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

House of the Dragon is the new Game of Thrones prequel that has just hit HBO and Sky Atlantic and among the cast is former Doctor Who star Matt Smith. In this podcast, we look at how Matt has faired since leaving Doctor Who in 2013, and his career ups and downs. Interestingly, the ups appear to be largely on TV while the downs invariably occur on the big screen. Also, as we move closer to the BBC'...

Recent Doctor Who news concerning the 60th anniversary and Russell T Davies' new series s the topic of this week's show, which takes a short pitstop in the world of Game of Thrones . Shownotes Composer Segun Akinola to Leave Doctor Who Christopher Eccleston Has Recorded "Something Special" for 60th Anniversary Doctor Who to Stream on Disney+? Chris Chibnall Won't Return to Doctor Who Evolution of...

Following the passing of David Warner and Bernard Cribbins, we consider their roles in Doctor Who and beyond.

In one of those episodes where we talk over Doctor Who, James McLean and Christian Cawley revisit 1975's The Android Invasion. Starring Tom Baker and Lis Sladen as the Doctor and Sarah Jane Smith, the serial is a rare 1970s adventure from the hand of Terry Nation - rare, as it doesn't rely on Daleks, Thals, or radiation. Discussing everything from sex dolls to ginger beer (and the figurative recas...

The crazy Doctor Who casting keeps coming, so this week's podcast has a chat about Neil Patrick Harris before turning attention to Blu-ray boxset promos. Do Mel's Dragon's Den antics count as "real" Doctor Who ? Is the Fourth Doctor's chat with a disembodied head between seasons part of your canon? Or, is it fine to dismiss these as little more than promotional fluff? Christian Cawley and James Mc...

It's the question on everybody's lips: what does David Tennant's return as Doctor Who actually mean to the show's ongoing story? And what's the deal with that new sonic screwdriver? To get to the bones of it all, we've teamed up with Brian Terranova once again to talk Tenth/Fourteenth (?) Doctors, Catherine Tate, sonic screwdrivers, and new shoes. Shownotes This week we discuss: Ncuti Gatwa cast a...

Prometheus , House of the Dragon , the Star Wars prequel trilogy, and many more all have one thing in common: they're all prequels. While it remains to be seen how House of the Dragon will turn out, looking around there aren't many people crying out for a Game of Thrones prequel. But even if they were, would it be any good? Are prequels really necessary, or are they a waste of time? Does the succe...

As we saw in Survivors of the Flux , the idea of a multiverse has been reawakened in Doctor Who , 52 years after Inferno first introduced the concept to the show. In the post- Spider-Man: No Way Home/Loki/Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness cultural landscape, the concept of multiverses has become mainstream. No longer the conceit of forgotten comic strips or ancient TV episodes, the multi...

Well, the title says it all! Just a week after the new Doctor was announced, David Tennant and Catherine Tate are confirmed as returning to Doctor Who in 2023. Last week, who could have imagined a David Tennant and Catherine Tate Doctor Who return at all, never mind so swiftly?  Christian Cawley and James McLean come to terms with the news and its possible inferences...

Yesterday you probably hadn't heard of Ncuti Gatwa. Today, he's the new Doctor Who. The actor is probably best known for his role in the Netflix show Sex Education , but all that is about to change with his casting as the Fourteenth Doctor. In this podcast, Christian Cawley and James McLean recap the casting, and feature some reaction from Doctor Who fans on Facebook.

With one more episode of Jodie Whitakker's Doctor Who run to go, we review Legend of the Sea Devils, an episode that promises but doesn't quite deliver. Christian Cawley and James McLean explore the episode's high and low points, and discuss the impact of the "Next Time" trailer. They also consider where Doctor Who might go post Chibnall. Will RTD go "full MCU" on the show, and detach it from ever...

Doctor Who is back this Easter weekend with Legend of the Sea Devils , the penultimte adventure of the 13th Doctor. We check out the trailer, make some observations about what is known (or rumoured) and look forward to the episode. Meanwhile, the reaction to our last podcast ( How Much Does it Cost to Meet Doctor Who Actors? ) has been excellent. Christian Cawley and James McLean explore some of t...

Stunned by the price fans pay for a photo, autograph, and meet Doctor Who actors, this podcast looks at encounters the podcast team has had with people from the show. We cover everything here, from youthful encounters with larger-than-life actors to interviewing renowned television directors. We also have some "fantasy guest" chat, in which we try to choose which people we'd like to meet or interv...

Our podcast this week welcomes back Gareth Kavanagh for a longer chat, mainly about Cutaway Comics' latest projects, selling issues in the basement at Gallifrey One, and taking a trip to Aldbourne in honour of 1972 Doctor Who serial The Daemons . Gareth joins Christian Cawley and James McLean in a wide ranging conversation that takes in Brian Blessed, Eric Saward, retro gaming, and much more. Show...

This week's show is a bit shorter than usual, to let you find out what we think about the Hugh Grant Doctor Who rumour, and have some fun with some possible spin-off ideas. In case you had forgotten, Hugh Grant was approached to lead Doctor Who way back before Christopher Eccleston was cast. He had also appeared in Steven Moffat's Comic Relief special The Curse of Fatal Death as the final male inc...

We've promised and threatened, and this time we deliver: our commentary of Life on Mars episode 1, in which Sam Tyler wakes up in 1973. The episode stars John Simm ( Doctor Who 's Master 2007-2017) and Philip Glenister. This discussion takes place while watching the episode, and covers all manner of topics, from the show's early inception to fashion and style, logistics of reimagining Manchester i...

With no time travel in a police box to thrill you on TV for most of the year, we recommend you take time travel in a policeman's head as an alternative. Yes, it's Life on Mars, one of the greatest TV shows since the turn of the century. In this podcast, Christian Cawley and James McLean look back at what intrigues them about the adventures of Sam Tyler and Gene Hunt. Shownotes Some useful links re...

We take a look at some recent Doctor Who news in this week's show, specifically the return of Phil Collinson to the day-to-day running of the RTD2 era. There is also some chat about archiving old data, and the fate of the older pages from the official Doctor Who website. Where are they? Christian Cawley and James McLean are your hosts. In the vaguest possible sense, of course. Shownotes Phil Colli...

It's the third part of our retrospective of Chris Chibnall's time on Doctor Who, in which we take a look at 2011's Cold Blood . The concept is simple: we watch the episode and talk over it. You're invited to watch along with us, but you can listen without pressing play on your Season 5 DVD or iPlayer. Christian Cawley and James McLean witter on endlessly with the occasional drink/toilet break in a...

This week we continue our look at Chris Chibnall's early Doctor Who contributions with The Hungry Earth from 2010. Starring Matt Smith as the Doctor and marking the first return of the Silurians to the modern series, The Hungry Earth is the first part of a two part story with a classic set up and feel. Christian Cawley and James McLean look for similarities with Chibnall's later episodes and stewa...

The UK government has announced that the TV licence fee is to be frozen, with the BBC's funding reviewed to establish a new income model. What are the implications of this to the organization? Why did the BBC not see this coming? Could it make changes now to mitigate the impact of the changes? Why was the youth-oriented BBC Three returned to broadcast TV when its audience consumes TV almost wholly...

In this podcast, we take a look at Chibnall's first Doctor Who episode, aiming to identify motifs and themes that might later appear under his stewardship of the show. Back in 2007, Chris Chibnall made his first contribution to televised Doctor Who with 42. An adventure in real-time inspired by shows like 24, it starred David Tennant and Freema Agyeman as the Doctor and Martha Jones. Christian Caw...

The latest Doctor Who has aired, which means that after Eve of the Daleks , we have just two episodes of Jodie Whittaker's Doctor to enjoy. Christian Cawley and James McLean recall their thoughts on the episode, with contributions from commenters on our Facebook page . Listen out too for some recommendations and thoughts about other TV shows - and a chat about the Legend of the Sea Devils ! Showno...

How does Doctor Who: Flux hold together as a series? Now the dust has cleared, we take a look at the evidence, as well as recall the impact on Doctor Who of two well-regarded recent departures from this world. Prepare yourselves for a cavalcade of Doctor Who discussion with Christian Cawley, James McLean, and Gareth Kavanagh, as they cover everything from Flux, RTD2, and the Netflix problem to Bob...

Doctor Who: Flux is over. Final episode The Vanquishers has split opinion, causing confusion in some areas, accused of having too much going on, and generally being like other Doctor Who finales. Christian Cawley and James McLean discuss The Vanquishers , bringing in some listener thoughts from our Facebook page. PLUS: We talk about Sylvester McCoy in The Munsters, directed by Rob Zombie. Shownote...