Strangers in Space
835 episodes - English - Latest episode: 12 days ago - ★★★★ - 9 ratingsBroader and deeper than Doctor Who...
Back in the early months of 2012 we started life as the Blue Box Podcast, a small team of three (then four, then five...) people podcasting our thoughts on Doctor Who, in the classic style of a bunch of friends the microphones were just accidentally eavesdropping on during a conversation in the pub. Over a decade later, the team has expanded and so has the remit; nowadays we publish episodes approximately three times a week, and the discussion has moved on to include any number of subjects that Doctor Who fans might find themselves chatting about during the aforementioned informal gatherings. So alongside our main subject, you'll find us talking about films, and music, and politics, and other TV programmes, and more besides - and occasionally talking to special guests about their interests too. But of course, plenty of Doctor Who.
Links page: https://strangersinspace.weebly.com/links.html
Where to find the hosts: https://strangersinspace.weebly.com/the-team.html
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Episodes
Film Club Lite 59: Immortal Beloved (1994)
April 17, 2024 04:26 - 24 minutes - 22.6 MBCitizen Kane meets Amadeus, but is Gary Oldman going to be enough to get us through Bernard Rose's period biopic? Presented by J.R. Southall, with Jon Arnold and Matt Barber
Blue Box 145: Just Making the Good Ones (Part Two: Monsters and Villains)
April 15, 2024 06:18 - 54 minutes - 50.1 MBA conversation about characters and creatures who could or should make a return to Doctor Who, in this episode focussing on the villains and monster species Presented by J.R. Southall, with Jon Arnold and Matt Barber
Who Review Extra 30: Knock Knock
April 12, 2024 06:44 - 24 minutes - 22.2 MBMike Bartlett switches from Doctor Foster to Doctor Who, but can David Suchet lift a story with an ending that takes an unexpected left turn towards pleasantville Presented by J.R. Southall, with Jon Arnold and Matt Barber
Film Club Extra: Road House (2024)
April 10, 2024 06:49 - 22 minutes - 20.4 MBA remake of the 1989 Patrick Swayze film from the director of The Bourne Identity sounds like exactly the kind of thing we needed to report back on - so duly here are our views on Amazon Prime's Road House Presented by J.R. Southall, with Matt Barber
Blue Box 144: Just Making the Good Ones (Part One: Family and Friends)
April 08, 2024 07:05 - 46 minutes - 42.2 MBA conversation about characters and actors who could or should make a return to Doctor Who, in this episode focussing on Doctors, companions and fellow Time Lords Presented by J.R. Southall, with Matt Barber
Blue Box 143 - Dandies and Clowns and Other Old Faces
April 05, 2024 04:26 - 43 minutes - 39.5 MBA listener question about the value of multi-Doctor stories begins a conversation over the next few weeks about returning characters and whether they are worth it Presented by J.R. Southall, with Jon Arnold, Matt Barber and Dylan Rees
Film Club Lite 58: The Name of the Rose (1986)
April 03, 2024 04:21 - 48 minutes - 43.9 MBSean Connery as a middle ages monk with Christian Slater as his sexually awakened sidekick in this medieval mystery, for which Matt's friend Will re-joins the team as we embark upon an epic conversation - with a few sound issues, which hopefully won't mar the experience Presented by J.R. Southall, with Jon Arnold, Matt Barber and Will Travis
Blue Box 142: Who News - Title Drop
April 01, 2024 07:27 - 56 minutes - 51.4 MBNow that they've released the episode titles, we take a deep dive into the expectations and speculations we have for RTD's first full series back at the helm of Doctor Who; but be warned, we will be talking spoilers here (although be aware, we'll probably be getting most of this wrong anyway) Hosted by J.R. Southall, with Jon Arnold and Matt Barber
Blue Box 141: RTD Trope Bingo
March 29, 2024 08:16 - 39 minutes - 36.4 MBWe thought it would be interesting to find out what happens when you ask Chat GPT to behave like a Doctor Who fan, and this is the result... Presented by J.R. Southall, with Matt Barber and Iain Martin
Film Club Lite 57: No Blade of Grass (1970)
March 27, 2024 07:26 - 32 minutes - 29.7 MBOur Apocalypse UK occasional season begins with some thoughts on Cornell Wilde's 1970 adaptation of the John Christopher novel The Death of Grass, a film which prefigures Survivors in the afterglow of Easy Rider Presented by J.R. Southall, with Jon Arnold, Jim Cameron and Dylan Rees
Who News: Trailer Drop
March 25, 2024 05:28 - 36 minutes - 33.1 MBThe first substantial trailer for BBC & D+ RTD-2 S1 has dropped, and so we start the conversation with some more thoughts about Steven Moffat's involvement Presented by J.R. Southall, with Matt Barber
Blue Box 140: Who News - Trailer Drop
March 25, 2024 05:28 - 36 minutes - 33.1 MBThe first substantial trailer for BBC & D+ RTD-2 S1 has dropped, and so we start the conversation with some more thoughts about Steven Moffat's involvement Presented by J.R. Southall, with Matt Barber
Who Review Extra: Dulkis et Dalekanium Est
March 22, 2024 05:42 - 59 minutes - 54.6 MBOne thousand episodes ago, we produced our first podcast on the Blue Box Podcast feed. In order to mark the passing of another 999 episodes since then, a double-header of nostalgic significance presented by a roll-call of hosts: The Dominators, and first Death to the Daleks Introduced by J.R. Southall, with Jon Arnold, Matt Barber, Simon Brett, Jim Cameron, Mark Cockram, Dylan Rees and Iain Martin - and the spirit of Uncle Kev
TV Club 68: Twin Peaks The Return
March 20, 2024 05:40 - 49 minutes - 45.3 MBA quarter of a century on, Twin Peaks fans were rewarded with another 18 episodes to round out the mystery and explain what the hell was going on. But was Twin Peaks The Return akin to Midi-chlorian madness, or did it leave us scratching our heads all the more? Presented by Matt Barber, with Jon Arnold, Iain Martin and J.R. Southall
Blue Box 139: TDI Friday
March 18, 2024 07:13 - 33 minutes - 30.2 MBYou might have thought a simple announcement of the date that the new series of Doctor Who would launch on would elicit little more reaction than "That's nice, wonder what I'm doing that day" but no, the future is here and the past is unforgiving Presented by J.R. Southall with Jon Arnold
Blue Box 138: The Great AI Vs Animation Debate
March 15, 2024 09:33 - 42 minutes - 38.7 MBThe Celestial Toymaker is soon to be with us, meanwhile Ian Levine is publishing bits of his own animated reconstructions and the BBC have decided to use AI to promote Doctor Who... Or are things not actually quite as wild as they might seem. Presented by J.R. Southall, with Jon Arnold, Matt Barber and Dylan Rees
Film Club Extra: Oscars 2024
March 12, 2024 14:21 - 25 minutes - 23.7 MBOur reaction to the winners and this time the ceremony itself, at the 96th Academy Awards Presented by J.R. Southall, with Jon Arnold and Matt Barber
Film Club Lite 56: Election (1999)
March 11, 2024 07:11 - 24 minutes - 22.5 MBA breakthrough role for Reese Witherspoon and a break-back part for Matthew Broderick in Alexander Payne's second feature Election Presented by J.R. Southall, with Jon Arnold and Matt Barber
Who Review Extra 28: Invasion of the Dinosaurs
March 08, 2024 05:47 - 29 minutes - 27.3 MBMalcolm Hulke's final Doctor Who serial returns to some of the themes of his first solo story, but in this post-Brexit populist age of isolationism, does Invasion of the Dinosaurs start to look frighteningly prescient? Presented by J.R. Southall, with Jon Arnold, Matt Barber and Jim Cameron
Film Club Extra: The Zone of Interest
March 06, 2024 05:44 - 31 minutes - 28.6 MBOur thoughts on the tenth and last of the Best Picture nominees from this year's Academy Awards; spoiler: it isn't exactly Barbie. Presented by J.R. Southall, with Jon Arnold, Matt Barber and Mark Donaldson
Film Club Extra: YouGov's Top 25 Sci-Fi & Fantasy Films
March 04, 2024 05:42 - 43 minutes - 39.8 MBIt's the Top 25 sci-fi - and fantasy - films like you've never seen it before, direct from the YouGov website Countdown by J.R. Southall, witnessed by Jon Arnold, Matt Barber and Mark Donaldson
Film Club 60: All Of Us Strangers in J-Space
March 01, 2024 05:47 - 1 hour - 67.1 MBNot a contender for Best Picture at this year's Oscars, yet possibly the best film of the year, is Andrew Haigh's All Of Us Strangers - so to do it justice, we've paired it up with a couple of obvious antecedents (Haigh's 45 Years and Summer Among the Zombies aka The Discarnates, the previous movie adaptation of the Japanese novel Strangers) so we can give it the attention it deserves Presented by J.R. Southall, with Jon Arnold, Matt Barber and Mark Donaldson You can watch The Discarnate...
Film Club Extra: Poor Things
February 28, 2024 07:20 - 42 minutes - 38.9 MBOur journey through this year's Best Picture nominees arrives at Poor Things, Yorgos Lanthimos and Emma Stone's next collaboration after The Favourite, and an adaptation of the 1992 Alasdair Gray novel. But can it win? This episode presented by J.R. Southall, with Jon Arnold and Mark Donaldson Poor Things
Blue Box 137: If You Can Be Grown-Up Sometimes
February 26, 2024 05:45 - 35 minutes - 32.8 MBOnce more we had back into Doctor Who history, to choice a nexus point or three, and guess what might have happened had things played out in a different way; this time three listener questions Presented by J.R. Southall, with Jon Arnold and Matt Barber Our links page
Film Club Favourites 07: Iain Martin
February 23, 2024 05:44 - 1 hour - 61.5 MBIain 'Sodcast' Martin chooses one film in each of ten categories, that has made a significant impression upon him - and Matt gives his opinion on Iain's choices Presented by Matt Barber, with Iain Martin Iain on Threads
Film Club Extra: Maestro
February 21, 2024 05:41 - 31 minutes - 28.7 MBAnother Best Picture nominee, this time we turn our attention to Bradley Cooper's biopic of Leonard Bernstein, Maestro Presented by J.R. Southall, with Jon Arnold and Matt Barber
Who Review Extra 27: The Mind Robber
February 19, 2024 07:16 - 28 minutes - 26.5 MBPatrick Troughton's third and final series as Doctor Who began with a whimper - but then landed a bang, as Peter Ling set the new TARDIS team adrift in the Land of Fiction. But how does The Mind Robber hold up, over half a century on? Presented by J.R. Southall, with Jon Arnold and Matt Barber Our links page
Film Club Lite 54: Transformers (2007)
February 16, 2024 08:01 - 1 hour - 58.5 MBIt's a two-in-one podcast this time around, as the conversation we were having about Michael bay's first Transformers movie suddenly transforms into quite another conversation we had about Michael Bay's Transformers movie, at the half-way stage Presented by J.R. Southall, with Jon Arnold. Or Iain Martin. Or both - or each
Film Club Extra: Anatomy of a Fall
February 14, 2024 05:42 - 29 minutes - 27.4 MBWho would have thought that Anatomy of a Fall would become this year's most contentious Best Picture nominee? Presented by J.R. Southall, with Jon Arnold and Matt Barber
Who Review Extra 27: Flatline
February 12, 2024 05:48 - 25 minutes - 23.6 MBIt's Jamie Mathieson's second episode in a row, and his second in a row where he's had to write out one of the two main characters for the majority of the recording time. But what will he do to 'minimise' the Doctor's role in Flatline...? Presented by J.R. Southall, with Jon Arnold and Matt Barber
TV Club 67: Survivors: the Revival
February 09, 2024 07:01 - 1 hour - 76.2 MBAfter our conversation about the original Terry Nation created series from 1975, we obviously had to have another chat about the 2008 version, as reimagined by the creator of Primeval Presented by J.R. Southall, with Jon Arnold, Jim Cameron and Dylan Rees
Film Club Extra: American Fiction
February 07, 2024 07:20 - 34 minutes - 31.9 MBOur attention turns to another of this year's Best Picture Oscar nominees, and this week it's Jeffrey Wright in American Fiction; warning: we try not to spoil the way this film goes but if you are planning on seeing it, do that first before you listen to this Presented by J.R. Southall, with Jon Arnold and Mark Donaldson
Blue Box 136: Missing Achieves Hype
February 05, 2024 07:20 - 58 minutes - 53.2 MBOnce more we throw ourselves back into the Doctor Who timelines, to investigate how we think things might have turned out differently had alternative choices been made; two conversations this time, firstly regarding the mystique of the missing episodes, and then concerning the effects of Covid on Flux Presented by J.R. Southall, with Jon Arnold and Mark Donaldson, and Matt Barber
Film Club Lite 55: The Game (1997)
February 02, 2024 05:45 - 33 minutes - 30.5 MBSeven was one of those films it's almost impossible to follow, so instead David Fincher went on to make something very different. But how does The Game look, more than a quarter of a century on? This episode presented by J.R. Southall, with Jon Arnold, Matt Barber and Mark Donaldson The Game Our links page
Film Club Extra: Past Lives
January 31, 2024 07:08 - 21 minutes - 19.9 MBCeline Song's debut as director is a film about two adults trying to reconnect after being separated as children, but the bigger question is: will it connect enough with the Academy to bring home an Oscar? This episode presented by J.R. Southall, with Jon Arnold and Mark Donaldson
Blue Box 135: January News Round-Up (Slight Return)
January 29, 2024 05:43 - 41 minutes - 38.3 MBGiven the gossip and rumour surrounding the eventual, inevitable change of companion, we returned to our microphones to give some further opinions on the state of play in Cardiff Presented by J.R. Southall, with Jon Arnold, Mark Donaldson and Dylan Rees
Film Club Lite 53: Ronin (1998)
January 26, 2024 05:49 - 30 minutes - 28 MBThe latter 1990s were a new golden age for smart and unusual thrillers, and even John Frankenheimer was getting in on the act; but more important than whether we liked it, what's with De Niro's pronunciation of Hereford? Ronin This episode presented by J.R. Southall, with Jon Arnold, Mat Barber and Mark Donaldson Our links page
Film Club Extra: 2024 Oscar Nominees
January 24, 2024 05:40 - 39 minutes - 31.7 MBThe field of contenders for this year's Best Picture Oscar just narrowed, with the announcement of the ten nominated films; our reaction to the Academy Award nominees and our predictions of the potential winners Presented by J.R. Southall, with Jon Arnold
Blue Box 134: January News Round-Up
January 22, 2024 07:44 - 46 minutes - 42.5 MBRecorded just before the Mirror broke its latest gossip about the companion merry-go-round, here's a mid-month digest of our thoughts about recent developments and potential future ones Presented by J.R. Southall, with Jon Arnold, Matt Barber, Iain Martin and Dylan Rees
Who Review Extra 25: Destiny of the Daleks
January 19, 2024 09:49 - 42 minutes - 38.5 MBWhat happens when Terry Nation scribbles the idea for a story on the back of a fag packet, and it is of all people Douglas Adams that thereafter takes up the mantle? Presented by J.R. Southall, with Jon Arnold, Matt Barber, Jim Cameron, Iain Martin and Dylan Rees
Music Club Extra 06: YouGov's Top 25 Pop Artists
January 17, 2024 05:25 - 44 minutes - 40.6 MBWe were at a loose end, and this is how we filled the time Presented by J.R. Southall, with Jon Arnold and Iain Martin
Film Club Extra: Killers of the Flower Moon
January 15, 2024 05:27 - 32 minutes - 29.7 MBMartin Scorsese's latest is another three-hour epic starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert De Niro, but will it be in serious contention for this year's Best Picture Academy Award? This episode presented by J.R. Southall, with Jon Arnold and Mark Donaldson
Film Club Extra: The Holdovers
January 12, 2024 05:28 - 31 minutes - 29.2 MBAlexander Payne's latest The Holdovers feels like a traditional Christmas tale told using some equally traditional trappings, but does it have enough about it to get it into this year's Academy Awards conversation? Presented by J.R. Southall, with Jon Arnold, Matt Barber and Mark Donaldson
Film Club Extra: Saltburn
January 10, 2024 05:32 - 33 minutes - 30.9 MBSaltburn: is it as sticky as it sounds? Presented by J.R. Southall, with Jon Arnold, Matt Barber and Mark Donaldson
Blue Box 133: 2022/3 Specials Poll Results
January 08, 2024 05:29 - 1 hour - 84.9 MBOur listeners voted on their favourite stories from the last two years of Doctor Who, and these are the results Presented by J.R. Southall, with Jon Arnold, Matt Barber and Mark Donaldson Our podcast links page
Private Members Club 21: Election Daze
January 05, 2024 07:14 - 46 minutes - 42.1 MBRecorded at the end of last year, but now oddly even more relevant thanks to preva-Rishi-cation's comments about an autumn election, here are our thoughts on what 2024 might bring in the world of UK and US politics Presented by J.R. Southall, with Jon Arnold and Matt Barber
TV Club 66: This Year's Ghosts
January 03, 2024 08:07 - 56 minutes - 51.6 MBA look back at this year's ghostly Yuletide fare, the latest A Ghost Story for Christmas (this time Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Lot 249), the final episode of Ghosts, and Imagine - Russell T Davies: The Doctor and Me Presented by J.R. Southall, with Jon Arnold and Matt Barber
Blue Box 132: The Holiday Quiz
January 01, 2024 09:53 - 1 hour - 87.9 MBGuest question-master Rod sets a fiendishly difficult (and unseasonably lengthy) post-Yuletide quiz, which mostly tests our stamina and summons forth more smut than solutions Presented by Rod Brown, with Jon Arnold, Mark Cockram, Joe Ford and J.R. Southall
Music Club 23: Elton John
December 29, 2023 05:28 - 43 minutes - 39.5 MBHe's been a permanent fixture in the musical firmament for over half a century, so we couldn't think of a more appropriate way to end the year than with a tribute to Elton John after his retirement this summer This episode presented by J.R. Southall, with Jon Arnold and Iain Martin
Who Review 25: The Church on Ruby Road
December 26, 2023 11:46 - 1 hour - 58.4 MBIt's the fifteenth Doctor's full debut, and the introduction to his new companion Ruby Sunday, but was the new era born in a blaze of glory...? Presented by J.R. Southall, with Jon Arnold and Matt Barber