About

Noobs and the Whovian is a podcast introducing a whole new generation to Doctor Who by watching an episode each week and discussing it from the perspective of a dad who’s seen it before and two sons who haven’t.

We like to keep tabs on the running gags and recurring themes throughout the series. The Noobs also share their crack-pot theories, while the Whovian tries his best not to spoil anything.

If you’re new to Who, or a fan from the Classic beginning, you’ll find something in our show to love. Noobs like the trivia and details that get shared, and even the most die-hard Whovians enjoy the fresh perspective of our Noobs.

Austin is a life-long fan of sci-fi, especially time travel. This love of sci-fi has always been a connection point to his sons, which culminated in this podcast.

He claims the title “Whovian” mostly in comparison to the Noobs who are seeing things for the first time through. After a few years of this podcast, his knowledge of the Whoniverse has certainly expanded, but so have the boys’.

Corbin is the older of the two brothers. He is as big of a nerd/geek as they get. He is the Production Editor and Assistant Researcher for the Noobs and the Whovian.

Tripp is the younger of the noobs. Like his dad, he’s a big fan of time travel stories. Although he’s the adventurous type who likes to be outdoors, he also loves sitting down to a good movie with his family.

As the Audio Enginer for the Noobs and the Whovian, he is responsible for setting up the Master Closet Studios each week. This does not hinder his tendancy to make horrible mouth noises while on mic.

Like many names, it started as a joke that just kinda stuck around.

When it was time to sit down for our first recording, the most soundproof spot in the house at the time was the master bedroom closet. The Noobs and the Whovian jammed themselves around a single (unpowered!) mic on a folding table in that closet. A few episodes in, Austin opened with the now standard line “Live from Master Closet Studios!”

Sometime during our 4th season, we moved to a new home with considerably less spacious closets. The studio was relocated to a bedroom, under Tripp’s loft bed, but we liked the name and nothing is more powerful than inertia! So, we decided not to change it.

A Simple Idea

Somehow, I (Austin) came to Doctor Who late in life. When it became available on Amazon Prime several years ago, I had an idea for a podcast: The Noob and the Whovian. I wanted someone to watch the show with and explain all the back-story stuff from Classic Who that I knew I’d be clueless about.

I wanted to find a friend that was a Doctor Who fan from way back that would also be interested in co-hosting a podcast. Sadly, that friend did not exist, so I struck out on my own to watch Doctor Who.

Fast forward a few years and I was all caught up with the show, and my two older sons, Corbin and Tripp, are getting curious about this time traveling adventurer they keep hearing about. A small tweak to the title, and a role reversal, and BAM! New show idea!

One-mic show

I had been an avid podcast listener for many years, and had seen shows start and fade away. Statistically, most don’t get passed episode 10. So, with a $0 budget, one mic, a laptop, and a closet, we started recording episodes. But not releasing them…

At this point, there’s no pressure, it was just silly fun the three of us were having. We weren’t even really doing it every week, despite our opening declaring we were. I think it took us 5 months to do our first 10-episode season.

I’d like to take a brief minute to apologize for that first season. We were all new to podcasting and made a LOT of mistakes resulting in a terrible auido quality. We huddled around a single mic that was supposed to have phantom power, and didn’t.

Launching

After we did those first 10 or 11 episodes, we decided to get serious. We invested some money in two new mics and a soundboard. You’ll notice a stark difference in audio quality starting in season 2! We also started releasing the first season. After 6 months of declaring it so, we were actually live!

Then something crazy started happening. People were listening! It wasn’t a ton of downloads, but there were definitely people out there tuning in. We were so excited.

Guest Hosting

More than a year into this thing, I had the opportunity to realize a dream I’d had for about a decade. I was able to guest host on That Story Show. I had been a listener since its inception in 2006 and had a blast. I also got to mention our little podcast here, and lots of people came over to check us out. A few even stuck around and started reaching out to us!

Classic Who Connections

One of those new listeners was a guy named Jared. He told me that he wasn’t even really watching Doctor Who anymore, but loved listening to our show anyway. Eventually, he started rewatching along with us.

We spent a lot of airtime slamming the Daleks and challenged our listeners to defend them if they dared. Jared didn’t write in to defend them, he recorded and entire segment called Defence of the Daleks! It was so great, we invited him to be a regular contributor. He’s been with us ever since.

Jump on the Wibbly Wobbly Train!

We hope that you’ll join us as we (re)discover the amazing characters and stories of the Whoniverse. Subscribe wherever you find your podcasts!