Regular podcast featuring unique and in-depth discussions covering Doctor Who and other classic TV and movies, usually in the sci-fi and sci-fantasy fields.
Launched in 2007, we've lost count of how many episodes we've actually done. Special episodes include interviews with creatives, writers, actors, and notable commentators in the cult TV field.
Your regular hosts are Christian Cawley, James McLean, and Brian Terranova.
Publisher
Christian Cawley (host, producer) | James McLean (host) | Brian Terranova (host)
Doctor Who's future: new producers, no showrunner... and AI?
The BBC has formally begun looking for the production team that will take Doctor Who into its next era — and some of the details suggest the series could be made rather differently in future.This week, Christian Cawley and James McLean examine the BBC's new Invitation to Tender for Doctor Who, including its emphasis on high-concept science fiction, distinctively British storytelling and episodic writers — and the intriguing suggestion that the programme may no longer follow the traditional showrunner model.Does the tender represent a genuine fresh start for Doctor Who? What does the BBC's instruction not to consult previous BBC Studios or Bad Wolf production teams tell us about its intentions? And with a new production unlikely to reach television until 2028 or 2029, what happens in the meantime?That leads to something rather more controversial: Doctor Who Reboot, a fan project using generative AI to create an unofficial continuation of the series.Christian and James discuss the results, the potential intellectual-property problem, and the much bigger question of whether using AI to recreate Doctor Who is fundamentally at odds with the programme itself.After all, if the Doctor is a character who repeatedly champions human creativity, individuality and freedom over technological conformity, is AI-generated Doctor Who a particularly strange contradiction?Plus: the Master's latest trick may have nothing on the Kasterborous YouTube channel finally passing 200 subscribers.With Christian Cawley and James McLean.
14 Sept 2026
Who is the definitive Master? Doctor Who's greatest villain
The Master has been cheating death almost as long as the Doctor has been saving the universe — but can all those different incarnations actually be fitted into a coherent timeline?Christian Cawley and Brian A. Terranova take a trip through the Master's complicated history, from Roger Delgado and the decaying Master to Anthony Ainley, Eric Roberts, Derek Jacobi, John Simm and Michelle Gomez.Along the way, they revisit an old theory connecting the Master of the 1996 Doctor Who TV Movie with The Deadly Assassin, examine Big Finish's rather more elaborate attempt to make sense of the Master's regenerations, and consider what Eric Roberts has brought to the role on audio.----------------------------------------------------------------You can watch this week's episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UUCImw-B1Cc (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UUCImw-B1Cc)----------------------------------------------------------------But continuity is only half the story. Was Doctor Who robbed of a potentially definitive Master by giving Derek Jacobi so little screen time? How does his colder interpretation compare with Delgado's original? And did John Simm effectively get a second chance to play the Master when he returned opposite Peter Capaldi?It's an attempt to untangle one of Doctor Who's most complicated characters — and work out what actually makes a great Master.With Christian Cawley and Brian A. Terranova.
7 Sept 2026
Who wants Doctor Who — and what happens next?
What happens next to Doctor Who — and who might actually make it?Christian Cawley and James McLean discuss the latest speculation surrounding the programme's future, including Netflix's apparent lack of interest and Amazon's much more welcoming response to the prospect of getting involved.Could Amazon do for Doctor Who what it once did for Ripper Street? Would moving further into the streaming world give the programme greater creative freedom, or would something important be lost along the way?Then there's the small matter of Billie Piper.With Mark Gatiss discussing the unresolved ending to the most recent series, Christian and James consider whether a future production team really needs to explain what happened — or whether Doctor Who should simply move forward.From Sherlock and Dallas to Blake's 7, Sapphire & Steel and the Seventh Doctor's final adventure, we look at the peculiar power of an unresolved ending — and wonder whether Doctor Who's controversial cliffhanger might actually be helping to keep the series alive in the public imagination.With Christian Cawley and James McLean.
Who has been a guest on Kasterborous Classic TV
Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.
Philip Bates
Gareth Kavanagh
James Whittington
Rick Lundeen
James McLean
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
YouTube views
46,309
Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025
Apple Podcasts (US)
4.9 / 5
7 ratings
Spotify
2.8 / 5
4 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 75 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
85
Social presence
0
YouTube
76
Engagement
85
Pitching Kasterborous Classic TV
Guest appearances
Books guests
Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting pitches.
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