DwarfCast 61 – Dimension Jump XVIII Special DwarfCasts Posted by Ian Symes on 7th May 2015, 12:17 Subscribe to DwarfCasts: RSS • iTunes Join a luxuriously big hotel room full of very tired but very happy people, as we pick through the booze-soaked remains of the very latest and very greatest official Red Dwarf convention – Dimension Jump XVIII, held 1st-3rd May 2015 in Nottingham. Your hosts for this bleary-eyed Sunday night missive are G&T’s Jonathan Capps, Danny Stephenson and Ian Symes, along with TORDFC team members Joey Cannon, Jez Harrison, Mick Hayes, Alex Newsome, Carrie Parsons, Jo Sharples and Shelley Smith, DJ helpers Kiran Parsons and Melissa Stanley, and attendees/friends Aimi Brear, Simon Peel and Danny Pendleton. Phew. With virtually the entire convention crew in attendance, objective reporting on the event was pretty difficult. Thankfully, a certain announcement gave us plenty to talk about. In and amongst the discussion of two new series, a link-up with Baby Cow and a potential live tour, we also had time to discuss Chris Barrie’s dance moves, alleged poster theft and the legend that is Dave Benson-Phillips. Plus, the return of the popular Coffee Lounge Cock segment, with a brand new host… DwarfCast 61 – Dimension Jump XVIII Special (79.5MB)
This is a very exciting time to be a Dwarf fan! I’ve been a fan since series 2 and I know I’ll be as hooked as all of you when series XI airs. Until then lots of teasers to look forward to. Love the Dwarf cast!
Great to hear this two new series chat. I dont agree with what alex said about being the lead in red dwarf is a better option than being only a supporting character in the ensemble soap opera. Corrie gets at least 4 times over the ratings on main prime time channle, 3 or more days a week. Pays year long wages at that level and is a solid show just coming up to it’s big 60th year celebrations. The show that put him on the front page of the papers just the day after this move was announced. As opposed to a digital channle, a couple of million viewers at first airing and even with constant repeats isnt what corrie would be for the time frame of doing two series and maybe not being recommissioned through 2017. Clearly the sensible carea move for just profile, money or long term continued acting an established character would be to stay in Corrie. I’m thrilled he’s chosen Dwarf, and for love of the scripts and character and the fun he’ll having making it, and loyalty to a writer and colleagues he’s spent his life with, who first help make his main stream fame, and to some of his fans, i can see how he’d go for this. You may be right about the kind of scripts/storys he would get in corrie these day, i dont know i dont watch it enough, was interesting to hear how many times the character has left for a period of time there. Does anyone know if he’s leaving before or after the live 60th? im interested in hearing also how Mac Mcdonald and a bit more on Gordon Kennedy how their Q and A’s and appearance at the weekend went. If anyone has any memories to share on that. I’ve seen some videos of the other guests and seen them before when ive attended DJ’s 3 times in the past.
I agree with Alex about the live show, I would be hoping for it being more Bottom live like. I even loved Monty Python at the 02. I went dressed as a mouse. So fuck you all for slagging it off. lol. But I totally understand what you mean. I would hate to see Dwarf done as regurgitated same script sketches in that way, with some kind of separated staging between skits. It wasn’t prime python sure, but my expectations and knowledge of idles later work knew what to expect of old geezers and his sing along love of musicals and so the sense of occasion (including meeting them afterwards) and a few parts of new staging carried a great day of nostalgia for me seeing that show. Then I saw the full DVD of Still Game at the Hydro in Glasgow and that whole show pissed over everything else still going in modern British comedy for me, including directly shitting on that python reunion. I fucking loved the still game full live show. If Doug hasn’t seen that show, he should give it a watch. The way the characters maintain an interest in an on going established plot, and at the same time take time out breaking the forth wall and interacting bantering with the audience, but staying in character while doing so, even though they are now making jokes about the theatre and audience, and directly referencing the fact they are performing a show. Even at one point fooling the audience perceptions that the show is hitting a problem. And they make it all work. Including (certainly not turning into a shit musical,) just one final song and dance number at the end. And crucially also here they do a final restaging of a classic scene from the tv sitcom as the encore, but its subverted due to audience expectations. Was all top draw stuff they way its done. They also used the on stage screens not to show the show only but also to interact via the plot of an ipad with other non present characters from the sitcom and such using this to great effect. If red dwarf live can afford a stage set or two. I know I could love a show done that sort of dual way. It would be like watching the cast to and fro between being committed to an actual red dwarf story of some kind happening, and also at times being the version of the cast you see in the smeg ups universe who seem to be aware they are characters in making red dwarf. They could pull that off brilliantly. Such asides to the audience, while still being a play, It’s worked since Shakespeare, in the great now speech, before he even coined anything about pickles. The duality of that knowing situation, I would use to write in gags about Roberts mask, so that he doesn’t have to suffer it all show/tour. swapping it for a knitted balaclava version or cardboard cut out upper piece only version and other such tat making it a virtue out of robert being a moaning old man about the mask. In still game a one legged character manages to walk across stage two bare leggedly and still later on make you care about the fate of his false leg. I’d make the stage screen’s to be starbug/reddwarfs windscreen and monitors etc and include jokes/models pre shot stuff, like the still game show did. If it’s not that and it’s only done out of costume and more cheap, like the first half of league of gentlemen at dury lane. I’d still go and watch it in person. I might be less likely to buy a dvd of the show, or rewatch the live dvd much. “Unplugged” is a word used before that made a live show sound very much like a baddiel and skinner unplanned show surviving only on charm and quick wit. But I don’t see that kind of dimension jump q and a feel lasting a bigger duration in a theatre setting. Doug hasn’t reused that word unplugged though has he? I think he’s only said “maybe a tour” so im hoping for something clever. Hitch Hikers radio tour was ok with actors just standing their reading, but that originated more in the mind, where as the other hitch hikers live shows were reportedly disastrously over stretching in presentation of the story. Red Dwarf has sci fi on it’s side it can do something that works on those two levels with an established audience of smeg up lovers as a safety net between for any fails, and a history of making greatness out of a cheap corner, and loving a live audience. I once saw two goodies just sitting on stage showing old clips and as much as that was a joy, it was pretty poor creatively given their hey day genius of visual humour etc and scripting of things. So I hope it’s not like that.
