The Doctor Who world lost one of its most important creative voices with the passing of Justin Richards. This week, Christian Cawley and James McLean celebrate his remarkable contribution to the Whoniverse and discuss why his work mattered to generations of fans.

From the Virgin New Adventures to BBC Books, Big Finish audio dramas, comics, and countless reference works, Justin Richards helped define Doctor Who during the years it was off television—and continued shaping the franchise long after its return.

Christian and James both experienced the books when they were released, back when there was no Doctor Who on TV. Pre-Big Finish, these titles were the only tangible Doctor Who stories beyond the comic strip and the short-lived TV Movie, and were vital to positioning Doctor Who as a serious brand.

Along the way, the conversation explores favourite novels, the evolution of Doctor Who publishing, and the enduring importance of books in keeping the series alive between 1989 and 2005.

Also in this episode:

• Updates from the growing Kasterborous Archive on Patreon.

• A preview of an upcoming interview with Doctor Who artist Lee Sullivan.

• Our favourite Justin Richards novels and recommendations for new readers.

• The transition from Virgin Books to the BBC Books range.

• Justin Richards’ editorial influence on Doctor Who publishing.

• Why the Wilderness Years remain one of Doctor Who’s most creative periods.

Whether you discovered Justin Richards through his novels, his audio dramas, or his work behind the scenes, this episode celebrates a writer whose influence on Doctor Who is difficult to overstate.

The full uncut edition of this week’s podcast discussions can be found on our Patreon, along with the Kasterborous Archive.

Kasterborous Archive on Patreon

Look out for our main chat, landing later.

The conversation continues beyond Doctor Who this week as Christian Cawley and James McLean turn their attention to the changing world of film, gaming, and digital entertainment.

Starting with the prospects for DC Studios’ Supergirl and the current state of superhero cinema, the discussion broadens into the future of the cinema experience, the decline of physical media, and what it really means to own the films and games we pay for.

Along the way, they consider whether streaming has changed our relationship with entertainment forever, why Blu-rays and boxed games still have a place on the shelf, and whether services like Steam have fundamentally altered consumer expectations.

Also discussed:

• Is superhero fatigue really to blame for declining cinema audiences?

• DC Studios, Marvel Studios and the challenge of rebuilding franchises.

• Why some films still deserve to be seen on the big screen.

• The continuing appeal of Blu-ray and other physical media.

• Sony’s changing approach to physical PlayStation releases.

• Steam, digital ownership and the risks of an all-digital future.

• Evercade and the resurgence of physical retro gaming.

• Windows 11, ageing hardware and planned obsolescence.

The full uncut edition of this week’s podcast discussions can be found on our Patreon, along with the Kasterborous Archive.

Christian Cawley and James McLean address some recent show reviews and consider a growing trend in major fandoms: the desire to rewind the clock, and remove episodes, or movies, that don’t align.

Following a surprising Apple Podcasts review that labelled certain eras of Doctor Who as “ersatz,” they dive into the psychology of canon, the reality of “brand positivity,” and why big studios might actually consider wiping the slate clean.

This episode first aired on our Patreon. Support the Kasterborous Archive on Patreon, and unlock interviews and "lost" items from our old website.

• The “professional” fans: Christian reads out a selection of listener reviews, including a three-star critique that calls out the “modern abomination” of Doctor Who.

• Defining “ersatz” Who: Where do you draw the line? Is everything off-screen fake? We discuss the subjective nature of what “counts” as real Doctor Who.

• The Star Wars sequel trilogy erasure rumours: Addressing the recurring social media storm that Disney is planning to “delete” the Star Wars sequels. Is it a legitimate business move or just fan wish-fulfilment?

• Canon as an audience construct: James argues that while fans obsess over timelines, producers only care about IP utility. Does “canon” even exist to the people making the movies?

There’s also time to consider how shows like Scrubs and Roseanne used “light-touch revisionism” to ignore unpopular final seasons and return to familiar status quos, and the 1990s Timothy Zahn-penned Star Wars novels.

Let us know what your thoughts are on this matter -- is it useful to remove or ignore multimillion dollar movies from a timeline? Can the same be done to Doctor Who -- or is it simply not necessary?

Email us: podkasterborous@gmail.com