It cannot have escaped your attention that Doctor Who is not currently on air. Such a state of affairs often turns even the hardiest fans – those who weathered the storm of the Time War years (1989-2005) – into fans of namby pamby identicop shows and even (whisper it) soap operas.

Fearing such a fate worse than death, the Kasterborous Doctor Who podcast has sought out perhaps the only show that can offer time travel, mystery, madness, humour, and pretty girls.

That’s right, it’s Life on Mars, the immensely wonderful BBC One drama series that ran from 2006-2008, and starred John Simm and Philip Glenister as accidental time traveller (?) DI Sam Tyler and his 1973 boss, DCI Gene Hunt. But why should you dig Life on Mars out on BBC iPlayer?

Good question, and below, we have the answer.

This is followed by a commentary (“we watch the show and talk over it”) of the first episode of Life on Mars. An interesting fact to note about this episode is how long it was in development – something like eight years, if not more – and how effortlessly it tells the story of Sam’s transition to 1973 and its effect on him.

If you’ve enjoyed any Kasterborous shows, please head to Apple Podcasts to leave a rating and review. We always read out five-star reviews, so you could hear your name uttered in hallowed tones…

Not on Apple Podcasts? Leaving the podKast a review somewhere else is also fine. Just send the link to them on Twitter or email podkasterborous@gmail.com, and you’ll get a mention.

Visit www.kasterborous.co.uk for more (actual) Doctor Who podcasts!