RDSUK My Balls News Posted by John Hoare on 19th November 2005, 00:02 Interesting that the most popular-selling DVD (and, indeed, product) on RDSUK is Series III. A meaningless statistic, or proof of which is the most favourite series amongst fans?
> A meaningless statistic, or proof of which is the most favourite series amongst fans? Erm…the first one? I suppose technically it makes III ‘the most popular series for people who buy from the official Dwarf Shop’. But then, you kinda knew that. III is my favourite series, V, VI and VII my favouite DVDs, but all of the first six series have come close to matching each other totals-wise, they’ve all gone double-platinum. That their numbers have evened out so closely suggests that people buying one series are, generally, buying them all. Which is fantastic news – I can’t cope with the idea of lots of peope with just one season on their shelf!
Double platinum? Excellent! I was thinking the other day how III is just such an great series. Not that it doesn’t have its faults (Robert only really gets the hang of Kryten in the last episode), but in general it works pretty much perfectly – great plots, jokes, characterisation, effects, the lot. And *hugely* experimental for a sitcom – more than any other Dwarf series before or since. And it does have that really odd feeling about it that I’ve mentioned before. I don’t know what it is, but just the quality of the picture is very strange, and wonderful – and something the series didn’t have before or after. Must be just a combination of the lighting, cameras, sets, and stuff. When the series moved to Shepperton, it lost that, which was a shame.
Meaningless statistic. Series 3 CONS: Kryten Picture quality Timeslides Your last paragraph is too personal for me to take seriously.
After initially catching one episode of Series I and two of series II on their original run, it was Series III that finally grabbed my attention and led me to becoming a regular RD fan. Having said that, if I had any issue with Series III its the re-watchibility (?) factor. After seeing Backwards, Bodyswap and Timeslides a few times, it becomes harder and harder to rewatch them. Still, a great series overall though..
‘Your last paragraph is too personal for me to take seriously.’ Sorry, if that looks a bit nasty. I just realised it might be when I was on my way to see Harry Potter IV… which was bloody fantastic!!!!!!!!!! But yeah, apologies. I just don’t like Timeslides simply because it doesn’t really make sense. How does Rimmer still know Lister? I mean, come on! That’s enough to make anyone forgive certain time drives suddenly possessing the ability to travel in space… isn’t it?
Don’t worry – I didn’t take it nastily. Mind you, I never take anything personally on here. I mean, with the articles I write, do you really think I can afford to? I agree that what you mention is a major problem with Timeslides – I’m not one for thinking that lack of continuity in Dwarf spoils things, but major logical flaws in episodes do annoy me. But when an episode has some of the best lines of the series (“It’s you, isn’t it?”, “Apparently, the gentlemen’s name is Rimmer, sir”), and some of the best characterisation of the series, I find I can forgive it.
Timeslides – the hideous continuity gaffe aside – is actually one of the few things I like about III. Generally, I find it to be quite overrated, particularly Backwards (which has far more in the way of bad continuity gaffes, frankly – getting sacked before you’ve started work, anyone?) and Polymorph. And, funnily enough John, all the stuff you talk about in terms of the series’ look, picture quality and feel… is stuff that really puts me off it. I don’t know why, it just feels a bit… odd, all the way through. I actually think it feels cheaper than the first two series. If it had looked and felt like IV, I think I’d have liked it a lot more, because there’s some fantastic writing there, particularly (obviously) in Marooned and Timeslides. But generally, it’s the series (of the first six) that I find myself turning to the least.
The continuity stuff in Backwards matters to me less purely because it’s not obvious its a problem to me when I’m watching it – so it doesn’t spoil it. It probably is slightly over-rated – but you have to imagine what it was like watching it back in 1989. A stunningly original piece of television. And to do it on a BBC sitcom – amazing. I’d love to know what it is about III that makes the piccy so weird. I absolutely adore it, though. I’m sure a lot of it is to do with lighting – the whole series is lit so weirdly – but it’s probably the old camera equipment too. (Seeing as the studio was shut down soon afterwards…) I love it because I’ve not seen something before or since that looks anything like it. And it just… I don’t know, *ties* the look of that series together. Man, it’s really difficult to explain. As I’ve said before on here, one thing I don’t like about IV is that the laugh track seems so distant a lot of the time. Andrew pointed out that it must be to do with the move to Shepperton, which is effectively an OB rather than a TV studio setup, as it’s a film stage – and they’d have to set up the mics for the audience up from scratch, which altered things a bit. They’ve got the hang of it more by VI though. But in III, the laugh track is just fantastic. I adore the reaction to the Toffee Crisp/Milkshake gag…
Series III is possibly my favorite series, and oddly enough for the exact reasons you dislike it, Seb. I *like* the picture quality, look and feel. I don’t really know why, but I don’t turn to IV nearly as often, despite its greatness.
