This week on Kasterborous, Christian chats with Gareth Kavanagh about the latest Kickstarter from Cutaway Comics, Paradise Towers: Unalive the Multiverse.

Returning to the neon-soaked world of Doctor Who's classic 1987 story Paradise Towers, the new graphic novel continues the adventures of the Kangs, Rezzies, and Caretakers as a fresh threat emerges from across the multiverse. The project is written by Sean Mason and builds on Cutaway's previous Paradise Towers comics.

Visit the Paradise Towers: Unalive the Multiverse Kickstarter.

Christian and Gareth discuss:

• Why Paradise Towers remains such a rich setting nearly 40 years after its television debut

• The development of Unalive the Multiverse
  
  

• Cutaway Comics' approach to expanding corners of the Doctor Who universe

• The continuing involvement of original Paradise Towers creator Stephen Wyatt

• Wyatt's first-ever comic strip, Scary Cat, created especially for this project

• The importance of creating opportunities for new comic creators

• The search for a brand-new artist to illustrate Wyatt's story, following Cutaway's tradition of helping emerging talent break into professional comics

As Gareth explains, the artist search mirrors the process that originally brought artist Silvano Beltramo into the Paradise Towers range, demonstrating Cutaway Comics' commitment to discovering fresh talent.

After the interview, Christian takes viewers on a brief tour of the growing Kasterborous Archive on Patreon, showcasing some of the exclusive material available to supporters, including vintage podcast episodes, interviews, video content, and other treasures from nearly two decades of Kasterborous productions.

• Paradise Towers: Unalive the Multiverse Kickstarter
  
  
• Cutaway Comics official website
  
  
• Kasterborous on Patreon
  
  

You cannot have helped but notice that rumours are swirling about the future of Doctor Who, with tabloid reports suggesting that next year’s series and the 2026 Christmas special are facing cancellation. We dig into the reality behind these headlines, the struggle to find the next Time Lord, and why the current climate of “content saturation” is creating such an atmosphere of uncertainty.

Quick TL;DR -- we don’t buy the “no one wants to play the Doctor” schtick, and nor should you.

This chat does interrupt previously-scheduled chat about Mind Warp. We will be picking this up soon, but wanted to catch up on the latest news.

Here’s what we actually cover this week:

• The comfort of the classics: Why we’re finding more affection for classic Doctor Who than the modern era. Is it nostalgia, or does the scarcity of the old episodes simply make them more precious?
• Panini stickers and the 1980s: A trip down memory lane. We discuss the joys of completing sticker albums—from Return of the Jedi to Transformers—and how they served as a vital, physical conduit to films in an era before on-demand viewing.
• Cutaway Comics and the Paradise Towers revival: We look at the new Unlive the Multiverse graphic novel and the exciting open artist competition for Scary Cat. Could this be the perfect time for a resurgence in spin-off material?
• Ncuti Gatwa on SNL UK: Thoughts on the recent Saturday Night Live monologue and why the current discourse surrounding Doctor Who feels like it’s being played for laughs.

• The cancellation rumours: Addressing the recent reports in The Sun and Radio Times. We break down why the “unnamed insider” narrative is often misleading and discuss the broader implications of the BBC’s current “uncertainty” era.

• Cutaway Comics: Explore their library and find out more about their current projects and artist opportunities.
• The Doctor Who Companion: Our favourite Doctor Who online magazine.
• Join the Kasterborous Archive: Our Patreon is a collection of lost, forgotten, overlooked, and unheard interviews, features, and curios from 20+ years of writing and talking about Doctor Who

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Christian Cawley and James McLean reach the final episode of The Mysterious Planet — and by this point, the commentary itself may be more entertaining than the serial under discussion.

As the pair pick apart collapsing pacing, endless corridors, meaningless courtroom interruptions, and the baffling lack of anything recognisably “Earth-like” about Ravalox, the conversation expands into a broader discussion about Doctor Who itself: companion writing, Colin Baker’s wasted strengths, the failures of Trial of a Time Lord as a format, and whether the season could have worked better as a genuine deconstruction of the Doctor.

There’s nostalgia for VHS culture, comparisons with The Daleks’ Master Plan, frustration over Peri’s lack of agency, and a surprisingly thoughtful debate about why some companions endure while others become little more than plot devices.

By the end, the hosts are already bracing themselves for Mind Warp — and wondering if the real trial was the episodes they watched along the way.

Join the Kasterborous Archive and influence topics for future shows.

We are on a mission to raise our profile on Apple Podcasts, and we can’t do it without you.

If you enjoy what we do, please leave a review.

It takes 30 seconds but makes a massive difference in helping new listeners find us. While you’re there, make sure you’re subscribed so you never miss a drop.

No problem. You can still help us grow. Leave a review on your platform of choice and send us the link via X/Twitter, Facebook, or directly to editor@kasterborous.co.uk. We’ll make sure to give you a shout-out in a future episode as a thank you for your support.

Thanks!

What do you think of the Sixth Doctor's final stand? Let us know in the comments.