diamond logo, the time tunnel, and a planet called (checks notes) Gallifrey. But that’s not all: Robert Holmes’ script brings a Moffat-y level o…

1
Repeater Capaldi (Confessing “Heaven Sent”) 1:44:13

6M ago1:44:13

1:44:13

If we didn’t know better, we’d say we’ve been waiting to talk about this Peter Capaldi episode for 7,000 years. Or is it two billion? Time seems to drag when you’re punching a wall made of random Doctor Who. Heaven Sent was an instant classic, but is this piece of clockwork perfection also the best story ever? We confess, we’re not sure. Good thing…

1
Better Call Thal (Refrigerating “Planet of the Daleks”) 1:32:17

7M ago1:32:17

1:32:17

Destination: not Skaro! “The Planet* of the Daleks” is Terry Nation’s anniversary rewrite of the classic Hartnell tale that kickstarted Doctor Who. It’s “The Daleks” in color, decades before the BBC colorized “The Daleks.” But did those weird blond Thal heroes really jive with Jo Grant and the whole groovy Pertwee era? And what’s up with the invisi…

1
The Hateful Eight Legs (Reincarnating “Planet of the Spiders”) 1:44:42

7M ago1:44:42

1:44:42

A tear, Sarah Jane? The Third Doctor on his deathbed forbids it! We (and tear-friendly Fifteen) may look askance these days at the end of Planet of the Spiders, but the bigger question is: has any of the preceding story aged well? Join us as we examine a Frankenstein’s spider with too many legs: Pertwee stunts, far-future colonists, “Flowers for Al…

1
Forgotten Realm (Rectifying “The Girl Who Waited”) 1:25:42

8M ago1:25:42

1:25:42

Just how dangerous is traveling with the Doctor? It’s a fair question after revisiting The Girl Who Waited, which looks surprisingly dark 13 years after it aired — especially now that many who watched it back then are now closer in age to older Amy Pond. Join us as we ponder: Did this “Doctor Lite” episode portray Matt Smith as excessively cowardly…

1
Island Time (Cast Interviews from Long Island Who) 2:18:17

8M ago2:18:17

2:18:17

We shared a long, hot summer with Doctor Who, and we couldn't think of a better way to close it out than getting our TARDIS on at the 2024 Long Island Who convention! Blessedly, we were able to interview several people involved with the show — both actors and people behind the scenes — and we coaxed some original thoughts out of them. We also got a…

1
Burning a New Leaf (Mulching “Terror of the Vervoids”) 1:31:54

9M ago1:31:54

1:31:54

Terror of the Vervoids isn’t exactly the greatest Doctor Who story ever. Those plant-based villains were just … weird. But this bizarre aria from Colin Baker’s long swan song is now surprisingly relevant to the age of Ncuti. Why does Mel just appear out of nowhere? Is the Doctor just allowed to browse his future, or is there something more sinister…

1
Some Like It Scot (Reconstituting “Terror of the Zygons”) 1:33:38

9M ago1:33:38

1:33:38

Och aye the noo, it’s Scottish stereotype Who! Terror of the Zygons, written by an actual Scot, really packs them in: bagpipes, kilts, haggis, Nessie, North Sea oil, and monsters who look like they’ve eaten too many deep-fried Mars bars. It’s stylish, it’s suggestive, but does it hold up against 21st century Zygon yarns? Did we really have to lose …

1
Better With Two (Trimming “Partners in Crime") 1:24:29

10M ago1:24:29

1:24:29

We’d say Partners in Crime is the long-awaited rebirth of one of the best TARDIS teams ever, but that sounds way too dramatic for the Doctor and Donna. After all, they’re just a couple of mates mucking about in time and space, helping out where they can, and having a few laughs, right? Emphasis on that last part: the kickoff to David Tennant’s fina…

1
Battle of the Planets (Strafing “The Armageddon Factor”) 1:30:40

10M ago1:30:40

1:30:40

It’s all been leading to this: The Key to Time season promised a big payoff, one that would assemble the most powerful artifact in the universe and put the Doctor in the middle of a cosmic conflict between the Guardians (well before they had silly birds on their heads). But with the stakes so high, why are we spending so much time pondering princes…

1
The Dying Game (HOT TAKE: "Empire of Death") 50:09

10M ago50:09

50:09

Is it getting dusty in here? “Empire of Death” delivers a canon bomb that changes 49 years of Doctor Who history, alongside an emotional twist at the end. If you’re not crying Ncuti Gatwa-style at Ruby and her mum, check to see if you just crumbled into dust. But does the rest of the finale work? And is the Doctor a bad dog owner now? Join us as we…

1
Wait of the World (HOT TAKE: "The Legend of Ruby Sunday") 46:13

11M ago46:13

46:13

It’s official: The One Who Waits has been waiting since 1913 (or 1975, depending on the dating protocol). Everything’s gone a bit pyramid-shaped in “The Legend of Ruby Sunday,” as RTD’s multiple twists kept us mostly distracted from the return of this classic villain. So what has he been up to for the last 7,000 years, and how exactly did he seduce…

1
Boy Story (HOT TAKE: "Rogue") 50:25

11M ago50:25

50:25

Feeling Rogue-ish? This proud Regency romcom takes Who to places old and new, with enough charm and confidence to fill a shed. It’s a meta love letter to all kinds of fandoms, and cheekily drops in a mystery Doctor (and/or villain?!) like we wouldn’t notice. Join us as we cosplay a couple of podcasters and pour one out for another charming companio…

1
Happy Daze (Rockin’ “Delta and the Bannermen”) 1:33:18

11M ago1:33:18

1:33:18

A trip to 1950s Earth to visit Disneyland? Ranking by stories that got our hopes up, Delta and the Bannermen is near top of the charts. But this is actually a bait-and-switch we don’t mind, because the detour to rural Wales sets off a nostalgic romp filled with period music, motorcycle chases, and hostile bees that are most definitely not disappear…

1
Blackest Mirror (HOT TAKE: "Dot and Bubble") 40:33

11M ago40:33

40:33

It’s been subtle in the past, but Dot and Bubble is Doctor Who’s first overt homage to Black Mirror, the groundbreaking series that satirizes our relationship with technology in the darkest of ways. It’s ironic, then, that this story has one of the subtlest pieces of subtext in the show’s history, with a moral message lurking just beneath the skin …

1
Isolation Game (HOT TAKE: "73 Yards") 31:06

11M ago31:06

31:06

It might sound like a really spectacular field goal, but 73 Yards is one of the most unusual episodes of Doctor Who to date. With the Doctor missing, Ruby Sunday must stand alone against… whatever seems to be stalking her. Simple enough, but thanks in large part to a tour de force performance by Millie Gibson, what results is a terrifying story — o…

1
Carnival With Monsters (Cracking “Thin Ice”) 1:25:19

12M ago1:25:19

1:25:19

How much fun time travel is can often depend on the amount of melanin in your skin. That’s one of the lessons Bill Potts learns in Thin Ice when she and the Doctor take a quick detour to Regency London. At first it looks to be a lively visit to one of the Frost Fairs on the river, but mysterious lights beckon the pair, and soon they’re up to their …

1
Mine Craft (HOT TAKE: "Boom") 46:04

12M ago46:04

46:04

When Doctor Who veterans Steven Moffat and Russell T Davies get together, the results can be … explosive. In Boom, Moffat manages to mine classic Who history (hello, Genesis of the Daleks!) while referencing many of his own post-2005 Who scripts. But how will it land with new fans? Stand still with us as we try to defuse this situation with a hot t…

1
Getting Meta With It (HOT TAKE: "Space Babies" and "The Devil's Chord") 57:49

12M ago57:49

57:49

Beatles and butterflies, oh my! ‘Doctor Who’ is back, babes, and we’re cautiously optimistic about it. The first two episodes of the new season, ‘Space Babies’ and ‘The Devil’s Chord,’ show off the range of the show for newbies, but still manage to intrigue, please and irritate the old folks all at once. Join us as we reveal what RTD has to say abo…

1
Doctor Who 'Season 1' PREVIEW: Countdown to RTD2 41:54

12M ago41:54

41:54

The first two episodes of Ncuti Gatwa's first season as the Doctor — Space Babies and The Devil's Chord — are just days away. And here at Pull To Open, we've already seen them. And we say "we," we mean Chris. There's only so much he can say about the stories, however, so it's up to Pete to carefully probe the limits of his forbidden knowledge witho…

1
O Holy Plight (Beholding “The Church on Ruby Road”) 1:33:14

12M ago1:33:14

1:33:14

Coincidence is how goblins surf time, according to The Church on Ruby Road. So when the Randomizer took us to Ncuti Gatwa’s Christmas special mere days before his first season, you can forgive us for being a little freaked out. Join us as we argue over literally everything in this light-hearted romp, from Ncuti’s narration at the start to Mrs. Floo…

1
Disasters of the Universe (Unleashing “Flux”) 2:13:46

1y ago2:13:46

2:13:46

What the Flux? No, seriously, what was the actual Flux that happened in Series 13, and why has the Randomizer brought us here now? Can Chris Chibnall’s sprawling Time vs. Space opera even be explained? And did anyone notice the 7 billion dead dogs? Join your totally professional tour guides to Liverpool — er, Doctor Who — as we journey down the tim…

1
A Message From Pull To Open 2:25

1y ago2:25

2:25

We interrupt this podcast for an important message. The Media Copilot podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-media-copilot ©️AnyWho Media LLC 2024

1
Lost in Transport (Contemplating Teleportation in Doctor Who) 33:11

1y ago33:11

33:11

Beam us up, Doctor! From T-Mat to the Kerblam Man, Doctor Who has a rich history of playing with teleportation. We lock onto the show’s best and most notorious materializations, examining how instantaneous travel between two points in space can be amazing or infuriating storytelling. Does teleportation make for lazy plotting or does it open up a un…

1
Do You Dream What I Dream? (Awakening “Last Christmas”) 1:21:04

1y ago1:21:04

1:21:04

Ho-ho-holy hidden depths, Santa! Last Christmas is the Who holiday special where Steven Moffat bakes an impossible tangerine cake: light and Christmassy on the surface, frosty chills and an arctic expanse of meaning underneath. Plus it changes Capaldi’s Doctor forever. But why has the randomizer, famed for its seasonal programming, served it up to …

1
Faust Return Switch (Corrupting “The Keeper of Traken”) 1:18:05

1y ago1:18:05

1:18:05

May the Source be with you! Tom Baker’s regeneration eve story The Keeper of Traken starts strong with a Shakespearean wedding on a utopian world of niceness — but soon devolves into a slap fight between drama nerds and science nerds over a strangely buff statue. Even its surprise reveal is far from the most masterful. So can the Doctor and Adric’s…

1
Doctor Who Canon Doesn’t Matter. Or Does It? 38:48

1y ago38:48

38:48

The Toymaker may have made a "jigsaw” of the Doctor’s history, but truthfully it was well jigsawed when he got there. As any fan who has tried to make sense of Doctor Who canon knows (and there have been many), the show’s 60-year run is full of contradictions, retcons, and flat-out nonsense that paying attention to it seems like a waste of… er, tim…

1
How to Get Ahead in Megalomania (Dismembering “The Brain of Morbius”) 1:26:37

1y ago1:26:37

1:26:37

Time for the yarn on Karn that unravels the Doctor’s entire history — while cramming in more cranial puns than you can shake an oversized amygdala at. The Brain of Morbius is like a New Who embryo in a jar: a self-aware homage (to Frankenstein), a feminist fable (sort of) with a serious theme (immortality) that’s laced with laugh-out-loud lines, an…

1
Sick Burn (Deadlock-Sealing “42”) 1:21:49

1y ago1:21:49

1:21:49

A clock that ticks down in real time. A fiendishly difficult pub quiz. And a creature that lives in a sun. Chris Chibnall’s first Doctor Who story, 42, has many intriguing elements — but also a lack of focus that foreshadows his time as showrunner. Does 42 add up to more than the sum of its parts? Phone your friends at Pull To Open and find out! Gi…

1
Gravity Kills (Fortifying “The Moonbase”) 1:34:09

1y ago1:34:09

1:34:09

Ground Control to Gravitron: Take your coffee sweet and put your space suit on…. The Moonbase isn’t just the first Cybermen reboot, it’s the template for every base under siege story since. Undoubtedly, Patrick Troughton grows in the role before our eyes. But what about sick jealous Jamie, chemistry expert Ben, and the rest of this Polly cocktail? …

1
Rear Window (Revisiting the 60th Anniversary Specials) 42:58

1y ago42:58

42:58

Time and tide may melt the snowman, but it also allows things to sink in. It’s been a few months since we kicked off the new era of Doctor Who, and now that we’ve had time to absorb the 60th anniversary specials, how do we feel about them? More to the point, how do we feel about Russell T. Davies 2.0 — the opening salvo of his second at-bat as show…

1
Dream Scheme (Confronting “Amy’s Choice,” with guest Damla from Come Along Pond) 1:27:04

1y ago1:27:04

1:27:04

The Dream Lord makes the team … work? Amy’s Choice is fondly remembered as a pivotal point for the TARDIS trio of Amy, Rory and the Doctor, elevating the future Mr. Pond from gooseberry to hero. But does it give short shrift to Toby Jones as the Doctor’s alter ego? With Damla from “Come Along Pond,” a Pull To Open trio decides which reality we’re w…

1
Bastille-ing History (Overthrowing “The Reign of Terror”) 1:34:31

1y ago1:34:31

1:34:31

Allons-y into French history! The Reign of Terror is said to be the Doctor’s favorite era *ever* on Earth — so why isn’t “The Reign of Terror” a fan favorite? Is it just that it’s hard to find (boo, BritBox!) or did its plot go the way of the Scarlet Pimpernel? Take a seat in the history corner, citizen, and maybe you’ll survive your encounter with…

1
A Splatter of Faith (Consuming “The Curse of Fenric”) 1:31:39

1+ y ago1:31:39

1:31:39

When you sit down to watch Classic Doctor Who, you need to have faith — faith that intellect with triumph over violence, faith that poor production values will be made up for by fascinating storylines, and faith that the people making the show actually know what they’re doing. The Curse of Fenric makes you question that faith (for at least 3 episod…

1
Sewers & Serpents (Conjuring “The Magician’s Apprentice and The Witch’s Familiar”) 1:27:37

1+ y ago1:27:37

1:27:37

Did someone order a hybrid? The combo of The Magician’s Apprentice and The Witch’s Familiar take us on our deepest dive into Dalek territory yet. While Davros auditions for an EGOT, it’s Missy who steals the show. And hey, who turned on the HADS? Join us as we sort the overstuffed Moffat extravaganza from the weighty emotional drama! Give your own …

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Pete Pachal And Chris Taylor Podcasts

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