May 30, 2026

Is Doctor Who actually cancelled?

1 hour 2 minutes

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.

Episode Highlights

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.

Links and resources

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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By Christian Cawley (host, producer) | James McLean (host)

4.9

77 ratings