Review – 50 Years of Doctor Who: Preachrs Podcast Live

School teachers Ian and Barbara are concerned about one of their students, Susan, a fifteen-year-old girl who seems hopelessly out-of-place. She excels at mathematics, science and history, but is easily confused by simple concepts like litmus tests and money. Looking to resolve the mystery her teachers follow Susan to her home, which turns out to be a decrepit police box. Forcing their way inside Ian and Barbara discover the blue box, which is bigger on the inside, is actually a ship that can travel through space and time. There, Susan’s grandfather, disgruntled by the intrusion, abducts Susan’s teachers back to prehistoric earth.

So began Britain’s longest running TV show, Doctor Who, which has since become a cultural force of papier-mâché menace and camp villainy. And to mark the 50th Anniversary of this popular show, the Whovian fans at Preachrs Podcast hosted a live show devoted to the literally changing face of their favourite Time Lord, the Doctor.

True to the TV show’s enduring popularity, fans of all ages turned up to sell-out the show. And I do mean all ages: there were lots of enthusiastic Boomers sitting shoulder-to-shoulder with young children, who were just as loyal fans, and plenty of twenty and thirty-somethings to round out the mix. And the fans were rewarded in their faith by the commitment that their hosts took to the event. Benjamin Maio Mackay wore a convincing Fourth Doctor costume, and co-hosts Robert Lloyd and Nicholas Finch were just as dashing as the Tenth and Eleventh Doctors respectively. Which is not to mention the finely recreated props which populated the stage: a full-size K-9, Dalek, Cyberman and TARDIS.

Lloyd took centre-stage and charmed the audience with his in-character portrayal of David Tennant’s Tenth Doctor. Mackay and Finch, the younger Whovians, kept up the panel conversation with aplomb. The biggest weakness of the show was in scope — trying to discuss the entire history of a show like Doctor Who, with its rotating cast of protagonists, companions and villains, is a little too much to fit into a one-hour format. Instead, it might have performed better if it was less scripted and took a more naturalistic approach to a discussion of the show’s run. Not that the fans really minded: everyone present seemed to love the event. A huge recommend for any Doctor Who fans. Casual fans might find themselves a little out of depth trying to understand all the Whovian lore, but the hosts are entertaining enough not to leave them completely out to dry.