We're back with a new, later-than-planned podcast with guest Philip Bates of The Doctor Who Companion.  Philip chats to Christian Cawley about some projects he's working on with Candy Jar Books, which includes some books on The Racoons, an update to Companions: Fifty Years of Doctor Who Assistants called Companions: Sixty Years of Doctor Who Assistants (announced here for the first time!), and a new UNIT book. (Apologies, there is a small hiss on Philip's mic, which we tried to remove early on and in post-production, and this is as good as it gets.) Shownotes Candy Jar Books The Cele ..read more

The Church on Ruby Road is reviewed in our latest Doctor Who podcast. Christian Cawley is conducting other activities this week, so James McLean is joined by "Magnus" to discuss the 2023 Doctor Who Christmas special. But who is Magnus, and will you ever find out? Probably not, but it's an interesting conundrum to consider as you listen to this chat... Shownotes Doctor Who: The Church on Ruby Road Get in Touch If you subscribe to our podcast, please head to Apple Podcasts to leave a rating and review. Any new reviews will be read out. Not on Apple Podcasts? Leave us a review somewhere e ..read more

Admittedly later than planned, we're back for our review of the third Doctor Who 60th anniversary episode, The Giggle. Guest starring Neil Patrick Harris (Doogie Howzer MD, How I Met Your Mother, etc.), the episode reintroduces Bonnie Langford as Melanie Bush and brings us our first look at the 15th Doctor Who, Ncuti Gatwa. Quite a bit of him, in fact. This week's show features Christian Cawley abnd James McLean in conversation with each other. Shownotes Doctor Who: The Giggle Last of the Summer Wine: Getting Sam Home Black Orchid Part 1, Part 2 The amazing Doctor Who anime fan creation ..read more

The first part of Doctor Who's 60th anniversary has aired - but what did the Kasterborous team think of The Star Beast? This week, Christian Cawley and James McLean are joined by Philip Bates, the driving force behind The Doctor Who Companion. We cover everything from steelworks in North London (!) to Miriam "Margoyles" with gender transitions and empty lofts along the way. Shownotes www.thedoctorwhocompanion.com The Star Beast on BBC iPlayer Doctor Who in Green Hill Zone 14th Doctor The Star Beast comic cover mockup Get in touch If you subscribe to our podcast, please head to Apple ..read more

It's Doctor Who's 60th anniversary today, but how does the promotion and hype compare with other years? Christian Cawley and James McLean look back at 1998, 2003, and 2013 to contrast and discuss how things were very different in Doctor Who celebrations in landmark years gone by. Shownotes: Russell T Davies and David Tennant on The One Show Russell T Davies on Morning Live Amiga Addict and Pixel Addict Destiny of the Doctors trailer GoldenEye 007 playthrough Lego Dimensions Doctor Who Fallout 4 Doctor Who mod The Kasterborous Magazine Doctor Who video games special Do ..read more

John Kenneth Muir and James McLean's deep dive into Star Trek continues in our latest podcast. John Kenneth Muir and James McLean finish off their discussion on 57 years of Star Trek with a reflection on Star Trek's impact in the 21st Century... desperately, needfully, and irresponsibly seeking to conclude what the franchise means to them. If you missed the first part of this wide ranging, every-version-of-Star-Trek-mentioning discussion, it's a good idea to listen to both parts in the right order. Or not, really, it's your life. Get in touch If you subscribe to our podcast, please head to ..read more

What does the Whoniverse bring to Doctor Who? 60th anniversary celebratory wonder! We're here; it's November 2023, it is the month of Doctor Who's 60th anniversary, and the BBC has gone all-out to provide celebratory media in all shapes and sizes. Central to all of this is The Whoniverse, the BBC iPlayer hub of Doctor Who episodes, documentaries, spin-offs, DVD extras, and more. In this week's Doctor Who podcast, Christian Cawley and James McLean discuss The Whoniverse and how it is the central component of the show's diamond anniversary. PLUS: we discuss Murray Gold's latest theme tune. S ..read more

Between May and September 2023, the "Hollywood double strike" - joint industrial action by the Writers Guild of America and SAG-AFTRA - halted production of TV and movies (and some video games). The reason for this was generative AI - artificial intelligence that has been programmed to produce text, art, video, and audio material from text prompts.  Recorded during the strikes, this week's podcast nevertheless retains relevancy. We don't know the extent of generative AI on creative industries, and technology continues to infect and disrupt parts of our lives that we would perhaps rather ..read more

James McLean and cult writer and critic John Kenneth Muir return with a new episode of the podcast that focuses on American cult film/television of the late 20th century (and beyond). In the first installment of a two-part chat, James and John discuss the biggest sci-fi phenomenon to come out of 1960s TV: Star Trek. (Yes, Doctor Who fans, you read that right. Sorry.) Get in touch If you subscribe to our podcast, please head to Apple Podcasts to leave a rating and review. Any new reviews will be read out. Not on Apple Podcasts? Leave us a review somewhere else, send the link over on Twitte ..read more

As we've just been blessed with an amazing Doctor Who trailer for the 60th anniversary, Christian and James have got together to discuss what we saw. But it's not all about the Celestial Toymaker! Our existing podcast was due to go live yesterday, so we hurriedly recorded some extra material - found in the first 15 minutes of the episode - to discuss Neil Patrick Harris, Avengers UNIT HQ, Donna, Beep the Meep, and the effective timelashing of 13 years' worth of Doctor Who... Shownotes New Doctor Who 60th Anniversary Trailer Doctor Who 60th Anniversary photos Why Did Russell ..read more