Well we got our wish...

That's right, the BBC have finally come clean and although I'm desperately unhappy about 2009, at the moment it isn't disastrous.

However how fans can claim to be "happy" is beyond the pale. 10 episodes short in 2009 and you claim to be satisfied. What the hell is wrong with you people?

It's nothing to be happy about. Having the show back from the abyss is great, sure, but that doesn't mean Russell T Davies and the BBC are necessarily serving us and Doctor Who well. The very notion of reducing the series to 3 specials in 2009 is ridiculous. It places the subsequent series in jeopardy before scripts are even written.

So have a bloody word with yourselves. Wake up and smell the coffee, open your eyes and stop living in the insane, blinkered world where TV execs are gods and you are their blind followers.

The world doesn't work like that, it works on a foundation of power and money, and with three episodes of Doctor Who in 2009, how is a high media profile going to drive merchandise sales?

If no one is buying the toys, then the core audience has evidently stopped watching - do we want that?

I suspect it is too late to ask for a rethink, but I can at least ask all you half-full fans who insansely label this as "good news" to actually try thinking about it, what the news actually means and be honest with yourselves instead of pretending it is A Good Thing.

It is A Bad Thing.

Rusl? I that you?

As you might have seen in the news section, we've found a letter in an old copy of DWM that appears to have been written by Russell T Davies back in 1981. He signs it "Rusl Davies, Glamorgan" - evidently a shortform or Welsh spelling of the name.

So in effect Russell T Davies uses a pseudonym - as we know the T is made up to distinguish him from the radio presenter Russell davies - but how many other Doctor Who personalities over the years have used nom de plumes?

Most obvious would be current Doctor David Tennant, who is of course really called David McDonald, and Fifth Doctr Peter Davison, known to his family as Peter Moffett.

Conversely, Lalla Ward (Romana II) was of course a Lady, and used her family name rather than title on stage and televsion.

And of course my real name is Bigby Marilyn...

I need your help...

Kasterborous has had its current look for over 18 months now, and we've decided that it is time for a change.

As such, Anthony Dry will be embarking on a redesign when the series 4 boxset is out of the way, and redesigning Kasterborous. I've also got a very tsty forum redesign in mind...

However, Kasterborous needs to continue growing and developing which is why we're asking you, our readers, for your suggestions to make te site more relevant.

You might think a brief preview of the forum on the front page of K would be better, or a greater focus on news. Whatever you think of drop int the forum and let us know, and if we like it (and we're liking them all at the moment) we'll use it!

Spiders from Mars?

Excellent news – the latest Doctor Who rumour from The Scum claims that Thin White Duke and supermodel husband David Bowie is being lined up to play a villain in Series 4.

 

Will he be playing an alien prince who steals Agatha Christie?

 

Is it even true?

 

And how seriously should we take rumours printed in a “news”paper as ridiculous as The Sun?  Should we even bother repeating them, let alone believing them?

 

We all seem to want something newsworthy where Doctor Who is concerned, more information in order to attempt to satiate our information lust. This way, every topic can be pulled, twisted, turned inside out, and thoroughly digested and discussed.

 

I wonder where this leaves our descendants, knowing that we were fed on a diet of misinformation?  Will they know – will they even care?

 

And will they be watching lost episodes of Doctor Who starring David Bowie?

 

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If it keeps on raining...

Funny old weekend. A Bank Holiday without rain, it nevertheless seemed that if the amount of work that I had given myself to complete didn't start to go down, the levee might just break.

It seems that I'm not the only one. Just one year on from relenting to the voice of fans, Shaun Lyon has finally decided the time has come to radically change Outpost Gallifrey, and minimise his input to the most famous of Doctor Who fansites.

Without OG there would be no Kasterborous, and very little else that was visually appealing for Doctr Who fans online. It is at the very hub of Doctor Who fandom, and is tus a very important entity.

Best of luck to the chaps looking after the surviving parts of Outpost Gallifrey, and to Shaun in everything he has planned for the future.

Totty

You know I get amazed that we don't come in for any flack with Kasterborous' "bordering on the sexist" attitude to women.

Taking a step back from my own insanse creation, it would seem on first impression that Kasterborous is "that Doctor Who site with the nice art, news and opinion pieces and totty".

I would feel that it was a mixed opportunity however to report about Kylie Minogue or Nicola Bryant without slipping in a picture of their lovely faces. Similarly, you don't get many chick pics on Outpost Gallifrey or unitnews.co.uk because the site owners aren't interested in doing that.

You could say then that we're fulfilling a niche which strangely hasn't been touched by anyone else.

Come on DWM! You did an interview with McFly - let's have a burlesque Kylie centre pages pullout!

Modded World

As I posted in the Kasterborous Forum today, I discovered some mods for various popular games to give them a Doctor Who theme.

For instance years ago someone made a Doom 2 DW mod, complete with sound effects, which was pretty cool. There have also been Quake mods, Jedi knight and Star Trek mods (go figure) but nothing that really, trulycaptures the spirit of Doctor Who.

I can't help thinking that a Civ 3 based mod might offer a plyable time war, but at the end of the day these mods are done BECAUSE THERE IS NO COMMERCIAL ALTERNATIVE!

So come on BBC, give us the Doctor Who video game we want, NOT "Snap in Space"!

Board

The weather recently has turned bizarrely wintery, leading kids to start playing indoors and spend time preparing their Christms lists (or is that just me?)

One thing I always used to love receiving at Christmas was a good board game. Not your MONOPOLY or CLUEDO but a good one, like Game of Life... Something with depth.

This year however it seems that despite my protestations I am going to be the otherwise willing recipent of DALEK OPERATION !

It's not quite RISK, you'll agree.

Back In Time(Lords)

One of the great things about a more regular blog is that I can squeeze in stuff I wouldn't say in the news items; they can be difficult to angle in the right way when there is lots to get through.

The touted return of the Fifth Doctor and the Rani, however, is another mattr entirely. I have loads to say on the matter, more than I could squeeze into a news report. For instance, are they related castings, if both true? If the Rani story is false, who in the press is sad enough to want to see a retun of the big shouldered one? Who is this 'Peter Jackson' Sylvester McCoy referred to? The director? The writer? The rugby player?

Peter Davison might look good for mid fifties, but how is the Fifth Doctor's aging going to be explained? Perhaps the tale will take inspiration from The Dark Dimension?

As for the Rani, well, Doctor Who was never camper than when Kate O'Mara appeared. I had reservations about the return of the Master... The Rani in comparison is such a non-entity that I don't want to even entertain the idea.

The Meddling Monk would be preferable...

Farewell WhoCentral...

There seems to be loads more Doctor Who websites around these days, but the departure from the web of www.whocentral.co.uk Is a sad one.

Whocentral was one of the fledgling Kasterborous' reference points back in 2005, being as it was the only source of interesting, well written opinion pieces and articles.

Updates had been fantastically rare in the meantime, however, and even an offer from Ksterborous to republish and link back to the originals was met with wall of silence.

So farewell WhoCentral. You may have gone largely unnoticed, but Kasterborous will always remember you.

Who knows, they might come back one day...

Game of the Summer

Charlie Croker in the Kasterborous Forum has unearthed the very first Doctor Who computer game thanks to http://www.justyce.org/atari.html.

I'm proposing a mass download of the game, with reports back and assistance posted in the forum.

Maybe it *is* 26 years old... It will still be better than a videogame Top Trumps...

Is Fanfic Dead?

Doctor Who in the 21st century is, it's fair to say, built on both the fandom and the potential of the original run.

These two things were developed and maintained to an extent from 1991 to 2003 by two long-running series of original adventures from Virgin Books and later BBC Books.

They took the Doctor and companions to places new and old, in both physical, mental and emotional terms, and many of the authors were first time writers.

With the arrival of twenty first century Who, however, I find that the current run of novels that accompany the series lack spark and imagination. In fact they're a pretty turgid and disappointing companion to the Doctor's on-screen adventures.

My attempts to find anything of interest online have also proved unsuccessful as I have no interest in reading about the return of the Ninth Doctor or what happened when the Doctor met Rose again.

So in time-honoured manner, I'm planning my own series of spin off stories set in the Doctor Who universe.

Stay tuned...

Doctor Tube

Exactly how much rubbish is there on YouTube? I was watching a selection of "classic" adverts the other day, before stumbling into a Harry Sullivan-starring fan edited video to The Village People's "In The Navy." Camp doesn't cover it.

It is reassuring to know however that fans love the show so much that they spend time and effort creating such work, desperately editing clip selections to fit the chosen tune. Or not, as the case may be.

There are also countless fan movies/adventures on YouTube, as well as the first Kasterborous vidKast. Brian and I are currently developing a follow up, you might be interested to know - stay tuned...

What on Earth is Happening?!

Back in the real world, it seems that things aren’t what they seem.

Apparently, Ben Kingsley is to appear in Doctor Who Series 4 (30). Ben, who prefers “Sir Ben”, is touted as a potential Davros, creator of the Daleks, although at the moment it is unclear whether this would be a pre-disfigurement or post-desperate escape from the mothership in 1963 Davros. The former would avoid messy prosthetics work for the Oscar winner, currently on his third wife. (When I say “currently on”, I don’t mean… oh forget it…)

Meanwhile, we’ve got good word that the Doctor and Donna and perhaps Martha (hey why not get Rose back too?) are set to visit both Agatha Christie and ancient Rome. Which era of Rome isn’t clear, but as a fire has recently devastated the HBO/BBC set for the series Rome in Italy, which is used for many a Roman visual (Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ, CBBC’s The Fall of Rome…) we suspect it might be the age of the Emperor Nero.

So far, despite the Tate announcement, Series 4 is looking interesting. Perhaps we’ll get a slick combination of Series 2 (28) and Series 3 (29).

Actually, on this matter, you might see fewer references to “Series 1, Series 2” etc in Kasterborous.com from now on. Let’s face it, it is the same show. If the series is still going in 15 years time, a fiver says they retroactively rename the series/seasons in line with the classic format.

So let’s start now.

Shakespeare's Stamp

There seems to be much to-do about the potential casting of Sir Ben Kingsley in a possibly prominent role in Doctor Who Series 4.

Some fans think it's highly unlikely that the Oscar winner would trouble himself to portray the insane geneticist Davros after delighting us all with his perfect interpretation of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi. However, despite other successes (Schindler's List, for example) it's worth pointing out that Kingsley enjoys his work, and needs to earn money.

I would refer you all to exhibits a, b and c: BloodRayne, Species and Thunderbirds.

So now we've established why Sir Ben would bother his arse appearing in Doctor Who without mentioning Sir Derek Jacobi.

Of course I could have gone on to mention Kenneth Branagh, a man once heralded as the "New Olivier". A role for this particular thesp could be even more interesting for the young'uns watching Doctor Who as none of them will know Sir Ben, or Gandhi - but they all know Harry Potter...

Aha! I caught you looking!

A colleague pointed out that the previous post was rather near the knuckle.

It was meant to be - there is no excuse for resting on your laurels, and accepting hand-fed scraps when the real meaty stuff is published elsewhere.

A case in point - Mr Dry and myself were involved in a proposal to produce an unlicensed Doctor Who calendar and magazine (I can hear eyebrows raising around the web. This would have been completely legal, let me assure you, pay no heed to those that say the BBC has a firm grip on everything Doctor Who. No logo, no Doctor Who in the title, no grief. It's UK law, look it up.)

Anyway, the product would have been heavily based on Kasterborous tonally and visually, and things looked pretty tasty. Except that time scales were being cut, promises being forgotten, questions being ignored, that kind of thing.

So you see, we dumped the idea, and got out while we could, and soon discovered that it was probably best that we did so.

The point? Well, we were offered what seemed perfect, but what's being thrown at you isn't always what you want or need...

Extra Time!

I've been meaning to start these extra posts for some time now, squeezing in stuff that I wouldn't normally brooch on Kasterborous.

First off (and I might well derive a Kasterborous article from this at some point in the future) I'm going to talk about Doctor Who Magazine.

Or what's left of it, anyway.

If you don't buy DWM, you won't know what I'm talking about here, but that's OK. You can hang fire until further notice, because frankly the magazine Isn't What It Was.

You see, annoying cliqueyness of the editorial team aside, DWM fails on a regular basis to reach the heights it scaled between 1996 and 2004 - the period between the failed TVM and the launch of the new incarnation.

In those days, articles would draw you in, teach you something new, with honesty, passion and a friendly tone that meant you, the reader, were part of the team. We had wonderful (classic, in fact) comic strips, thought-provoking articles and a nice focus on the novels and audios that wasn't in-your-face, nor too reserved.

It was, in fact, the model that Kasterborous adopted in 2005 (I'm still waiting for the comic strip, although there may be something in the offing). As such, it is a shame to see the magazine now dancing with adjectives such as "cliquey", "smug", "sychophantic" and "lazy".

Save a recent issue that featured a Pixley special picking through the bones of the much vaunted (but in the end probably best taht it was never produced) Tom Baker and Ian Marter-penned "Doctor Who Meets Scratchman", there is nothing to talk about in DWM. The strip has seen better days, RTD's column is getting samey (the following three words will appear in the next Kasterborous news item: "the", "a" and "Doctor" - can't you feel the excitement? Brrr, I'm bristling with it!) and the letters page is weighed heavily towards new, "squeee" or equally sychophantic fans (and if I have to type "squeee!" ever again I will never watch the series again). As for Time Team - are we nearly there yet?

Sadly for DWM, it has seen better days. Currently however it is dancing in a kind of mire of unrivalled love of the current series that embarrassed many fans in the 1980s...

Who Do YOU Want?

If - and as yet there is no confirmation of ANYTHING - we were to get a new Doctor at the end of Series 4 (and I'm more than happy with David Tennant), there's quite a lot of choice out there.

I'm not a personal fan of James Nesbitt, and while I'm happy about that particular theory being debunked, it would have been quite a piece of casting.

But, if RTD is to leave, and Steven Moffat is to take over, there are certain things that need to be addressed to maintain the series' long term survival and elevate it from the spot-the-celeb-fest that RTD likes to turn it into when really, I feel, it's those moments that need to make real statements about our lives in a way only the very best fiction can.

Foremost, no more Julie Gardner and Phil Collinson camping their way through Doctor Who Confidential. It grates big time, and detracts from an otherwise interesting show.
We should also have a long think about how Doctor Who refreshed itself in the past, and hope for a new title sequence. It's about to see its fourth series, more than any sequence in the shows history save the Tom Baker era.

We should also - if David Tennant is to leave, and he's never said how long we will stay in the role (and why should he?) then we need a Doctor who is radically different. He must be different in order to further the character and underline the risk of regeneration. I'm not suggesting that the 11th Doctor should be manipulative or slightly psychotic, traits that severely hampered the Sixth and Seventh Doctors, but he should definitely play to the strengths of the actor concerned - whoever he may be.

Thankfully we don't have to worry about the next Doctor being The Hoff or Paul Daniels - but let's have some fun speculating, eh?

My personal favourites:
Richard E Grant - there was something quite wonderful about the original Ninth Doctor as seen in Paul Cornell's Scream of the Shalka, and he deserves another chance
Kris Marshall - best known as My Family's bonkers Nick, Marshall has quite a reputation on stage, and wouldn't look out of place with his Tom Bakerish eyes. Oh and he's ginger (ish).
John Nettles - completely a long shot as I'm not convinced about the younger actors claim, Nettles carries episodes of the wonderful Midsomer Murders with an air of tranquil calm, and could provide the same influence on Doctor Who if teamed with a dynamic younger pairing.

Howabout we carry this on elsewhere, such as in the Kasterborous Doctor Who Forum?

Keep 'em Peeled

Oooh, nice cuppa Gerald, thanks… so how have things been, I wonder? Let’s have a look at this editorial Brian wrote last week.

“Football”, eh?… “full bloom”?... “Ant”?... he’s taken leave of his senses, surely? It hasn’t stopped raining! As for the Dryzer… well, less said the better, but I find an image of the K Towers crew playing football in the forecourt with Gerald Slitheen in goal to be a bridge too far, to be honest.

Anyway, I’m back, and it’s been a very busy two weeks, despite my lack of activity here. Massive thanks go to Simon R. Mills for his News Round, a successful down-time filler that I think we might well use again…

In the meantime we’re back in the business of preparing, scheduling and writing articles for your delectation, and coming soon is another piece from the almost-prodigious Nick Brown, as well as some new article threads.

We might even manage a redesign over the next few months, but I don’t know why I’m rambling on about that. I know what you want.

You want another podKast.

With a “K”.

Well, keep your eyes open…

Dear Diary...

This is the second Saturday without Doctor Who. I feel cold, so very cold. I can still hear the TARDIS engines wheezing as it leaves me behind. I know it is a space time machine, but I fancy myself a bit of a clairvoyant and I know it won’t be back until December 25, of 2007. But what am I to do until then?

Kasterborous Towers is still in full bloom. Writers writing away while happy thoughts of companions old and new dance in their heads. (But Christian just reminded me that this is a clean site so we’ll move on from those thoughts.)

Anthony has got the gang to head out to the Kasterborous grounds for a round of Football, so we’re all gearing up for that and it should help take our minds off of the void that Doctor Who left. But still I sit here looking at my rather blank and dull TV screen wondering what it is about this show that has us so captivated that we miss it like a long lost friend when it’s gone.

And then it hits me. It is like a long lost friend. It’s always there to cheer us up or entertain us when we need it. Even now we have 40 odd years of it to enjoy and in many ways catch up with.

Sure it’s not on the TV right now, but it is in a book, a comic strip, an audio, or even a DVD.

Suddenly I feel warm again. No not with happy thoughts, I just stepped outside and Ant must be mad to have us play football on a day like today! Still the gangs all here and we need to be entertained. But don’t worry Doctor Who, we’ll be there for you when you need us.

See you Soon.

Brian Terranova

Slitheen Airwick

Suddenly Saturdays have become boring.

The week is spent with all the usual thoughts minus one: “What will happen in Doctor Who on Saturday?”

Don’t get me wrong, it’s not like our lives revolve around Doctor Who, we do have lives out side of this show. But from March to June Doctor Who is a major part of our Saturdays and when it’s gone it’s time for the team to take break. The “Doctor Who Sugar Rush”, as it were, is over for a few months and we can all focus our attention on some of the things we’ve been neglecting just a bit.

With that said, Christian is taking a much deserved break. He has to focus on tearing down the equipment for his zany time experiments he’s been tinkering with in his back yard for the past few months, as we’ve discovered that our Toy Dalek infestation has gotten worse. It would seem that they use this equipment to travel back to the sixties and recruited some of the original Dalek toys to join in an attack sometime in the coming week.

We’re watching our backs!

Anthony is a bit tied up with real Doctor Who work (Sorry Christian, but he gets paid!). Apparently the real Doctor has him designing new desktop wallpapers for his TARDIS scanner.

And me? Well I’m here writing this. That and I have the fun job of teaching Gerald (our Slitheen butler) why it’s so important not to under order the air freshener.
Kasterberous Towers is empty for a week or so. It’s just me and Gerald. But the Forum is still in full swing, Doctor may be off the air, but the fever never stops. Donna is back. Kylie really is a part of Who lore and Dennis Hopper may or may not be part of it as well. What do you think?

Suddenly Saturdays aren’t so boring anymore.

Brian A. Terranova

Good Luck In Your Exams

And as swiftly as I was arrested, I was released.

I can barely remember it, in fact, it went so quickly, almost as if it had never happened at all.

So Mr Saxon is no more, shot by his bonkers wife we’re told, who no doubt planned the whole think from the start. And sadly the US President really was on board the cloudbase or whatever that white elephant was really called.

So that’s it for another year – Doctor Who is over and leaves us hanging on for more. It also leaves us chatting in quite bewildered tones, too, for the first time since Love & Monsters. I for one wasn’t really expecting a Doctor-lite episode for the Finale, but it was of course executed in the most astonishing way. Conversation on this matter continues in our ever-expanding Forum, where registration is required to view.

With no Doctor Who to keep us occupied until Christmas, newcomers might think we’ve got nothing else to talk about. Oh how wrong can you be! A break in the series once more affords opportunities to expand the fanfic section and knuckle down to what Kasterborous does best – providing you with interesting, thought-provoking discussion pieces on anything and everything from the past 44 years of Doctor Who. We might even give you one or two more podKasts, too...

I’m just finishing off the plans for the next 6 months, which should take us onto Christmas, stopping by Sarah Jane Adventures on the way. Torchwood is due to return in the New Year, no doubt leading us up to Doctor Who Series 4.


While we’re on the subject – well done Martha Jones! You saved us all and we don’t even know it, and you were strong enough to stop travelling with old blind-as-a-bat.

Good luck in your exams.

Cellular Orbit

I'm writing this editorial from a police cell after having being arrested at the behest of Mr Saxon's supporters.

At the very least, I am being fed, although I suspect that there is something in the food to make me more open to "suggestion" - I even smiled at a photo of Mr Saxon in yesterdays reappraisal.

Anyway, a big "Hi" to all of you out there, especially Ant and Terra. There are loads of big globey things flying around outside, I hope they aren't causing anyone too much distress. I used to get angry about this kind of political interference in our lives, but now I can see that it realy is for our own good.

I'll have to stop soon, anyway, as I'm not feeling that well. The drumming in my head has started again. I don't know where it came from - perhaps they'll get me a Doctor?

In the meantime, there's a brand new interview with Terrance Dicks from the Black Scrolls team for you to peruse, plus Terra and I did the first vidKast before I was installed here (you can also view it in the Forum).

I'm hoping to avoid any extraordinary rendition, or even ordinary rendition, although exactly what they expect me to admit too I don't know.

I long for the days of Tony Blair...

Master Who

Well it’s been a funny old weekend, with prominent Doctor Who fans up in arms about the return of Captain Jack and the Master – and whether or not the “viewing public” would know or care who the Master is.

There’s some “names” here, too, voicing their “concern”. Concern at what, though? The Master is an integral element of Doctor Who’s success, and has been since his introduction in 1971. He’s the perfect antidote to the Doctor – the Roger Delgado version was a superbly urbane counter to Jon Pertwee’s establishment-friendly Doctor; the Tony Ainley version was similarly designed to pose a threat to both the superior intellect of the Fourth Doctor and the reluctant Fifth Doctor of Peter Davison. Fast forward 16 years and the Eric Roberts incarnation of the Master was the diametric opposite of the 8^th Doctor.

Key period in Doctor Who’s history there – the UNIT era, the end of the long-running Fourth Doctor and the attempt at a US produced series – all relying on the presence of the Master to present the Doctor with a clearly equal rival, as evil and malevolent as the Doctor is benevolent.

I am baffled, really, at why anyone should think the Master is an unknown element from the past, relying on too much backstory that the casual audience is excluded. As Utopia showed us, only two things are necessary – that the Master is a rival Time Lord, and that he is terribly evil.

That’s all that any new viewer needs to know – he’s a rogue Time Lord with a line in arch plots to usurp power and use it to his own ends. He’s an archetype, and he’s (debatably) the last instantly recognisable emblem from classic Doctor Who.

So welcome back, Master. Enjoy your theft of the Doctor’s TARDIS, enjoy your political life, and enjoy your brief moment of glory…

Get Back Jack

He’s back – Captain Jack Harkness is on the scene again, with a long coat, backpack and an inconvenient case of immortality.

But does the Doctor actually want him back?

The trailer broadcast on Friday Night with Jonathan Ross - which Jack Harkness actor John Barrowman guested on a few weeks ago - suggests otherwise. A glance at the TARDIS viewscreen while parked on the Cardiff rift, a quick pull of a lever, and off the time ship goes, into the vortex – with a very determined Captain Jack hanging on to the facia.

Why would the Doctor not want to see Jack, however? What did Jack do wrong? And who exactly is Captain Jack Harkness, really?

Perhaps the Doctor wants to avoid any further mentions of Rose Tyler; perhaps he wants to avoid any mentions of Torchwood in front of Martha, whose cousin died at the hands of the Cybermen; perhaps something else is going on, something which we don’t know about yet...

One thing is for sure – whatever happens in Utopia, the Doctor is going to need all the help he can get to overcome the dark forces of Mr Harold Saxon and the Toclafane.

It’s going to be a fascinating close to Series 3, one which I’m sure we’ll remember for years to come – and one which the Doctor himself will never, ever forget...

SUN EXTINGUISHED!

Bonkers UK rag THE SUN is set to be glanced at for the last time, report insiders.

The comic, bastion of white van men across the UK and Spain, is set to be pensioned off as its editor can’t think up any more rubbish.

A close confidante of owner Rupert Murdoch told us
“They just can’t keep to the standard. Years of revealing soap and drama plots, living up to the plot of a James Bond movie, following Billie Piper, the Royals and Skeletor have started to take their toll.”

It seems editor Rebekah Madely and senior staff have hatched a plan to make the last issue – Friday June 1st – the greatest yet, with the following insane stories:

• England Manager Steve McClaren to remain coach for next 10 years
• Wayne Rooney to appear as a SONTARAN in series 8 of Doctor Who
• War on Terror admitted to be a HOAX as US forces hire terrorists to fight for them on Iranian soil
• Nadine from Knaresborough has 3 breasts, ALL OF THEM 36DD!

TYPE PHWOARTY!

Mr Doctor, sir!

Ah... Human Nature - I've been looking forward to this one, with its rich colours, lush sets and David Tennant apparently in his element (and native accent).

And then I look at the episode count - this is Episode 10! Where have the last 10 weeks gone?!

Still, it could be worse - we could be about to see the last episode of Series 3... a series which has trounced the two previous ones in terms of consistency and quality of stories. A series which has seen David Tennant shrug off the shadow of his predecessor's relationship with the Companion Who Should Remain From This Moment Onwards Nameless, a series which has seen a dark conspiracy (well, dark for Doctor Who) interwoven into several stories creating an atmosphere... a new layer... n almost tangible semblance of fear.

Mr Saxon's presence seems to hang there in every episode, and was particularly well executed in last week's 42, as shady agents attempted to trace Martha's call. The phonecall itself was an interesting parallel to the one made by The Companion Who Should Remain From This Moment Onwards Nameless in The End of the World - with very different reactions from the individual mothers, despite their initial similarities.

Of course, this parallel can also be drawn with real life. Two years ago there were soldiers descending on the Powell Estate to grab the Doctor and utilise his skills. Now we see shady agents and machiavellian intrigue. All very post 9/11, and all very true of the current geo-political climate...

So thank goodness for some post-Edwardian escapism this weekend!

And Relax...

...as there’ s no Doctor Who this weekend, we can enjoy the weather, our gardens, online games, cleaning the car, taking the kids to the pool, walks in the country, knocking through walls in new houses, looking for someone (anyone?) who believes Gordon Brown should be Prime Minister and rocking out to some monster riffs.

Or perhaps that’s just me.

It does offer us several opportunities to judge the series so far, with this halfway stage of an exciting season posing questions about Mr Saxon, the Face of Boe’s legendary last words, whether Mrs Jones deserved her husband to leave her for a younger model as well as whether a sexy female twosome might be better than just Martha – why not let lovely Tish into the TARDIS too?

I'd like to close this news item with a mention of the Who at the Cavern event which I attended on Saturday. While there were several events - also of note was the Forbidden Planet signing attended by Justin Richards and Steve Cole - Who at the Cavern is an event that possesses a certain feeling of optimism.

After the pushme-pullyou of Dimensions (a wholesale event with huge swathes of consumers being pushed fom one room to another and then back into queues for autographs) Who at the Cavern was a total breath of fresh air. A lovely atmosphere, 20something totty, a bar and a sense of history made this an event not to forget. Add the fact that I spent an hour in the immediate presence of Anneke Wills then this is possibly the best few hours I've spent away from home, worth the 36 hours away from Ceri (she's coming next time!) and the 9 hours on National Express (I'll be driving next time!).

If they can get Daphne Ashbrook next time, it would be perfect...

Doctor Who fandom is a funny thing. Every one of the fans love this show so much that we feel so very protective of it.

All over the internet you will see people ranting and raving about the new series. There will be complaints and there will be praise. There are factions who agree with each other ready to start a war with the factions that think differently. Then you have the other groups ready to convert those who disagree or they will be sure to get their accounts “DELETE”-ed.

But the beautiful thing about fandom is the diverse opinions. Sure it’s nice when someone agrees with you, but if that were always the case, what fun would there be in chatting about the show?

What gets me though are the people who watch the new series every Saturday only to come online and post about how bad it is. If it’s so bad, then why are you watching it? Clearly it has captivated them in some way that they can’t stop watching it. Perhaps these are the “The glass is half empty” fans?

Either way it’s just one more group of opinions towards a show that has the magic to bring people together.

Were it not for Doctor Who and the fans’ ability to chat about all the different aspects of its many facets I would never made new friends across the Atlantic. Christian, Anthony and Kasterborous would never have existed to me. I would never have made it to England for a second and third time were it not to see them.

This is the power of Doctor Who and it’s fans.

I am very proud of our forum, for the years it’s been up it has been a brilliant place to chat about the show, share all sort of opinions, but without the wars or the factions ganging up on each other. Every day there are new members and new opinions and everyday they are welcome.

So, if you’re a fan and you have opinions come on in, the door’s open.

Brian Terranova

Christian Cawley is watching YOU

Pre-Bake Mix

It seems that the Doctor Who team has found their footing. The 45 minutes time frame seems to be enough to get a full story crammed into and most people can only praise the show lately.

This isn't to say that the past two years were bad, I could never say that, but I can they could have been better. This is true of most anything. Everything takes time to get it right.

You start a TV series up again after 16 year and there's bound to be some bump. You start a website devoted to the same show, new and old, and you'll hit the same bumps. In many ways it is our survival instinct that drives us to press on through all the negative responses and it seems that the new series persistence is paying off.

I like to think that we at Kasterborous have hit our bumps some time ago. Don't get me wrong, there are always ways to improve things and with those improvements come more ways to be criticized. With that Christian and I have made our second podKast (with a "K") and as much fun as they are to make, it is, in a way, just like learning how to walk again.

Kasterborous has walked into the next phase of online fan sites. To us it's a strong start, much the same way the Who production team must have felt during series one and who can blame them. But as we all know there are just as many critics as there are fans.

I never understood before why Russell T. Davies said – and I paraphrase - as long as he was happy with the show then he did something right, until now. With all those people to please, you just do your best for you and hope that others will get to share in the enjoyment process.

Now as I said, Christian and I have a new podKast up for our and your enjoyment, so listen, have fun and feel free to let us know when we reach our "Third Series perfect mix."

By Brian A. Terranova

Christian Cawley is Absurd

Doctor Who is Back!

I remember way back in 1996 when we heard that said and it was like a dream come true. Even though it was only one movie it was still a brilliant time to be a Who fan.

Then in 2005 we heard it again. The feeling was much the same. Fans everywhere flocked to the Internet and started speculating and mouthing off as they do about this and that and loving every minute of it.

Nowadays it seems like a common phrase "Doctor Who is back!" yet, unlike a common phrase, it still brings the same grin to all of our faces. We still have the same conversations about this and that and the energy of the show is as strong as the day it captivated our hearts.

Saturday the 31 of March, Doctor Who was Back. Again. It was brilliant and it got us thinking about all the wonderful things to come.

We were also introduced to a new friend, Martha Jones, who gets to discover what we love so much about this show as she sees all the wonders time and space has to offer.

Martha Jones may be the second full time Companion of the new series, which will be a huge thing for new fans, but really she is just another wonderful character in the shows long history for us to get to know and care about. Something that used to happen more often all those years ago when they could say that common phrase at each new season, "Doctor Who is Back!"

By Brian A. Terranova

Christian Cawley is Asleep

OutKast

The world is changing. There's no two ways about that. But then that's what it has always done. We just hope it's for the best and try to put our best foot forward to help nudge it that way.

Change, as they say, is a constant part of life. Everything changes, from people, to the weather, to technology. Just a few short years ago the idea that I would be running a Doctor Who website with two friends from the UK would have been the furthest thing from my mind. But as time moves on and things change, the world gets smaller.

Computers are getting smarter everyday, and people are finding more fun and entertaining things to do on computer every minute. Websites used to just be text that you needed a PHD to be able to read, then they got pictures, then style, they audio, then video, live feed and the list goes on!

They even give things fancy names like "Pod Casts." And this is where we will stop for a moment. Christian and I decided some time ago to do our very own Pod Cast, but the road would be a long one. Why? Because I am a bit lazy sometimes, but then that's why Christian is the head editor on the site. He never lets me be lazy for too long.

With that, we did it. We made our first podKast (with a K) and it's right here for your listening pleasure. So sit back, relax and enjoy the ever changing world with us.

By Brian A. Terranova

Christian Cawley is Away

Other Projects

So there was this artist guy who walked into a chat forum, set up a website and a few months later was producing artwork for a major DVD release. Meanwhile his collaborator – some say a master of the written word, but such a proclamation is in the eye of the reader – carried on regardless with a set of his own plans to work on.

Beavering away on his own, stopping only to issue news updates, write interesting features and hammer down a format for the podKast (grrrr), the aforementioned literary guru worked every day and night on his new website while the artist attended gala luncheons and DVD signing events and conventions (well the last one is true…).

Until eventually, there was an actual shaft of light at the end of the tunnel. Yes, from the vacuous recesses of the writer’s vast mind grew an idea… a concept… a state of being, almost. Quintessential Comedy was born!

“Ha!” Cried the writer triumphantly, “He thinks he can outsmart me with his vector lines and cheeky-chappy Scouse wit?! Think again – for I will collect before me the ultimate British Comedy tribute site! A bit like Kasterborous in content – but about British Comedy, even perhaps going as far back as Shakespeare himself!”

Of course people shunned the writer in the street for talking to himself, but the cast was die! (See what I did there?) So it came to pass that while Mr Anthony Dry impressed with his Doctor Who eyecandy (www.gravisart.com, unbelievers!) Christian Cawley begat www.quintessentialcomedy.com!

In its first week it promised original features, reviews and comment on the work of Monty Python – surely too much for one man to cope with…?

Bring it on Home

By my reckoning, at the time of writing there are 27 days to Series 3. And I'm sick of waiting.

I wasn't overly impressed with The Runaway Bride but then it seems the series producers have a different idea to what a Christmas Doctor Who adventure should be than I do. Which is fine as they're being paid for it and I'm not, so I should stop worrying about it.

The largely spoiler-free world in which we seem to be living at the moment is pretty neat, and I'm high on expectation for Series 3. With a new companion who will hopefully be a little less intense than the last, I can see myself preferring Martha Jones considerably over Rose Tyler (and I have had a crush on Billie Piper for a while now).

Captain Jack's return should be fun too, while the guest casting seems to have stepped up a notch from Series 2. No more hairdressers - HURRAH!

So, come on BBC, don't keep us waiting. March 31st is simply too far away, so at the very least you could start giving us radio promos or even the odd radio documentary!

On the plus side however, at least Life on Mars is on for another 5 weeks...

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…

Who Are You?

In the name of open debate, honest opinion and comment, Kasterborous has maintained a stance since Series 1 of New Who that while the new material is good (let’s face it, the lead performers always do a good job), some of it isn’t quite what a Doctor Who fan or even a generic television fan would expect from the show.

Naturally, I’m talking about the treatment of historical figures (Rose being cheeky to the most powerful woman on Earth), oral copulation with paving stones, the 2012 Olympics and nonsense that was New Earth.

These however are my opinions, and my opinions only – other fans have differing views on Series 1 and Series 2 and how they feel about them in relation to the “classic series” (the BBC’s own divisive term).

Let’s face it; Doctor Who in all of its forms is the best thing ever. I don’t think I’ve ever encountered a fan who likes all 43-and-a-bit years of it. The great thing about being a Doctor Who fan is that the show changes, fans change, and not liking all of it is alright - it is not a problem!

So feel free to join the debate in the Kasterborous Forum and offer your thoughts on the best and the worst of Doctor Who’s TV episodes, and remember that although the new series is good, and it’s back soon, the Doctor Who Police don’t operate in these parts…

Nurse Trumps

I’m feeling a bit off at the mo, so I’ve been taking it easy with updating the news and stuff while it’s quiet. In fact it’s more than “off” more “poorlyillandsick”, and as such I reckon I need a nurse.

Such medical phrasing naturally got me thinking about Doctor Who, and the Doctor’s various companions – which of them would be my ideal nurse at the moment?

So hold onto your hats (and suspend any concept of sexism for a few moments) for the 2007 Doctor Who Sexy Nurse list…

10. Lovely Liz Shaw would be acting slightly below her training, but with such nice legs it would be a crime not to see her in a nurses uniform.
9. Similarly, there’s something very nursey about brainbox Zoe. The way that shiny catsuit clings to her would send any redblooded male into a quick recovery.
8. Sarah Jane Smith would in most of my lists be #1 or #2. Here, however, I reckon her nursing skills would be pretty poor in comparison to some of the other girls, although I’m certainly not adverse to the site of her in a white apron – although she’d more likely be baking cakes.
7. Rose might look great in a nurses’ uniform but I don’t suppose her bedside manner would be that much to write home about.
6. Dr Grace Holloway would wear a nurses’ outfit for me. FACT.
5. Romana II with her hair up in that little nurses hat, taking your temperature. It works, doesn’t it…?
4. I’m not against a bit of exercise to help feeling better, and who else to give me a push in the right direction but enthusiastic nurse Mel Bush?
3. Jo Grant was an excellent nursemaid in The Daemons so one is left to imagine her in a nurses outfit.
2. Romana I was rarely seen out of a sophisticated outfit but I’m certain she could do more than a little justice to a blue minidress with those legs.
1. Peri has the best all round assets for any fantasy nurse – looks, legs and, um, curves in the right place. I don’t know how she is at a bed bath, but as a botany student she knows all about handling wood.

Or stalks.

You make your own punchline...

Looking Back…

Well, it’s been a funny old year.

The departure of Billie Piper, the travesty that was New Earth, the astonishing reaction to Love & Monsters - these were all massive subjects for discussion across online fandom.

Equally as popular however was the news that David Tennant was voted Best Doctor in Doctor Who Magazine, the wonder of The Satan Pit, the superb Children in Need concert and the secrecy surrounding Series 3.

While we approach 2007 with strong rumours that David Tennant could be leaving the show in Series 4, here is a list of things to look out for in the next 12 months.

Doctor Who returns in the Spring – probably Easter weekend, Saturday 77th April is a fairly good guess.

Phil Collinson is revealed as the actual model for the Ninth Doctor 12 inch doll.

David Tennant is revealed to be… SCOTTISH!

Billie Piper returns to Doctor Who as the Rani, while Noel Clarke returns as the Master. The reason for their facial similarity? The Face of Boe…

The Face of Boe’s message is finally revealed… “What yo’ talking about Willis?”

The 11th Doctor is revealed to be an animated version of Norman Wisdom, thanks to the wonderful work of Cosgrove Hall. According to Rustie Lee Davidson:
“The Eleventh Doctor is going to win over the hearts and minds of Doctor Who fans young and old, with his hilarious pratt falls, simpering and calls of “Mishter Grimshdale!”. It’s astonishing really that over the whole history of Doctor Who – going back to when I was a boy – that Norman was never involved in the show, so it’s a fantastic opportunity to redress that balance. Would you like a Kinder Egg?”

All this and more, coming to the world of Doctor Who in the next 12 months!

Christmas Countdown

Can you feel it? It’s coming, and the Doctor is coming with it – it’s Christmas 2006 and the adventure is continuing! It’s hard to step back and consider what is going on sometimes, so let’s just have a quick recap of the last 3 years.

September 2003 – The BBC announces a new series of Doctor Who. Doctor Who fans around the world fall over as they are simultaneously attacked with feathers.

March 2004 – The BBC cast Christopher Eccleston as the new Doctor amongst rumours of Paul Daniels, David Jason, Richard E Grant and some bloke called McGann. The world sites up and takes note for a day or so.

June 2004 – Billie Piper is cast as the Doctor’s new assistant. People scratch their heads a lot.

March 2005 – Doctor Who is back. Everyone falls over as it is rather good. Several species of giant birds become extinct as their feathers have become quite useful.

And of course since then we’ve had announcements of new series, Christmas episodes, spinoffs and new websites. And revamped websites (hello OG!) and blogs and new magazines and toys, lots and lots of toys. And people cashing in, like those clever individuals who purchased Cyberman voice change helmets at retail price six months ago and are now selling them at 200% on eBay.

It’s been a funny few years, with lots of new people appearing in our lives, the British television industry becoming re-energised and an obsessive desire developing in yours truly to make sure that while the Kasterborous News section might not feature "breaking news", "as it happens news" or "exclusive news" (often…), it remains interesting, objective, occasionally controversial but most importantly relevant, as well as providing a voice for the little people.

This site has become a monster. And I am it’s creator… Igor! Igor, I need an image – and quick about it man…

Happy Birthday to Who

Wow. What an age – 43. So much has happened in the world since Doctor Who began – a world that was a very different place just a day before. The assassination of President Kennedy, so often tied by us fans to the history of Doctor Who was a moment of global relevance, whose shockwaves continue to affect us to this very day – this is where the conspiracy theory was born. I would, however, urge you to continue your research on that particular matter elsewhere.

I’ve had a look for other people who are 43 this month, just to see how they have contributed to the world. Astonishingly Cherokee cherub Tori Amos is 43, having celebrated her birthday in August, while actor Rupert Graves celebrated his birthday in June as did Helen Hunt. But all entertainment, not really earth shattering, are they? How about Garry Kasparov, the chess player? Or Abu Faraj al-Libbi, allegedly third in command of al-Qaeda? Graham Norton, however, is now forever linked to Doctor Who due to a certain technical balls-up during the premier of Rose, and one-trick pony director Quentin Tarantino is also 43. Martin Bashir too may get a mention in the footnotes of history, but save for countless rock musicians, actors and policians, no other significant birthdays or events celebrate 43rd anniversaries in 2006. So a very happy birthday to one of the most significant events of 1963 – Doctor Who!

What is most astonishing about Doctor Who being 43 is that I’m 31 in December. That means Doctor Who was just 12 when I was born. Yet I’m still so enthusiastic about the show, whether I’m up or down, whether the show itself is up or down. And it’s nearly Christmas, which means we’re in for a new adventure in just 30 odd days…

Oh Grace, Where Art Thou…?

So, we had a great time at the convention – Brian and Jen travelled to Manchester airport, Ant picked them up, and soon they were here in the North East wing of Kasterborous Towers. After a meal on the Saturday night we turned up for some top class entertainment at the Corus Sports & Social Centre, a small annex we had built some time ago where the local shobogans like to come and watch X-Factor rejects.

Sunday came around, and after a bacon sandwich we got ourselves up to Stockton for Dimensions 2006. We started slow, missing the Eric Saward/Graeme Harper/Philip Hinchcliffe on-stage talk but soon things brightened up when Gareth Kavanagh of Black Scrolls met up with us.

Generally a great day was had by all… however I don’t think it can ever be topped.

I met a stunningly lovely lady by the name of Daphne Ashbrook – Dr Grace Holloway herself – and I was absolutely smitten. What a smile! What a laugh! Such lovely eyes! Ooh, nice hair too!

Actually I’m not exaggerating. She really is a rather smashing lady, and it got me thinking about what Doctor Who could have been, and what a great companion she could have made.

I’ve also been astonished to find that there is no Daphne Ashbrook homepage or fan-run site! Is the world mad?!?! (Strokes chin, thoughtfully…)

The things I saw going through my mind... it was like an episode of Peepshow, I tell you.

Of course, I’m giving the impression that we were chatting for hours. Sadly, the whole experience lasted just 2 minutes. But it was very nice. And a sharp contrast to my meeting with Tom Baker several years ago. I’ll have to tell you about that some time…

Oh, I also met Paul McGann and Sylvester McCoy too…

Meh.

Unconventional

It is that time of year again… as I type this, Anthony, Brian and his lady Jen are driving through Kasterborous Towers to stay in the Cawley wing. Why? For it is the weekend of Dimensions 2006, of course!

Last year, the three of us met up for the first time, as well as encountering some Kasterborous friends including Gareth Kavanagh of Black Scrolls Magazine whom we hope to join up with this year.

Of course, as I type this the event is underway – but no matter, cause we’re only attending on Sunday! And looking at the event schedule – Paul McGann, Daphne Ashbrook and Sylvester McCoy are all in attendance tomorrow to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the TV Movie – I reckon it will be a pretty busy event.

As with last year, we’ll have a report on the event, although at the moment it hasn’t been determined who will be writing it…

The Who Factor

Just to underline that Doctor Who is one of the BBC’s biggest shows, 3 guests of “Friday Night with Jonathan Ross” over the last 3 weeks have been past or future Doctor Who companions.

Both Billie Piper and Catherine Tate (who appears alongside David Tennant in this years Christmas episode The Runaway Bride) appeared on the same show two weeks ago – notable for Wossy describing the Rose Tyler toy as resembling “a grumpy lesbian” – and just last night the rest of the show failed to live up to opening guest John Barrowman.

Sadly, I cannot go into what was or wasn’t said (save that it was very funny) as this is a family website…

Fanzone

The next new section of Kasterborous - the Fanzone - should be live by the end of this weekend - so keep your eyes out forthe new fanfic section, the new home of the desktop downloads and much more.

Project Mojo

The time is thankfully upon us at last - the Doctor Who Spinoffs section has arrived!

We've had a few fits and starts getting this sorted, but thankfully due to some time on my hands and an intermittent broadband connection, I've managed to implement phase 1 of the changes.

Phase 2 will restore the temporarily missing desktop backgrounds page to a magical fun-packed new section some time in the next 7 days - I cannot wait!

(Incidentally, if you encounter any problems with the site, don't hesitate to contact us via the Forum)

Who-do

It is almost that time of year again - the Dimensions 2006 event is almost here, providing Ant, Brian and myself another opportunity to get together and be generally daft for a day.

It doesn't seem like five minutes since last years event, and like last year we'll be reporting back on what we saw and who we met - Paul McGann and Sylvester McCoy will both be in attendance this year, as will the OFFSTAGE Theatre Group who will be performing their TV Movie Spoof entitled 'The Six Million Dollar Fan'

Of course don't be too surprised if we don't get back to you straight away... I haven't even considered who is going to write it this time!

Nigel Kneale

He didn't like Doctor Who, he didn't work on Doctor Who, yet the work of Nigel Kneale - who dies last Sunday - left a giant footprint on the shape of Doctor Who. Most notable for being set on Earth, the Jon Pertwee era - in particular the first two seasons - owe an awful lot to the adventures of Kneale's most famous creation - Professor Bernard Quatermass.

Kneale's career was far broader than a professor and some martian insects, however, and jut as his work influenced Doctor Who, it has been mirrored in modern television. I suggest a quick visit to our news section to read snippets of Mark Gatiss' various tributes to the writer before following the links provided...

Everything Changes…

Oh there’s so much I want to tell you, of artists and ghosts and secret meetings and Hallowe’en (or was it Christmas?) – but I’m beginning to read like Russell T Davies’ DWM column, so I’ll refrain for now, save to mention that this week you’ll come across the words “apricot”, “”Royston” and “itchy”.

As you can see the Inferno feature is well underway, with our John Levene interview attracting much attention and Stahlman’s Video Diary already coming first in the “Funniest Article on Kasterborous Top 1”, so well done Brian A. Terranova.

Our special guest contributor Steve Preston (he of Black Scrolls Magazine!) has reviewed parts 1 and 2 of Torchwood for your pleasure – you can see his thoughts in the Reviews section.

Torchwood continues to roll, with Episode 3 providing much suspense, so keep your eyes peeled for reviews on that instalment; incidentally the Torchwood news items are currently our-ranking the Doctor Who news items. You weird lot.

Still to come in our Inferno series is “The Shape of Doctor Who… Inferno” which details how the story affected the direction of our favourite show, as well as a profile on everybody’s favourite Brigadier, um the Brigadier.

Finally… those changes I was on about last week – remember? Well, astonishingly (and I mean astonishingly – they’re about 7 months late!) they are nearly here. Now of course if things don’t work for some reason, then I’ll go all quiet and then remind you in a few months that things didn’t work out… but I’m quietly confident this time.

And thanks to all of you for your continued support over the months. We’re a short step away from our 2nd birthday – who would have though? – so I’m feeling like a proud parent at the moment. Even if the Forum did go under for 24 hours….

Spin City

Well, it has been a long time coming, it’s been part of Doctor Who lore for 18 months now – and finally Torchwood is upon us!

It has put us in a strange position, as a Doctor Who site. “Do we cover Torchwood or not?” was a question we threw around in the early days and while we obviously have and will continue to do so, it has been something of a slow burner in terms of development, and certainly doesn’t have the same coverage in the press and elsewhere as Doctor Who. Of course in covering Torchwood, we need to be fair to the other spin-offs – so watch out for some changes to Kasterborous over the next few weeks as some long-planned additions to the site are finally introduced (yay!).

But more content means more work… and while I’m busy with Kasterborous and a new comedy website, there is room for anyone wishing to contribute anything – but in particular Torchwood-related content – to have their work published on this very website. If you’re interested, drop myself or Brian a line via the Forum.

(Thanks to those who have got in touch so far!)

Finally – it’s taken almost as long as Torchwood, but this weekend sees the long-awaited first instalment of our Inferno feature. What better way to kick it off than an interview with the man behind one of Doctor Who’s best loved characters – John Levene who played UNIT Sergeant John Benton from 1969-1975.

Oh, and don’t forget to vote for Doctor Who at the National Television Awards website -voting closes on the day of the event itself, Tuesday October 31st, 2006.

I’ve already voted – guess what for…?

The Shape of Things to Come…

It is with a huge sigh of relief that I offer you this weekend the final instalment of our 2006 Round Table!

Over the last few weeks we’ve covered the character development of supporting characters, guest actors, returning elements and we conclude this week with a discussion of the Doctor himself…

A massive bunch of thanks must go out to the contributors; if you haven’t yet read any of the pieces (why not?!), then a roll call is required. First off, Kasterborous brothers in arms Anthony Dry and Brian A. Terranova; artist Nigel Parry whose work adorns several articles on this website; Black Scrolls masterminds Gareth Kavanagh and Steve Preston; Daniel Bohm of German Doctor Who website www.doctorwho.de, Simon Mills of the Doctor Who News Service; and Barnaby Eaton-Jones of the OFFSTAGE Theatre Group.

Their comments and observations have been a joy for me to edit, and I’m sure they’ve been just as entertaining for the readers; some of our most successful articles of all time!

And it is with massive amounts of pride that I announce a very special interview to be presented in the next week or so – with Sergeant Benton himself, actor John Levene who took time a few weeks ago to answer our questions!

The interview is the first of our series of articles devoted to the Jon Pertwee classic serial Inferno which will run through to November, so look out for them all!

Shakedown

We’ve heard today that Outpost Gallifrey’s much-loved news page is no more.

I don’t want to sound melodramatic, but that does constitute a big day in Doctor Who fandom. As a common or garden Doctor Who fan, I frequented Outpost Gallifrey back in the days when the banner had a police box in a snowy location. The news page was a nexus, a drip feed and a vital tool for conversation either in the OG forum, the old BBC discussion board or rec.arts.drwho.

As many of our regular readers may know, if it wasn't for the OG news pages, I would never have joined the OG forum, answered Ant's plea for a writer and built this site.

I think the fate of the OG news page has been a direct result of Shaun's success with the site, and it is something that Ant and I have been experiencing to a lesser degree - Ant with his work on the Series 2 DVD and me with my work on a new video games magazine.

I dare say that Outpost Gallifrey will continue to be successful, not least as a forum but as the biggest online repository of Doctor Who on the internet.

So while now is the time to convert your fellow fans to the Kasterborous Doctor Who News Page, it’s also the beginning of an interesting period in online fandom…

The Move

Well, with still a bit of time before Torchwood comes, I’ll keep this week’s editorial on a personal level.

This weekend I’ve moved house (a simple explanation for the lack of coherent news items over the next few days…) and it got me thinking about the whole concept of the Domestic Doctor vs the Alien Adventurer…

A couple of throwaway remarks in The Impossible Planet raised the possibility of the Doctor living with Rose, and experiencing change on a human level. You know when things change for us, people change jobs, move house, get married, have children, and die.

Our friend the Doctor doesn’t need to worry about moving house for starters (even if he does – according to some – have a house in the South East). He certainly doesn’t need to worry about earning money which he evidently sees as an inconvenience and has several neat tricks to get around the fact that he has no means of income. Things which we take for granted don’t attract the Doctor – and if we tried to live our lives in the same set of suits, travelling from one place to the next, doing odd jobs and picking up pretty girls… well, wouldn’t it be nice?

Children? Certainly a Granddaughter, and as for death, well he’s cheated it enough times in the past one way or another, and will continue to do so for a long time – certainly past his twelfth regeneration…

But with a TARDIS would you want to settle down? Would you want to stay in one place with one person doing one thing? Of course not! And that is the wonder of Doctor Who – the variety, the choice of times and places to visit. We wouldn’t hang around a car park in Ealing if we could travel to faraway galaxies.

Which brings us nicely to the topic du jour – should there or should there not be more alien planets in Doctor Who?

The answer must be "yes".

Love & Falcons...

Well, I’m sitting here with my first copy of Doctor Who Battles in Time!

There it is, sat patiently in its thick cardboard backing, cards safely wrapped up on the right hand side, waiting for me to unwrap them. But I won’t…

Not yet anyway. I want this to remain pure, unsullied and perfect. I’m not waiting for any particular moment – no I’m waiting for something else. Issue 2, perhaps?

No it’s not that either. So why can’t I open the damn thing?

Could it be… yes, yes that’s it. Fear. Fear of what this represents, should I open it and examine the cards. Oh I’ve been here before, I can tell you.

1982. Millennium Falcon. Original Millennium Falcon. Huge it was, with photos of the interior and Luke and Han and Obi-Wan Kenobi on the box. I remember the box, but luckily I’ve had my memory jogged by eBay.co.uk, which also reminded me how the actual toy looked, because I no longer have that either.

1984, meanwhile, was Optimus Prime year. I still have the old red juggernaut – in three guises – but the original is the best. I remember his box too, without the help of an online auction this time, because I cut it up! All for the special points on the back of the boxes which I saved up and bought a cardboard Autobot base with!

So, you see, opening my cards does something to my copy of Doctor Who Battles in Time. It makes it used. Its value vanishes in a blink of an eye. I won’t be able to auction it for 20 times its original value in 30 years time because the cards will be played with, and the pages of the magazine well-thumbed. It will have become part of my life, part of my relationship with Doctor Who…

…and as such, making it truly valuable. Monetary value holds know sway over love, as any fan knows – we’ll buy anything, regardless, just because it says “Doctor Who” on it.

Do you know what? Even if my Millennium Falcon and Optimus Prime were still boxed, I would never have sold them, ‘cause I loved them, and I still do.

And I love Doctor Who too.

This bloke goes into a pub...

...and whips out his mobile while waiting for some friends. It’s a really flash mobile – known as a smartphone – and he’s quickly browsing online via a wireless hotspot.

He stumbles upon the unitnews forum where someone has used the anonymous posting service there to make some comments about this blokes website…

"kasterbonkers are big dissapointment because they were so very, very promising and for some short time the one of the very best Doctor Who site out there"

”Blimey!” he thought, “What brought this on?” He read more…

'Kasterbonkers used to be the bright star of new doctor who sides in 2005, exciting new outlook, fresh snazzy design, intelligent articles - very very nice artwork and wallpapers (still have one on my pc) ...'

A quick defence later lead to a set-to with the proprietor of said forum, with some admirable defence from the Kasterborous Forum regulars, and an eventual settling of the issue.

This all took place in a short space of time on Sunday night/Monday, and concluded with this forum post, from the bloke:

I'm inviting the lady or gentleman who made the post prior to Martin closing the thread on his forum to bring their concerns to me, either via this forum or by email christian@kasterborous dot com.

Well, suffice to say that the said poster didn’t get in touch, and but this whole issue lead the bloke to wonder… “What if people could post anonymously on my forum…?”

And then he quickly saw the light – it’s frankly an idea only for someone with a very tight grip on moderation. Otherwise all sorts of trouble could erupt, such as statements like those above being made. Anonymity is very useful when bidding on expensive artefacts at auction and unnecessarily troublesome when you have a comment to make.

So, one last try, thought the bloke – and once more extended the offer to discuss the matter either in person, on the phone, via MSN, this websites forum or email.

Finally… all this has got me thinking about Kasterborous’ place in the “Doctor Who websites foodchain”. Frankly, I wouldn’t mind if K was just a little articles site with a blog attached, as long as I knew people were interested, and reading what I have to write. As it is we get a couple of thousand hits a day, no one has yet come to us and said “Do you mind? How dare you?!” or anything of the sort.
This website reflects on the large my feelings and thoughts, with large contributions from Brian A. Terranova and Anthony Dry. If I feel that a particular aspect of Doctor Who isn’t what it should be then I’m going to talk about it, highlight it and invite discussion on it.

What’s more, I’m going to continue to do so for as long as I have to.

No one pays us, we have no editorial bias, and we don’t have a quota or sales target. We can criticise positively or negatively, depending on the situation, to our hearts content and that is a good thing, because NO ONE ELSE IS DOING IT.

A quick strawpoll with other Doctor Who fans and webmasters on Monday quickly proved to me that our tone is spot-on, exactly what it should be and exactly what it was before Series 1 started.

That means that for 21 months we’ve been providing critical analysis and discussion of Doctor Who.

And had no complaints.

What a Week!

Well, when I decided to take a week off, not for one moment did I expect brand new news about Sarah Jane Investigates (now Sarah Jane Adventures!), Doctor Who: Battles in Time, the November DVD release of The Invasion, a new issue of Doctor Who Adventures and the new series of Eighth Doctor audio adventures on BBC7!

There’s only one thing for it – no more holidays for me! Big thanks to Brian A. Terranova and Anthony Dry for holding the fort in my absence, of course, and hopefully you won’t have to wait too long to witness the fruits of my labours…

Imagine, however, a world without holiday. One where we’re tied to the desk, the lathe, the sink – whatever – 40 hours a week, or even more. No entertainment for us, just work, work, work, and a bland news service that doesn’t even tell us the whole story. No music, no films, no games, and worst of all no Doctor.

Without dancing down the road of politics and big statements, I would like to take a line or two to point out that the world has changed a great deal in the last five years. I’m sure I’m not telling you anything new there; but I may be telling you something new when I suggest that perhaps rather than taking at face value what is printed in the press or broadcast on the television news, we look into things more deeply, consider things for ourselves and then make our own decisions.

I have done this myself, and come to one terrible conclusion.

It is in this weekly editorial, dear reader, that I finally come clean – I thought Rose Tyler: Earth Defender would have been bloody marvellous, despite what everybody else and the dastardly press thought.

Billie for PM!

NOTE: Yes, I was of course alluding to the 9/11 Truth Movement there, and frankly you should visit Propaganda Matrix if you need some convincing.

If you don't want to open your eyes, don't worry. The Doctor will save you...

Whose Holiday?

Ladies and gentlemen, it is that time of year once more… worn out and battered, your editor Christian Cawley (that’s me) must make merry with a few friends, plan his first wedding anniversary and spend a few days concentrating on the development of other projects.

As such, other than a further news update and part 2 of the Round Table 2006, there will be no site updates for a few days.

Yes, I know it is a little disappointing that no one else can brighten up your Doctor Who news items with pithy remarks and wild speculation, but the Kasterborous Forum remains open 24 hours a day and is open to everyone, new fans and old fans alike. Prospective new contributors should also voice their availability via the Forum or email contributions @ Kasterborous.com (without the spaces).

To make the week off worthwhile, we’ve got some great stuff coming up on Kasterborous from late September onwards, including a group of articles in typical Kasterborous manner based on the superb Jon Pertwee Season 7 story Inferno, a brand new series of articles about the Time Lords as well as a very special interview…

In the meantime, you might well have noticed some errors with Kasterborous pages recently. Well, I’m tentatively suggesting that these are behind us now, and we can all look forward to trouble-free Kasterborous browsing. If however you do notice anything, reply to my post at the top of the Kasterborous Forum and we’ll see what we can do to fix the issue.

Finally – get yourselves logged on to the BBC’s Official Doctor Who site and start reading Mark Gatiss’ excellent Nightshade which features the Seventh Doctor and companion Ace uncovering ancient alien interference in a northern village…

A Time for Reflection…

As we approach the last quarter of the year it’s a good time to consider the highs and lows of Doctor Who 2006.

Back in April we anticipated the new Doctor’s first full outing with excitement, looked forward to the return of Sarah Jane Smith and K9, expected great things from Rise of the Cybermen - but what really happened?

Mid-season audiences showed a dip when compared with the same stage of Series 1, yet the season finale pulled in a higher yield. TARDISODES and online commentaries complemented the series, as did the Doctor Who: Confidential series.

But did Series 2 work as well as Series 1? Well, we’re going to attempt to find out. Last year, our Adherents of Doctor Who "round table" articles discussed the return of Doctor Who, and this year we mull over the "difficult second season".

Joining the discussion are Kasterborous stalwarts Brian A. Terranova and Anthony Dry; Black Scrolls whiz kids Gareth Kavanagh and Steve Preston; OFFSTAGE Theatre Group auteur Barnaby Eaton-Jones; some-time Kasterborous artist Nigel Parry; Simon Mills of the essential Doctor Who News Service; and Daniel Bohm of German fansite www.doctorwho.de.

The discussions kick off this week on the matter of Sarah Jane and K9’s return, how they felt about it then, and now.

Check back every week as we move through various topics about Series 2 and establish how could Series 2 really was; click here to get started.

Torchwood Lit

We're just weeks away from a historical moment in the Doctor Who universe - a moment that sees Torchwood, the first full series spin-off airing on BBC3.

It could of course have been so different; forget Rose Tyler: Earth Defender and Sarah Jane Smith Investigates and the like - there was much talk 30-odd years ago of a UNIT spin-off, featuring the Brigadier and his men battling alien incursions without the help of the Doctor...

While a massively attractive idea, it sadly never materialised. but it was a concept of its time, one which is still fondly thought of by Doctor Who fans and isn't a milion miles from the concept of Torchwood. The world is a different place in 2006 - while we've seen UNIT as a secret ogranisation once more in The Christmas Invasion, we've seen that Torchwood is even moreso thanks to the same adventure and the conclusion of Series 2.

So what has this got to do with Kasterborous? Well, seeing as we like you all so much, expect some coverage of Torchwood over the next few weeks as we get closer to the October launch.

But also expect some UNIT coverage too over the next few months as we celebrate the release of the 1970 classic Inferno on DVD with a series of articles about the story which will build up to our interview with Sergeant Benton himself, actor John Levene!

Don't Forget...

Look out for the new series from the producers of Doctor Who!

“I’m a Slitheen, Get Me Out Of Here!” features those loveable Raxicoricartoonfartingpatorians trapped in a jungle on the planet Florana as they attempt to outwit, outsmart and basically survive in the face of a Dalek onslaught!

With the Dalek Supreme controlling the challenges from the safety of his treehouse, and the Special Weapons Daleks manning the escape routes, the Slitheen have a 40 square mile area to cross and survive in a 1 week period.

Coming face to face with the Daleks will certainly give the ropey green giants something to fart about – and don’t forget, you can pick up a special Slitheen Fart Generator toy in special issues of Kasterborous.

Executive Producer of “I’m a Slitheen, Get Me out Of Here!” is Rusty Lee Davidson, who is looking forward to seeing the challenges the Slitheen will face unfold on screen.

“You couldn’t have planned it any better! When the Slitheen told me they wanted to take part in the show I thought ‘Fantastic!’, and then all of a sudden the original concept – of Billie Piper and John Barrowman dancing on ice on the edge of a pulsar – went out of the window when the Dalek Supreme declared his interest.”

Meanwhile, that woman with the glasses is optimistic about the Slitheen’s chances… “Oh I think they can do it. They’re so wonderfully green you know, just like jungle, and well, you know they can outsmart the Daleks, I’m sure, boyo.”

Don’t forget to tune in also to “I’m a Slitheen, Get Me Out Of Here! - Unplugged” the new companion show on BBC3 which features various Doctor Who monsters singing in front of a studio audience with the threat of electrocution if they fail to make the grade. Featuring such highlights as the Mara singing “You Were Always On My Mind”, and the Eighth Doctor with “Long Haired Lover From Liverpool”, “I’m a Slitheen, Get Me Out Of Here! - Unplugged” is guaranteed to be a riot!

“It’s Marvellous!” says Rusty Lee Davidson – and who dare argue?

Too Much Spin

In this day and age it might well be normal to cash in on the success of a show like doctor who - after all we've had toys since the 1970s, books and films starring the Daleks. But in light of news that a new has been devised starring Lis Sladen as Sarah Jane Smith, as well as Torchwood, one has to wonder firstly where the money is coming from and secondly where it is going...
The process of making television shows in the UK these days is pretty similar to the rest of the world. Shows like Doctor Who are put in a budget banding, and it’s interesting to note that “Silent Witness” has similar money spent on it as doctor who. While this negates the argument that if the BBC has money for two spin offs then they have money for more Doctor Who, it allows other questions to be asked.
For instance, while torchwood looks good on paper, following the recent issues with the camera equipment, is it going to look as good on screen?
If there is a demand for a third Doctor Who spin-off series, then why is it one starring Sarah Jane Smith? Now regular readers will know how much I love Sarah Jane, but a spin off show called "Sarah Jane Smith Investigates" sounds as though it will be picking up where "K9 and Company" left off. And when we have Daleks trundling around exhibitions season after season - a group who have waited 40 years for their own spin off series - without a sniff of even a CGI adventure show... Well there's something very, very wrong.
And its interesting that these snippets of information should all come to light as the BBC Wales Doctor Who team moves into its new "Camelot" multi-million pound studio.

Is this to be some sort of albatross around RTD’s and Julie Gardner’s necks...?