Doctor Who - Pieces of Eighth
- Description:
- Rebecca Chapman and Kenny Smith travel through time, space, comics, audios, books, records and more, as they chat about everything and anything to do with Paul McGann's eighth incarnation of Doctor Who
RSS Feed: https://anchor.fm/s/5c2fca7c/podcast/rss
- Episodes:
- 138
- Average Episode Duration:
- 0:0:45:31
- Longest Episode Duration:
- 0:1:31:59
- Total Duration of all Episodes:
- 4 days, 8 hours, 41 minutes and 49 seconds
- Earliest Episode:
- 13 April 2024 (12:37pm GMT)
- Latest Episode:
- 24 December 2023 (12:00am GMT)
- Average Time Between Episodes:
- 6 days, 20 hours, 33 minutes and 13 seconds
Doctor Who - Pieces of Eighth Episodes
-
5.7 Kursaal (EDA 7)
Episode Duration: 0 days, 0 hours, 49 minutes and 50 secondsTHERE'S no need to cry wolf - just tune in to this episode of Pieces of Eighth!
We've got werewolves in a fun park, as author Peter Anghelides and BBC Books Eighth Doctor Adventures range editor Steve Cole join us, to tell us about this novel, from 2008.
And, trivia fans - The Kursaal is a Grade II listed building in Southend-on-Sea, in Essex, England, which opened in 1901 as part of one of the world's first purpose-built amusement parks. The venue is noted for the main building with distinctive dome, designed by George Campbell Sherrin, which has featured on a Royal Mail special edition stamp.In 1998 the main Kursaal building was reopened after a multi million-pound redevelopment by the Rowallan Group containing a bowling alley, a casino and other amusements. The building originally contained a McDonald's, but the fast food chain left in 2008.
The bowling alley closed permanently in 2019, and the casino closed permanently in 2020. This currently leaves only a Tesco Express store occupying part of this historic building.
-
5.6 Alien Bodies (EDA 6)
Episode Duration: 0 days, 1 hours, 4 minutes and 21 secondsIT'S THE Eighth Doctor Adventure that shook up the line, as Lawrence Miles arrives on the scene with Alien Bodies.
We're joined by range editor Steve Cole, and we hear from Lawrence in an archival clip talking about the book from the London science fiction podcast Reality Check, after he declined our invitation to take part. Huge thanks to Alex Fitch for allowing us to use an excerpt.
DWM reviewer Matt Michael also joins us to discuss the book and its legacy.
-
5.5 War of the Daleks (EDA 5)
Episode Duration: 0 days, 0 hours, 52 minutes and 0 secondsIN OCTOBER 1997, BBC Books achieved something that their predecessors at Virgin had been unable to achieve with the New and Missing Adventures - an original novel with the Daleks.
Written by John Peel, a friend of Dalek creator Terry Nation, it saw the Eighth Doctor, Sam, Davros, Thals, Movellans and Daleks all feature.
Today's episode features a chat with the writer, as well as range editor Steve Cole.
-
5.4 Genocide (EDA 4)
Episode Duration: 0 days, 0 hours, 42 minutes and 20 secondsIT'S HORSES for courses today on Pieces of Eighth, as we chat about the Eighth Doctor Adventure, Genocide.
We've got three readings from Paul Leonard's novel, the fourth in the series, as well as a chat with editor Steve Cole, and the author himself - who took a lot of tracking down.
-
5.3 The Bodysnatchers (EDA 3)
Episode Duration: 0 days, 0 hours, 54 minutes and 0 secondsWHAT'S THAT, you say? Pieces of Eighth covering the EDA The Bodysnatchers? But haven't you already done that in season two?!
Why yes, yes we have, dear listener, but we're not going to short change you for your time. We've gone back to scratch, re-edited the content and added all-new material, including a chat with range editor Steve Cole, Doctor Who Magazine reviewer and Eighth Doctor superfan Matt Michael, and added a second reading from Mark Morris' 1997 novel.
So yes, it's a good old remix - we've retained the original interview and reading from first time around, so this should be an all-new experience. Mostly!
-
5.2 Vampire Science (EDA 2)
Episode Duration: 0 days, 0 hours, 53 minutes and 37 secondsTHE EIGHTH Doctor's back in the city where he was born - San Francisco.
Accompanied by his new friend Samantha 'Sam' Jones, the pair encounter vampires and UNIT - but there's not a peep from his old pal Dr Grace Holloway.
Co-author Jonathan Blum joins us for a chat about writing the book - sadly, his wife and co-writer Kate Orman had gone down with COVID-19, so was unable to join us, so sit back and find out just what happened to Grace, as we also mention a vampire called Spike - and it's not THAT one!
-
5.1 The Eight Doctors (EDA 1)
Episode Duration: 0 days, 0 hours, 46 minutes and 11 secondsWE'RE BACK after a very short break - it's our long-awaited look at the BBC Books Eight Doctor Adventures range.
Over the coming 18 days, we're going to be covering the first 18 novels in the range, from The Eight Doctors up to The Face Eater.
Today, we kick off with The Eight Doctors by Terrance Dicks, featuring an archival interview with the author, BBC Books editor Steve Cole, an extract from our friends at the All-New Doctor Who Book Club discussing some handwritten notes on the first page of the book, plus a chat about the book with Doctor Who Magazine reviewer Matt Michael.
-
4.17 Hallo Spaceboy
Episode Duration: 0 days, 0 hours, 25 minutes and 1 secondWE LIED! We told you episode 4.16 was the last of the run, and it really, really was planned to be... and now, it's the penultimate episode of season four!
Before our fifth season kicks off, looking at Phase One of the EDA (we like that phrase - we'll have to use it more in future), we present an overview of the BBC Books series, as not all of our listeners will be aware of the ins and outs of the ongoing adventures.
In September 2003, Panini published the fifth of their Doctor Who Magazine specials, The Complete Eighth Doctor, which looked at the Wilderness Years, the making of the TV Movie, and looks at this incarnation in audio, comics and books.
The feature on the books was written by friend of the podcast Matt Michael, and only featured the novels up to Reckless Engineering, with a further 10 to follow before the range came to an end, so the feature is not fully complete.
In it, Matt considered the highs and lows of the Doctor's novel outings, and to set the scene for the next 18 episodes, we present the feature, Hallo Spaceboy, read by its author.
-
4.16 Night (Thoughts) of the Doctor
Episode Duration: 0 days, 0 hours, 43 minutes and 35 secondsIT'S DOCTOR Who's 59th anniversary today, and to mark the occasion, and Paul McGann's birthday last week, we're looking at The Night of the Doctor.
Our fantastic listeners have shared their thoughts on when they first saw the Eighth Doctor's shock return to our screens in 2013, and we present their thoughts on the surprise mini-episode, which debuted on 14 November, 2013.
And keep an ear out - you may recognise some of the names and voices in this episode!
-
4.15 The Code of Flesh
Episode Duration: 0 days, 1 hours, 24 minutes and 4 secondsBBC Audio brought us a new adventure for the Eighth Doctor, in the form of The Code of Flesh.
The sequel to last year's The Scent of Blood, writer Andrew (Andy!) Lane and narrator Dan Starkey were reunited, to bring us another terrifying tale set in Victorian England.
This week, we're joined by Andy, as well as BBC Audio's commissioning editor Michael Stevens, and audiobook producer Neil Gardner, from Ladbroke Audio, to bring you an episode that's actually LONGER than the audio that inspired it!
-
4.15 The Code of Flesh
Episode Duration: 0 days, 1 hours, 24 minutes and 6 secondsBBC Audio brought us a new adventure for the Eighth Doctor, in the form of The Code of Flesh.
The sequel to last year's The Scent of Blood, writer Andrew (Andy!) Lane and narrator Dan Starkey were reunited, to bring us another terrifying tale set in Victorian England.
This week, we're joined by Andy, as well as BBC Audio's commissioning editor Michael Stevens, and audiobook producer Neil Gardner, from Ladbroke Audio, to bring you an episode that's actually LONGER than the audio that inspired it!
-
4.14 The World Beyond The Trees
Episode Duration: 0 days, 0 hours, 41 minutes and 54 secondsHAVE YOU ever had one of those dreams, where everyone and everything around you just... stops?
That's exactly the situation Liv Chenka finds herself in, in the Big Finish Short Trip The World Beyond The Trees, written by Jonathan Barnes and produced by Ian Atkins - and read by Nicola Walker.
We've got two of the three named creatives involved in this episode - can you guess who?!
-
4.13 The End of the Beginning
Episode Duration: 0 days, 0 hours, 38 minutes and 45 secondsWE TAKE a look at the final release in the Big Finish Doctor Who monthly range, The End of the Beginning.
Author Robert Valentine talks us through the four episodes, Part One: Death and the Desert; Part Two: Flight of the Blackstar; Part Three: Night Gallery (the Eighth Doctor one) and Part Four: The Lost Moon, as we learn what goes into the making of a multi-Doctor story.
-
4.12 Jacobean Tragedy (and Triumph)
Episode Duration: 0 days, 0 hours, 53 minutes and 19 secondsIT'S ANOTHER first for Pieces of Eighth - normally we don't do review episodes, but on this occasion we've broken our rule.
Today, we feature Kenny's roadtrip to Edinburgh with his Power of 3 co-host David Steel, as they travelled to watch Doctor Who Am I on the big screen, the documentary charting Matthew Jacobs' journey with fandom, from being (as he perceived it) an unwanted embarrassment after the TV Movie, to fully embracing the fact that people like - and indeed love - his work.
It's a moving film, directed by Vanessa Yuille, and Kenny and Dave give their thoughts en route to the cinema in the car, in the cinema beforehand, and give their instant reaction on the streets of the Scottish capital.
Becca's gutted not to have seen the film - yet - but we're also joined by seven listeners who share their thoughts on the film too.
-
4.11 The Red Lady
Episode Duration: 0 days, 0 hours, 45 minutes and 37 secondsIT'S 31 OCTOBER, which means it's Halloween, and we've decided to bring you a suitably scary episode to mark the occasion.
We're dipping into the first Doom Coalition box set, as the Doctor and Liv Chenka encounter Helen Sinclair for the first time. Unfortunately for them, people are dying in mysterious circumstances if they look at artworks from a collection which its late owner ordered to be hidden away.
Yes, we're talking about The Red Lady - and definitely not looking at her - as author John Dorney returns for a chat about this chilling tale from 2015.
Our hosts also reveal their memorable Halloween costumes from the past - but who was the Fluffy Green Zip Up Hulk?
-
4.10 Bidding Adieu
Episode Duration: 0 days, 0 hours, 39 minutes and 31 secondsVIEWERS of Doctor Who in the 21st century have become accustomed to watching how the show is made behind the scenes, through DVD and bluray extras, and Doctor Who Confidential.
However, back in 1996, these things were unheard of, with the only additional content coming in the form of an official electronic press kit, with interviews with Sylvester McCoy, Paul McGann and Daphne Ashbrook, plus the likes of Philip Segal.
But Bill Baggs was ahead of his time, and sent a small guerilla team to Canada, accompanying Sylvester McCoy, to record a video diary of his final days of the Doctor, before handing over the TARDIS key to Paul McGann.
This is the story of how Bidding Adieu came to be.
You can order it HERE directly from producers BBV.
-
4.9 Tag! You're It!
Episode Duration: 0 days, 0 hours, 28 minutes and 31 secondsIn a change to the scheduled episode 4.9, we had to bring you something new, given Paul McGann's just been back on our screens as the Doctor!
His brief appearance in The Power of the Doctor, alongside David Bradley, Peter Davison, Colin Baker and Sylvester McCoy, has been warmly greeted by fans all over the world.
So, here's our celebration of his return, complete with the views of fan friends all over the world - thanks to one and all for taking part and sending us their audio clips.
In addition: you'll also find out which popular TV show Kenny loathes, and why Mr Becca's Dad was a knob for a few minutes!
-
4.8 Short Trips - The Man Who Wasn't There
Episode Duration: 0 days, 0 hours, 50 minutes and 35 secondsTHE Doctor and Charley Pollard are on the hunt for adventurer Pieter Montemarche, a hero of the Edwardian Adventuress in her youth.
But when the duo fail to meet him at several of the locations he's reputed to have visited, they begin to wonder if he has been taken out of time completely...
We go behind the scenes of this Big Finish Short Trip from 2016, as writer Ian Atkins and sound designer Rob Nisbet pop in for a chat about bringing this little tale to life.
-
4.7 On Set with Gary Gillatt
Episode Duration: 0 days, 0 hours, 36 minutes and 11 secondsIMAGINE how thrilling it must have been to have Doctor Who back in production, after a seven year gap - and then flying to Canada to see it unfold before your eyes.
That's exactly what happened to Gary Gillatt during his tenure as the editor of Doctor Who Magazine, becoming one of just a handful of British journalists who were given access to the set in Vancouver, and had the thrill of walking through Richard Hudolin's control and cloister room sets.
In this episode, he shares his memories of how the trip came about, and how his writing for The Independent made a big impression on Paul McGann.
-
4.6 Cass
Episode Duration: 0 days, 0 hours, 28 minutes and 52 secondsWHEN the Eighth Doctor was forced to regenerate, it all came after a spaceship crash with a pilot named Cass.
The Night of the Doctor gave us a new and unexpected insight into the Time War, as we heard about the conflict through the eyes of Cass - played by Emma Campbell-Jones - and did so much world building in seconds.
This week we chat with Emma about her experiences in The Night of the Doctor, to the delight of Kenny - it's another Scot on the podcast!
-
4.5 Gareth
Episode Duration: 0 days, 0 hours, 36 minutes and 13 secondsLET'S BE honest - as a Doctor Who fan, we'd all love to appear in the show in one form or another, whether as an actor, writer, director, producer, or even just in the background.
It would, of course, be an impossible dream to think that you could get a small on-screen speaking part, especially if you were a fan who lived in Canada....
But dreams can come true, and that's exactly what happened for Jeremy Radick, who got to appear in the part of Gareth the security guard in the TV Movie.
This week, we meet Jeremy, and discover what a huge fan of the show he is!
-
4.4 Doctor Who Am I
Episode Duration: 0 days, 0 hours, 38 minutes and 8 secondsDOCTOR Who TV Movie screenwriter Matthew Jacobs has a new Time Lord-related project on the way - and he's spoken to Pieces of Eighth all about it.
Matthew and his friend, documentary filmmaker Vanessa Yuille, follows him in Doctor Who Am I, as he is reluctantly pulled back into the fandom that universally panned his writing and narrative twists in 1996. In a film that is funny and moving, the American ‘Whoniverse’ is explored during the biggest conventions dedicated to the cult of the Doctor.
Jacobs’s journey is often hilarious and emotionally perilous, but it also sparks a provocative and touching showdown between American Doctor Who fans and the writer himself. Paul McGann, Daphne Ashbrook, Eric Roberts, and many others, offer Jacobs words of wisdom and help him realize just how personal and ambivalently entangled the show has been in his life. Matthew unexpectedly finds himself a kindred part of this close-knit, yet vast, family of fans.
Yuille’s directorial debut documentary addresses the desire to belong to a community, and how people can become nourished and enriched by the experience.
-
4.3 Richard Hudolin - Designing the TARDIS
Episode Duration: 0 days, 1 hours, 4 minutes and 7 secondsIT'S AN interview we've wanted to do for some time, and now, at long last, we've got hold of TV Movie designer Richard Hudolin, to chat about his work on creating a new look for Doctor Who.
Kenny caught up with Richard at his home in Canada (via Zoom, sadly), and chatted about his career, which includes credits on Superman 3, Battlestar Galactica, Stargate and many others.
Prepare for some all-new anecdotes from the filming of the TV Movie in Vancouver, as well as the pleasure Richard still feels looking back on his work on Doctor Who today.
-
4.2 Happy Radio Times and Places
Episode Duration: 0 days, 1 hours, 22 minutes and 12 secondsAT LONG last, we've covering some Doctor Who comic strips featuring the Eighth Doctor, as we travel back to 1996/97.
We chat with writer Gary Russell and illustrator Lee Sullivan in depth, about the 42 episodes of the comic strip which featuring each week in the Radio Times, with the Doctor being joined by new companions Stacy Townsend and Ssard the Ice Warrior.
They share how the strip came to be, the excitement of crafting adventures each week - Dreadnought, Descendance, Ascendance, Perceptions and Coda - which were set on a spaceship in the future, on Mars, and in Victorian London, as well as the hurried two-part conclusion to what was ultimately planned as an 18 month arc.
And, courtesy of Stephen Day, we've got some of the dialogue from the opening story, Dreadnought, being brought to life.
-
4.1 Denise Paul - The Night of the Doctor
Episode Duration: 0 days, 0 hours, 36 minutes and 58 secondsPIECES of Eighth returns for a mini-fourth series! Before we bring you our extensive look at the first 18 BBC Eighth Doctor Adventures, we're bringing you a short run of all-new episodes!
We kick off with Paul McGann's finale in the role, as we look at the making of The Night of the Doctor, as Kenny has a chat with a fellow Scot, in producer Denise Paul.
Denise - in her first-ever podcast chat - reveals how she came to work on Doctor Who, as well as working with Karen Gillan before and during her spell on Doctor Who, and the highlights of her career.
Oh, and they're not the only two Scottish people who have a chat this episode - there's a mysterious third person making a cameo appearance, and they are a Scot too... but who could it be? Tune in and find out!
-
3.28 Figuring It Out
Episode Duration: 0 days, 0 hours, 42 minutes and 36 secondsTHE new triple pack of Eighth Doctor action figures is about to hit B&M stores in the UK - and we've got an exclusive chat about them.
Character Options' Alasdair Dewar returns to Pieces of Eighth, to discuss how the set came about - and how this podcast played a part in his thinking too!
Al also chats about the latest Tenth Doctor and Dalek sets, in the final episode of our third season. This is episode 28 - not bad, considering we only planned to do 13!
And make sure you listen until the very end...
-
3.27 Army of Death
Episode Duration: 0 days, 1 hours, 15 minutes and 35 secondsOUR look at the Mary Shelley adventures with the Eighth Doctor comes to a close in this episode, as we go behind the scenes on Army of Death.
We have a rare podcast appearance from script editor Alan Barnes, who tells us how the trilogy came to be, as well as Mary's original encounter with the Doctor in A Company of Friends, we meet actor Mitch Benn who plays several stories in the tale, as well as sound designer/musician Kelly Ellis from Fool Circle Productions, who shares his experiences of bringing the adventure to life.
It's the penultimate episode in this series - a 13 part run that's become 28! It's just least Tom Baker's last season on TV, except neither Kenny nor Becca are going to regenerate into Peter Davison next week. Promise!
-
3.26 Beyond the Vortex - 2
Episode Duration: 0 days, 1 hours, 3 minutes and 47 secondsAFTER bringing you all eight episodes of the making of series which accompanied the first season of Doctor and Lucie adventures on BBC7, we this week bring you the second batch.
Kenny and Becca are joined by producer Martin Montague, as they discuss the making of the series which accompanied Dead London, Max Warp, Brave New Town, The SKull of Sobek, Grand Theft Cosmos and The Zygon Who Fell To Earth in 2008.
There's also plenty of cat talk, as both Becca and Martin own cats called Merlin - and it's the purr-fect combination!
-
3.25 Short Trips - The People's Temple
Episode Duration: 0 days, 0 hours, 43 minutes and 44 secondsWE'RE DELIGHTED to bring you an exclusive chat with one of the most prolific Doctor Who writers from the 'Wilderness Years', from 1989-2005, Paul Leonard.
Paul wrote several Doctor Who novels for Virgin's New Adventures and Missing Adventures ranges, before carrying on and writing for the Eighth Doctor throughout his adventures, with his books including Genocide, Dreamstone Moon, Revolution Man, the acclaimed and much-loved The Turing Test, and The Last Resort.
Thanks to fellow EDA writer Nick Walters, we've been able to speak to Paul, and our first chat with him covers the Short Trip The People's Temple, which was later brought to life by Paul McGann, who read it for the Earth and Beyond audio cassette release.
We also speak with the story's editor Steve Cole, who explains the background to this story.
And thanks to Si Hodges for this week's graphic!
-
3.24 Horror of Glam Rock
Episode Duration: 0 days, 0 hours, 54 minutes and 5 secondsWITH THE sad news last week of the passing of the late, great Bernard Cribbins, we wanted to celebrate his life at Pieces of Eighth.
In a change to the advertised programme (again!), we've done a special episode marking Bernard's return to Doctor Who after some 40 odd years, in Big Finish Eighth Doctor Adventure Horror of Glam Rock, the third story in the Lucie Miller series of adventures.
Kenny and Rebecca celebrate Bernard's life, and they're joined by writer Paul Magrs, who explains where the story came from, his memories of writing it, and his joy at having one of Big Finish's most stellar casts, ever.
This episode also contains Kenny telling a British tabloid newspaper to go away, in colourful language - for the second week in a row!
And stay tuned until the end, as we've got an added little treat, which will hopefully make you smile.
-
3.23 Short Trips - The Curse of the Fugue
Episode Duration: 0 days, 0 hours, 52 minutes and 34 secondsONE of the wonders of Doctor Who is that it can be set anywhere - a space station, an army base, a service station or even a care home for the elderly.
And it's to the latter that we travel this week, as Kenny and Becca find out about another Short Trip from Big Finish, Curse of the Fugue, as they discuss the tale, written by Alice Cavender, and she joins us for a chat, along with producer Ian Atkins and sound designer/musician Steve Foxon.
We hear about the recording session that was up against the clock - and why narrator Sheridan Smith was a real star on the day, seeing the job through until the end. The tale was released in April 2016.
Also: Be warned! This episode contains Kenny dropping three F bombs at the mention a particular British daily 'newspaper', which is filled with hate and venom, and once turned its ire on our poor beloved Sheridan Smith when she was going through the traumatic loss of her father.
-
3.22 The Four Doctors
Episode Duration: 0 days, 1 hours, 2 minutes and 7 secondsTHE FIFTH, Sixth, Seventh and Eighth Doctors are united in one story - except, well, they aren't really... in The Four Doctors.
This week, Becca and Kenny go behind the scenes of this Big Finish subscriber exclusive audio, released in 2010.
We're joined by writer Peter Anghelides, actor/cover artist Alex Mallinson and sound designer/composer Steve Foxon, in this first-ever look behind the scenes at this tale - as there's no official CD extras with the Big Finish release!
-
3.21 Beyond the Vortex - 1
Episode Duration: 0 days, 1 hours, 30 minutes and 56 secondsCAST your mind back to 2006/07, when BBC7 broadcast all-new Doctor Who, starring Paul McGann and Sheridan Smith.
Accompanying each release, from Blood of the Daleks to Human Resources was Beyond The Vortex, a making-of series going behind the scenes to reveal just what went into making the whole series.
This week, Kenny and the returning Becca (hurrah!) celebrate Beyond The Vortex, have a chat with its producer Martin Montague, and bring you all eight episodes of this insightful series.
Beyond The Vortex is copyright BBC, and we bring you this series because it's unavailable everywhere else.
Illustration: Si Hodges
-
3.20 Stranded - UNIT Dating
Episode Duration: 0 days, 1 hours, 10 minutes and 6 secondsIT'S OUR first dive into the world of Stranded, the most recent series of box sets from Big Finish, in which the Doctor, Helen and Live are stranded (surprisingly enough!) in London, 2020, at the Time Lord's Baker Street residence.
Kenny and Matt (with poor Becca still recovering from COVID) chat about UNIT Dating, in which the Doctor dips into his past to help TARDIS repairs in the present, and Andy joins him on a trip to UNIT. In the 1970s, young soldier Ron Winters has just met lab assistant Tony Clare. But in 2020, they need Liv and Helen’s help when their memories start falling apart...
We're joined by writer Roy Gill, in a rare podcast appearance, as well as sound designer Benji Clifford, who tells about writing the song Wizards of the Universe.
-
3.19 Short Trips - A Heart on Both Sides
Episode Duration: 0 days, 0 hours, 49 minutes and 8 secondsWE'RE BACK in the thick of the Time War in this week's episode, as we find the Fifth Doctor's companion Nyssa caught up in the conflict, on her ship, the Traken.
Kenny and Matt discuss the story - as Becca recovers from COVID - and we're joined by writer Rob Nisbet and producer Ian Atkins to discuss A Heart on Both SIdes, a Big Finish Short Trip, released in 2017.
And it's only £2.99 - go on, you know you want to buy it, if you've not already heard it!
-
3.18 Eclipse
Episode Duration: 0 days, 1 hours, 11 minutes and 31 secondsEARLIER this year, Charlotte Elspeth Pollard returned for four new adventures alongside Paul McGann's Eighth Doctor, in a box set set after Minuet in Hell.
This week, Kenny and Matt have a chat about the return of everyone's favourite Edwardian Adventuress, and we've got interviews with writer Lisa McMullan, sound designer Steve Foxon and musician Joe Kraemer.
We're also still sending out love to Becca and hope she'll be back very soon.
-
3.17 Fear Itself (EDA 43A)
Episode Duration: 0 days, 1 hours, 16 minutes and 6 secondsThis week we look at Fear Itself by Nick Wallace - the BBC Eighth Doctor Adventure that isn't an Eighth Doctor Adventure, sort of...!
Sadly, Becca's had COVID and can't join us this week, so Matt Michael steps into her shoes once more - although they are a little too small for him.
We chat with the author, and gain an insight into the Eighth Doctor PDA...
-
3.16 Short Trips - Totem
Episode Duration: 0 days, 0 hours, 34 minutes and 11 secondsTHIS week's episode of Pieces of Eighth brings you a first - we actually have a reading of a full, officially licensed BBC Doctor Who story (except we've done it unofficially!).
We bring you a full reading of Tara Samms' Totem, which originally appeared in the book More Short Trips. It's been performed by Becca, with Kenny on sound design.
And then, to top it all off, we've got an interview with Steve Cole, who was the editor of the collection and tells us more about Totem.
(And we've got to say thanks to our friends over at Fiction Paradox, the world's only Eighth Doctor BBC Books-dedicated podcast, that they know of) for reminding us of the story, and to those cheeky chappies at The Sirens of Audio podcast, who've previously brought Short Trips to life as readings, for the inspiration to do this)
-
3.15 The EDAs - 25 Glorious Years
Episode Duration: 0 days, 1 hours, 31 minutes and 59 secondsTHIS episode of Pieces of Eighth is released on June 2, 2022 - exactly 25 years to the day since BBC Books began publishing original Doctor Who fiction.
Sadly, Becca's still not able to join us due to the difficult news she was given last week, but with her blessing, we're carrying on and our good friend Matt Michael has stepped in - with just two hours' notice - to help bring this episode to you.
We discuss the launch of the Eighth Doctor Adventures range, featuring exclusive interviews with Steve Cole, his assistant Lesley Levene, and James Macey from Black Sheep, who were responsible for the cover designs, the latter two giving their first Doctor Who interviews.
Kenny also opens up his personal archive, as he and Matt bring you the original BBC press releases and publicity material which were given out to the media back in 1997 -isn't it a good job Kenny NEVER throws away anything?
It's our longest episode yet, at 132 minutes!
-
3.14 The Truth of Peladon
Episode Duration: 0 days, 0 hours, 40 minutes and 46 secondsTHE TARDIS brings us to one of the Doctor's most favourite planets this week, as we discover The Truth of Peladon.
Sadly, Becca's not able to be with us this week, but Kenny's carrying on and trying to keep the good ship Pieces of Eighth going.
We're joined by writer Tim Foley and director Barnaby Kay, as we reveal the Truth, the whole Truth, and nothing but the Truth.
-
3.13 The Crooked World (EDA 57)
Episode Duration: 0 days, 0 hours, 38 minutes and 33 secondsIMAGINE a story where the Doctor met Road Runner, Scooby Doo, Tom (off of Tom and Jerry) and Penelope Pitstop...
That's exactly what happened in June 2002, when BBC Books released the 57th Eighth Doctor Adventure, The Crooked World. The Doctor, Fitz and Anji found themselves in a world full of cartoon characters, but very soon, things change forever as the time travellers introduce new concepts into the world.
Becca and Kenny are joined by its author, Steve Lyons, as they find out just how it all came about, and how he looks back on it now.
-
3.12 Memoirs of an Edwardian Adventurer
Episode Duration: 0 days, 0 hours, 43 minutes and 58 secondsYES, dear listener, you did read that correctly - Memoirs of an Edwardian Adventurer, not Adventuress!
This week, we're chatting about the unofficial companion to the Big Finish audios featuring the Eighth Doctor and Charley, C'rizz, Tamsin and Lucie, featured in the book written by Will Brooks and Nick Mellish.
We meet the pair and found out what led them to write about the audios, as they go through the episodes, one by one, on a daily basis, and find out how they look back on their work now.
If you've not read the book, it's available on the Kindle for a bargain £1.99!
-
3.11 The Witch from the Well
Episode Duration: 0 days, 0 hours, 44 minutes and 28 secondsWE'VE GOT a magical story this week, as we take a look at Big Finish monthly range Eighth Doctor tale The Witch from the Well.
The story title is pretty self-explanatory, as Kenny and Becca are joined by the story's writer Rick Briggs, as well as sound designer and musician Steve Foxon.
Find out just what goes into bringing a story with a supernatural element to life - and just where did the idea of Odic energy come from? It's all explained, as we continue our adventures with the Doctor and Mary Shelley.
-
3.10 Foreshadowing
Episode Duration: 0 days, 0 hours, 35 minutes and 51 secondsWE HEAD back to the world of Big Finish Short Trips for this week's episode - WHICH HAS SPOILERS!.
Kenny and Becca discuss the adventure Foreshadowing, written by Julian Richards and narrated by India Fisher, and Julian joins us for a chat about the creative process, and feature a brief special guest appearance later on from someone who is related to the SPOILER.
If you've not heard it, pop over to the Big Finish website, buy it for £2.99, listen, and then listen to us!
-
3.9 Time Lord Victorious (part two)
Episode Duration: 0 days, 1 hours, 17 minutes and 34 secondsBECCA, Kenny and their guest co-host Matt Michael from DWM are still on the trail of the Time Lord Victorious.
This week, they turn their attention to the Eighth Doctor's involvement with the novel All Flesh Is Grass - complete with two enhanced readings from the book - and speak with author Una McCormack, and, as the saga concludes in Mutually Assured Destruction, writer Lizzie Hopley shares her experiences of writing Die Hard with a Crashing Dalek Time Ship...
-
3.8 Time Lord Victorious (part one)
Episode Duration: 0 days, 1 hours, 11 minutes and 27 secondsPIECES of Eighth ventures into that multi-platform release from 2020 and 2021 this week, as we uncover some of the secrets of Time Lord Victorious.
Over the next two episodes, we'll feature all of the Eighth Doctor's stories from the run, starting this week with Big Finish vinyl release Echoes of Extinction - which featured Paul McGann and David Tennant, and have an exclusive chat with its writer, Alfie Shaw, speaking about the release for the first time ever on a podcast.
Kenny and Becca are joined by another co-host this week, in the form of Matt Michael (who you may know from his reviews in Doctor Who Magazine), as they look at Big Finish audio pair He Kills Me, He Kills Me Not and The Enemy of My Enemy, before having a chat with musician Ioan Morris, who created the amazing score for the audio stories.
Next week, Becca, Matt and Kenny will feature the novel All Flesh Is Grass, and speak with Una McCormack, as well as the concluding story of the series, Mutually Assured Destruction, with writer Lizzie Hopley.
-
3.7 The Silver Turk
Episode Duration: 0 days, 0 hours, 48 minutes and 29 secondsTHE Cybermen are back - and we join the Doctor and Mary Shelley as they face his old foes in Vienna.
It's a return to the Big Finish full cast audio worlds, as they take a listen to The Silver Turk, which was released in 2011.
And Becca informs Kenny of another fascinating real-life fact about Mary - which once again shocks him! - as the pair meet the story's writer Marc Platt, as well as musician and sound designer Jamie Robertson.
-
3.6 The Black Archive
Episode Duration: 0 days, 0 hours, 45 minutes and 36 secondsThe award-winning Black Archive is a bi-monthly series of independently-published book-length looks at Doctor Who stories - and they've featured both of the Eighth Doctor's outings on TV.
In Doctor Who (1996) Paul Driscoll looks at the Paul McGann TV movie as a functional series pilot, as a reinvention of the Doctor and of the 20th-century Doctor Who formula, and as a ‘bridge’ to the 21st-century revival, while James Cooray Smith examines seven exceptional minutes of Doctor Who, suggesting The Night of the Doctor is a revisionist return to Doctor Who’s past, typical of showrunner Steven Moffat, and a televisual coup despite its online release.
Kenny meets range editor Stuart Douglas, and later, Kenny and Becca discuss their love of a good critical study.
You can find out more about these two books from http://obversebooks.co.uk/theblackarchive/eighth/.
-
3.5 Paul McGann
Episode Duration: 0 days, 0 hours, 24 minutes and 39 secondsThe miracle has happened! Believe it or not, we've actually spoken with the Eighth Doctor himself in an exclusive chat!
We discuss playing the Doctor, whether Paul McGann still regards himself as the George Lazenby of Time Lords, working with Nicola Walker in Scotland, and
Kenny was delighted to chat with Paul, and sadly Becca was detained elsewhere... at her boyfriend's brother's birthday drinks in a Southampton pub!
-
3.4 The Turn of the Screw
Episode Duration: 0 days, 0 hours, 36 minutes and 11 secondsPieces of Eighth returns to the worlds of the Big Finish Short Trips, those sometimes forgotten little gems, bringing us more Doctor Who adventures.
This week, Becca and Kenny talk about The Turn of the Screw, and have a ball as they interview producer Ian Atkins about his thinking in commissioning the adventure-packed story, writer Eddie Robson about the creative process, and Yee Jee Tso tells all about performing what was his first audiobook reading.
This 'making of' podcast is actually longer than the original story!