On the one hundred and sixteenth episode of Reality Bomb, Graeme Burk interviews SFX editor Darren Scott about Doctor Who having a digital-first release at midnight on Saturday, having episodes 1 and 2 air before Eurovision, and how the launch of the new season one is going. With a new trailer there's new rumours and Lacy Baugher-Milas and KatyBeth…

On the one hundred and fifteenth episode of Reality Bomb, Graeme Burk talks with Guardian writer Martin Belam about his controversial 2021 article about Doctor Who four years (and a massive series of changes in Doctor, showrunner, studio and co-production partner) later and then examines at the current state of Doctor Who in 2024 and what's ahead. …

On the one hundred and fourteenth episode of Reality Bomb, we're all about all the 2023 specials, all the time, as Graeme Burk talks to Kim Rogers and Max Kaschevsky about Ncuti Gatwa's full debut as the Doctor in the Christmas special The Church on Ruby Road. Sage Young and Sanjay Lago also stop by to discuss the three 60th anniversary specials st…

We're continuing our celebration of the 60th anniversary of Doctor Who with the second of our special episodes that asks a simple but important question: "What is an essential element of Doctor Who?" 20 fans answer this question -- some of them from the Reality Bomb archives, most others are new. All of them talk about the diverse elements that mak…

On the one hundred and thirteenth edition of Reality Bomb we're celebrating the 60th anniversary of Doctor Who with a special episode that asks one simple but important question: "What is an essential element of Doctor Who?" Over the next two episodes, we'll have the perspectives of 20 fans on this question, some new, some from the past, as they ta…

On the one hundred and twelfth edition of Reality Bomb, we talk to classical musician Elizabeth Reid McQuillan about the new version of the Doctor Who theme and what makes the Doctor Who theme so popular. We chat with Graham Kibble-White, co-author of the new bookazine Adventures in Type and Space, about how the book came together, and how some of …

On the one hundred and eleventh edition of Reality Bomb, Graeme Burk talks about the trailer for the 60th anniversary specials -- and the return of David Tennant's Doctor teaming with Catherine Tate's Donna Noble -- with Sage Young and Julie Chaston. Joy Piedmont talks to Reece Connolly and Carrot about their Doctor Who themed cabaret, The Gallifre…

On a special episode of Reality Bomb, we’re continuing our tenth anniversary celebrations with a journey through Doctor Who and its fandom over the past decade with our editorials. We’ve trawled through our archives we're presenting ten editorials from past ten years of Reality Bomb that talk about what enrages, enthralls, excites and enlivens us a…

On a special episode of Reality Bomb, we're continuing our tenth anniversary celebrations with a look at our longest running segment, Gallery of the Underrated. We've made a deep dive into the archives and brought back ten Gallery of the Underrateds from the past decade of Reality Bomb that re-examine the overlooked, ignored and generally derided D…

On the one hundred and tenth edition of Reality Bomb, we're celebrating our tenth anniversary with our longest episode yet and featuring "ten for ten"-- ten segments that look back on ten years of Reality Bomb, introduced by contributors and friends of the programs. This episode includes: Romance in Doctor Who (from episode 060) - Jenny Colgan and …

On the one hundred and ninth edition of Reality Bomb we're back doing a live episode on Zoom! Graeme Burk and Joy Piedmont are joined by a panel that includes Kim Rogers, Lori Steuart, Max Kaschevsky and KatyBeth Schmid as they discuss (just in time for Doctor Who's big 6-0) what the essential elements of Doctor Who actually are. Lori Steuart (who …

On the one hundred and eighth edition of Reality Bomb, we're counting down to the 60th anniversary and talking about trailers, titles and overall hype with Head Over Feels' Sage Young and the Guardian's Martin Belam. We bringing in Gareth Kavanaugh, editor of the Doctor Who comics fanzine Vworp Vworp to talk about adapting The Star Beast and what t…

On the one hundred and seventh edition of Reality Bomb, we're talking with Kim Rogers and Jim Sangster about actress, signer, performer Queen of Queens on RuPaul's Drag Race... and Doctor Who guest star Jinkx Monsoon. And we're out of our depths as Emma O'Neill-Deitel brings Legend of the Sea Devils to the Gallery of the Underrated. Plus Scot Clark…

On this special episode of Reality Bomb, Joy Piedmont talks with executive producer and writer Chris Chibnall, who recently concluded his four-year tenure showrunning Doctor Who. Joy talks with Chris about growing up as a fan, his experiences at the Gallifrey One convention in Los Angeles in February, the Doctor as the Timeless Child, building a wr…

On the one hundred and sixteenth edition of Reality Bomb, we're talking with Dominic G. Martin about the fifteenth Doctor new look: what the constituent elements of the ensemble are, how fashion forward it is, and what wardrobe can expect Ncuti Gatwa to rock in future. Then we have a new edition of "Is This Rumour Hot or Not?" with Lacy Baugher-Mil…

What grabs you as a kid listening to songs on the radio may still grab you as an adult... but the nuances often come out after you’ve had years to process them, all informed by life experience. This was true for Rob and Steely Dan’s 1972 debut record Can’t Buy a Thrill. It was an album he immersed himself in his twenties during his first flush of C…

When you find out your friend is in a band and has made a record, it’s like finding out that they’re a practicing wizard, a superhero, or secret agent. It often turns music fans/friends into evangelists – “Everyone! Listen to what my friend made!” In the heady days when melancholic northern new wave roamed the earth, Graeme’s friend Bob, alias “Sim…

Music runs deep and has the power to enlighten, educate, and empower. This doesn’t have to be a didactic thing and the best of it isn’t. Great songs can do all of those things as one listens and enjoys them. It does all that at the soul level. Music is weird – and sometimes very, very sneaky. Shannon connected with the world of acapella from her ti…

There reaches a point in a young music fan’s life when they begin to detect the emotional complexities of the songs and albums they love. This usually corresponds with a capacity for sensing these things in real life between real people. One discovers that some things can seem happy on the surface, while being full of tumult and struggle underneath…

We often find an attachment to certain music during times of emotional upheaval and loss. And it can be a double-edged blade. We love it and find it painful at the same time... because, hey, music is weird – and mysterious. For Graeme, the ending of a relationship led him to this exact place. Around that time, Sarah McLachlan’s 1997 record Surfacin…

As is often the case with music, love can grow in increments. The Deeper Cuts trio touched on that in our discussion on Tom Waits’ Mule Variations album all the way back in Season Two when Shannon first saw the artist’s incendiary performance of “Chocolate Jesus” on Letterman. But even as listeners grow into a sound over time, artists themselves re…

On this holiday episode of Reality Bomb, Graeme Burk and Joy Piedmont are here for fans experiencing the absence of any Doctor Who special this holiday season by re-presenting some past segments from Reality Bomb's vaults to do with the Doctor Who Christmas specials including Mark Askwith and Nikki Stafford's discussion of the tenth anniversary of …

Twas two weeks before Christmas (a little bit less) and all through the podcast, Shannon, Graeme and Rob were receiving holiday presents... from our listeners! That's right, this year we've outsourced our traditional gift exchange. Listeners Martin Hajovsky, Drew Walco and Sarah Irvin have given Graeme, Shannon and Rob respectively albums that they…

Welcome to Deeper Cuts: The Live Sessions – a three-episode miniseries which finds the Deeper Cuts trio looking at the live music albums that were meaningful to them, and pondering what makes a great live album. After exploring a theater and a concert hall as a setting for great live records, this time we consider the large-scale outdoor live show.…

On the one hundredth and fifth edition of Reality Bomb, we're getting excited about the arrival of Millie Gibson as the new companion Ruby Sunday as we talk to Jim Sangster and Julie Chaston about what Gibson might bring to the role and how her three years on Coronation Street might prove to be an advantage. Also Graham Kibble-White has an audio es…

Welcome to Deeper Cuts: The Live Sessions – a three-episode miniseries which finds the Deeper Cuts trio looking at the live music albums that were meaningful to them, and pondering what makes a great live album. During a hellscape of a summer marked by a never-ending work crisis, Graeme learned about the Indigo Girls' new live album through a Deepe…

Welcome to Deeper Cuts: The Live Sessions – a three-episode miniseries which finds the Deeper Cuts trio looking at the live music albums that were meaningful to them, and pondering what makes a great live album. There are wake-up calls and there are WAKE UP! calls. When Rob was growing up, his Dad’s copy of James Brown and the Famous Flames’ Live a…

On the one hundred and fourth edition of Reality Bomb, come celebrate the 59th anniversary of Doctor Who with us as we have a live episode on Zoom! Joy Piedmont is talking to Max Kashevsky, Kim Rogers and Priya Deonarain about Jodie Whittaker's tenure as the thirteenth Doctor. Graeme Burk and special guest Toby Hadoke are discussing one of Doctor W…

On the one hundred and third episode of Reality Bomb we have a super-sized panel featuring an all-star panel discussing the ups, downs, Sacha Dwahan-ness and past Doctor Who-ness of Jodie Whittaker's swansong, The Power of the Doctor with KatyBeth Schmid, Priya Deonarain, Sage Young and Lacy Baugher-Milas. Plus the BBC's deal with Disney+ for futur…

On the one hundred and second episode of Reality Bomb, we’re making a deep dive into Chris Chibnall’s tenure as Doctor Who’s showrunner and discussing the good, the bad, the ugly and the hopeful about Chibnall’s reign with Lacy Baugher-Milas, KatyBeth Schmid and Priya Deonarain. We’re also discussing pirates, comedy and Doctor Who fans’ not-so-secr…

On the one-hundred-and-first edition of Reality Bomb, we're triaging the plethora of behind-the-scenes speculation as Graeme Burk brings together Lacy Baugher-Milas and KatyBeth Schmid for super-sized version of "Is This Rumour Hot or Not?". Also, what would a Doctor Who expanded universe on TV look like in the 2020s? Joy Piedmont talks to Martin B…

On the one hundredth edition of Reality Bomb we have a special live episode recorded at QED in Astoria in Queens in New York City! Join Graeme Burk and Joy Piedmont as they talk to Sage Young and Shannon Dohar about the top stories in Doctor Who during the past 100 episodes of Reality Bomb. We also talk to Tom Dickinson, Alyssa Franke and Rachel Do…

On the ninety-ninth edition of Reality Bomb, Ncuti Gatwa is the Doctor and Graeme Burk talks to Dominic G. Martin and Sage Young about what Ncuti might bring to the role and what to expect about future Doctor Who. Joy Piedmont chats with Mikey Williams about Ncuti and the experiences working on set on Sex Education. Evan Teng brings us to Victorian…

On the ninety-eighth edition of Reality Bomb, Graeme Burk hoists the mainsails to talk to Priya Deonarain, Katy Beth Schmid and Sarah Murphy about pirates, Sea Devils, history, Thasmin and what worked (and didn't) about The Legend of the Sea Devils. We're going to a future with teleportation and Ice Warriors when Philip Lawrence brings The Seeds of…

On the ninety-seventh edition of Reality Bomb, we're going somewhere we've never gone before as a podcast... a discussion about bringing back classic monsters as Graeme Burk talks to Stacey Smith? and Priya Deonarain about whether, when and how to bring menaces from the past back to our screens. There's Vardans and Time Lords and a TARDIS interior …

On the ninety-sixth edition of Reality Bomb, guest host Sage Young is talking with Max Kashevsky and Kayti Burt about the 2022 New Years special Eve of the Daleks, about rom com time loops and much more. Adrienne Enderle stops by to discuss Queen Victoria's how mishap with a lycanthrope led to the creation of Torchwood when Tooth and Claw comes to …

On the ninety-fifth edition of Reality Bomb, we're talking about all things Flux: the uber-serialized nature of it, the characters, how the Doctor's new backstory works in it... all the things. It's a deep dive into the special serial that made up Series 13 with Kayti Burt, Evan Teng and KatyBeth Schmid. We also talk with author Paul Hayes about hi…

Ho! Ho! Ho! Our annual holiday special has returned and so has our traditional gift exchange! Join Shannon, Graeme and Rob as they exchange albums with each other (this year as a duo-- double the potential catastrophization!) and find out if their gift is a stocking hung by the chimney with care, or a Grinch-robbed home instead. Throughout, the Dee…

In part two of our exploration of the 2015 soundtrack to the musical Hamilton, the Deeper Cuts trio continue their discussion of the resonant themes in the musical that helped Shannon become the person she wanted to be and how music can help us set our values. We also talk about what Hamilton has to say about American history and the musical's use …

How can art shape our very identities? How can it give us a sense of direction from the people we are to the people we want to be – shaping our very values? Shannon adopted the city of New York as her home, and many of her album selections for this show across multiple seasons demonstrate her love for the city as she made memories there and became …

When one is at a young age, the way isn’t always as straightforward as we initially think. This is true of the subcultures, ideology and even faith communities we find ourselves in. But what remains after we find ourselves on a different path years later? How do those lessons we picked up from a bygone age play now? They remain with us perhaps just…

Being connected. Feeling surrounded by those who support you. It’s vital to happiness, particularly during life-altering events like the birth of a child, for instance. This was on Rob’s mind as he anticipated the arrival of a new daughter, and the feelings associated with being surrounded by an extended support system of soon-to-be aunties, uncles…

On the ninety-fourth edition of Reality Bomb, we're doing a live episode on Zoom where Graeme Burk and Joy Piedmont are joined by panelists Sage Young, KatyBeth Schmid, Max Curtis and Bill Evenson to talk about Chris Chibnall's legacy on Doctor Who. Plus a surprise (perhaps not really) guest brings the 1965 story The Rescue to the Gallery of the Un…

NPR Books Editor Petra Mayer, who has been a longtime contributor to Reality Bomb, died suddenly on November 13. In this special episode Graeme Burk is joined by the Verity! podcast's Deb Stanish to remember Petra and the special enthusiasm she had for Doctor Who. We revisit the highlights of Petra's 26 appearances on the program, and represent fou…

Romance! Everyone has an idea of what it means to them. It is certainly attached to intense emotional states, especially when we’re young. By the late eighties, Graeme was in college in doing content creation in a time before podcasts – this time as co-editor of the school newspaper. It was there that his fellow editor turned him onto the finer thi…

A clean slate. A new era. A dedication to a new focus. When Shannon moved to Boston’s Fenway neighborhood for graduate school, these were some of the things that characterized her life at that time. As we’ve learned by now, for every era in a music fan’s life, there is a soundtrack. Regina Spektor’s 2006 record Begin to Hope was just that, as Shann…

Some records become the soundtrack for pivotal periods of self-discovery in our lives, even if we’re not aware of the importance of those times to our personal development – maybe even especially so. In the summer of 1987, Rob took a trip to Barbados to stay with his cousin. Driving around the island, A-Ha’s 1985 album Hunting High and Low played i…

On the ninety-third edition of Reality Bomb, we have a super-sized episode that first of all takes a deep dive into the marketing and promotion of Doctor Who -- talking about what's working and what disasters have befallen the show's promotion in the lead-up to the new season with Alex Kennard, Lori Steuart and Max Curtis. We also have spoons as a …

On the ninety-second edition of Reality Bomb, we're talking about Russell T Davies' return to showrunning Doctor Who, what that means and the challenges ahead, with Evan Teng, Head Over Feels' Kim Rogers and Guardian writer Martin Belam. We travel back to 2003 to talk about the original announcement that Russell was coming to Doctor Who with Lisa G…

Welcome to Deeper Cuts: The Soundtrack Sessions - a three-episode miniseries which finds the Deeper Cuts trio looking at the the intersection between film and music while looking at albums that were meaningful to one of them. As a teenager, Graeme was drawn to the world of orchestral film scores. Thanks to a friend at church who gave him a (wait fo…