Kasterborous Classic TV: Exploring Doctor Who & Classic Sci-Fi

It's a bumper edition of the podcast this week, as Christian Cawley and James McLean attempt to squeeze in not just discussion of the upcoming 4K release of the 1996 Doctor Who TV Movie and share a short chat between Brian Terranova and Paul McGann, to give you an idea of the sort of thing you can hear in the Kasterborous Archive. Shownotes Doctor Who TV Movie 4K/UHD Blu-ray on Amazon Kasterborous...

It’s podcast time! Christian and James mull over the BBC’s decision not to put Doctor Who in the massive online game Fortnite , and celebrate the extension of Big Finish’s licence to continue producing audios and more. The most frustrating takeaway from the chat was what increasingly seems like a missed opportunity for a full Doctor Who x Fortnite integration. On paper, it’s a perfect match—a show...

Recent comments from Mark Gatiss and Peter Capaldi (made separately) concerning Doctor Who's current status are the focus of our conversation this week. Christian Cawley and James McLean cover a number of points, with everything from the dying requirement for basic screen language (such as a documentary where two people greet each other at a door before a more in-depth interaction) to whether Stev...

This week's podcast is Patreon first as ever, with no ads! Christian Cawley chats with Brian Terranova, and then with James McLean, about the early years of Kasterborous.  Among other things, we cover how we started it, the tools we used early on, and how we overcame Brian's departure... Shownotes Why did we start the podKast with a K? The first podKast SPLINK First podcast with James in 2011 This...

Christian Cawley and James McLean take a break from 500ish to discuss the news that Blake's 7 could be heading for a reboot after the IP was picked up by Multitude Productions. As James is a big Blake's 7 admirer and has also worked on an eventually uncompleted project based on the show, it seemed a good opportunity to discuss what might be needed to make a Blake's 7 reboot work... Shownotes Blake...

We tend to avoid introspection on the podcast, but for the next few weeks, Christian Cawley, James McLean, and, we're pleased to say, Brian Terranova will be bringing you a series of discussions and recollections to commemorate (other words have been suggested) our 500th edition -- whenever it may or may not have happened. As we lost count some time ago, it's difficult to pinpoint when the 500th e...

Christian Cawley and James McLean discuss The War Between the Land and the Sea, the Doctor Who spin-off serial that aired over Christmas 2025. Our 499th podcast has a lot to cover. The five episodes are addressed as a whole, along with the ramifications beyond the series (Disney, RTD, Doctor Who itself) and what went wrong. But remember: you only get the full length show on Patreon, where it is al...

Taking in The War Between the Land and the Sea and a new Doctor Who cartoon, Christian Cawley delivers the latest Doctor Who news of significance, and offers his top recommendations for quality TV viewing this Christmas. Shownotes The War Between the Land and the Sea overnights: episodes 1 and 2 episodes 3 and 4 Blue Zoo to produce Doctor Who animation for CBeebies Christmas recommendations: Man v...

This week's Doctor Who podcast is a collection of chats that were held back for Patreon members. So, yes, you've heard some of these before -- but the listeners on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and all the other places you get podcasts, have not. As such, this podcast is free to listen to on Patreon and wider afield -- and if you want to get additional chats like this at the end of your usual podcast,...

Christian is joined by The Doctor Who Companion editor Philip Bates to preview The War Between the Land and the Sea and shared some expectations. Shownotes This week, we refer to: The War Between the Land and the Sea Just Sarah Doctor Who Stars in Ads Patreon and Apple Podcasts This podcast went out on Patreon first . You can hear the show there several days earlier, often with video, and usually...

James and Christian are back with a new chat, looking at Doctor Who cutscenes (and the whole cutscene reveal culture), classic BBC One Christmas trailers, Teletext (!) and a few other things. Shownotes Vintage BBC Christmas trailers Woolworths 1981 Christmas ad (ft Tim Brooke-Taylor, Bill Oddie, Anita Harris, et al) Teletext VHS recovery Patreon and Apple Podcasts As ever, this podcast went out on...

Christian Cawley and James McLean look at some of your comments on our recent episodes, mostly concerning Ncuti Gatwa's legacy in Doctor Who. We also look at the existence of 90 minute omnibus editions of classic Doctor Who and their presentation as "gifts" to fans, 40 years after very similar edits were released on VHS to cries of "sacrilege!" Shownotes William Shatner in Airplane 2 Free Enterpri...

This week's show rounds up the latest Doctor Who related headlines, and features Christian Cawley hosting solo. Shownotes Tom Baker receives MBE The Sea Devils  gets 90 minute edit for TV The War Between the Land and the Sea launch Date Etymology of  homo Karen Gillan and Arthur Darvill launch Pondcast Sophie Aldred in Doctor Who-themed short for Children in Need As ever, this podcast went out on...

With just 18 episodes under his belt and moving on at a time when the show's future was temporarily in doubt, Gatwa's story isn't completely new to the show -- it has echoes of 1985.  But with the actor apparently now done with Doctor Who and the show struggling to achieve the same levels of adoration we saw previously with its (perhaps outgoing) showrunner, we wonder how Gatwa's episodes will be...

We've had the good news about Doctor Who 's long-term survival, but we still don't know who will run it, or where it will stream... This week, Christian Cawley and James McLean bring you a long discussion about the recent news from the BBC, as well as speculating on where the next iteration of Doctor Who might be streamed. We also consider the approach the upcoming CBeebies animation show might ta...

Was Robert Shearman really "rude" when he expressed an opinion about his relationship with Doctor Who? Are missing episodes being liberated from private collectors? And do classic series Blu-ray releases really need AI upscaling? Christian Cawley and James McLean mull this over in this week's Kasterborous podcast.  Shownotes Rob Shearman express Doctor Who frustration Jane Tranter: Rob Shearman co...

What is survival for Doctor Who? Over the past few weeks, we've explored the current streaming and televisual landscape, and indeed, the wider view of other media.  With a limbo scenario, no new series announced, and a perpetually postponed spin-off, no one knows where new Who is coming from. And if it isn't going to be on TV, where will you find original Doctor Who content in future? This is the...

Hello, and welcome to this week's podcast. A little later than planned, this is a chat already released on Patreon in video and audio form . Christian and James move the previous conversation along, and ask what form Doctor Who might take if it isn't on TV... This episode, and the previous bumper-length edition, will be released episodically over the next few weeks on Spotify and Apple Podcasts (a...

Doctor Who is asleep, but will it wake up? In the third part of our look at the world in which Doctor Who needs to be reinvented for, Christian Cawley and James McLean consider alternative shows, and how they have been able to sustain themselves despite long gaps between series. Patreon benefits  While we're serializing it over the next few weeks for Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and all the other plac...

Welcome to the second part of an in-depth discussion in which Christian Cawley and James McLean explore the shifting landscape of media, television, streaming, and everything associated. Where is Doctor Who now, and where is it going? This podcast is part of a longer chat that our Patreon members have already enjoyed. We would love to know what you think about the points raised here -- your though...

We cover how ongoing drama series have changed in length and shape, and the demand of streaming services for libraries. And inevitably, during a time when Doctor Who could be put on hold for a while, we consider how the show might be rebooted... from scratch(?!). This podcast is part of a longer chat that our Patreon members have already enjoyed. We would love to know what you think about our conc...

This week's show is a news round up, looking at the key scifi/cult TV and movie stories of the past few weeks.  Did you know the Twelfth Doctor had been recast by Big Finish? That there was a new Star Wars movie with Matt Smith? Or an upcoming Blu-ray release of the BBC's Chronicles of Narnia adaptation? If not, you'll learn about them here, along with news of Thunderbirds - FAB at 60 , and Hammer...

This week, we examine Christopher H Bidmead's impact on Doctor Who, following the death of the former Doctor Who script editor in early August.  His work as a computer journalist directly informed his contributions to the show, not just as its script editor but also writer of serials such as Logopolis and Castrovalva, and Frontios. This week, Christian Cawley and James McLean look back at Doctor W...

Once upon a time, everyone knew who Steve McQueen was. These days, it's difficult to find a current Hollywood star, or musician, or comedian, that everyone knows. In this week's podcast, Christian Cawley and James McLean go beyond Doctor Who to discuss personalities and media, and how household names and popular genres have all but vanished, their successors splintering into niches and sub-culture...

This discussion looks at recent comments made at the Edinburgh Television Festival concerning the future of Doctor Who , with or without Disney+, and the streaming platform's changing output. Are cutbacks in drama affecting the BBC and Disney+ partnership concerning Doctor Who ? Is this a major or minor bump in the road? And why has The War Between the Land and the Sea been put back until 2026? We...