When the Twelfth Doctor trades the TARDIS for a mop at Coal Hill School, awkwardness is bound to follow. Join us as we revisit The Caretaker , an episode packed with high-stakes parent-teacher nights, questionable robot threats, and a love triangle that quickly goes off the rails. Can Clara balance dating Danny Pink and running down corridors with the Doctor? And is Peter Capaldi’s cantankerous caretaker disguise fooling anyone? Even Courtney? Ring the school bell—class with Pull To Open is offi...
Jul 05, 2025•1 hr 21 min•Season 6Ep. 20
Terry Nation returns! But not with Daleks — this time it’s androids, clones, and possibly the most ill-advised eyepatch in Who history. The Randomizer has pulled us into The Android Invasion , a UNIT-adjacent tale with a suspiciously quiet pub, some surprisingly trigger-happy fingers, and a plan so convoluted, it makes a Moffat finale look grounded. Join us as we unravel a story where the twist is that the twist is obvious, Tom Baker takes a dive, and Liz Sladen’s face falls off — literally. If ...
Jun 21, 2025•1 hr 35 min•Season 6Ep. 19
Is it a medieval space opera or a green-skinned fever dream? The Curse of Peladon has it both ways, complete with a courtly Pertwee, a princess-posing Jo, and the most phallic alien ever approved for Saturday tea time. Join us as we decode this gothic interstellar allegory about joining galactic federations (or maybe the European Economic Community), uncover who’s behind the spooky beast attacks, and decide if the Ice Warriors are still chill. Also: shoutouts to Alpha Centauri, the most anxious ...
Jun 07, 2025•1 hr 37 min•Season 6Ep. 18
How do you stick the landing for a story about a fake world that’s made of wishes? You let your villain shine, sprinkle in some glorious cameos, and insert a twist that dials the emotional resonance to 11. Somehow, between all the fourth-wall-breaking and nonsensical plot twists, Russell T. Davies wraps up Ncuti Gatwa’s second season of Doctor Who in a way that does more than satisfy—it slaps. Not every plot thread gets fully explored, but the ones that matter actually make sense(!) and are reve...
May 31, 2025•1 hr•Season 6Ep. 17
The Doctor’s stuck in a surreal 1950s fever dream, UNIT’s been rebranded as a life insurance agency, and wish-granting gods are running amok. What is even happening in Wish World ?! Pete and Chris dive headfirst into RTD’s mind-bending, logic-challenged spectacle that dares to connect the Rani, Poppy, Conrad, and possibly Susan through some extremely wishful thinking. Is this the Doctor’s most confusing domestic life yet? Are Mastodon skeletons the new Macra? Is this what happens when RTD binges...
May 24, 2025•40 min•Season 6Ep. 16
It turns out our dress rehearsal of The Interstellar Song Contest was missing one extremely important reveal! In this emergency analysis of the post-credits scene, we tackle the surprise regeneration of Mrs. Flood into a new Time Lady villain—Archie Panjabi’s take on the classic Rani . Is this just a nostalgia throwback, or are we in for a legit cosmic power play? And what does this say about bigeneration, the show’s new favorite toy? Tune in for rants, theories, and your favorite meta-commentar...
May 17, 2025•29 min•Season 6Ep. 15
The Interstellar Song Contest is a full-on sensory overload: galactic glam, massive stakes, and more killer hooks than a Skybox full of Hellions. In this hot take, we break down the Doctor’s most bombastic outing yet — complete with AI cameos, shocking twists, and one jaw-dropping moment that might just redefine the Doctor’s moral compass. Has Russell T Davies gone too far, or just far enough? Join us for a voyage through pop, politics, and planetary peril. And yes, we did eventually get to that...
May 17, 2025•38 min•Season 6Ep. 14
In The Story & the Engine , the Doctor finds himself in a Nigerian barbershop… on a spaceship… on the back of a spider… in the realm of living stories. You with us so far? Good — because the story’s just getting started. Join Pete and Chris as they dissect one of the most surreal, ambitious episodes in Doctor Who history, from map headgames to moral metaphysics. Come for the cosmic barbershop, stay for the existential vibes. Tell us what you think of The Story & the Engine on ...
May 10, 2025•47 min•Season 6Ep. 13
It's a Lucky Day … or is it? Is this a bold stand for truth in the age of misinformation, or an unsubtle lecture about trusting the deep state? Can conspiracy theorists exist in a world where UNIT is canon? And what’s the deal with Conrad’s podcast? From shrieks to lip gloss, Mrs. Flood to memory worms, we unpack all the continuity—and the politics. But sorry, we can’t spare a 50p piece. Tell us what you think of Lucky Day on ...
May 03, 2025•38 min•Season 6Ep. 12
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 callbacks to classic sci-fi storytelling are hidden just below the surface? Grab your spacesuit (and maybe smash a few mirrors) — it's about to get rea...
Apr 26, 2025•43 min•Season 6Ep. 11
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 the Doctor’s best mini-speech in years. Also discussed: How to acknowledge the racist past without getting lost in it, whether “Lux” secretly out-Bli...
Apr 19, 2025•40 min•Season 6Ep. 10
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 of Death sequel. But hey, at least the Doctor's rocking pajamas and historian credentials now. Tell us what you think of The Robot Revolution on ...
Apr 12, 2025•47 min•Season 6Ep. 9
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 would put the Doctor in new kinds of domestic jeopardy. In short, despite some slightly dodgy CGI choices, it still holds up, even 20 hours later. Oh w...
Apr 05, 2025•1 hr 39 min•Season 6Ep. 8
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 this episode in our cave, though. So join us for a show sponsored by Gravbar, the adjustable all-in-one exerciser that’ll tear your pecs to shreds! Giv...
Mar 29, 2025•1 hr 32 min•Season 6Ep. 7
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 spectacle hold up, or is this the original sin of '80s Who? Join us as we crack the last logic code, psychoanalyze the Cyber Leader’s emotions (should Cy...
Mar 15, 2025•1 hr 39 min•Season 6Ep. 6
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 go all Back to the Future in 1987 — and don’t miss the Rickroll, because Pull to Open really is never gonna give you up. Give your own rating for Fath...
Mar 01, 2025•1 hr 33 min•Season 6Ep. 5
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 into an atmospheric fog of 1970s class war with our new blue peepers, enter a history corner on the real Fang Rock, and try not to grumble at the fake So...
Feb 15, 2025•1 hr 37 min•Season 6Ep. 4
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 analogies. So sit back and take a shot of hair tonic while we absorb you into our giant brain. Just call us the Ood couple! (Actually, don’t.) Give your own ...
Feb 01, 2025•1 hr 20 min•Season 6Ep. 3
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 as we dust off our Greek myths and prepare to be sacrificed on the altar of the mighty Tom Baker. Give your own rating for The Horns of Nimon on ...
Jan 18, 2025•1 hr 25 min•Season 6Ep. 2
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 special. But beneath the high-speed chases and flirty banter lies a looming warning: he will knock four times. Grab your lobster card and hang on tight as ...
Jan 04, 2025•1 hr 30 min•Season 6Ep. 1
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 pace with this one, but be sure to curl up in your most comfortable chair before diving in. Subscribe to our YouT...
Dec 25, 2024•41 min•Season 5Ep. 40
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/dumb/hallucinatory choices (Tegan can draw like DaVinci and pilot a TARDIS by crying now?) Join us as we hurl a cricket ball of nerd rage right at the ...
Dec 21, 2024•1 hr 27 min•Season 5Ep. 39
“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 us — no, seriously, join us, we need one more passenger to take the fast lane through the snapping Macra of criticism! Give your own rating for Gridl...
Dec 07, 2024•1 hr 27 min•Season 5Ep. 38
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 know them. But how can we make its premise make sense? Join us in a much-needed memory wipe while we run around with scissors — just don’t touch that f...
Nov 23, 2024•1 hr 34 min•Season 5Ep. 37
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 of jokes and self-awareness, including the first crack about the Doctor chasing young women. But is its medieval feminism just a load of Rubeish? Join ...
Nov 09, 2024•1 hr 28 min•Season 5Ep. 36
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 we’ve got Alisa Stern (aka Doctor Puppet) to help us grind its gears. If you’re listening, Gallifrey, the dangerous triple hybrid that will deconstru...
Oct 26, 2024•1 hr 44 min•Season 5Ep. 35
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 invisible heavy-breathers and squirting plants of Spiridon? Lay down on some IKEA furniture as we dust off purple fake furs from Burning Man and infiltrate ...
Oct 12, 2024•1 hr 32 min•Season 5Ep. 34
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 Algernon,” ambiguous Mike Yates, arachnophobia, crystallography, tantric Buddhism, one clairvoyant, one exotic dancer, and a little something called re...
Sep 28, 2024•1 hr 45 min•Season 5Ep. 33
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? Why couldn’t Amy and Amy pass the Bechdel test ? And what’s up with all those flying syringes? Give your own rating for The Girl Who Waited on ...
Sep 14, 2024•1 hr 26 min•Season 5Ep. 32
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 peek into what the future holds for the Toymaker, which was news to us. Please enjoy this XXL episode of Pull To Open, packed full of interesting th...
Aug 31, 2024•2 hr 18 min•Season 5Ep. 31
