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Published by Pete Pachal and Chris Taylor
There are many Doctor Who podcasts. Only one dares review the entire show... in entirely random order! Join journalists Pete Pachal and Chris Taylor as they summarize stories in record time, play the Whomoji game, enter the History Corner, answer the Four Questions to Doomsday, and cower in fear before the almighty Randomizer. New episode every Saturday!
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Nikola Tesla invented our world. So why does Doctor Who keep trying to give him credit for WiFi? Nikola Tesla’s Night of Terror has everything a great historical needs on paper: one of history’s weirdest geniuses, Thomas Edison as his foil, a terrific Goran Višnjić performance, and alien scavengers who could have been the cosmic extension of the Edison-Tesla rivalry. Instead, the sparks never quite make the jump. Join us as we investigate fan service without a payoff, a suspiciously Racnoss-y queen, Wardenclyffe science that probably never would have worked, Edison’s alleged elephant snuff film, Tesla’s belief in female supremacy, and the Douglas Adams-level idea hiding inside an episode that never quite realizes it. Alternating current? More like alternating quality. Give your own rating for Nikola Tesla's Night of Terror on Spotify ! Subscribe to our YouTube Channel ! Subscribe to our newsletter at pulltoopen.net for extended notes on Nikola Tesla's Night of Terror. Support the podcast by becoming a patron of Pull To Open on Patreon. Please review Pull To Open on Apple Podcasts . Timeline: Intro 00:00:00 Previously… 00:02:31 Whomoji Challenge 00:08:36 Poll to Open 00:14:13 TL;DW 00:18:58 Review: Nikola Tesla’s Night of Terror 00:20:28 History Corner 00:44:53 Four Questions to Doomsday 00:55:49 What If the Evil Plot Had Succeeded? 01:00:56 Where Is the Clara Splinter? 01:06:42 Final Judgment 01:11:56 Randomizer! 01:17:40 Follow us on: TikTok: @pulltoopen Instagram: @pulltoopen63 Facebook: @pulltoopen63 X: @pulltoopen63 Threads: @pulltoopen63 Bluesky: @pulltoopen Play Pull To Open Bingo Story Essentials Series 12, Episode 4 Story number: 292, per the Pull To Open Codex Writer: Nina Metivier Director: Nida Manzoor Script Editor: Sheena Bucktowonsing Producer: Nikki Wilson Executive Producers: Chris Chibnall, Matt Strevens Aired: 19 January 2020 Pull To Open: Nikola Tesla's Night of Terror Season 7 Episode 20 Hosts: Pete Pachal and Chris Taylor Music: Martin West/ Thinking Fish ©️AnyWho Media LLC 2026 Doctor Who ©️BBC 1963
There are Doctor Who stories that look cheap, and then there’s Underworld : the story so broke it couldn’t afford a cave. Its vast underground world was instead conjured with experimental CSO, earning the serial a reputation that has survived for nearly half a century. But hold the fumigation! Beneath those wobbly electronic rocks lurk some genuinely huge ideas: the Time Lords’ disastrous first attempt at interference, regeneration as immortality, a 100,000-year cosmic quest and K9 saving everybody with what appear to be telephone wires. Grab your Golden Fleece and join us as we ask the forbidden question: does Underworld actually… not suck? Give your own rating for Underworld on Spotify ! Subscribe to our YouTube Channel and become a True Companion of the podcast to get new episodes before everyone else! Subscribe to our newsletter at pulltoopen.net for extended notes on Underworld. Support the podcast by becoming a patron of Pull To Open on Patreon. Please review Pull To Open on Apple Podcasts . Timeline: Intro 00:00:00 Previously… 00:02:57 Whomoji Challenge 00:07:54 Poll to Open 00:12:40 Comment of the Week 00:15:16 TL;DW 00:20:56 Review: Underworld 00:23:24 Four Questions to Doomsday 01:00:57 What If the Evil Plot Had Succeeded? 01:03:43 Where Is the Clara Splinter? 01:06:15 Final Judgment 01:10:12 Randomizer! 01:13:47 Follow us on: TikTok: @pulltoopen Instagram: @pulltoopen63 Facebook: @pulltoopen63 X: @pulltoopen63 Threads: @pulltoopen63 Bluesky: @pulltoopen Play Pull To Open Bingo Story Essentials Season 15, Serial 5 Story number: 96, per the Pull To Open Codex Writer: Bob Baker, Dave Martin Director: Norman Stewart Script Editor: Anthony Read Producer: Graham Williams Aired: 7–28 January 1978 Pull To Open: Underworld Season 7 Episode 19 Hosts: Pete Pachal and Chris Taylor Music: Martin West/ Thinking Fish ©️AnyWho Media LLC 2026 Doctor Who ©️BBC 1963
Achoo! Humanity may have survived millions of years into the future, but apparently the common cold is still an extinction-level threat. The Ark sends the First Doctor, Steven and brand-new companion Dodo aboard an enormous generation ship packed with humans, Monoids, miniature criminals and one very real elephant—then delivers one of the greatest cliffhangers in Doctor Who history. Shame about what happens next. Join us as we jump 700 years into the future to investigate Beatles-wigged cyclopes, the galaxy’s biggest miniaturization plot hole, suspiciously accommodating invisible aliens, and a tale of colonial anxiety that looks very different through 2026 eyes. Just remember: if your mouth is also your eye, maybe don’t order the chicken. Give your own rating for The Ark on Spotify ! Subscribe to our YouTube Channel and become a True Companion of the podcast to get new episodes before everyone else! Subscribe to our newsletter at pulltoopen.net for extended notes on The Ark. Support the podcast by becoming a patron of Pull To Open on Patreon. Please review Pull To Open on Apple Podcasts . Timeline: Intro 00:00:00 Previously… 00:02:55 Whomoji Challenge 00:07:05 Poll to Open 00:10:52 Comment of the Week 00:13:52 TL;DW 00:19:06 Review: The Ark 00:21:57 Four Questions to Doomsday 00:56:19 What If the Evil Plot Had Succeeded? 00:58:46 Where Is the Clara Splinter? 01:02:26 Final Judgment 01:07:12 Randomizer! 01:12:44 Follow us on: TikTok: @pulltoopen Instagram: @pulltoopen63 Facebook: @pulltoopen63 X: @pulltoopen63 Threads: @pulltoopen63 Bluesky: @pulltoopen Play Pull To Open Bingo Story Essentials Season 3, Serial 6 Story number: 22, per The Pull To Open Codex Writer: Paul Erickson, Lesley Scott Director: Michael Imison Script Editor: Gerry Davis Producer: John Wiles Executive Producers: N/A Aired: 5–26 March 1966 Pull To Open: The Ark Season 7 Episode 18 Hosts: Pete Pachal and Chris Taylor Music: Martin West/ Thinking Fish ©️AnyWho Media LLC 2026 Doctor Who ©️BBC 1963
Doctor Who’s Cold War has the perfect pitch: an Ice Warrior wakes up aboard a Soviet nuclear submarine in 1983, with Matt Smith, Jenna Coleman, Liam Cunningham, Tobias Menzies and David Warner trapped beneath the Arctic ice. So why does it feel less like The Hunt for Red October with a Martian and more like an ordinary Doctor Who episode that happens to be wet? Join us as we crack open Skaldak’s armor, question whether submerged missiles can actually launch, salute the man who may have saved the real world in 1983, and prosecute Mark Gatiss for choosing the wrong Ultravox song. The sets are drenched, the cast is stacked and the premise is nuclear—but the payoff? This means nothing to us. Oh, Vienna. Give your own rating for Cold War on Spotify ! Subscribe to our YouTube Channel and become a True Companion of the podcast to get new episodes before everyone else! Subscribe to our newsletter at pulltoopen.net for extended notes on Cold War. Support the podcast by becoming a patron of Pull To Open on Patreon. Please review Pull To Open on Apple Podcasts . Timeline: Intro 00:00:00 Previously… 00:02:01 Whomoji Challenge 00:07:34 Poll to Open 00:12:57 Comment of the Week 00:16:16 TL;DW 00:22:21 Review: Cold War 00:23:41 History Corner 00:52:13 Four Questions to Doomsday 01:04:30 What If the Evil Plot Had Succeeded? 01:06:32 Where Is the Clara Splinter? 01:14:33 Final Judgment 01:19:15 Randomizer! 01:23:13 Follow us on: TikTok: @pulltoopen Instagram: @pulltoopen63 Facebook: @pulltoopen63 X: @pulltoopen63 Threads: @pulltoopen63 Bluesky: @pulltoopen Play Pull To Open Bingo Story Essentials Series 7, Episode 8 Story number: 237, per the Pull To Open Codex Writer: Mark Gatiss Director: Douglas Mackinnon Producer: Marcus Wilson Executive Producers: Steven Moffat and Caroline Skinner Aired: 13 April 2013 Pull To Open: Cold War Season 7 Episode 17 Hosts: Pete Pachal and Chris Taylor Music: Martin West/ Thinking Fish ©️AnyWho Media LLC 2026 Doctor Who ©️BBC 1963
Doctor Who meets the Devil! No, wait—sorry, the Doctor insists it’s actually science. The Dæmons brings the UNIT era to full folk-horror boil, complete with white witches, heat barriers, Morris dancers, one extremely patient gargoyle, and Roger Delgado’s Master hiding in plain sight with the diabolical alias “Mr. Magister.” But is this beloved Pertwee classic a perfect fusion of rationalism and vibes, or does its “all magic is science” sermon accidentally sneak magic into Doctor Who through the church crypt? Join us as we summon Azal, praise Bok, admire the Brigadier’s five rounds rapid, and ask the only question that matters: has the Master ever looked better in glasses? Give your own rating for The Dæmons on Spotify ! Subscribe to our YouTube Channel and become a True Companion of the podcast to get new episodes before everyone else! Subscribe to our newsletter at pulltoopen.net for extended notes on The Dæmons. Support the podcast by becoming a patron of Pull To Open on Patreon. Please review Pull To Open on Apple Podcasts . Timeline: Intro 00:00:00 Previously… 00:01:52 Whomoji Challenge 00:07:23 Poll to Open 00:12:50 Comment of the Week 00:16:13 TL;DW 00:23:00 Review: The Dæmons 00:26:55 Four Questions to Doomsday 01:03:05 What If the Evil Plot Had Succeeded? 01:05:34 Where Is the Clara Splinter? 01:08:51 Final Judgment 01:13:43 Randomizer! 01:20:33 Follow us on: TikTok: @pulltoopen Instagram: @pulltoopen63 Facebook: @pulltoopen63 X: @pulltoopen63 Threads: @pulltoopen63 Bluesky: @pulltoopen Play Pull To Open Bingo Story Essentials Season 5, Serial 5 Story number: 40, per the The Pull To Open Codex Writer: Mervyn Haisman and Henry Lincoln Director: Douglas Camfield Script Editor: Derrick Sherwin Producer: Peter Bryant 3 February 1968 – 9 March 1968 Pull To Open: The Dæmons Season 7 Episode 16 Hosts: Pete Pachal and Chris Taylor Music: Martin West/ Thinking Fish ©️AnyWho Media LLC 2026 Doctor Who ©️BBC 1963
Mind the gap—and the homicidal fungus. The Web of Fear takes Doctor Who underground for a six-part siege featuring eerily convincing Tube tunnels, bulletproof Yeti and, halfway through, one highly suspicious Colonel Lethbridge-Stewart. But is this rediscovered classic genuinely terrifying, or an overextended web of tunnel shenanigans, magical foam and comedy accents? Join us as we investigate the mystery of the still-missing Brigadier debut, defend Patrick Troughton’s right to say “graunched,” and ask whether the Great Intelligence’s master plan can withstand even a little constructive thinking. Next stop: Yeti. Give your own rating for The Web of Fear on Spotify ! Subscribe to our YouTube Channel and become a True Companion of the podcast to get new episodes before everyone else! Subscribe to our newsletter at pulltoopen.net for extended notes on The Web of Fear. Support the podcast by becoming a patron of Pull To Open on Patreon. Please review Pull To Open on Apple Podcasts . Timeline: Intro 00:00:00 Previously… 00:02:44 Whomoji Challenge 00:10:11 POLL to Open 00:16:06 Comment of the Week 00:18:42 TL;DW 00:28:30 Review: The Web of Fear 00:32:32 Four Questions to Doomsday 00:59:13 What If the Evil Plot Had Succeeded? 01:03:28 Where Is the Clara Splinter? 01:07:33 Final Judgment 01:12:06 Randomizer! 01:17:46 Follow us on: TikTok: @pulltoopen Instagram: @pulltoopen63 Facebook: @pulltoopen63 X: @pulltoopen63 Threads: @pulltoopen63 Bluesky: @pulltoopen Play Pull To Open Bingo Story Essentials Season 5, Serial 5 Story number: 40, per the The Pull To Open Codex Writer: Mervyn Haisman and Henry Lincoln Director: Douglas Camfield Script Editor: Derrick Sherwin Producer: Peter Bryant 3 February 1968 – 9 March 1968 Pull To Open: The Web of Fear Season 7 Episode 15 Hosts: Pete Pachal and Chris Taylor Music: Martin West/ Thinking Fish ©️AnyWho Media LLC 2026 Doctor Who ©️BBC 1963
Let’s Kill Hitler promises history’s biggest time-travel trolley problem, then stuffs Hitler in a cupboard and turns into River Song: The Origin Story at hyperspeed. Steven Moffat’s chaotic midseason premiere delivers bootstrap paradoxes, poison lipstick, Amy and Rory unknowingly parenting their own daughter, and a human-shaped spaceship staffed by tiny people with homicidal antibodies. But can Matt Smith and Alex Kingston’s peak chemistry sell a redemption arc that races from murder to total self-sacrifice in roughly one evening? Join us as we punch fascism, debate baby Hitler, update our wrist devices and decide whether this bold, bonkers episode clears its own impossibly high bar. Shut up, Hitler! Give your own rating for Let's Kill Hitler on Spotify ! Subscribe to our YouTube Channel and become a True Companion of the podcast to get new episodes before everyone else! Subscribe to our newsletter at pulltoopen.net for extended notes on Let's Kill Hitler. Support the podcast by becoming a patron of Pull To Open on Patreon. Please review Pull To Open on Apple Podcasts . Timeline: Intro 00:00:00 Previously… 00:02:29 Whomoji Challenge 00:08:08 Poll to Open 00:13:07 Comment of the Week 00:15:08 TL;DW 00:19:09 Review: Let’s Kill Hitler 00:20:58 History Corner 00:57:06 Four Questions to Doomsday 01:11:51 What If the Evil Plot Had Succeeded? 01:15:31 Where Is the Clara Splinter? 01:23:33 Final Judgment 01:27:19 Randomizer! 01:33:45 Follow us on: TikTok: @pulltoopen Instagram: @pulltoopen63 Facebook: @pulltoopen63 X: @pulltoopen63 Threads: @pulltoopen63 Bluesky: @pulltoopen Play Pull To Open Bingo Story Essentials Series 6, Episode 8 Story number: 222, per the The Pull To Open Codex Writer: Steven Moffat Director: Richard Senior Script Editor: Caroline Henry Producer: Marcus Wilson Showrunner: Steven Moffat Aired 27 August 2011 Pull To Open: Let's Kill Hitler Season 7 Episode 14 Hosts: Pete Pachal and Chris Taylor Music: Martin West/ Thinking Fish ©️AnyWho Media LLC 2026 Doctor Who ©️BBC 1963
Christmas is canceled. Doctor Who isn’t. But as RTD exits under a cloud of Winternox, we’re all a bit Bafflers about what comes next. Pull To Open pours one out, and thrashes out where the show should go next. Hard or soft reboot? Continue with Billie Piper or start afresh? And who can handle the hardest showrunning job in all of time and space? Join us for the finest bespoke headcanon around, from multi-companion Doctors to alt-universe Daleks! Pull To Open: Christmas Is Canceled Season 7 Episode 13 Hosts: Pete Pachal and Chris Taylor
Open the box, Pull To Open listeners—but be sure your mind is ready. Kinda is the kinda… er kind of Doctor Who story where the themes are so rich you don’t care what it looks like. Which is just as well because the jungle looks like a garden center, the villain looks like an ’80s music-video nightmare, and the real monster may be your own mind. Peter Davison’s trip to Deva Loka banks hard into Buddhism, colonialism, feminism, telepathy, forbidden apples, silent men, and Hindle going so far over the top he may actually achieve orbit. But is this Mara tale a classic, a green-tinted mess, or somehow both? Join us as we face the dark places of the inside, ask why we didn’t get more possessed Tegan, and try not to laugh at a giant pink snake surrounded by mirrors. Silence, male fools—the wheel is turning. Give your own rating for Kinda on Spotify ! Subscribe to our YouTube Channel and become a True Companion of the podcast to get new episodes before everyone else! Subscribe to our newsletter at pulltoopen.net for extended notes on Kinda. Support the podcast by becoming a patron of Pull To Open on Patreon. Please review Pull To Open on Apple Podcasts . Timeline: Intro 00:00:00 Previously… 00:01:50 Whomoji Challenge 00:07:21 Poll to Open 00:14:14 Comment of the Week 00:17:13 TL;DW 00:22:32 Review: Kinda 00:25:30 Four Questions to Doomsday 01:06:17 What If the Evil Plot Had Succeeded? 01:09:00 Where Is the Clara Splinter? 01:15:24 Final Judgment 01:20:24 Randomizer! 01:26:41 Follow us on: TikTok: @pulltoopen Instagram: @pulltoopen63 Facebook: @pulltoopen63 X: @pulltoopen63 Threads: @pulltoopen63 Bluesky: @pulltoopen Play Pull To Open Bingo Story Essentials Series 2, Episode 11 Season 19, Serial 3 Story number: 118, per the The Pull To Open Codex Writer: Christopher Bailey Director: Peter Grimwade Script Editor: Eric Saward (commissioned by Christopher H. Bidmead and worked on by Antony Root) Producer: John Nathan-Turner Aired 1–9 February 1982 Pull To Open: Kinda Season 7 Episode 12 Hosts: Pete Pachal and Chris Taylor Music: Martin West/ Thinking Fish ©️AnyWho Media LLC 2026 Doctor Who ©️BBC 1963
Doctor Who fans have long feared Fear Her —and not necessarily for the reasons the episode intended. A lonely child, a suburban street, a cupboard-dad, a doodle monster, a rogue Isolus, and one baffling Olympic torch relay all add up to what may be the most filler-y filler episode Russell T Davies ever filled. But is it really as bad as its reputation suggests? Chris reaches for the Ogron almost immediately, while Pete shocks the universe by defending the value of low-stakes Doctor Who, especially when David Tennant and Billie Piper are still bringing the charm. Grab your crayons, keep an eye on the TARDIS, and join us as we ask the terrifying question: what if the scariest thing about Fear Her is that it’s… kind of fine? Give your own rating for Fear Her on Spotify ! Subscribe to our YouTube Channel and become a True Companion of the podcast to get new episodes before everyone else! Subscribe to our newsletter at pulltoopen.net for extended notes on Fear Her. Support the podcast by becoming a patron of Pull To Open on Patreon. Please review Pull To Open on Apple Podcasts . Timeline: Intro 00:00:00 Previously… 00:03:34 Whomoji Challenge 00:07:09 POLL To Open 00:12:42 TL;DW 00:18:07 Review: Fear Her 00:19:33 Four Questions to Doomsday 00:55:21 What If the Evil Plot Had Succeeded? 00:57:36 Where Is the Clara Splinter? 00:59:57 Final Judgment 01:05:33 Randomizer! 01:11:26 Follow us on: TikTok: @pulltoopen Instagram: @pulltoopen63 Facebook: @pulltoopen63 X: @pulltoopen63 Threads: @pulltoopen63 Bluesky: @pulltoopen Play Pull To Open Bingo Story Essentials Series 2, Episode 11 Story number: 179, per the The Pull To Open Codex Writer: Matthew Graham Director: Euros Lyn Script Editor: Simon Winstone Producer: Phil Collinson Executive Producers: Russell T Davies and Julie Gardner Aired 24 June 2006 Pull To Open: Fear Her Season 7 Episode 11 Hosts: Pete Pachal and Chris Taylor Music: Martin West/ Thinking Fish ©️AnyWho Media LLC 2026 Doctor Who ©️BBC 1963
It’s the end of the universe as Moffat knows it, and somehow we feel fine. The Pandorica Opens and The Big Bang two-parter throws every monster in the closet at Stonehenge, locks the Doctor in the most mythic box since the TARDIS, shoots Amy, explodes reality, gives Rory 2,000 years of plastic husband duty, and then fixes everything with a wedding phrase. Does it all make sense? Frequently! Does it cheat? Occasionally! Does it still make Team PTO cry happy tears? Like Karen Gillan reading the deepest-blue terms and conditions. Join us as we salute Matt Smith yelling at spaceships, interrogate Moffat’s monster fan service, ponder whether Sutekh got rebooted with the TARDIS, and ask whether this fairy-tale finale is really as good as we remember. Give your own rating for The Pandorica Opens and The Big Bang on Spotify ! Subscribe to our YouTube Channel and become a True Companion of the podcast to get new episodes before everyone else! Subscribe to our newsletter at pulltoopen.net for extended notes on The Pandorica Opens and The Big Bang. Support the podcast by becoming a patron of Pull To Open on Patreon. Please review Pull To Open on Apple Podcasts . Timeline: Intro 00:00:00 Previously… 00:02:12 Whomoji Challenge 00:12:27 POLL To Open 00:15:39 Comment of the Week 00:17:56 TL;DW 00:24:11 Review: The Pandorica Opens/The Big Bang 00:27:39 Four Questions to Doomsday 01:02:20 What If the Evil Plot Had Succeeded? 01:06:17 Where Is the Clara Splinter? 01:12:45 Final Judgment 01:19:44 Randomizer! 01:24:24 Follow us on: TikTok: @pulltoopen Instagram: @pulltoopen63 Facebook: @pulltoopen63 X: @pulltoopen63 Threads: @pulltoopen63 Bluesky: @pulltoopen Play Pull To Open Bingo Story Essentials Series 5, Episodes 12 & 13 Story number: 215, per the The Pull To Open Codex Writer: Steven Moffat Director: Toby Haynes Script Editor: Lindsey Alford Producer: Peter Bennett Executive Producers: Steven Moffat, Piers Wenger and Beth Willis Aired 19–26 June 2010 Pull To Open: The Pandorica Opens | The Big Bang Season 7 Episode 10 Hosts: Pete Pachal and Chris Taylor Music: Martin West/ Thinking Fish ©️AnyWho Media LLC 2026 Doctor Who ©️BBC 1963
The Leisure Hive should be a relaxing holiday: a beachside opening, fabulous costumes, and Lalla Ward dressed like she just won regatta season. Instead, we find a story with enough ideas for three serials and enough pacing for half of one. Is it a commentary on nuclear war? A tourism satire? A hard-sci-fi flex? A lizard-mafia caper? Somehow it’s all of them, plus the moment Doctor Who quietly kills off the Randomizer and ushers in the John Nathan-Turner era with neon, synths, and pure style. Join us as we step into the tachyon chamber to confront old-man Tom Baker and the most leisurely chaos in the Fourth Doctor’s final stretch. Give your own rating for The Leisure Hive on Spotify ! Subscribe to our YouTube Channel and become a True Companion of the podcast to get new episodes before everyone else! Subscribe to our newsletter at pulltoopen.net for extended notes on The Leisure Hive. Support the podcast by becoming a patron of Pull To Open on Patreon. Please review Pull To Open on Apple Podcasts . Timeline: Intro 00:00:00 Previously… 00:02:15 Whomoji Challenge 00:07:52 POLL to Open 00:12:36 Comment of the week 00:15:03 TL;DW 00:22:17 Review: The Leisure Hive 00:24:51 Four Questions to Doomsday 01:05:14 What If the Evil Plot Had Succeeded? 01:08:57 Where Is the Clara Splinter? 01:13:14 Final Judgment 01:18:18 Randomizer! 01:24:02 Follow us on: TikTok: @pulltoopen Instagram: @pulltoopen63 Facebook: @pulltoopen63 X: @pulltoopen63 Threads: @pulltoopen63 Bluesky: @pulltoopen Play Pull To Open Bingo Story Essentials Season 18, Serial 1 Story number: 109, per the The Pull To Open Codex Writer: David Fisher Director: Lovett Bickford Script Editor: Christopher H. Bidmead Producer: John Nathan-Turner Executive Producer: Barry Letts Aired 30 August–20 September 1980 Pull To Open: The Leisure Hive Season 7 Episode 9 Hosts: Pete Pachal and Chris Taylor Music: Martin West/ Thinking Fish ©️AnyWho Media LLC 2026 Doctor Who ©️BBC 1963
Come one, come all to the Psychic Circus — where the audience kills, the clowns are robots, and the Doctor may be only one striped scarf away from becoming one himself. This week, Pull To Open tackles The Greatest Show in the Galaxy , a late-McCoy oddity that somehow manages to be creepy, funny, ambitious, and weirdly relevant all at once. Is the Chief Clown an all-time villain? Are the Gods of Ragnarok a brilliant meta-commentary or a giant last-minute shrug? And most importantly: is the Doctor, in fact, a hippie? Grab some popcorn and keep your hands inside the clown car at all times. Give your own rating for The Greatest Show in the Galaxy on Spotify ! Subscribe to our YouTube Channel and become a True Companion of the podcast to get new episodes before everyone else! Subscribe to our newsletter at pulltoopen.net for extended notes on The Greatest Show in the Galaxy. Support the podcast by becoming a patron of Pull To Open on Patreon. Please review Pull To Open on Apple Podcasts . Timeline: Intro 00:00:00 Previously… 00:02:41 Whomoji Challenge 00:08:00 Poll to Open 00:13:14 TL;DW 00:21:16 Review: The Greatest Show in the Galaxy 00:23:48 Four Questions to Doomsday 01:01:05 What If the Evil Plot Had Succeeded? 01:05:01 Where Is the Clara Splinter? 01:07:36 Final Judgment 01:12:32 Randomizer! 01:19:10 Follow us on: TikTok: @pulltoopen Instagram: @pulltoopen63 Facebook: @pulltoopen63 X: @pulltoopen63 Threads: @pulltoopen63 Bluesky: @pulltoopen Play Pull To Open Bingo Story Essentials Season 25, Serial 4 Story number: 155, per the The Pull To Open Codex Writer: Stephen Wyatt Director: Alan Wareing Script Editor: Andrew Cartmel Producer: John Nathan-Turner Aired 14 December 1988–4 January 1989 Pull To Open: Time and the Rani Season 7 Episode 8 Hosts: Pete Pachal and Chris Taylor Music: Martin West/ Thinking Fish ©️AnyWho Media LLC 2026 Doctor Who ©️BBC 1963
Five years, 160 stories, one increasingly suspicious Randomizer. Pull To Open has reached the exact midpoint of its mad dash through all of Doctor Who, so Pete and Chris are taking a break from the usual TL;DW chaos to ask the big questions: How did this thing start? When did the podcast actually get good? Which Doctors and eras has the Randomizer weirdly favored — or avoided — and why does Doctor Who somehow work better in random order than almost any franchise alive? Join us as we look back on listener Homojis, cursed pirate detours, guest-star highlights, production growing pains, and the dawning realization that this “five-year mission” is really a ten-year one. The back half starts now. Follow us on: TikTok: @pulltoopen Instagram: @pulltoopen63 Facebook: @pulltoopen63 X: @pulltoopen63 Threads: @pulltoopen63 Bluesky: @pulltoopen Play Pull To Open Bingo Pull To Open: The Halftime Show Season 7 Episode 7 Hosts: Pete Pachal and Chris Taylor Music: Martin West/ Thinking Fish ©️AnyWho Media LLC 2026 Doctor Who ©️BBC 1963
September 7, 1987: a date that lives in Doctor Who infamy—at least for Chris, who rage-quit the show the moment Time and the Rani introduced the Seventh Doctor in the most cursed way imaginable. Bad wigs, mangled aphorisms, quarry overload, neon overkill, and a regeneration scene that practically dares you to change the channel: this one has it all. But is the story merely a disaster, or a pivotal disaster? Join us as we revisit Sylvester McCoy’s bumpy debut, marvel at Kate O’Mara’s all-time great “Rani pretending to be Mel” performance, and ask how the same show that made Caves of Androzani wound up here. Time and tide melts the snowman. Give your own rating for Time and the Rani on Spotify ! Subscribe to our YouTube Channel and become a True Companion of the podcast to get new episodes before everyone else! Subscribe to our newsletter at pulltoopen.net for extended notes on Time and the Rani . Support the podcast by becoming a patron of Pull To Open on Patreon. Please review Pull To Open on Apple Podcasts . Timeline: Intro 00:00:00 Previously… 00:02:31 POLL to Open 00:07:55 Comment of the Week 00:11:10 TL;DW 00:21:19 Review: Time and the Rani 00:23:59 Four Questions to Doomsday 01:02:02 What If the Evil Plot Had Succeeded? 01:06:27 Where Is the Clara Splinter? 01:11:59 Final Judgment 01:15:37 Randomizer! 01:21:14 Follow us on: TikTok: @pulltoopen Instagram: @pulltoopen63 Facebook: @pulltoopen63 X: @pulltoopen63 Threads: @pulltoopen63 Bluesky: @pulltoopen Play Pull To Open Bingo Story Essentials Season 24, Serial 1 Story number: 147, per the The Pull To Open Codex Writer: Pip and Jane Baker Director: Andrew Morgan Script Editor: Andrew Cartmel Producer: John Nathan-Turner Aired 7–28 September 1987 Pull To Open: Time and the Rani Season 7 Episode 6 Hosts: Pete Pachal and Chris Taylor Music: Martin West/ Thinking Fish ©️AnyWho Media LLC 2026 Doctor Who ©️BBC 1963
The Sea Devils should be an all-timer: the Master returns, the Navy shows up, the Doctor tries to broker peace, and the monsters have one of the most iconic “emerging from the sea” entrances ever. And yet… why do we learn so little about Sea Devil society? Why is the prison run by a duffer with sword décor and futuristic venetian blinds TVs ? And why does this story quietly force the Doctor into the same moral corner as Doctor Who and the Silurians — with a choice that looks an awful lot like annihilation? Strap on your string vest: we’re going deep. Give your own rating for The Sea Devils on Spotify ! Subscribe to our YouTube Channel and become a True Companion of the podcast to get new episodes before everyone else! Subscribe to our newsletter at pulltoopen.net for extended notes on The Sea Devils. Support the podcast by becoming a patron of Pull To Open on Patreon. Please review Pull To Open on Apple Podcasts . Timeline: Intro 00:00:00 Previously… 00:01:29 Whomoji Challenge 00:07:14 POLL to Open 00:12:20 Comment of the Week 00:15:05 TL;DW 00:22:33 Review: The Sea Devils 00:26:32 Four Questions to Doomsday 01:05:11 What If the Evil Plot Had Succeeded? 01:10:01 Where Is the Clara Splinter? 01:14:39 Final Judgment 01:19:21 Randomizer! 01:26:01 Follow us on: TikTok: @pulltoopen Instagram: @pulltoopen63 Facebook: @pulltoopen63 X: @pulltoopen63 Threads: @pulltoopen63 Bluesky: @pulltoopen Play Pull To Open Bingo Story Essentials Season 9, Serial 3 Story number: 61, per the The Pull To Open Codex Writer: Malcolm Hulke Director: Michael E. Briant Script Editor: Terrance Dicks Producer: Barry Letts Aired 26 February–1 April 1972 Pull To Open: The Sea Devils Season 7 Episode 5 Hosts: Pete Pachal and Chris Taylor Music: Martin West/ Thinking Fish ©️AnyWho Media LLC 2026 Doctor Who ©️BBC 1963
Pull To Open goes on location! Pete and Chris hit Gallifrey One in Los Angeles as total Gally virgins, gawping at “chemicals on fire” sunsets, accidentally learning how expensive fandom can be, and collecting hot takes like they’re limited-edition prints. Along the way: Peter Davison (and the Tom Baker advice he still can’t hear), Millie Gibson popping in like it’s no big deal, and a convention floor vibe check that can best be summarized by one hoodie: “I told you Disney was a bad idea.” Plus: fans tell us where Doctor Who goes next… including the boldest pitch of all: put it on YouTube. Subscribe to our YouTube Channel and become a True Companion of the podcast to get new episodes before everyone else! Subscribe to our newsletter at pulltoopen.net . Support the podcast by becoming a patron of Pull To Open on Patreon. Please review Pull To Open on Apple Podcasts . Follow us on: TikTok: @pulltoopen Instagram: @pulltoopen63 Facebook: @pulltoopen63 X: @pulltoopen63 Threads: @pulltoopen63 Bluesky: @pulltoopen Play Pull To Open Bingo Pull To Open: Gallifrey One Recap Season 7 Episode 4 Hosts: Pete Pachal and Chris Taylor Music: Martin West/ Thinking Fish ©️AnyWho Media LLC 2026 Doctor Who ©️BBC 1963
Some stories upgrade the villains. This one upgrades everything. We venture to Pete’s World to face the stompiest reintroduction of a classic foe in r Rise of the Cybermen and The Age of Steel . But are these metal men truly scary, or are they just Bluetooth bullies from Big Tech? Let’s debate the genius of rewriting Cyber-history, discuss what the story steals from Spare Parts, and say goodbye (maybe?) to Mickey. Wherever you land on this story, you have to admire it for accurately predicting Apple AirPods. Give your own rating for Rise of the Cybermen and The Age of Steel on Spotify ! Subscribe to our YouTube Channel and become a True Companion of the podcast to get new episodes before everyone else! Subscribe to our newsletter at pulltoopen.net for extended notes on Rise of the Cybermen and The Age of Steel. Support the podcast by becoming a patron of Pull To Open on Patreon. Please review Pull To Open on Apple Podcasts . Timeline: Intro 00:00:00 Previously… 00:03:37 Whomoji Challenge 00:08:11 POLL to Open 00:12:43 Comment of the Week 00:15:03 TL;DW 00:20:04 Commentary: Rise of the Cybermen | The Age of Steel 00:22:31 Four Questions to Doomsday 01:08:41 What If the Evil Plot Had Succeeded? 01:13:06 Where Is the Clara Splinter? 01:18:30 Final Judgment 01:24:45 Randomizer! 01:30:30 Follow us on: TikTok: @pulltoopen Instagram: @pulltoopen63 Facebook: @pulltoopen63 X: @pulltoopen63 Threads: @pulltoopen63 Bluesky: @pulltoopen Play Pull To Open Bingo Story Essentials Series 2, Episodes 5 and 6 Story number: 175, per the The Pull To Open Codex Writer: Tom MacRae Director: Graeme Harper Showrunner: Russell T. Davies Aired 13–20 May 2006 Pull To Open: Rise of the Cybermen | The Age of Steel Season 7 Episode 3 Hosts: Pete Pachal and Chris Taylor Music: Martin West/ Thinking Fish ©️AnyWho Media LLC 2026 Doctor Who ©️BBC 1963
It’s the Second Doctor’s second story, and he’s already cross-dressing, bashing heads, and doing the worst German accent this side of Oktoberfest. The Highlanders is a story where the Doctor flails through post-regeneration weirdness while Ben, Polly, and proto-companion Jamie navigate the aftermath of Culloden and a plot to sell Scots into slavery. With violent slapstick, dodgy disguises, and an unexpected showdown on a boat, this might be the most violent—and historically faithful—Doctor Who story ever made. But does the Randomizer’s gift of Jamie McCrimmon come wrapped in tartan triumph… or just more post-battle trauma? Give your own rating for The Highlanders on Spotify ! Subscribe to our YouTube Channel and become a True Companion of the podcast to get new episodes before everyone else! Subscribe to our newsletter at pulltoopen.net for extended notes on The Highlanders. Support the podcast by becoming a patron of Pull To Open on Patreon. Please review Pull To Open on Apple Podcasts . Timeline: Intro 00:00:00 Previously… 00:03:05 Whomoji Challenge 00:07:07 POLL to Open 00:13:23 TL;DW 00:19:55 Commentary: The Highlanders 00:22:26 History Corner 00:47:20 Four Questions to Doomsday 01:02:08 What If the Evil Plot Had Succeeded? 01:05:13 Where Is the Clara Splinter? 01:09:10 Final Judgment 01:12:57 Randomizer! 01:17:14 Follow us on: TikTok: @pulltoopen Instagram: @pulltoopen63 Facebook: @pulltoopen63 X: @pulltoopen63 Threads: @pulltoopen63 Bluesky: @pulltoopen Play Pull To Open Bingo Story Essentials Season 4, Serial 4 Story number: 30, per the The Pull To Open Codex Writers: Elwyn Jones, Gerry Davis Director: Hugh David Script Editor: Gerry Davis Producer: Innes Lloyd Aired 17 December 1966–7 January 1967 Pull To Open: The Highlanders Season 7 Episode 2 Hosts: Pete Pachal and Chris Taylor Music: Martin West/ Thinking Fish ©️AnyWho Media LLC 2026 Doctor Who ©️BBC 1963
Season seven of Pull To Open begins where all great potholing expeditions do: deep underground, with claw marks from the Randomizer and a moral crisis waiting at the exit. This week it’s Doctor Who and the Silurians , the only story bold enough to put “Doctor Who” in the title, and then end by asking: “So… was that a genocide?” Pete and Chris debate Malcolm Hulke’s surprisingly textured reptiles, UNIT’s “sealed permanently” semantics, and why Pertwee is somehow fully formed in his second story. Plus: an experimental Whomoji where nobody knows the answer, an extremely nerdy Bessie license-plate detour, and a dream involving Avon from Blake’s 7 and… kissing. (Not that kind of dream.) Give your own rating for Doctor Who and the Silurians on Spotify ! Subscribe to our YouTube Channel and become a True Companion of the podcast to get new episodes before everyone else! Subscribe to our newsletter at pulltoopen.net for extended notes on Doctor Who and the Silurians. Support the podcast by becoming a patron of Pull To Open on Patreon. Please review Pull To Open on Apple Podcasts . Timeline: Intro 00:00:00 Previously… 00:02:35 Whomoji Challenge 00:07:01 POLL to Open 00:14:01 TL;DW 00:18:00 Commentary: Doctor Who and the Silurians 00:22:34 Four Questions to Doomsday 01:06:58 What If the Evil Plot Had Succeeded? 01:13:15 Where Is the Clara Splinter? 01:17:59 Final Judgment 01:22:40 Randomizer! 01:29:53 Follow us on: TikTok: @pulltoopen Instagram: @pulltoopen63 Facebook: @pulltoopen63 X: @pulltoopen63 Threads: @pulltoopen63 Bluesky: @pulltoopen Play Pull To Open Bingo Story Essentials Season 7, Serial 2 Story number: 51, per the The Pull To Open Codex Writer: Malcolm Hulke Director: Timothy Combe Script Editor: Terrance Dicks Producer: Barry Letts Aired 31 January–14 March 1970 Pull To Open: Doctor Who and the Silurians Season 7 Episode 1 Hosts: Pete Pachal and Chris Taylor Music: Martin West/ Thinking Fish ©️AnyWho Media LLC 2026 Doctor Who ©️BBC 1963
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