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Toby Hadoke
Four different Doctor Who Podcasts from award winning comedian Toby Hadoke, whose Edinburgh show Moths Ate My Doctor Who Scarf became a West End hit, toured the world, and became a Sony nominated BBC Radio series.
The podcasts are:
”Season One” : Happy Times and Places - episode commentaries (a video version is also available on You Tube). Released twice weekly.
”Season 2” : Too Much Information - an episode-by-episode examination of the making of the series. Released once a month.
”Season 3” : Indefinable Magic - whimsical essays inspired by the show. Released at least once a month.
BONUS ”Season 4” : (Far) Too Much Information - a spin-off from Too Much Information containing all the stuff deemed too geeky for the above... (initially available to Patrons only but there is an example on here).
Please see www.patreon.com/tobyhadoke for early and bonus releases
Please join the mailing list at www.tobyhadoke.com
Please subscribe to Toby Hadoke’s You Tube channel.
Happy Times and Places 15.1 - Kinda 1
Well now, The Bay on ITV has been quite the hit, a ratings busting success that has ensured itself a commission for a third run. And guess what? Its writer and creator Daragh Carville is one of us - he is not one of the Not We. So appropriately he has chosen this beguiling tale of Apples (not the computers), Snakes (not the game), and actors from The Bill (yes, the police series). It's a very special story for a very special guest. But what will his favourite thing about episode one be, and will his choice give your host Toby Hadoke nightmares?
34:2817/05/2021
Happy Times and Places 14.1 - The Eleventh Hour
The Moffat era episode and indeed the first Matt Smith episode to be featured in happy Times and Places, and it is right back to the beginning. So let's see what we can find out about Patrick Moore, Pingu, and Ponds as the TARDIS lands us in Leadworth where there is alien activity afoot and more than that, a completely new cast and production team. Oh, and Cully from the Dominators.
01:37:2409/05/2021
Too Much Information 1.4 - The Firemaker
Another instalment of this painstaking attempt to dissect each episode of Doctor Who, sometimes on a day-to-day basis. The TARDIS crew probably get as grubby as any TARDIS crew ever does in the series, the Doctor takes centre stage, and Ian gets the episode title as the series' first ever adventure comes to a close. Along the way there is ridiculous BBC demarcation about fire (it's not fire that will get us all in the end but red tape), a fight scene directed by the production assistant and the story of two people involved with the making of the episode - one of whom would return to Doctor Who, whilst the other would emphatically not.
01:02:4502/05/2021
Indefinable Magic 1.6 - The War Doctors
There is less whimsy and more research in this instalment of Indefinable Magic - the series which promises to probe some random aspect of Doctor Who-dom for all it is worth. This edition focusses on the military service of the first three doctors and a few of their acting colleagues - and finds some surprising, sad, inspiring and shocking stories of actors at war.
38:1729/04/2021
Happy Times and Places (Omnibus) - Terror of the Autons
Former Doctor Who Magazine writer and long time Blue Peter editor Richard Marson (who has also written books on Doctor Who producers John Nathan-Turner and Verity Lambert) decided he'd rather chat to your host, Toby Hadoke, about his favourite things from Terror of the Autons. And it makes for a most illuminating chat that reveals much about the early days of fandom from someone at the coalface. Richard also takes us on a trip through the many highs of a story full of inventive death and teatime horror.
02:30:5625/04/2021
Happy Times and Places 13.6 - The Chase 6
This six week odyssey through some very odd bits of time and space comes to an end in London 1965 and boy does special guest Darrell Maclaine have a treat for you, going way above and beyond the a call of duty. There won't be an eye left dry or a rib left untickled by the time this is all over. Toby Hadoke is your host, and there's something in his eye. And as it's the 50th episode, it's appropriate that we end on a song!
43:4122/04/2021
Happy Times and Places 13.5 - The Chase 5
The Daleks cunningly create a robot that is the double of Doctor Who provided you don't look too hard, and the TARDIS crew land on the planet of the Gubbage Cones which, if the soundtrack is to be believed, also has a jazz bar. And yet despite it's poor reputation host Toby Hadoke and guest Darrell Maclaine have great fun celebrating The Death of Doctor Who (which, by the way, is a big fat lie).
32:0718/04/2021
Happy Times and Places 13.4 - The Chase 4
The Daleks chase the time travellers to a House of Horror - but don't worry, it's all good fun as this much maligned Doctor Who story receives cheerful advocacy from special guest, actor and musician Darrell Maclaine, who has plenty of good things to say. But will his good things be the same as host Toby Hadoke's good things?
31:4015/04/2021
Happy Times and Places 13.3 - The Chase 3
The only Doctor Who episode in which the probable death of a baby is part of a semi-comedic sequence, but that's not the only thing to write home about. There's a Menoptra doing a Columbo impression, Peter Purves on the Empire State Building, and the only 360 degree classic series Dalek headspin. Comedian, musician and actor Darrell Maclaine is in high spirits celebrating this story he loves, and he has dragged your host Toby Hadoke along for the ride.
34:2111/04/2021
Happy Times and Places 13.2 - The Chase 2
On the planet Aridius the only water on display is the tears wept by its lachrymose inhabitants, who include fur star Hywel Bennett and an extra with a Doctor shaped claim to fame. But this won't be a dry affair as actor and musician Darrell Maclaine is on hand to celebrate the positive aspects of this often maligned adventure. Can Toby Hadoke discern Darrell's favourite thing about this instalment, or can he not tell night from day (in which case he isn't alone)?
33:1808/04/2021
Happy Times and Places 13.1 - The Chase 1
Dalekmania is at its height, and Beatlemania too, and both come together in this episode, alongside Abraham Lincoln, William Shakespeare, and the terrifying revelation of a Dalek clearing its throat. A story that divides opinion has been chosen by musician, impressionist and actor Darrell Maclaine, whose e You Tube clips are so entertaining that the TARDIS crew should train their Space Time Visualiser on them. Can he convince host Toby Hadoke that The Chase is worthy of love, and can they agree on what its best bits are?
37:1304/04/2021
Happy Times and Places Omnibus - Timelash
Riding high from her recent success with My Mum Tracy Beaker (not to mention The Worst Witch and The Demon Headmaster), writer Emma Reeves chooses one of Doctor Who's least celebrated adventures - but who cares? It's one she loved as a child and very story means something to someone, so get your tinsel out and have a serving of ham as we grab this one by the Morlocks and see if Toby can undergo a conversion on Karfel. Omnibus edition for those of you who like these all in one go.
01:53:4302/04/2021
Doctor Who : Too Much Information 1.3 - The Forest of Fear
And so we get down to the nitty-gritty of the third ever episode of Doctor Who. There's more pre-filming, the Doctor proves that as well as being an old fashioned hero he is also a potential murderer, and his intended victim turns out to be an actor with a colourful and ultimately tragic personal story. Toby Hadoke is your host, with the When, What and Who of this instalment of TV's most iconic science-fiction series of all.
57:3228/03/2021
Indefinable Magic 1.5 - Terror of the Onions
An apple a day doesn't keep the Doctor away, and yet a pear does? The Doctor's relationship with food says a lot about the character and about us, and Toby Hadoke has some pretty strident views about this - fish fingers and custard, cheese and wine, can fried gumblejack : it's all on the menu in this episode of whimsical essays about Doctor Who related trivia.
35:1426/03/2021
Happy Times and Places 12.4 - Terror of the Autons 4
We left the Doctor almost literally hangin' on the telephone, but what else in in store for him, special guest Richard Marson and host Toby Hadoke as the Master's plan nears completion. Afterwards, Toby and Richard have a chat about some of the great figures in Doctor Who history whom Richard interviewed back in the day. But will they agree on the best things about this episode and the story as a whole? there's only one way to find out...
42:0021/03/2021
Happy Times and Places 12.3 - Terror of the Autons 3
Killer policemen, killer daffodils and a killer doll - not-so-fantastic plastic is the cause of much mayhem in this episode of Doctor Who. But which particular manifestation of it will find favour with your host Toby Hadoke? He has to try to guess what his special guest - writer and producer Richard Marson - has chosen to eulogise about this particular episode of Doctor Who. The pair have a good old chinwag about the Terror of the Autons, and about Doctor Who's history and some of its key figures, but will it be quarries or quarrels at the end of the day...?
37:4318/03/2021
Happy Times and Places 12.2 - Terror of the Autons 2
What's the scariest thing about Terror of the Autons, the multiple deaths-by-plastic, the amount of CSO, or the rather dated approach to animal welfare on display? You decide. Your host Toby Hadoke and his special guest, TV producer Richard Marson, are on hand to bring you their thoughts - Richard was around on first broadcast and so can provide a bit of context, and Toby is learning to love a story he has hitherto been somewhat ambivalent about. But that's the point really - now watch out for those clowns....
38:4815/03/2021
Happy Times and Places 12.1 - Terror of the Autons 1
To tie in with this week's Blu-Ray release of Season 8, it's time to celebrate its opening story, which was a great big relaunch for Doctor Who. The first appearance of The Master, Jo Grant and Captain Yates, it also features the return of the Autons but an altogether more colourful palette than the muted tones for gritty old Season 7. Special guest Richard Marson -who pretty much was Doctor Who Magazine back in the day, but who has also written books about key figures in the series and has been the main man at Blue Peter - chats to Toby about the story and his role in the early years of fandom in a fascinating post-episode interview. So the format changes slightly for this instalment of Happy Times and Places, which is kind of appropriate when you think about it.
42:2812/03/2021
Indefinable Magic 1.4 - I Wish Bernard Was Here
Another random series of thoughts inspired by Doctor Who - in this one, host Toby Hadoke connects the dots between Professor Bernard Quatermass, the first icon of BBC TV science fiction, and his sort-of offspring, Doctor Who. There are similarities, differences, and much to celebrate about both in this podcast that will serve as an introduction to the Quatermass serials for those who have never seen them, and an insightful and detailed examination off them for those who have... but always seen through the prism of a certain time traveller, who owes the professor a great deal...
33:3108/03/2021
Happy Times and Places Omnibus - Battlefield
For those of you who like to digest the stories all in one go, here it is, free from cliff-hangers and all packaged up for a binge listen, the Doctor plays Merlin but the Brigadier is not playing at all ... the game's afoot on the Battlefield. Artist Jon Turner has selected his favourite things about the story - it will be a shame if host Toby Hadoke fails to identify any of them...
02:04:5005/03/2021
Happy Time and Places 11.1 - The End of the World
Writer Joe Lidster (Torchwood, Big Finish, The Demon Headmaster) has chosen the first Christopher Eccleston episode to be given the Happy Times and Places treatment. He has to choose his five favourite things about the story and your host, Toby Hadoke, has to see if he can guess what they are, and if he doesn't, well, it' not the end of the ... oh, hang on ...
59:1601/03/2021
HappyTimes and Places Omnibus - The Ribos Operation
A real gem this one, as playwright Dan Rebellato puts his not inconsiderable brain power into considering the Doctor Who story he has chosen to eulogise, The Ribos Operation. Host Toby Hadoke has to see if he can anticipate what themes, ideas and performances particularly grab Dan, in this omnibus presentation which saves you having to download all the individual episodes and presents them in one neat package. The problem is, the package is locked up in a museum and you have to try to steal it...
02:30:4726/02/2021
Too Much Information 1.2 - The Cave of Skulls
So, everyone talks about the pilot and the first episode and all that landmark stuff, but what about the second ever episode of Doctor Who? There are still some firsts - the Doctor smoking! And lasts - the Doctor smoking! There's the first adventure proper, the first villain, and even the first broadcast material featuring the regulars to be filmed. So join Toby Hadoke in order to discover the Who, What and When of Doctor Who's second episode, and discover all you need to know about the filming, the studio recording and the people instrumental in the show's Difficult Second Album.
55:1822/02/2021
Happy Times and Places Omnibus - The Rescue
For those of you who like them all in one chunk here it is with the interim titles lopped off and the cliffhangers merged just like in the old days of BBC Video. Superb script guru Andrew Ellard has challenged Toby to watch The Rescue and to choose his favourite things about it, so if you like crash landings, genocide, and dead pets then you'll just love the planet Dido. Toby Hadoke is your guide, but play your cards right or you can't come in.
01:06:2519/02/2021
Happy Times and Places 10.2 - Timelash 2
Well now, this one throws up a few interesting things - Toby got to know one of the cast members of this rather well on his first ever professional acting engagement, and the star of this was the first big Doctor Who name Toby ever met. So he has those stories in his arsenal as this episode goes off in some tricky directions : from TARDIS padding to body shaming, can Timelash 2 get into a position where it can look at itself in the mirror? Emma Reeves, esteemed TV writer and producer, is our special guest, and the one responsible for plonking us in the Morlocks.
58:5215/02/2021
Happy Times and Places Omnibus - The Evil of the Daleks
All 7 episodes of this Patrick Troughton classic in one epic podcast, as charming Big Finish and BBC Books writer Simon Guerrier puts his fascinating mind to work one what it is that makes this story so special. Your host Toby Hadoke has to sort the best of the best - is it the trains, the Beatles, the battle, the Emperor or Victoria's hanky (or is it her knickers Frazer?): or all or none of the above? Join Toby and Simon as they try to discover if there is some factor that makes Evil so special.
03:28:1312/02/2021
Happy Times and Places 10.1 - Timelash 1
It's another story with "Time" in the title, which in the classic series has never been a good omen when it comes to the popularity stakes. It's Toby's first commentary with the 6th Doctor and even our special guest, TV writer and producer Emma Reeves, thinks this isn't an especially good example of Doctor Who - it's just a Doctor Who story that she is fond of. Well, that is all very well for her, but will Toby, and you dear listener, depart Karfel with a scream? Most do apparently. So let's try to avoid that, eh?
57:2308/02/2021
Happy Times and Places Omnibus - Time-Flight
Feedback indicates that it can be helpful to have these podcasts as a simple digestible package per story, so here is a lovely Concorde flavoured bundle, with some jolly pilots, a beige jumper or two, lots of clenched fists and just time for a New York stopover as we jump aboard the Time-Flight for an uninterrupted journey. The story has been chosen by comedian and cartoonist John Cooper, and your host, as ever, is Toby Hadoke.
01:58:3605/02/2021
Happy Times and Places 9.1 - Partners in Crime
One of the heroes of Doctor Who lockdown, responsible for putting a smile on the faces of a lot of people, chooses one fi the things that makes her happy. Emily Cook, writer, Doctor Who Magazine staffer and Tweetalong organiser extraordinaire shares her favourite things about Partners in Crime, Catherine Tate's first episode as a series regular in Doctor Who. So, as your host Toby Hadoke and Emily chew the fat, will they agree on the best things about this season opener and which bits give it weight? And in whose favour will the scales tilt? And probably some other diet based puns if you want.
01:09:4601/02/2021
Happy Times and Places 8.4 - Battlefield 4
And so we get to the episodes which dangled the death of a much loved character in front of us, showcased one of the best monster designs in the show's history, and has a great big battle in it. It's fascinating to revisit some of the less celebrated episodes in the show's run, and host Toby Hadoke and his guest Jon Turner are determined to uncover some buried treasure: but will they agree on what the story's best things are?
35:1929/01/2021
Happy Times and Places 8.3 - Battlefield 3
Well there's a field and a battle, but there's also a blue monster and a cure for blindness. All this and more give your host Toby Hadoke and guest, artists Jon Tuner, a lot to chew over as they see if they agree on what the best things about
29:4925/01/2021
Happy Times and Places 8.2 - Battlefield 2
It's all go as the Doctor fights knight and day to save the Earth from an evil witch with the help of the Brigadier, another Brigadier, and the absolutely brilliant Fl Lt Lavel - but will she be too obvious a choice for your host Toby Hadoke, as he tries to discover what it is his guest, artist Jon Turner, enjoys most about this story?
33:4822/01/2021
Happy Times and Places 8.1 - Battlefield 1
The first Sylvester McCoy story to be given the HT&P treatment, endorsed by a genuine child of the 7th Doctor era (how can one of those be old enough to be hanging around with Toby, haven't they got playgroup to go to?). And there is plenty here to get to grips with - things that make you go BOOM!
37:1018/01/2021
Indefinable Magic 1.3 - Words, Words, Words...
Indefinable Magic is a series of whimsical meanderings, which sees comedian Toby Hadoke rhapsodise arcana via childhood memories, a trivial quest or an overactive imagination. This episode will chime with anyone who has learnt a word thanks to Doctor Who, and even those who thought they'd learnt a word and didn't discover until years later that it actually meant something totally different.
Please Note : This is a later edit than the one initially uploaded which had some technical ingloriousness at the end.
27:1815/01/2021
Happy Times and Places 7.4 - The Ribos Operation 4
A feature length episode because it is a story that has provoked a lot of discussion from special guest Dan Rebellato. So hopefully, if you were ambivalent about this story, not one of the most discussed in the show's history, hopefully Toby and Dan can send you back to it with renewed vigour. You don't have to like it all - we'll settle for 10%.
51:2611/01/2021
Happy Times and Places 7.3 - The Ribos Operation 3
Seek and you shall find not only a woman with antlers but also a flea bitten fellow with no front teeth. And that's just the host. There's a lot to discuss as playwright Dan Rebellato has to choose his favourite thing from this episode - will he go for the obvious, and if so, will that bring your host Toby Hadoke within sniffing distance of victory? The answer can be found by looking to the stars (or alternatively, by listening to the podcast).
PLEASE NOTE - The initial upload of this had a technical glitch at the top with multiple tracks vying for attention: this has now been corrected. Apologies!
34:3608/01/2021
Happy Times and Places 7.2 - The Ribos Operation 2
The plots thickens and the the scringe stone strikes as renowned playwright Dan Rebellato articulates, most compellingly, what the best things about this rich and complex Doctor Who story are. Finding positives isn't hard, but the task for your host Toby Hadoke is to see if he can anticipate exactly what it is about this story that Dan likes the most.
35:4104/01/2021
Happy Times and Places 7.1 - The Ribos Operation 1
Smart, articulate, intelligent ... no, we haven't got a new host, Toby is still blundering through, but...! We do have a terrific guest, playwright Dan Rebellato, whose pedigree is proved by his choice of story, the mighty The Ribos Operation. What do you mean you've never paid it much heed because there aren't really many memorable monsters and not much happens? Dan and Toby will do their very best to persuade you that this is as good as Doctor Who gets. Accentuate the positive? Easy!
39:1103/01/2021
Happy Times and Places 6.2 - The Rescue 2
TV script editor Andrew Ellard (The Detectorists, Red Dwarf) has set Toby the task of identifying the best bits of a Doctor Who story with few sets and a tiny cast so there's not exactly an abundance of things to get his teeth into... or is there? The Doctor fights mass murder on an unprecedented scale, meets some silent angels who definitely aren't weeping, and solves a murder mystery with the fewest possible suspects. Oh, and one of the TARDIS crew murders a pet in cold blood. It's all go on Dido. Once again, comedian Toby Hadoke has to watch and to sing the story's praises.
33:3802/01/2021
Happy Times and Places 6.1 - The Rescue 1
Released exactly 56 years after the episode we are watching was broadcast (well, we've put this out 10 minutes earlier in case you want to line it up for a time busting simulcast) this will be a double hit: episode two will be out later tonight. The TARDIS lands a very sad Doctor on a planet where all the tea has gone cold : Dido. Where everyone is as dead as a Dodo. But not Dodo, she's not the companion yet. That's Vicki. Well, she's not the companion yet either but... oh never mind. Toby Hadoke has to guess what TV script editing genius Andrew Elland has identified as the best things in this 1965 Doctor Who story.
35:2902/01/2021
Happy Times and Places 5.7 - The Evil of the Daleks 7
Toby Hadoke continues to try to comb through the murk of still pictures and indistinct soundtracks to see if the gloriousness of an acclaimed lost Dalek classic still shines through. It's been an epic, but now we come to the final end! All hell breaks loose on Skaro. Toby and special guest Simon Guerrier have been pretty close with their guesses, so will our host pull off a final victory and work out what Simon's favourite things about this amazing episode are, or will it all end with a massive explosion and lots of mess?
37:5301/01/2021
Happy Times and Places 5.6 - The Evil of the Daleks 6
Well here is a first, a commentary that was originally so tedious that Toby decided to do it again. Doctor Who has an illustrious history of getting things wrong on the first attempt and trying again, so hopefully it's the right call. He hasn't cheated though, he goes back to his original recording when it comes to seeing if he and special guest Simon Guerrier like the same thing about this episode - which returns the Doctor to Skaro for the first time since his initial visit. And that's just the start of the action.
32:0601/01/2021
Happy Times and Places 5.5 - The Evil of the Daleks 5
The story goes from being merely good to touching greatness as the Daleks start to behave in a most peculiar fashion - and giving Toby and his special guest Simon Guerrier plenty to wax lyrical about. But will they agree on the episode's best bit? Its rather an amusing little podcast don't you think so Jamie?
31:2431/12/2020
Happy Times and Places 5.4 - The Evil of the Daleks 4
Writer Simon Guerrier chooses one of the least tangible things about this episode of a second Doctor classic, so enjoy yourselves as Toby tries to guess what it is as Jamie fights Kemel, Victoria's hanky launches a million anecdotes, and Patrick Troughton is on holiday and so represented only on film. Film we can't actually see.
32:1430/12/2020
Happy Times and Places 5.3 - The Evil of the Daleks 3
Back to still pictures for the third episode of this lost classic, selected by writer Simon Guerrier. Your host Toby Hadoke has to see if he can work out what it is that Simon likes best about this particular episode of Doctor Who, as always, trying to accentuate the positive and celebrate the best things that it has to offer.
31:4028/12/2020
Doctor Who : Too Much Information 1.1 - An Unearthly Child
Doctor Who : Too Much Information, is an episode-by-episode, blow-by-blow, sometimes day-by-day account of the making of every single episode (yes, episode, not story) of Britain's longest running science-fiction show, shedding light on the Who, What and Where of (Doctor) Who. It's monthly for now but will hopefully pick up speed once Toby knows what he's doing. It's a collation of paperwork, interviews and new research designed to explore even the tiniest nooks and crannies of the Doctor Who universe for trivial nuggets, all told in an accessible manner and augmented by a soundtrack specially composed by the award winning Waen Shepherd.
This is Episode 1.1 : An Unearthly Child
Written and Narrated by Toby Hadoke
01:07:4125/12/2020
Happy Times and Places 5.2 - The Evil of the Daleks 2
A moment of respite as the pictures start moving again and we see whether all the fuss about The Evil of the Daleks is justified. Special guest, writer Simon Guerrier, seems to think so, but will your host, Toby Hadoke, succumb to the charms of the story as it spirals us back in time to meet the stories Big, bewhiskered Bad. Is there as much here as legend says there its, to take Toby to one of his Happy Times and Places.
31:4023/12/2020
Happy Times and Places 5.1 - The Evil of the Daleks 1
Our special guest this time around - Big Finish, BBC Books and Doctor Who Magazine writer Simon Guerrier doesn't make it easy. He has chosen the very first missing story to be selected for Happy Times and Places. It's highly regarded though, the epic The Evil of the Daleks, which begins with the Doctor and Jamie marooned in singing 60s London.
33:3821/12/2020
Happy Times and Places Omnibus - The Sontaran Experiment
Omnibus edition fo the previously released commentary of The Sontaran Experiment, to save you having to download the individual episodes one at a time. Special Guest - character comedian Tom Burgess.
01:04:5718/12/2020
Happy Times and Places 4.4 - Time-Flight 4
Doctor Who fans like nothing more than talking about how rubbish Doctor Who is, so comedian Toby Hadoke has decided to buck the trend by doing a podcast which only concentrates on the things he likes about the show. He has to guess what his special guest's favourite things are about a story that they have nominated. And some stories are easier than others...
Presented by - Toby Hadoke
Special guest - John Cooper
This Episode - Time-Flight 4
33:4117/12/2020