What is the best Doctor Who podcast?

Calling all Whovians! Looking for the best podcast in the Doctor Whoniverse to match your energy when it comes to all things Time Lord? You’ve come to the right place.

By Laura Wybrow

Published: Wednesday, 05 June 2024 at 12:43 PM

It will come as no surprise to you that the 100-year-old Radio Times brand, which covers everything from film and TV casting announcements, exclusive interviews, episode reviews, and explainer articles, are completely into Doctor Who.

Whether we’re sharing with you the cast of Doctor Who’s Boom episode, revealing the Doctor Who air time slots, or talking to stars such as Ncuti Gatwa, if it’s Doctor Who information and opinions you’re looking for, you’re guaranteed to find it at RadioTimes.com.

With plenty of research under our belt and our recent best podcasts to listen to guide, we’re in brilliant stead to recommend to you the best Doctor Who podcasts.

If you’re a Doctor Who fan, you want a podcast host that matches your energy — a host you can count on to deep dive into topics such as Dalek and Cybermen military stratagems, review the latest episodes and point out Easter eggs you might have missed, pick out holes in certain episodes and praise other ones, and just generally know their stuff.

You also want hosts who can offer additional content that you can’t get from simply watching a Doctor Who episode. For example, exclusive interviews with cast members and the crew, as well as upcoming insights and teasers.

Luckily for you, all of the below podcasts tick these boxes. Let’s take a look.

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Doctor Who podcasts at a glance:

What is the classic Doctor Who podcast?

Ncuti Gatwa as The Doctor and Millie Gibson as Ruby Sunday on Doctor Who. They are both looking at an object that Ncuti is holding as they are stood in the TARDIS.
Ncuti Gatwa as The Doctor and Millie Gibson as Ruby Sunday on Doctor Who.
James Pardon/Bad Wolf/BBC Studios

There are two answers to this question: The Official Doctor Who Podcast and The Old Doctor Who Show, which both appear in our best Doctor Who podcast guide.

The Official Doctor Who Podcast is available on BBC Sounds, and other podcast streaming services such as Apple Podcasts, and it’s presented by BBC 1xtra’s Nadia Jae and content creator Shabaz Ali.

The Old Doctor Who Show, on the other hand, is hosted by fans Eric Grissom and Dan Johnson, and it focuses on reviewing classic Doctor Who episodes. In comparison, The Official Doctor Who Podcast mostly discusses new releases.

Both podcasts are excellent in their own right, and we’ve added some more information about the two podcasts below.

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Is there a Doctor Who podcast?

There certainly is! In our guide, we’ve included eight of the best Doctor Who podcasts to listen to today. Let’s dive right in.

The best Doctor Who podcasts to listen to in 2024

David Tennant and Ncuti Gatwa in Doctor Who
David Tennant and Ncuti Gatwa in Doctor Who.
BBC Studios

The Official Doctor Who Podcast

Best for: Exclusive content

The Official Doctor Who Podcast is hosted by BBC 1xtra’s Nadia Jae and content creator Shabaz Ali. As true to its name, this podcast is entirely focused on all things Doctor Who; expect fan theories, Easter eggs and the latest gossip. Plus, Doctor Who fans will get exclusive access to content such as insights and teasers.

To give you an example of what to expect, the 11th May 2024 episode saw author Jamie Windust, Strictly Come Dancing professional Johannes Radebe, and showrunner Russell T Davies join Jae and Ali to discuss the season 1 premiere of Space Babies and The Devil’s Chord.

The Radio Times Doctor Who podcast

Best for: Deep dives

There’s a whole archive of brilliant The Radio Times Doctor Who podcast episodes to listen to.

Ever wondered who is the best Doctor of all time? Was the show right to be cancelled in the ’80s? What’s going on with The Fugitive Doctor? And what happened with that whole Master/Missy mystery? Well, you’ve come to the right place.

The Radio Times Doctor Who podcast is essentially two Doctor Who fans gossiping about the opinions on classic episodes of Doctor Who and the latest news — sounds fun, right? In these podcast episodes, expect deep dives into the furthest corners of the Whoniverse, as well as first-look reviews, the latest announcements, and unusual theories.

Take a look at the top Apple Music offers.

The Doctor Who Big Blue Box Podcast

Best for: Super fans

With a huge 428 episodes of The Doctor Who Big Blue Box Podcast on Apple Podcasts, you certainly won’t be short of Doctor Who chatter to listen to.

Since 2014, hosts Garry and Adam have shared the latest news, merchandise, convention reports and reviews almost every week. As well as these weekly podcasts, the two hosts also conduct Round Table episodes with the whole team behind The Doctor Who Big Blue Box Podcast. With 10 years of experience behind them, The Doctor Who Big Blue Box Podcast is certainly a great space for Doctor Who fans to enter.

Who Back When

Best for: Classic Doctor Who episodes

If you’re creating a podcast to appeal to a dedicated fanbase, it’s important to know your stuff. No listener wants to tune into a podcast where the hosts aren’t loyal followers and can’t offer more information that you already know. Luckily for you, the Who Back When podcast certainly knows its stuff.

The Who Back When podcast has set out to watch every single Doctor Who episode, starting with the 1963 pilot, and at the end of each episode, your hosts will review, discuss, debate, praise and poke holes in said episode. From comparing Dalek and Cybermen military stratagems to ranking companions by hairstyle, the Who Back When podcast has got it covered.

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The Old Doctor Who Show

Best for: Reviews

From the other side of the pond comes The Old Doctor Who Show. Hosts Eric Grissom and Dan Johnson are two Americans who love Doctor Who (and who can blame them?).

In The Old Doctor Who Show, Grissom and Johnson offer their perspective on classic Doctor Who episodes and series, such as The Moonbase.

Doctor Who: Radio Free Skaro

Best for: In-depth discussions

Another Doctor Who podcast created by die-hard fans — our favourite kind! Doctor Who: Radio Free Skaro is hosted by Steven, Warren and Chris, and together they create The Three Who Rule.

Doctor Who: Radio Free Skaro was recommended by the Doctor Who Magazine, and it’s an entertaining listen for ride-or-die Doctor Who fans and casual viewers alike.

To give you a taste of what to expect from Doctor Who: Radio Free Skaro, their 19th May 2024 episode saw Steven, Warren and Chris (self-confessed Moffat-ites) review the latest Doctor Who episode, Boom, which sees Steven Moffat returning to the Whoniverse. Boom is a tense episode filled with landmines, Anglican Marines, and tropes from Moffat’s previous era, but what did the hosts think of it?

These are the best UK Doctor Who experiences to try this year, and for more experiences linked to your favourite TV shows and films, stay up to date with our free, weekly Going Out newsletter.

Doctor Who: The Memory Cheats

Best for: Easy listening

Doctor Who: Radio Free Skaro’s host Steven joins host Kyle from Doctor Who: The Writer’s Room in Doctor Who: The Memory Cheats. Named after the third story of the sixth series in The Companion Chronicles audio range, Doctor Who: The Memory Cheats shows Steven and Kyle’s immediate reactions to randomly selected Doctor Who stories.

Doctor Who: Redacted

Doctor Who: Redacted podcast key art featuring the BBC logo and the TARDIS
Doctor Who: Redacted.
BBC Studios

Best for: Audio series

This final one isn’t a podcast, but we thought it deserved a special mention. Doctor Who: Redacted was the first Doctor Who audio series produced by BBC Studios. It was released by BBC Sounds as a 10 part weekly series for series 1, and a six-part all-at-once series for series 2. The audio drama series, set in the worlds of Doctor Who, has an ensemble cast of Charlie Craggs as Cleo Proctor, Lois Chimimba as Abby McPhail and Holly Quin-Ankrah as Shawna Thompson.

The synopsis of Doctor Who: Redacted is as follows: “Three women don’t know who the Doctor is, or if aliens are real, but soon find themselves caught in a supernatural conspiracy as they learn that everyone who’s ever met the Doctor is disappearing and being forgotten…”

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