Proper Site

When I first discovered Doctor Who online fandom, one of the first stops was the Doctor Who webguide. I have vivid memories of downloading Doctor Who-themed desktops, files to mod Doom 2 with Daleks and Ogrons and wonderful tinny midi arrangements of the theme tune.

Over the years, the Doctor Who Webguide became a must-see for all fans of the show, and became as vital to fandom during the wilderness years as Outpost Gallifrey; indeed Outpost Gallifrey carries the most used mirror of the webguide.

While Kasterborous has its own Beginners' Guide to Doctor Who on the Internet, the Doctor Who Webguide - started by Jeremy Rayner and driven for many years by Paul Harman - is a vital resource, featuring links to the online efforts of Doctor Who fans around the world. From scarves to K9s to slash fiction to retro games, the Doctor Who Webguide is always worth a read to turn up something new.

And now, it's here too, on Kasterborous...

To be honest, when the current keeper of the Webguide Kenny Davidson first got in touch, I almost fell off my chair. (Actually, that's a slight exaggeration. I deleted the email as it went into my spam filter. Luckily Ant kept a copy.) Seriously though, to me hosting a mirror of the Webguide is something that proper, established Doctor Who sites do, which means that now, finally, we are a proper site.

Which I suppose means I'll have to get that book written!

Seriously though, you can view the Kasterborous Mirror of the Webguide as of today, with a permanent link appearing in The Fanzone later in the week.

Land of Fiction

Well, it’s been a strange couple of weeks. I’ve never – Kasterborous work included – worked so intensively over a piece of writing as I have for a couple of pretty blind stabs in the dark as the Big Finish competition (subsequent email of confirmation leads me to suspect winning involves visiting Big Finish Castle and burning every bit of paper…) and a writing fellowship I have submitted a sample for.

You all know by now that Kasterborous has been a smashing springboard to other work (yeah, OK, so Ant has benefited more but then he’s a better artist than I am a writer) but never have I felt more comfortable writing fiction as I have since approaching these two pieces of work. As such expect a completed version of Dreamcatcher to appear in the Fan Fiction section in the near future (a sample exists in the Forum).

Doctor Who news-wise – as Phil Lynott once sang – “don’t believe a word” of it. Especially when someone tells you “he” is back. Not until you’ve seen him with your own eyes. I don’t have insider information, I might add, simply downplaying it after we ran a story called Simm-Master with the first line reading “SPOILER”. As if the headline hadn’t given it away all ready…

Finally in this ever-so-muted editorial (having spent 36 hours repairing my wireless network only to discover my ISP had gone down at the point when it should have been working… I’m just too tired for venting spleen) thanks to everyone who has voted in the What Doctor Who DVD Should I Buy? poll. I really cannot decide myself, and although the poll is edging towards The Invasion there is still time to sway my purchase…