Kylie & David Sitting In A Tree, K I S S I N G

Well that David Tennant is a lucky so and so, isn't he? Not one but two potential lovers in a pretty young BBC staffer and the Queen of Pop herself, KYLIE.

To say that I'm jealous is putting it mildly.

The scrawny Time Lord has been far too fortunate with the ladies quite frankly, and as if lovely Billie marrying bland streak of piss Lawrence Fox wasn't bad enough it now looks as though her former (and future ) costar David is "having it large" with little Kylie.

Damn it, Doctor - I saw her first!

Unfolding Text...

Russell T Davies' recent declaration that Doctor Who is safe seems to confirm what we've long suspected about the semi-series of special Doctor Who adventures in 2009.

With furtive late night phonecalls and quiet nods, Doctor Who's future has been secured - and meanwhile Julie Gardner and Phil Collinson have been confirmed as moving on.

So when is Russell going?

If - as seems likely - he moves on after the three specials, one can foresee a "handover" period to the incoming production team who will then be busy mounting Series 5 for broadcast (hopefully late) 2010.

Any new names mentioned in the immediate future are only guaranteed to be working on the remainder of Series 4 and the series of specials - but keep your eyes open for new names.

As for a new executive producer? Well conventional wisdom says it's Steven "Grand Moff" Moffat and I suspect that after Series 4 - or perhaps in time for the first of the specials - we'll know for sure.

Clive Swift -Tells It Like It Is

Bit of a stir in Who fandom at the moment following the release of Doctor Who Magazine 391.

Put simply, actor Clive Swift wasn't too happy about being interviewed for DWM, and berated the "poor journalist" (who perhaps should have focussed a bit more on Swift's 42 year screen career) as follows:

DWM - "Right, one final question..."

Clive Swift - "I think that's more than enough isn't it? How many pages are you going to have on Mr. Copper?"
DWM - "Well, I was just going to ask....

CS - "There's no reason why I should talk to you at all, so you shouldn't push it. I'm sure you'll write something very nice (stony silence). I know that you all think that this is a big world, this Who business. But it isn't. There are much bigger things than this"

DWM - "Maybe, but it means a lot to a great many of us."

CS - "Yeah yeah. Goodbye"

Rude? Definitely.

Right? Yes. Completely and utterly right. There are much bigger things than Doctor Who, ranging from the works of JRR Tolkien or Led Zeppelin to the hellish state of geopolitics and the obscene ways in which so called democratic governments indulge in corruption and cronyism.

If we can't accept that Doctor Who is nothing more than (usually) very good, entertaining escapism, then we don't deserve to be part of anything other than a civilization that is trundling quickly towards hell in a very cramped handcart.

On the other hand, it could be useful to see that Clive Swift has a point - he has been around a long time, after all - and that Doctor Who is there for us once we've done the important things that need doing in the world.

Welcome to 2008!

Another year, another series of Doctor Who.

Strange to think, then, that this is the last time we'll get a regular series until 2010. And yes, I'm still angry about that, and still even more angry at the BBC's dreadful statement. We'll leave that behind now however, and wonder...

Reports suggest that the Doctor Who production team are after a new companion. This suggests that we'll not be seeing Martha for much longer beyond Series 4. Add to this the confirmed departure of Julie Gardner and Phil Collinson, the much-expected moving on of Russell T Davies and a lack of any real answer regarding Tennant's longer term future with the series (2010 is two years away, I know - however recording for that would begin next year, so someone would know by now on a series that takes as long to produce as Doctor Who) and the only thing we can realistically predict is a change of production team.

Doctor Who's first real regeneration of the new era, and you know it's pretty exciting really. We could have new opening credits, a new TARDIS interior, a new way of storytelling, new enemies, new friends, new worlds - a darker tone, a lighter tone, a different approach.

All of these things we've seen in Doctor Who's 45 years (this year!) and it's only right to expect them in the future, and soon, lest the show dry up and die.

Here's to 45 Years, and here's to change - not a moment too soon!

Voyage of the Damned - Aftermath

Pity the Peth - poor Astrid (an excellent and very alluring Kylie Minogue) might have been atomised by an understrength transmat, but her spirit lives on, and perhaps one day she might even return.

But what of the anagram? With fandom expecting the Astrid/TARDIS play to be significant - a move that would hardly have excluded the general public - Russell T Davies seemed more intent on giving the viewing public a big, brash rollercoaster of a ride in which the Earth itself was once again threatened.

And yet... ever heard the phrase "less is more"? While the production values cannot be questioned, Voyage of the Damned left me feeling a little empty.

With a template of stock Christmas special items to cram in (iconic Christmas symbolism gone bad, OTT master villain dispatched far too easily...) Davies might well have given us a set of touching characters (in particular Clive Swift's aging faux-Earth historian) and set events in place for Series 4 (Bernard Cribbins, no less, appears in the trailer) but there was little warmth, with Astrid's death being a little meaningless now that she's floating around the universe as particles.

The Christmas Invasion might have been less ambitious, but it benefitted from a warm, family atmosphere that The Runaway Bride and Voyage of the Damned just couldn't achieve.

And Christmas is a time for warmth and families.

Still, 13.8 million viewers tuned in - Doctor Who's highest viewing figures since its return, and since 1979's City of Death...

Forum Back Online!

Following a brief Christmas hiatus, the Kasterborous Forum is now back online!

We've changed webhosts for the Forum following the frankly unacceptably poor level of support I received from the old hosts. Another bonus is that both Kasterborous and the Kasterborous Forum are now hosted in the UK.

Some of you may have a few teething issues opening the Forum - this will be down to your ISPs DNS, and should resolve over the next few days as soon as we get "www.doctorwhoforum.org.uk" moved over to the new hosting.

Emailing support staff who don't seem to understand that the problem is at their end is not the best way to spend Christmas, and even an apologetic email admitting culpability wasn't enough to put that right.

However let's look to the future - the Forum should experience far fewer issues, better support and there's more space to host podkasts!

Ready when you are, Brian!

Forum Offline

Well chaps, this may seem pretty poor form for Christmas Day, but I'm afraid the forum is again out of action.

At the moment I don't know the precise cause of this, but rest assured I am doing everything I can to resolve the issue, which is kind of mucking up Christmas Day for me...

Also at this point in time, I wouldn't like to apportion blame; however I will be making huge efforts to avoid this situation in future. As such this may result in some scheduled downtime over the coming days.

So if you've come online to chat about Voyage of the Damned and how wonderful it was, please accept our apologies. Feel free to contact me on MSN (atomickarma@hotmail.com) if you're desperate for some Christmas Doctor Who-themes interaction.

Other than that, I hope you're enjoying Christmas Day in the best way possible.

Come On!

Well that was a strange few days, with David Tennant leaving, then staying, then not being asked yet to stay for Series 5... And all down to Catherine Tate saying too much to overpaide celebrity kiss ass Jonathan Woss.

I'm delighted that Tennant has confirmed that he is staying on for the 2009 quartet of specials, for many reasons.

Main amongst these however is the way in which he plays the Doctor, illuminating every scene with his presence. Having rewatched Human Nature this week and re-evaluated his turn as Dr John Smith, I can't help but be impressed by the differemces between Tennant's two characters in that story.

When the time really does come for him to leave, I suspect mischief makers like Catherine Tate will see a real reaction of fan upset and sadness. Tennant has done stirling work in doctor Who both audio and television, and long may he continue to do so.

We're Jammin'...

Ohhh I hope you like a-jammin' too...

Welcome indeed to the Kasterbaraoke Evening, our annual get together with drinks, food, song - and not a mention of Doctor Who to be heard!

Next up is your friend and mine, Brian Atticus Terranvova with his very own version of Talking Heads' "Psycho Killer", which has to be beter than Anthony Horatio Dry's earlier attempt at "Wannabe" by the Spice Girls.

Later on, we'll be taking a tour of Kasterborous Towers and unveiling a new vidkast that we've been planning for months now... It's set for a release on Kasterborous in due course, so you lucky, lucky guests, enjoy the rest of the evening.

Brian - take it away!

Here it comes...

There's a storm brewing... Can you feel it?

Something in the air.

Perhaps it's the impending excitement that is Doctor Who, and the next thrilling installment that we'll be watching (says Ms Perceived Wisdom of Brighon) in just 25 day time.

Being a big fan of Kylie (more looks than musically, of course) and Doctor Who (!) as well being an admirer of many of the cast, I can only expect the following from Voyage of te Damned:

Excellent guest turns
Kylie
Monsters
Some series-long theme or undercurrent being established
Kylie
Inexplicable andoids
Christmas fluff
Kylie

How can it go wrong?

Strange Old Week

It's strange talking about people who have given you such enjoyment, or affected you life in a huge way, with such affection that you feel that you might personally know them to some degree - when of course you don't.

The loss of Verity Lambert this week however at such an untimely point really knocked the wind out of my sails.

It seems strange as to why, and the only reason I can think of is that perhaps a part of Doctor Who itself died. I've never been a huge fan of the Hartnell era in the way that I enjoy the Tom Baker years - although I appreciate the wonderous experimentation and development of the show in the early days, it's rarely an era I revisit on DVD,

Funny too, that Doctor Who fandom might be witness to two passings that have affected the show in such strong fashion, yet at completely opposite ends.

Peter Haining's great Doctor Who - A Celebration was written to celebrate 20 years of adventures in time and space. It contains the odd era, but in the days of Peter Davison and little Doctor Who on VHS it was a vital addition to any fans' collection of knowledge.

It wasn't until recently that I acquired my own copy, having utilised the local library's copy almost constantly throughout the mid 1980s. The book opened up an insane world of regeneration, Time Lords, Daleks and companions in such detail, and it brings a tear to my thinking about the way I used to pour over it on a weekend before and after Doctor Who.

Both sad losses, and both will be missed.

Time Crash Bang Wallop!

Ah you can't beat a bit of Children in Need, newsreaders making complete pratts of themselves, cheesey musical numbers (thank you John Barrowman) and the cast of soap opera's murdering classic Beatles standards.

And of course this year we got Time Crash, a semi-canonical 7 minutes in which a TARDIS malfunction caused the Fifth and Tenth Doctors to share some time together, and break the laws of time (and the plot, folks) in fixing said Time Crash.

Other than the lovely Fearne Cotton and Kylie Minogue's presence in the evening, Time Crash was pretty much the highlight (other than the excellent fundraising figure of £19m - well done all concerned!) of a fast paced evening whose best moments are invariably those points when the West End saunters over to BBC Television Centre to do their thing for free.

And of course Doctor Who's relationship with Children in Need continues, and rightly so.

One other thing:

Massive congratulations to Lord Kopic of Kopic's Doctor Who News Service - this excellent blog-cum-RSS-linkfest pulls all of the Doctor Who news from around the web, from Kasterborous, Doctor Who Online, Outpost Gallifrey and all of the Torchwood and Sarah Jane blogs, as well as media outlets and Google News.

So why the congrats? Well, Kopic's site has moved on to page one of Google for the search term "Doctor Who News". Sure, he pushed Kasterborous off the front page on his way to greatness, but we'll be back up there soon.

Well done Simon.

Gahhh! Technology - I hate it!

Sunday night - happily typing away on developing my wife's website (www.fairytalemail.co.uk - for all you personalised Santa letter needs) when :
"DUUUNnnnnnnnn" The power went off.

All night. Despite an hour hunting around the house with my niece's pumpkin lantern torch I found neither the culprit appliance or the trip switch that would have let me put the power back on...

And then on Monday my wireless routr decided that it didn't like transmitting wifi anymore and would on accept a physical cable connection.

So apologies to all of you for the sparsity of news this week when there is so much to talk about. Normal service will be renewed as soon as Professor Solon repairs the lightning harness above the south parapet of Kasterborous Towers...

Mastering the Myth

You know this thing called "stardom"?

It's all about egos, backslapping, bitching, snorting, fornicating... Or so the press, PR and entourages would have you believe.

And yet here we are, a little Doctor Who website at the center of the cosmos, running an interview with a man regarded as being "difficult".

So who do you believe?

As with so many things, I think the path to truth is to read between the lines. Eric Roberts is real, proud of his work, his family and his part in Doctor Who.

I'm really proud of this website, of the work Nick Brown did in bringing you the interview, and the interview itself, and to discover that Eric Roberts is just a normal guy with respect for his profession and his audience, and not the character of myth that had developed over the years.

Our TV Movie articles continue later this week with a new article from Brian A. Terranova... keep'em peeled!

The TV Movie - Reappraised

In 1996, the culmination of years of development finally hit our screens, as an American production of Doctor Who starring Paul McGann, Eric Roberts, Daphne Ashbrook, Yee Jee Tso and Sylvester McCoy was broadcast.

Since then, and despite its disappointing reaction, the TV Movie became a template for Doctor Who novels, audio adventures and Doctor Who Magazine comic strips. The Eighth Doctor has had more adventures than any other incarnation, and he's still going strong.

To celebrate the TV Movie, (unofficially titled The Enemy Within), we're going to spend the run up to Christmas looking at what many people consider a failed attempt to bring Doctor Who back; and we will all see by the end that while it was a relative failure on television (despite UK audiences of 9 million) these 90 minutes reinvigorated the franchise for an amazing 9 years, to such an extent that eventually, Doctor Who came back to our screens with a ready made audience.

We kick off this series of articles with our biggest ever interview with the Master himself, Eric Roberts.

Editorial Change...

Due to a variety of reasons, regular readers will notice a change to the Kasterborous news pages - indeed the changes have already occurred.

While not something that will cause a major shift, it is worth reporting to our readers as something that will impact on Kasterborous' performance, and hopefully improve our positioning with the search engines still further.

Traditionally, news items have comprised of one (on occasions two) main items, to be followed by a pile of other less important news items. Of course, this isn't perfect...

Readers miss information, and to get it all they need to make an effort to read a whole page of text... not a perfect way to dig out the relevant details, is it?

We've also used this approach until now in order to even out the page layout, but thanks to the upcoming Kasterborous redesign, we don't need to worry about this fact too much.

So from now on (well, for a few days, in fact), news items are about what they headline reports (unless otherwise titled as "Roundup", etc).

I and the rest of the Kasterborous triumverate are sure this will improve your experience of our news page, and hope you have a nice weekend.

podKast 4 is available to download if you haven't heard it yet, with podKast 5 due very, very soon... Forum members can listen here, or visit our FanZone

podKast 4 Is HERE!

That's right, Brian Terranova and Christian Cawley are back for the fourth Kasterborous podKast (with a "K")!

The fourth podkast is clad in a pair of checked trousers, a shirt, scarf and brown jacket, and the whoel ensemble is completed with a soft brown hat and unfeasibly long scarf.

It has big, mad, bulging eyes.

Starring in podKast 4 are:

Christian Cawley & Brian Terranova - podKasting from a creepy dark castle near you
Their trusty butler, Gerald Slitheen
And this week's very special guest star...

Scaroth, last of the Jagaroth!

That's right! Scaroth will be in the studio casting his eye over Series 3 episodes 42, Human Nature/Family of Blood and Blink, as well as revealing his hand in the making of some of Doctor Who's greatest ever stories!

You can download the fourth Kasterborous podKast (with a "K")! here, or visit our Fanzone for older podKasts!

Sarah... Is that really you?

And so one wonders after two episodes of Sarah Jane Adventures - it's definitely for kids, you know - exactly who this new Sarah Jane is...

Such character development on television is rare. The only place that comes close is Soapland, in which people swing from alcoholics to vicars that sleep with call girls and then decide they'd rather cruise public lavatories (ok I'm exagerrating; but if I ever see that storyline on TV we'll know where I came from...)

The point is, although different - radically different in some ways - she is still Sarah. This has only been mde possible however by 30 years of cultural memory, reappreciation of classic Who and of course her appearance in School Reunion, as well as the vrious audio plays Lis Sladen has appeared in giving the character a new leqase of life.

Frankly, you couldn't have done "Leela Adventures", anymore tan you could have done "Rose Tyler: Earth Defender."

I want Billie!

Yep you guessed it - I changed my mind.

As I have a thing for Billie Piper - a very successful young actress who is set to marry later this year - I've decided that I can't wait to see her back in Doctor Who.

Let's face it, it's a year for returns, with Donna and Martha confirmed along with the Sontarans, so why not go the whole hog and bring back Rose, Mickey (as hinted by Noel Clarke in the summer), Jackie and Pete?

We could also bring back Captain Jack, Sarah Jane and K9.

I wouldn't be surprised either to find out that the Master, Daleks and Cybermen are all returning as well as the Fifth Doctor.

In fact, why don't we just get Terrance Dicks to write the whole lot...?

Eternal War!

With the news that Doctor Who fan are set to welcome a return to the Whoniverse by the Sontarans, it has to be said that this really is a case of "Not before time".

Robert Holmes' finest creation found themselves underused and slightly underwhelming, particularly in their last 2 (of 4) appearances in the clssoc series.

For me, the Sontarans are the only alien race that comes close to the Daleks in terms of culture, single-mindedness an design, and it's a shame the Doctor didn't come up againt more of them and more often.

In fact I'd even go so far as to say that had the Daleks not made it in S1 and we'd got the Toclafane instead, then we would hve been sold short.

The Sontarans would have been a better option.