Bonus Video: The Beatles episode of Doctor Who
Added 2024-05-31 10:53:50 +0000 UTCHello Whovians and also regular people,
For this month's bonus video I share my full thoughts on the Doctor Who episode 'The Devil's Chord' which features the Beatles!... or people playing the Beatles. And it's... kinda weird?
I didn't really know too much about Doctor Who going into this video so I certainly learned a lot!
Hope you enjoy the video!
E.
Comments
doctor who really did peak with the tennant/smith and i’d even say capaldi eras, the current iteration of the show is…severely lacking, as evidenced by this episode and that truly baffling musical number at the end which not only sounds nothing like a beatles song, but it also doesn’t sound much like a 60s pop song either, it’s just bombastically lousy.
noremac
2025-10-27 04:15:29 +0000 UTCI did think they had a great George Martin! Missed opportunity to give us a Brian Epstein (along with all the other missed opportunities here…)
Jenny Harris
2025-09-21 20:07:24 +0000 UTCI could rank the runway songs from worst to best
Elliot Roberts
2025-08-12 05:50:01 +0000 UTCLearning Elliot Roberts is a Drag Race fan is my new favourite part of Elliot Robert’s lore 😂. I can’t imagine you’d ever make a video on Drag Race but I would be so here for that.
Luke Hall
2025-08-11 15:05:35 +0000 UTCive been a lifelong "whovian" and coincidentally got SUPER into the beatles around the same time as this episode came out last year, so i was pretty excited obviously...was it fun to see the beatles in my favorite show? yes! was this episode any good? no! doctor who has really fallen off for me in the recent years but it'll always hold a special place in my heart.
Skipper
2025-03-24 18:18:02 +0000 UTCAmazing Videos as always
ShadowFocus
2025-03-16 03:50:34 +0000 UTCAs a major Doctor Who and Beatles fan, I rather agree with you, Elliot. While the episode itself was fine, it was very underwhelming on the Beatles aspect. I don't read the magazine, and all of the promotional material that I'd seen made it seem like the Beatles would be a major part of the episode, which they should have been! Like you said, get them in on the action! I also wasn't terribly thrilled with the fact that they looked almost nothing like the real Beatles, but that's a smaller issue that I can excuse. Doctor Who often has historical figures that we're just supposed to accept "yes, this is that famous person", even if the resemblance is...slight, at best. Again, the episode itself was fine. I thought Maestro was an interesting new character that I hope comes back. Just a little bummed we didn't get more Beatles in the episode.
Tony Young
2024-09-04 19:39:00 +0000 UTCWhile we're on the subject of TV show episodes involving 1960s bands, The Beach Boys episodes of Full House and Home Improvement would make for an... interesting bonus video!
Brendan J. Smith
2024-08-29 04:31:34 +0000 UTCI think it would've been a better choice for Maestro to begin sucking the music out of the world on February 3rd, 1959. AKA The Day The Music Died. Since they would've only been doing it for a couple years and not decades, the music world would just be in kind of a slump instead of outright dying. And honestly this whole premise feels much better suited to a figure like Mozart than The Beatles.
Brendan J. Smith
2024-08-22 02:51:31 +0000 UTCHello Who Fan and I probably stopped watching after Jodie's first series as the 13th doctor so I have tuned out for a bit. This new series with the previous specials with Tenant as the 14th doctor had reasons to be better which right now its mid. The Beatles mostly were referenced in the 1st doctor era by the clip of the wiped Top of the Pops you were talking about and Susan dancing to them while listening to them on her radio.
Sam
2024-06-07 16:13:25 +0000 UTCI used to love Doctor Who but after Peter Capaldi’s great run I lost interest. I definitely know what you mean by the annoying fanboy types. And I was excited to watch this new season and maybe get back into it but haven’t gotten around to it, and frankly it looks kind of not great so far! Maybe I just grew out of it altogether. Also I’m surprised they did a song about a dog and it wasn’t “It’s Ok to Leave Your Dog in a Hot Car” that underrated Beatles gem.
Ben
2024-06-05 20:14:27 +0000 UTCLooks like I could’ve used your expertise on this video! Thanks for sharing ☺️
Elliot Roberts
2024-06-01 21:58:01 +0000 UTCPossibly!
Elliot Roberts
2024-06-01 21:55:48 +0000 UTCI haven’t changed my opinion on Yesterday but more the way I went about EXPRESSING my opinion in that video.
Elliot Roberts
2024-06-01 21:55:29 +0000 UTCI wonder if some of the historical inaccuracies could be put down to the fact that this is an alternative timeline where they didn't care enough to wear their instruments right or John not caring about wearing glasses, etc.
HappyRon Hill
2024-06-01 21:40:55 +0000 UTCSo have you changed your opinion on YESTERDAY? I agreed at the time with your comments but it was all secondary to enjoying the film for what it was to me
HappyRon Hill
2024-06-01 21:31:47 +0000 UTCBTW, in the off chance that no one else has asked, is there a possibility of a review of the new Beach Boys documentary on Disney? Carol Kaye herself weighed in and said that it was rubbish.
Mike Griffith
2024-06-01 15:01:25 +0000 UTCAs well as being a Beatlemaniac, I'm also a big Whovian. There has been some Beatles references throughout the show (there's a great one in the Three Doctors story) and a few other Beatles songs were used on the show (Paperback Writer on the Evil of the Daleks, Do You Want to Know a Secret and A Taste of Honey on the Remembrance of the Daleks). Not only that, there's also a Big Finish audio story called Fanfare of the Common Men where the Fifth Doctor (Peter Davison) where he discovers that the Beatles didn't exist but another group had taken their place. Now for the episode itself, I thought it was pretty good overall. The story itself was great and Maestro is a fantastic villain, but I do agree that the Beatles' appearances were underused. And they could have put more input on their look as well (like John's Buddy Holly glasses instead of the granny glasses). And I do have one question though - when on earth did George Martin ever do a breakdance??? As always, a great bonus video. Thanks for making it and I look forward to your Ringo reviews. ✌️💙😊
Todd Costa Rica
2024-06-01 14:33:16 +0000 UTCThe blue eyes thing bothered me also . Ringo is the only blue eyed Beatle . They should of use contact lenses to make things look proper.
Scott Schoverling
2024-06-01 02:20:30 +0000 UTCDevastating!
Elliot Roberts
2024-05-31 21:45:55 +0000 UTCI thought it was still pretty enjoyable dpesite the issues witht the countless bad tv beatles episodes if, were counting this one. I do hope in another season its the beatles that need help and, its the other way around for more screen time for them.
Reed
2024-05-31 18:40:16 +0000 UTCAs a lifelong Doctor Who fan this was so fun to watch, certainly an interesting ep to watch as your intro to the show haha! I enjoyed the episode, it was pretty fun, I’m a very easy to please fan though, generally as long as I’m having a good time with an ep then I can overlook a lot. I was expecting The Beatles stuff to be a lot worse than it was, with awkward song references and dodgy accents so I was actually pleasantly surprised by that element. Although the #JusticeForGeorgeAndRingo was one of the biggest thoughts I had after watching it!
Lewis Palmer
2024-05-31 17:32:25 +0000 UTCI kept waiting for you to make the connection that the 9th Doctor (Christopher Eccleston) played John in Lennon Naked and the 12th Doctor (Peter Capaldi) played George in John & Yoko: A Love Story!
Brendan J. Smith
2024-05-31 16:33:22 +0000 UTCLifelong Doctor Who nerd here, and to be honest I felt the same as you. It’s a bit of fun, but the premise doesn’t really make sense. Is music gone or not? What exactly is “bad” music anyway? I also liked Jinx, but also didn’t get much out of the Beatles in this.
Grafty
2024-05-31 15:31:13 +0000 UTCYeah, it’s a good episode, but its depiction of The Beatles leaves a lot to be desired. It’s certainly a step up from the traditional TV biopic stuff in some regards, especially with voice work and budget. I’m kinda glad Quantum Leap kept The Beatles off-screen.
Peter Melling
2024-05-31 15:28:36 +0000 UTCWas really hoping you would do this! I hated the episode. Completely agree with the point that it didn’t make sense - felt to me like they were going to base it on the Beatles music being removed from history but then Yesterday used that idea so they’ve had to go with the this weird in between of yes they make music but it’s bad?!? And yes the performance, hair, fashion… all completely off. Plus the song at the end felt like a real “jump the shark” moment
Oasis Podcast
2024-05-31 14:52:47 +0000 UTCI was hoping you’d cover this (though I imagined a video in which you covered a bunch of TV episodes featuring Beatles Tribute with stuff like Meet The Beat-Alls). I’m a very recent Doctor Who fan and though it may surprise you to learn this, this episode is one of the best the series has received in years. I agree the Beatles stuff is muted and a tad flimsy, but the actual episode itself is extremely in-line with the best that modern Doctor Who has to offer. Maestro is incredible, the central problem the Doctor has to solve is compelling, and the final battle in the recording studio is top-of-the-line stuff. Yes it is very weird that John is wearing glasses and that George and Ringo get basically nothing to do. But the lack of focus on The Beatles also means we don’t get the obnoxious Beatles Worship schlock that kinda ruins media like the movie Yesterday. It’s just nice there isn’t a single stupid reference to a Beatles title or a misunderstanding of the band’s credo/history. So yeah, not a great depiction of The Beatles, but I think it was a bit of a blessing in disguise, personally. Looking forward to the Ringo dive, Peace & Love Peace & Love ✌️❤️🕊️🎉
Max Marriner
2024-05-31 14:39:11 +0000 UTCSpeaking of erased footage: Most of Johnny Carson's early Tonight Show episodes have been erased. An accountant noticed some tapes were taking up space in a storage unit and got rid of the tapes to save money (certain special episodes were backed up, but most are gone). One episode that was erased is a Tonight Show interview with Paul McCartney and John Lennon in the late 60's.
Aaron Weiss
2024-05-31 14:36:48 +0000 UTCGreat video! I am surprised to hear the actors who portrayed the Beatles didn't wear wigs. Unfortunately, they might as well have, because the pudding bowls are so NOT 1963. Plus, the band never set up like they were on stage when they tracked in the studio, with everyone facing the control room. The episode itself is fun, but I wish they had gotten a few more things right just for us rabid Fab4 fans. I mean, after all, both The Beatles & Dr. Who are British institutions.😃
Mike Griffith
2024-05-31 13:49:43 +0000 UTCAgreed!
Elliot Roberts
2024-05-31 11:17:08 +0000 UTCNo way, I just subscribed to your Patreon like three days ago and thought this would be a great topic for you to do! I thought the depiction of the Beatles was less than adequate.
Sasha
2024-05-31 11:12:27 +0000 UTC
