484: Big Finish recast Capaldi, Matt Smith joins new Star Wars movie, and more

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 places, you can enjoy a classic deep-cut of this podcast in its entirety by joining our Patreon. Supporters of the podcast on Patreon also got this week’s show ad-free, and with a video version. Sign up to enjoy the same benefits.  Get in touch  Subscribe to our podcast? Then head to Apple Podcasts to leave a rating and review. Any new reviews will be read out. Not on Apple Podcasts? Leave us a review somewhere else, send the link over on Twitter or Facebook or [email protected], and you’ll get a mention.

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 thoughts on this are pretty vital to a future discussion! Use the contact options below. Patreon benefits  While we're serializing it over the next few weeks for Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and all the other places, you can enjoy a classic deep-cut podcast in its entirety by joining our Patreon. Supporters of the podcast on Patreon also got this week’s show ad-free, and with a video version. Sign up to enjoy the same benefits.  Get in touch  Subscribe to our podcast? Then head to Apple Podcasts to leave a rating and review. Any new reviews will be read out. Not on Apple Podcasts? Leave us a review somewhere else, send the link over on Twitter or Facebook or [email protected], and you’ll get a mention.

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 conclusion -- your thoughts on this are pretty vital to a future discussion! Patreon benefits  While we're serializing it over the next few weeks for Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and all the other places, you can enjoy a classic deep-cut podcast in its entirety by joining our Patreon. Supporters of the podcast on Patreon also got this week’s show ad-free, and with a video version. Sign up to enjoy the same benefits.  Get in touch  Subscribe to our podcast? Then head to Apple Podcasts to leave a rating and review. Any new reviews will be read out.  Not on Apple Podcasts? Leave us a review somewhere else, send the link over on Twitter or Facebook or [email protected], and you’ll get a mention.

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's The Curse of Frankenstein getting a 4K remaster.  Christian Cawley brings you five key stories, and when that's all done, Patreon members get an exclusive "after show" chat between Christian, James McLean, and Gareth Kavanagh, recorded in 2024. Shownotes Jon Culshaw is playing Twelfth Doctor for Big Finish New Star Wars movie, Star Wars: Starfighter BBC Chronicles of Narnia Blu-ray edition announced Chronicles of Narnia pre-order on Amazon Thunderbirds - FAB at 60 Thunderbirds 60th anniversary screening Hammer's The Curse of Frankenstein gets 4K remaster edition Frankenstein 4K on Amazon

As the attentive among you might know, former Doctor Who script editor Christopher H. Bidmead died 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 Who's divisive Season 18. A new producer, an executive producer for the first time, a new script editor, and a lead actor on his way out of the door, it makes for interesting viewing, both as a show, and as a behind-the-scenes drama.  But central to all of that was Bidmead's new approach to the show, one that stripped back "The Tom Baker Show" and moved the adventures back into the realms of discovery and education.

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-cultures. Meanwhile, the Patreon-only section explores the phenomenon of disappearing media formats and their return as premium items. Shownotes Blankety Blank playlist Blankety Blank spoof Taskmaster S3 E1 Ted Lasso trailer Project X (Amiga) Project X Light Years trailer ZX Spectrum trailer for Ulysses 31 Christian's retro gaming site: www.gamingretro.co.uk Heil Honey I'm Home intro Fantastic Four (2025) trailer Patreon benefits  Supporters of the podcast on Patreon got this week’s show ad-free, early, and with around 20 minutes more talking. Sign up to enjoy the same benefits.  Get in touch  Subscribe to our podcast? Then head to Apple Podcasts to leave a rating and review. Any new reviews will be read out. Not on Apple Podcasts? Leave us a review somewhere else, send the link over on Twitter or Facebook or [email protected], and you’ll get a mention.

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 look for some answers. For patrons, meanwhile, we have an exclusive chat about Sarah Jane Smith, following news of a new book dedicated to Lis Sladen's popular companion. Shownotes BBC states Doctor Who will return with or without Disney(Same link for The War Between the Land and the Sea) Just Sarah: More Than Fifty Years of a Doctor Who Companion Kasterborous Substack Get in touch  Enjoy the podcast? If you head to Apple Podcasts to leave a rating and review, it will help us build our audience there. Any new reviews will be read out -- let us know you've left one. Not on Apple Podcasts? Leave us a review somewhere else, send the link to [email protected], and you’ll get a mention!

We're back with a new edition of Kasterborous, this time steering largely away from (or around) Doctor Who and looking more specifically at the use of time travel in television and popular Hollywood movies. So, Christian and James deliver you a video-exclusive, wide-ranging chat that takes in Doctor Who, Life on Mars, Back to the Future, Charmed, Once Upon a Time, Star Trek (and spinoffs), Ashes to Ashes, Primeval, Behold the Man, The Flash.... and The Fonz and the Happy Days Gang. This podcast went out first on Patreon, as a video, and longer, running to an additional 10 minutes. For full length and ad-free podcasts, we would love for you to join us on Patreon and support our weekly shows. We're already able to produce exclusive videos for Patreon, and plan to produce additional episodes! www.patreon.com/kasterborous Shownotes Julian McMahon dies The Fonz and the Happy Days Gang (sorry) Deep Cover (Amazon Prime) Christian's retro gaming projects Patreon Kasterborous Substack Get in touch  Subscribe to our podcast? Then head to Apple Podcasts to leave a rating and review. Any new reviews will be read out. Not on Apple Podcasts? Leave us a review somewhere else, send the link over on Twitter or Facebook or [email protected], and you’ll get a mention.

There is a good chance that Doctor Who Series 15 will be remembered for many of the wrong reasons. But one great thing about it is that it gave us the chance to bring in a diverse collection of opinions and reactions. As you may have read, this week I am joined by: Philip Bates Gareth Kavanagh James Whittington Rick Lundeen ...and James McLean So, prepare for a tightly edited (!) collection of interactions between 6 people who weren't even on the same call, let alone in the same room. Strangely, I think it works. It's a bit shorter than usual, but I think it nicely wraps things up. Patreon benefits  Supporters of the podcast on Patreon got this week’s show ad-free and early. Sign up to enjoy the same benefits.  From the next episode of Kasterborous, we'll be back to ad-free, early, and complete on Patreon, with the full episode for Patrons and a shorter version of the episode on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, etc. a few days later. Get in touch  Subscribe to our podcast? Then head to Apple Podcasts to leave a rating and review. Any new reviews will be read out. Not on Apple Podcasts? Leave us a review somewhere else, send the link over on Twitter or Facebook or [email protected], and you’ll get a mention.

James and Christian have just recorded an ad hoc conversation about recent events concerning Doctor Who. Prepare for a video discussion which looks at J. Michael Straczynski's possible interest in Doctor Who, the current lack of scheduling for The War Between the Land and the Sea, obligatory AI talk, and a look at how much UK and US subscribers are paying for Netflix, Prime, Disney+, et al, compared with other countries. Shownotes Babylon 5’s J Michael Straczynski Says He’d “Love Nothing More” Than Writing Doctor Who  The War Between the Land and the Sea  Gorilla AI advert Patreon benefits  Supporters of the podcast on Patreon got this week’s show ad-free and early on Patreon — and with extra material.  Get in touch  Subscribe to our podcast? Then head to Apple Podcasts to leave a rating and review. Any new reviews will be read out. Not on Apple Podcasts? Leave us a review somewhere else, send the link over on Twitter or Facebook or [email protected], and you’ll get a mention.