| Genre | Documentary |
|---|---|
| Running time | 45–60 minutes |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Language(s) | English |
| Home station | BBC 7 |
| Hosted by | Phil Collinson,[1] David Tennant,[1] Catherine Tate[1] |
| Original release | 6 April 2008[1] – 3 January 2010 |
| No. of series | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 18[2] |
| Audio format | Stereophonic sound[3] |
| Opening theme | Doctor Who theme music |
| Ending theme | Doctor Who end theme music |
| Website | 7th Dimension homepage |
| Podcast | Doctor Who: The Commentaries podcast |
Doctor Who: The Commentaries[3] is a radio documentary series focusing on the long-running British television series Doctor Who. Doctor Who: The Commentaries aired on BBC 7 at 6.30 pm on Sundays[4] with a repeat at 12.30 am on Monday mornings.[4] It could be listened to after transmission via the BBC 7 website[2][5] and via the BBC iPlayer.[6] Doctor Who: The Commentaries aired as part of BBC 7's 7th Dimension strand.[7] Extended versions of each episode were available as podcasts, although music is removed from these.[8]
Doctor Who: The Commentaries premiered on Sunday 6 April 2008, the day after the first episode of Series 4 of Doctor Who, "Partners in Crime", had been broadcast for the first time on BBC One.[1][9]
Prior to the broadcast of the first episode, Doctor Who: The Commentaries was thought to be a 'recap show' discussing the Doctor Who episode shown the previous day on BBC One in the style of Heroes The Official Radio Show that had aired on BBC 7 in 2007.[10] The show actually comprises edited 30 minute versions of audio commentaries recorded to accompany new episodes of Doctor Who similar to those made available as podcasts on the official Doctor Who website to accompany episodes from Series 2[11] and Series 3[12]ofDoctor Who and similar to the commentaries on Doctor Who DVD releases. In each episode of Doctor Who: The Commentaries, members of the cast and crew discuss the latest new episode of Doctor Who whilst watching it. For example, Producer Phil Collinson and David Tennant and Catherine Tate, who play respectively the Doctor and Donna NobleinDoctor Who, feature in the first show discussing "Partners in Crime".[1]
The full 45 minute audio commentaries for episodes from Series 4 were available as the Doctor Who: The Commentaries's podcasts[8] and by pressing the Red Button when watching the Sunday night repeat of the Doctor Who episode on BBC Three. The podcast was available from the BBC 7 website[8] and from the official Doctor Who website.[13] Subscriptions to the podcast are available via RSS, iTunes, My Yahoo! and Google Reader.[8]
| Episode | Hosts | Discussion Topic | Original Air Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| "Episode 1"[2][14] | Phil Collinson, David Tennant and Catherine Tate[1] | "Partners in Crime"[15] | 6 April 2008[1][3] |
| "Episode 2" | James Moran, Francois Pandolfo and James North | "The Fires of Pompeii"[15] | 13 April 2008 |
| "Episode 3" | Susie Liggat, Keith Temple and Paul Kasey | "Planet of the Ood"[15] | 19 April 2008 |
| "Episode 4" | Freema Agyeman, Helen Raynor and Ruari Mears | "The Sontaran Stratagem"[15] | 26 April 2008 |
| "Episode 5" | Catherine Tate, Ryan Sampson and Julie Gardner | "The Poison Sky"[15] | 3 May 2008 |
| "Episode 6" | Russell T Davies, Alice Troughton and David Tennant | "The Doctor's Daughter"[15] | 10 May 2008 |
| "Episode 7" | Gareth Roberts, Graeme Harper and Tom Goodman-Hill | "The Unicorn and the Wasp"[15] | 17 May 2008 |
| "Episode 8" | Phil Collinson and Euros Lyn | "Silence in the Library"[15] | 31 May 2008. |
| "Episode 9" | David Tennant, Russell T Davies and Steven Moffat | "Forest of the Dead"[16] | 7 June 2008 |
| "Episode 10" | Julian Howarth, Paul McFadden and Bryn Thomas | "Midnight"[15] | 14 June 2008 |
| "Episode 11" | Graeme Harper, Tracie Simpson and Nick Murray | "Turn Left"[15] | 21 June 2008 |
| "Episode 12" | Nicholas Briggs, Barnaby Edwards and Nick Pegg | "The Stolen Earth" | 28 June 2008 |
| "Episode 13" | Julie Gardner and Phil Collinson | "Journey's End"[15] | 5 July 2008 |
| "Episode 14" | Russell T Davies and Julie Gardener | "The Next Doctor" | 25 December 2008 |
| "Episode 15" | David Tennant, James Strong and Julie Gardner | "Planet of the Dead" | 11 April 2009 |
| "Episode 16" | David Tennant, Russell T Davies and Julie Gardner | "The Waters of Mars" | 18 November 2009 |
| "Episode 17" | Russell T Davies and Julie Gardner | "The End of Time – Part One" | 27 December 2009 |
| "Episode 18" | Russell T Davies and Julie Gardner | "The End of Time – Part Two" | 3 January 2010 |
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