After the great rise of DW podcasts in the 2000s, the world became flooded with options. Unfortunately, over time, what was left were either so poorly produced that misophoniacs would cast them into the fire, or were so delusionally positive about the show that non-sociopaths would cast them into the fire.
Admittedly, Doctor Who Gives a F*ck (DWGAF) is a drunken podcast, which is often more of a bug than a feature. However, it works in this case as the tone of the podcast is a coarse elegiac screed (it's truth in advertising with the subtitle 'for the end times'). Crude humor is used to buffer souls - ours and theirs - from the rapid and increasing failings of the modern socio-political sphere. And no, the preceding text is not sarcastic or hyperbole.
It's strange that in a context of (seemingly) hundreds of Doctor Who podcasts that all claim to be ethical, this is the only one that actually has any solid grasp of progressive thought. Instead, most other popular Doctor Who podcasts offer the delusional intersection of corporate lust masked by the misuse of identity politics. It is this issue where the likes of Radio Free Skaro fail so miserably, as they have demonstrated for nearly a decade of being seemingly incapable of both authentic artistic or ethical critique.
And so, now we see the wasteland of Doctor Who podcasts is filled with smug grotesquerie - fully grown adults providing cultish apologetics for a modern TV show that is fine for pre-teens, ok for Tumblr adults, but deserves far, far more ethical and technical criticism than it receives. Most healthy fans of classic who understand it's target audience, recognize that it's a mess and appreciate trawling the details of that morass. For some reason, Doctor Who Gives A F*ck is one of the very few Doctor Who podcasts remaining that doesn't gaslight the listener. They aren't saints and can be offensive, cantankerous, and crude, but they have an ethical anchor and are honest, including space for self-critique.
The hosts include:
JB Anderton (from WHO 37), who is the acerbic and cynical driving force of the show. He does a great job keeping the pace up when needed, and provides a very reactive and refreshing political edge to the proceedings. While I don't have the same appreciation of the genre, it has been good to hear him openly has defended their love of prog rock in the depressing and hostile world of DW fandon for almost a decade. No sarcasm - I salute you for that, JB!
Chris Buchanan (from Dirty WHOers, among others) is the genial and relaxed yin to JB's more caustic and energetic yang. While they all have a good sense of humor, Chris is probably the most likely to throw in one liners and self-deprecating bits to keep things balanced and moving steady. He is generally a bit more positive about the show, but doesn't excuse the legit problems.
Sean Homrig (from The TARDIS Tavern, and many others) is the wild card, flitting between drunken stupors to very entertaining manic ramblings on the show, harrowing restaurant experiences, etc… these latter orations are often fueled by the alcohol as well. Sean keeps the DWGAF brand safe and has been a pleasant presence in the podcast scene for years.
In sum, all three hosts' personalities compliment each other well. I look forward to each episode, and usually enjoy the bizarre conversational tangents more than the DW content. The tone of the conversation is sloppy as it is a 'drunken podcast', but JB does a great job editing the show so it never becomes too unintentionally unpleasant. Thank you, Doctor Who Gives A F*ck, for all of your efforts!
And, FYI, a closing message to the kind hosts, not everyone is a rich yuppie like you and can't afford Apple products. ;) I eventually learned that in order to review this podcast I had to download iTunes for Windows (it still exists!) and then give them my credit card. After I first posted this review it never showed up, because my apple account was too old or something and I had to create a new account, which iTunes rejected 5 times until I rebooted my PC. Then, it still wouldn't accept this review - so I ended up emailing my review to someone else who had an apple product. You bet that after going through all of that, I'm going to leave a long, rambling review. The lack of reviews isn't because you aren’t loved - it's because we are too poor, exhausted and generally miserable as the world around us continues to collapse.
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