ISSUE 0 - WINTER 2013 - KASTERBOROUS.COM
NEW - and devoted to Doctor Who fandom!
In this issue: Ÿ Asylum of the Daleks New York Preview Ÿ Build Your Own Dalek! Ÿ Audio Reviews Ÿ John Guilor IS the Doctor! Ÿ Remembering the Official Doctor Who Convention 2012
to mention two films (to date). However, we’re not really here to talk about “Doctor Who the show”. Instead, it’s time for you guys to take centre stage.
EDITOR: CHRISTIAN CAWLEY
Yes you, the fan reading this ‘zine. Perhaps you’ve It’s January 2013 as I sit recently made typing the editorial to this arrangements to attend a free sampler edition of what convention; you might have we hope will be many issues arranged some adjustments of our new fanzine, to your cosplay outfit. Is Kasterborous Magazine. there a story dying to get The name has gone through out of you, or are you a prop a few changes, and the builder? Perhaps your love personnel involved have of Doctor Who is expressed changed several times since in comic strip or short story an in-depth discussion with form, or maybe you just love Vworp Vworp! editor Gareth the books. Kavanagh in the teaEither way, this new fanzine drenched snug of his is about you, the people with Manchester pub. Doctor Who close to your hearts. Thankfully, the idea remains – to be a Doctor Who fanzine Why? that does things a little
differently. Sure, there are other Doctor Who fanzines out there, not least the wonderful Vworp Vworp!. But what we’re trying to achieve here is something a little different.
ART EDITOR: JAMES MCLEAN With thanks to Elton Townend-Jones, John Guilor, Mez Burdett, Scott Varnham, Philip Bates, Brian A. Terranova and Gareth Mugridge
Well, there are two reasons. The first is that this magazine’s parent website, www.kasterborous.com, was started by two fans, one of whom has gone on to decorate Doctor Who DVD covers and inserts.
We are pleased to announce that we’re just days away from the release of the first full issue of Kasterborous Magazine!
Most of those other magazines – even the daddy, Of course, the second reason is obvious: Doctor Who fans DWM – focus on the TV now run the show, from BBC show, and rightly so. After Wales all the way over to Big all, there is plenty to talk Finish and Doctor Who about when your focus is 50 Magazine, the show is years of time travel on TV, looked after by true fans, books and audio. people just ike you. Kasterborous Magazine, on the other hand, has decided to take a different spin on things. We all love Doctor Who, that’s a given. We’re all massive fans of the show, a phenomenon that has spawned comic strips, video games, stage productions, several revivals and magazines and books – not
Featuring full versions of some of the previews you can find in this sampler,
So, let’s kick off our new magazine with a toast to you, the fans!
For updates, please see the Kasterborous.com website!
Watch out for the first complete issue of Kasterborous Magazine, coming soon!
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Elton Townend Jones spends time with his good friend, John Guilor…
Tim Burton’s Batman and we’ve known each other ever since. So, as Kasterborous’ man on the inside, it seemed only right that I get together with John and find out what it was like to become the new old Doctor and how to avoid being poisoned by DN6…
This week sees the DVD release of the 1964 William ETJ: I've known you for almost quarter of a century, but Hartnell story Planet of for those who haven't... Who is John Guilor? Giants. As you may know, this story was originally JG: Good grief! Now that's a difficult opening question. recorded as a four-parter John Guilor is a forty-year-old man – currently – born in and – to add pace – almost Wakefield, West Yorkshire in 1972. Those are the facts. immediately truncated to Open to conjecture is the following: he is an actor and three parts. That edited voice artist. Anything deeper, and you'll have to delve… material was apparently ‘junked’ at the time of that decision, but one of the much anticipated, discussed and ETJ: We were born in the same hospital, as I recall. We intriguing aspects of the DVD release is a special feature even went to the same school for a time – not that we in which the story is once again re-instated to four parts, knew that then – and we both became actors. What I utilising existing footage, animation, the vocal talents of never did that you did was only go and be bloomin’ Doctor surviving cast members and modern voice artists. It is to Who on a DVD. So how did you come to be involved in one of these voice artists that the weighty task of Planet of Giants? recreating William Hartnell’s Doctor has fallen. That man is John Guilor, a jobbing actor and lifelong Doctor Who Read the rest in Kasterborous Magazine #1, coming fan. He is also my mate; we met in 1989 at a screening of soon!
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It was the chance to visit the heart of the revived Doctor Who - an official convention held in Cardiff in 2012. Combining props and costumes with talks, demonstrations and even video games, the highlight for many was surely the surprise inclusion of a special trailer for the new series which wouldn’t air for another six months. With the chance to meet new people, see the stars of the show in the flesh and even spend a few moments at Ianto’s Shrine, it’s just a shame that it all went by so quickly…
Remembering the Doctor Who Convention 2012
On March XXth, 2012, the first official, self-organized Doctor Who Convention was opened for the first of two days at the jaw-droppingly awesome Millenium Centre in Cardiff. Since Doctor Who’s return in 2005, the BBC had steered clear of presenting any opportunities to fans in the UK to see their heroes in the flesh. Contracted stars seemed to have been blocked from attending conventions, leaving the likes of ex-companions and occasional actors such as Camille Coduri and Noel Clarke to fill in the nuWho gaps alongside classic era stars. However, pricing was high. Was it too high, perhaps? Could the price structure (£99 per day, no concessions) have excluded fans from poorer backgrounds? When the Doctor Who Convention was announced, I was invited by BBC Worldwide to attend, take photos, chat to people and spend a few moments in the company of the show’s stars. Not in the slightest bit intimidating, then.
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It was all a long way from queuing in a Leeds bookshop in 1997, waiting to have my copy of Who On Earth Is Tom Baker? signed by the man himself (for only the cost of the book). In fact, it was also a long way from attending the Dimensions convention in 2005 and 2006, the latter involving an attempt to prize Paul McGann away from signing photos to watch Liverpool attempt to beat Arsenal (they failed). This time, two key things were different: first, the convention was in Cardiff and I live in the North East, so there would be a lot of travel involved. Second, I would be on my own… Getting there was tricky: as father to nine-month-old twins, relying on your better half to perform all of the parenting for a full day is taking things too far. As a result I opted to travel via London, leaving Ceri and the children at my sisters. The original plan had been to drive to Cardiff on Saturday morning, but thankfully I avoided the horrific fog in the south west by booking a return train at the last minute. (I should add that thanks to socialising with an old school friend the evening before and the dislike of the London Underground, I ended up with a terrible hangover that remained until I was able to grab a bacon roll at Bristol Temple Mead. Thanks Richard…) What this meant was that I turned up a little later that intended, but thankfully all of the attractions were staggered throughout the day, leaving plenty of time to catch up. Upon entering the Millenium Centre, I was greeted by something of a carnival atmosphere, with older, single male Doctor Who fans, cosplayers, families, combinations of all three and the sight of Neill Gorton slapping a liquid latex solution over one of his colleagues’ faces as part of a demonstration (relayed to the audience via a big screen, just in case you were too far from the stage). Discovering that their techniques are borrowed from other industries (such as dentistry) was quite an eye opener. A quick word about the now-obligatory cosplayers: they’re amazing, aren’t they? The effort these fans go to in order to look the part is considerable. Within a few moments of entering the venue I had counted Weeping Angels, countless Tenth and Eleventh Doctors and some ladies who made very imaginative use of some blue fabric to design their own police box dresses.
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Meanwhile, the event itself was seeded with fascinating material. Steve Roberts and his Restoration Team colleagues presented a fascinating talk (which I enjoyed twice) which featured the results of some cleaning up work on recent DVD releases. Curiously they were banned by the BBC from discussing Shada and Ambassadors of Death, something that perplexed those of us in the audience hoping for hints on either or both. Finding a home on the disused Millenium FX stage team every other hour, it remained a compelling talk on each occasion. The arrangement of the ground floor area of the venue saw the majority of regular talks taking place in the large space there, while one side-room was packed with PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita devices for attendees to sample the impressive gameplay of The Eternity Clock. The room was packed throughout the day, and Steven Moffat and his family also popped in for a play later on. As a fan who can live without autographs, I'm afraid I didn't join the queue to chat to people such as Nick Briggs or Simon Fisher-Becker. Although the signers seemed to rotate throughout the day, Mark Sheppard must surely be awarded some sort of gold medal for autograph endurance - I swear the guy was signing all day long! The first full session I attended was Danny Hargreaves very demonstrative display of special effects - all the bangs, X Factor smoke machines and gunshot FX that you see on TV - and it was absolutely great stuff. Hargreaves is a compelling presence on the stage and was clearly as thrilled to be there as he was to be doing what he so obviously loves. A vast costume display took quite a bit of time to get round and was pored over by endless, passionate and excited fans, with or without their cameras. Near to the entrance to this room was a case with genuine sonic screwdriver props and TARDIS keys, occasionally opened by the prop curator. He seemed somewhat‌ honoured to have the role – as any fan would be! As the day went on and I popped out for lunch, I got chatting to various people but nothing could prevent me from getting excited at the thought of being in the same room as Matt Smith and Karen Gillan - not to mention Steven "The Grand Moff" Moffat, a man whose writing has had me in literal stitches of laughter for over 20 years. The fact that he has since received a muchdeserved special Bafta proves just how good he is.
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Fortunately, other than the fact that both questions I had planned were asked by other attendees, I still managed to find out how they were enjoying the convention (after all, the stars of the show had been to the USA the previous year, where fans tend to be a lot more… enthusiastic) and whether Arthur Darvill hoped to make any other films following Pelican Blood (no, he plans to retire to a cheese making farm in Shropshire, duh) it was a very relaxed session, ending with Matt talking to a small boy accompanying one of the press Q&A attendees. He's a genuinely nice guy, and it was a thrill to get a glimpse of that side of his job. Interestingly, Matt is also a little shorter than I expected! Having met Tom Baker and been certain that he's not much different in height to me (I’m a little over 6 foot), I had expected Matt to have a "presence". Tom Baker seems to draw the focus of any room he is, a gift that not all actors have. Paul McGann has it (in a rather understated way), as does Sylvester McCoy, although I suspect they can switch if on and off very easily. Matt seemed more like you and I, which is quite strange given how wonderful he is on TV. While waiting for the delayed press Q&A, it turned out that almost everyone else in the building was enjoying a special screening of the teaser trailer! I suspect some people around me were quite miffed, but there was little need to worry as after the questions ended we were directed to the huge main room in which the Uncut talk - hosted by the amiable, polished and Dalek-obsessed Barnaby Edwards - took place. With Caro Skinner (the oddest shortened form for any Christian name ever, surely?), Steven Moffat, Andy Pryor and Michael Pickwoad among the panel, there was plenty to learn as Barnaby guided them through the process of bringing Doctor Who to TV. A screening of the trailer followed, then a big question and answer session, before another screening. To be honest, I was all but Who'd out at this stage, but there was time to hook up with Connor and Georgia from zConnection to check the Ianto Jones/Torchwood memorial wall on Cardiff Bay. Not long after that my time was up - I headed back to London after an awesome day of Doctor Who wonderment. Now, there is a problem with this wonderful event, something that BBC Worldwide need to recognise for next time. Shy of £100 per ticket is tantamount to daylight robbery in the current economic climate. While the scale and breadth of the event should not be overlooked (it really was quite fantastic) there is an access issue. How is a family of four Doctor Who fans from a down-at-heel urban area supposed to afford entrance?
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Let’s cast our mind back to 2005, and the Ninth Doctor. Christopher Eccleston talked in interviews about how as a child growing up he never recognised Doctor Who as having any relevance to his world. Everyone in the show was posh or middle class. The success of the returned show is something that fans have wanted for years, and while its current success has seen fandom expand and television audiences attracted, the BBC could be in danger of putting fans of the show into a very difficult position by charging ridiculous prices to official events. So what is the solution? Of course, it is expensive to setup and run a vast event like this, but engagement with younger fans that might come from disadvantaged backgrounds is vital for the show’s long-term success. The answer is to run the event longer, beyond the initial weekend, with school parties being brought in from around the country at a greatly discounted rate. I've been to a fair few Doctor Who conventions over the years of different sizes. Each has had a different focus and attracted different types of guest, and, by extension, audience. None of them have managed to attract such a perfect mix, however, an exceptional distillation of every sub group in fandom. Although a great day out, the official convention proved that organizers seem to think that fans only live in affluent areas. As we know, fans come from all parts of the UK (and beyond), rich or poor. I wouldn’t say the pricing excluded anyone, but it certainly made travelling to what remains a remote part of the UK a challenge.
This is an exclusive feature that you won’t find in the full Kasterborous Magazine on release. See page 14 for more details!
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We’re huge fans of Big Finish at Kasterborous, so enjoy this selection of recent releases that we think you should be listening to. Some of these reviews may have appeared on Kasterborous.com others may not…
The Jupiter Conjunction by Eddie Robson, starring Peter Davison, Janet Fielding, Mark Strickson and Sarah Sutton
with Nyssa and Tegan going for a space walk and encountering trouble whilst the Doctor and Turlough and framed for theft and are also in trouble, soon turns into an interesting story about human greed and necessary sacrifice.
Ah, the middle of a Big Finish trilogy of Fifth Doctor stories. The point where the first adventure has already burst on the What is slightly different about this story scene in an extravagant manner and the is that the aliens that we encounter are set up as the villains of the piece but as last in the trilogy is yet to come but events unfold they are soon revealed to sounds amazingly exciting. have been duped into their actions by the far more nefarious scheming The Jupiter Conjunction offers listeners humans staying on the comet Eight slash the chance to ride with the Fifth Doctor Q Panenka. It’s nice to encounter a race and his rag tag bunch of travelling that are not just stone cold evil but are as companions on the back of a meteorite fallible as the rest of us. that’s being used as a cheap transport device as it flies through the depths of Whilst The Jupiter Conjunction is a space. Shopping precincts and the like standalone story in a loosely linked have been erected to let passengers trilogy of plays for the Fifth Doctor, there spend their hard earned cash as the fly on the back of some hard packed ice. No, is an ongoing Nyssa plot which is quite a rewarding one if you pay attention to it. it’s not “Dragonfire 2: The Return of Kane” (although strangely, I’m ready for Not so much for revelations but more for the fact that this is Nyssa after she has that) but this story is nevertheless an left the TARDIS in Terminus, her intriguing, slightly political thriller that established continuity only took her that wraps itself in some established Doctor far and it is in this adventure that you Who mythology and delivers its own start to realise how vulnerable her tightly packed story. character really is. There’s no end of story reset for her anymore, no get out What starts off as standard stuff, the clause because we know that she TARDIS four are split into two teams appeared in Snakedance on TV, this is a
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new Nyssa, after the fact. She’s already left the TARDIS and her friends a long time ago and now absolutely anything could happen to her. It’s a small realisation that hits you towards the end of this story but also a credit to Big Finish and their team of writers that this plot point has made the stories that bit more real. Overall, The Jupiter Conjunction is by no means a revelatory story but it is a solid one. Its only real downfall is the fact that the name of the story doesn’t exactly make you want to leap out of your chair and race to shop to pick up a copy of it immediately, it’s like naming (Fox TV series) 24 “Government Political Thriller TV Series” and hoping that the rest will sell itself. Next time Big Finish, can we have some sexier titles please? The Jupiter Conjunction is available from www.bigfinish.com now.
The Oseidon Adventure by Alan Barnes, starring Tom Baker and Louise Jameson with Geoffrey Beevers as the Master
And so we find ourselves here already; the first series of Fourth Doctor Adventures have come to an end. But don’t worry, the moment has been prepared for, there are plenty more stories to come and Tom Baker is finally back, for at least two more years, as the Doctor. But what of the Fourth Doctor right now? What’s going to happen to him after events of Trail of the White Worm? Well, it’s very simple really, he’s going to shine. Shine so brightly that, my dears; you’ll wonder how we ever dealt with him being away for so long in the first place. The Oseidon Adventure is exactly what it says on the tin, an adventure. It picks up the cliffhanger from Trail of the White Worm and then storms ahead with action scenes and funky exposition without getting involved in too many emotional or heart wrenching scenes. If you’re a fan of serious, doom laden drama then this may not be your exact cup of tea, this is a story that is unashamedly fun with writer Alan Barnes clearly relishing in for the Fourth Doctor and the Master together and in the same room. The Master’s plan, which is as gargantuan and as insane as always, is also layered and effective. It captures the essence of this incarnation’s desperation and the levels that he will go to in order to secure his dreams. It also helps that the Fourth Doctor’s loopiness (as opposed to the sombre version that the Master encounters in and ) seems to put the Master off his game somewhat. Louise Jameson also gets a bit of one on one time with silk voiced Geoffrey Beevers and suddenly you can think of all the possibilities of the Master trying to sway her over to his side, it’s cracking stuff to listen to the two of them verbally have at it and there’s even a cameo of a set from the third Doctor’s era (that’ll make sense once you listen to the story).
The Master’s plan, which is as gargantuan and as insane as always, is also layered and effective. It captures the essence of this incarnation’s desperation and the levels that he will go to in order to secure his dreams. It also helps that the Fourth Doctor’s loopiness (as opposed to the sombre version that the Master encounters in The Deadly Assassin, The Keeper of Traken and Logopolis) seems to put the Master off his game somewhat. Louise Jameson also gets a bit of one on one time with silk voiced Geoffrey Beevers and suddenly you can think of all the possibilities of the Master trying to sway her over to his side, it’s cracking stuff to listen to the two of them verbally have at it and there’s even a cameo of a set from the third Doctor’s era (that’ll make sense once you listen to the story). The Kraals provide little more than fodder in this tale; their presence merely there to grab our attention but to be honest, with the promise of the Doctor and the Master facing off against one another, our attention is already well and truly grabbed. They do serve well to evoke memories of running through the woods with Sarah Jane Smith and the Doctor and the second that you hear an android’s
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loaded finger being fired brings up a wave of nostalgia as great as hearing the ominous “Dalek heartbeat” we all love. Overall, The Oseidon Adventure is a great end to a great series of adventures for the Fourth Doctor and Leela; everything is wrapped up in a nice neat package with the promise of more tales to come.
The Oseidon Adventure is available from www.bigfinish.com now.
Doctor Who has for many years fed looking for something to do as a on itself. Since the late stages of the creative thing. Doctor Who had not Tom Baker era, fans have been long returned to our screens and the involved with the creation of the studio moved from Newport to half show and their involvement took on a mile from my house so I think that a new meaning with the New played a part, initially I was going to Adventures books from Virgin in the build a TARDIS, but didn’t know 1990s. Russell T Davies and Steven where to start.” Moffat were both big long-term fans “While working for a bookstore chain of Doctor Who, and the majority of as events co-ordinator, we were the show’s writers have affection for always looking for ways to engage the travels of the mad man with the kids, particularly with reading. We box. thought a Doctor Who day would be a good plan given our close But there is more to it than that. proximity to the studios and the Since that policeman first wandered popularity of the show.” Naturally through the fog in 1963, Doctor Who this was the last piece of the jigsaw has caught the imaginations of for Gareth, who then decided to millions of children and adults. take the plunge. Some have scrawled Daleks, Fortunately the Internet played a TARDISes and scarves in the back of part and Gareth was able to find a exercise books while others have website crucial to his development aimed higher with far more as a Dalek Builder. “I discovered a ambitious and impressive creations. website, www.projectdalek.com, where I saw what I can only describe In the Shed hopes to find the most as works of unparalleled genius. I accomplished fan creators out there, couldn’t believe that “fans” had built whose immense dedication to the these things, they looked utterly craft of building, stitching, recording, amazing! I guess from that point I painting and making artefacts that was hooked.” demonstrate their love and inspiration for Doctor Who will Doctor Who fans have of course hopefully spur our readers onto been building Daleks and other follow them – with a few useful tips props for years, and Gareth had to get started. stumbled upon a fantastic community of guys who were happy Gareth Mugridge is one such fan, to share information and help him obsessed by the design and detail of work out just how hard it might be Daleks he has built his own; in fact to build one. “I have that website he did such a good job that it has and in particular, Mark Dando, John been used on screen in the show! Darley and Alan Clark to thank for dragging me into the murky world of Dalek creation...”
Dalek Addiction
Gareth recalls that “initially I was
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Read more in Kasterborous Magazine #1, coming soon!
Funnily enough, the 80s spawned as much “What” as “Who” in the digital realm. There were two Doctor Who homage games given the less lawyer hounded monikers of “Dr What” One What of which could be considered more Who than What, what means Who could look to What to see who really understood Who; that What knew Who better than the Who games did. In the 80s, anyhow. Do you see? Chew on that sentence. Dr What! (CRL 1984) Doctor Who is a very difficult concept to translate into a video game. Being such a nonlinear concept, it probably requires a more sandbox approach than possibly even the current era of technology can offer, let alone the 1980s 8-bit wonders. It is hard now, near impossible then, to create a Doctor Who game that carries the authenticity and tone of the BBC franchise. This is made harder still when you don't actually have access to any of the product rights. Defying all these odds, Dr What!? does a damn good naughty knock-off job; it manages to copy the familiar elements of Doctor Who just right and carries an almost presandbox non linear exploration gameplay that, say, The Eternity Clock, did not. You play four Doctors in Dr What!, each looking almost like a classic Doctor, and almost just about more than a collective of simplistic pixels. You have a Trydis, which is bigger on the inside, and looks remarkably like a TARDIS actually, which is good for Doctor Who fans, if a little vexing for copyright holders perhaps. In fact, each Dr has his own Trydis, each with
different places it can jump between – so in a way, it's really like Doctor Who games should be – hell, it's what The Five Doctors should have been. The graphics are simplistic, the puzzles are key, as is jumping. It is, as most were in this era, a 2D platform, but the puzzles are layered between each Doctor's “zones” so success depends on Doctors working together – which itself is very non-canon, I'm sure you'll agree. Joking aside, all these components pull together rather well. As games goes, this actually does battle rather successfully against the duration of time, befitting of a game starring a not-quite-Time-Lord. The puzzles still work, the simplicity makes it interesting, and its humorous hijack of the BBC franchise is quite endearing. When you encounter Pruneface, a somewhat similar character to that dude in the show who created the Daleks, you'll know why – and no, I don't refer to Terry Nation.
Continued in Kasterborous Magazine #1, coming soon!
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Kasterborous at the Asylum of the Daleks Premiere!
Back in August, Kasterborous’ American editor Brian Terranova was invited to the Asylum of the Daleks premiere in New York City. As you’ll soon see, he was thrilled… and that was before he got to chat with Matt Smith and Karen Gillan! First off I want to start by saying that this has been the most surreal experience in my life so far. Since becoming a contributor and then co-runner to the K, fantastic things have happened in my life. I’ve met great friends and done great things. But this... this defines Awesomeness. As a fan of Doctor Who, the idea of going to New York to see the premiere of Asylum of the Daleks on the big screen is appealing enough. Sadly, I was on vacation when the screening was announced, with nothing but my iPhone to connect me to the website. Naturally, I failed to get tickets. So imagine my delight when I was invited as a member of the press to not only attend the premiere but to also take part in a round table interviewing the stars behind the show!
Arriving in New York – a city I’ve visited many times – seemed so different. I had to be at a certain place at a specific time to watch Doctor Who. Oh, and I was technically working – this trip wasn’t just fun, I had a job to do. Writing about a show that has provided me with endless hours of entertainment on and off screen just seems natural and very rewarding. But this time, I would be meeting the stars and writing about that too. That’s the bit I still find surreal. Upon arriving at the BBC America offices, things started to feel real. I gave my name to the security guard and he said “oh yes, right this way” –• I was truly meant to be there! The offices themselves seem like an ideal working environment. They were hip, very stylized and they even had a snack bar/lounge area. The staff and everyone we met were so nice and friendly and seemed like they were enjoying being there as much as we were. In fact they were talking about the events and the things going on behind the scenes with as much excitement as we were talking about being there! Alexis was our BBC America rep and was simply one of the friendliest and kindest people I have ever met. Read more in Kasterborous Magazine #1, coming soon!
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COMING SOON‌
Heading your way soon is the full Kasterborous Magazine, featuring over 60 pages of interviews, features, reviews and the all important guide to building your own Dalek! We’d love to know what you thought of this sampler, so please drop us a line to magazine@kasterborous.com and give us your feedback!
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