DwarfCast 178 – Re-Disc-overy: Series VIII DwarfCasts Posted by Ian Symes on 9th January 2026, 11:49 Subscribe to DwarfCasts: RSS • iTunes “Birds don’t have balls” We may not be fast, but we get there in the end. Just shy of a year later, our voyage of Re-Disc-overy continues as we reach the mammoth collection that is the Series VIII DVD. And there is much to discuss, such as the inter-cast beef evident in the commentary track, the brilliance of the guest stars’ contributions to the documentary, a reappraisal of Chris Veale’s work on the series, the beginnings of the show’s web presence, the moment that secured this fledgling fansite’s future, and buffet car food. Oh, and there’s always time to discuss the merits of the series itself, because we haven’t done that enough over the last twenty-six years. All this, plus not one but two commentaries, on the Children In Need sketch and the collection of PBS idents. You lucky people. DwarfCast 178 – Re-Disc-overy: Series VIII (132 MB) Show notes Contemporary reviews from Cappsy and John Hoare What’s Funny About..?, the radio equivalent of Comedy Connections Bill Pearson’s Christmas special script, via Gazpacho Soup Whatever You Want, and its Pearson-built Starbug Terry Wogan’s penis Swirly Thing Alert and Smegheads in Seattle Back In The Red Xtended – commentary and Xtended Revisited
I wish I had checked this post before committing “Terry Wogan erection on Points of View” to my search history.
I loved the cast commentaries (for my sins) on the earlier series, and watched with them multiple times. As you’ve pointed out, the ones on VIII were such a bloated, fractious mess, I only managed them once. I’ve therefore almost laughed myself sick at the Norm quotes you dished out.
Also, having put the disc in to watch the Children in Need thing, I can’t remember if the painstakingly crafted, but long transitions between DVD menus had already become tedious by the VIII release.
but long transitions between DVD menus had already become tedious by the VIII release. I appreciate the amount of work that went into the transitions. Even more since its unlikely such a thing would happen nowadays. Everything now is thrown together as cheaply as possible.
I appreciate the amount of work that went into the transitions. Even more since its unlikely such a thing would happen nowadays. Everything now is thrown together as cheaply as possible. I didn’t want to seem unappreciative, they are works of art. It’s probably more a comment on my own impatience.
If the PBS idents in Blue Midget were filmed during production of VIII, presumably they put Chris in his VII costume complete with forehead H, to make it less jarring if someone saw it just before watching an older episode, and/or hadn’t seen VIII yet?
For a long, long time I only had VIII on bootleg DVD. It was my own form of peaceful protest. I was curious about the extras, but my distaste for VII and VIII by that point meant I wasn’t interested in buying them at all. I just watched some of the extras on YouTube eventually. I’ve only watched the actual episodes once or twice since that time anyway, Cassandra a bit more.
I’ve only watched the actual episodes once or twice since that time anyway, Cassandra a bit more. Petitioning G&T to host a stream for Warbo watches VIII in one sitting while you all play the Series VIII Drinking Game, whose rules we all implicitly understand.
I’ve only watched the actual episodes once or twice since that time anyway, Cassandra a bit more. Petitioning G&T to host a stream for Warbo watches VIII in one sitting while you all play the Series VIII Drinking Game, whose rules we all implicitly understand.
My main memory of the VIII DVD is seeing the smeg ups for the first time, as I never had the official VHS tapes, just my own taped-off-the-telly version, and finding them far funnier than the episodes. Cracking Dwarfcast. Lost it at the plummy-voiced BBC announcers’ episode intros.
If the PBS idents in Blue Midget were filmed during production of VIII, presumably they put Chris in his VII costume complete with forehead H, to make it less jarring if someone saw it just before watching an older episode, and/or hadn’t seen VIII yet? I think that was definitely the case for the Children in Need sketch which aired before series aired. There’s other marketing material (I’m thinking of that poster that resurfaced recently) where it’s the same. Put Chris in his VII costume, and even Chloe in part of her Red outfit, as to not give the game away (especially Rimmer not being dead) Speaking of the Children in Need sketch. “Charity begins at home. And we don’t have one. Until we do I recommend we all behave like complete bastards!”. Probably the funniest line Doug has ever written
I guess there was plenty to discuss on the discs themselves but one thing not mentioned on the DwarfCast is the gift set edition that came with a pull-back Skutter toy. Not as good as the Corgi Starbug the special edition of Series V was packaged with, but still a cool thing to have, and I don’t think it was ever sold separately. I’ve still got mine on a bookcase.
How have people’s corgi figures fared, out of curiosity? I’ve had to replace my Starbug 3 times because a leg has broken and I can’t bare to not have a complete one because it’s so good. So I now have an unopened one in a series V boxset and a broken one on display (duff leg facing away).
How have people’s corgi figures fared, out of curiosity? I’ve had to replace my Starbug 3 times because a leg has broken and I can’t bare to not have a complete one because it’s so good. So I now have an unopened one in a series V boxset and a broken one on display (duff leg facing away). Yep, another 3-legged Starbug on display here (missing appendage facing away from view).
How have people’s corgi figures fared, out of curiosity? I’ve had to replace my Starbug 3 times because a leg has broken and I can’t bare to not have a complete one because it’s so good. So I now have an unopened one in a series V boxset and a broken one on display (duff leg facing away). Mine has 3 legs, which isn’t bad going considering its age. Cracking listen, thanks team. Never made it through the cast commentaries due to sheer length, but might have to go back and listen out of grotesque curiosity. Maybe we can collectively agree as fans that the Children in Need Sketches and the PBS idents are Series VIII, and the following 8 episodes never happened. Nice little tribute to Bill Pearson in the middle – very fond memories of him just randomly allowing me to tour his workshop at Shepperton about 15 years ago – absolute top bloke. It’s been posted before, but there’s lots of nice shots of his Red Dwarf work here, preserved for posterity: https://www.bookofthedead.ws/bill_pearson/ – along with high res photos of basically everything he ever worked on, as far back as Blakes 7.
Maybe we can collectively agree as fans that the Children in Need Sketches and the PBS idents are Series VIII, and the following 8 episodes never happened.
Maybe we can collectively agree as fans that the Children in Need Sketches and the PBS idents are Series VIII, and the following 8 episodes never happened.
This Dwarfcast came at a good time, as I’d just finished up a re-listen to the 1-VII re-disc-overy Dwarfcasts over the past few weeks. It’s interesting to track the trajectory of these DVDs as an entire set, and see how the production values of the discs and the extras got better and better even as the quality of the episodes themselves tailed off at the end, and some of these Dwarfcasts have highlighted features which I don’t think I’ve ever actually watched before – certainly I’ve never slogged through all of the commentaries, especially for VII and VIII, but I also don’t think I’ve seen stuff like the PBS sketches included here. Glad to hear that more Dwarfcasts are on the way too, including covering the second volume of the Smegazine – I’m looking forward to that.
Maybe we can collectively agree as fans that the Children in Need Sketches and the PBS idents are Series VIII, and the following 8 episodes never happened.
Great work as always lads! Can’t wait to hear your Bodysnatcher episode(s)! I’ve still got the copy you sent me for winning that contest. In fact, Red Dwarf DVDs are pretty much the only ones left on my shelves at this point. I don’t actually own anything you can play DVDs on anymore…
Another aspect that has really come across over listening to all eight of these re-disco-overy Dwarfcasts is how the DVD releases really kept the flame alive during a barren period for Red Dwarf. The release of Series 1 in 2002 was just a few years after VIII was broadcast, and the release of VIII in 2006 took us within three years of Back to Earth appearing afterwards. Without the DVDs, that decade might have felt like a wasteland for Red Dwarf and I think you can make the argument that the sustained interest evident from these releases created the necessary sense of momentum to get more Red Dwarf made that might not have existed otherwise.
I don’t actually own anything you can play DVDs on anymore… I know this is an irrational thought in 2026, but every time I read a sentence like this my brain instantly thinks “Then what the hell are you watching?” Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to buy more movies I love on Blu-ray and then not watch them for several years.
Sad to hear your reluctance to covering the Dave era on Re-Disc-overy – we as a community need to hear a G&T audio commentary for the HD TV setup guide on the Back to Earth Blu-ray! It was great to hear the origin story for the formation of the Capps/Symes fansite supergroup, but it did make me wonder how it was decided which site would be the one to continue.
It’s a good thing the Dave era didn’t exist then, because every time they get something wrong it’s about one of those episodes. They’re otherwise infullible trivia machines.
Mine still has all 4 legs, apparently making it something of a rarity. The has reminded me that I have all these items still in their boxes but the packaging is so dark it’s hard to tell how many legs the Starbug has. I think it’s still 4… Generally I am of the opinion that buying things and then not actually opening and enjoying them is a bit silly but I never opened these for some reason. Looking back at them now though I do think perhaps the scale of the various figures is just slightly inconsistent.
On the briefly-mentioned Channel 5, you couldn’t get it where I lived, but my mum could a couple of miles away. We were one of the last areas scheduled to have the transmitter upgraded, until the government announced the digital switchover in 2005, which made it redundant. We were then the last area to get digital, so we didn’t get Channel 5 as standard until late 2012, 15 years after it launched. Ironically(?), I think I’ve actually watched less of it since 2012 than I did in the first 15 years, between staying at my mums and eventually getting it through at NTL box that was restricted to a cold, spare room that got limited use. The release of Series 1 in 2002 was just a few years after VIII was broadcast, and the release of VIII in 2006 took us within three years of Back to Earth appearing afterwards. Bodysnatcher in 2007 also gave us Identity Within, and the Dad excerpt as some form of new material, which felt like a lovely bonus to go out on at the time.
Bodysnatcher in 2007 also gave us Identity Within, and the Dad excerpt as some form of new material, which felt like a lovely bonus to go out on at the time. No, I’m pretty sure Identity Within wasn’t the name of the new episode in The Bodysnatcher Collection. The actual name escapes me but I think it began with a B.
Oh, of course it is. Totally blanked on Identity being on VII, and managed to presume all those storyboard bits were on Bodysnatcher.
I got the Skutter model, mostly because it was (for some reason) cheaper to get that at my local Asda than it was to get it without. No idea why. This was, I think, the week the DVD dropped, so I suspect it was a hilarious pricing error in my favor. I still have the Skutter – it came with me to the US, where I gave it to my dad for him to add to his collection of desk nonsense when he worked at Disney. When he died, it ended up back in my collection. It’s currently on a shelf in a cabinet alongside a ton of Doctor Who action figures.
Anyone else notice that in Holly’s SOS call for PBS, he forgets to mention Kryten when listing the crew?
Anyone else notice that in Holly’s SOS call for PBS, he forgets to mention Kryten when listing the crew? Probably payback for essentially taking his role on the show.
How have people’s corgi figures fared, out of curiosity? I’ve had to replace my Starbug 3 times because a leg has broken and I can’t bare to not have a complete one because it’s so good. So I now have an unopened one in a series V boxset and a broken one on display (duff leg facing away). Same. Leg broke off and I glued it back on. Have that one on display and another still in the box.
Great podcast as always. Laughed when you gave Danny a hard time about the whole Cassandra situation. I’m on Danny’s side on this one. For many years I thought Geraldine McEwan and Zoë Wanamaker were the same person. Even as a stretched out piece of skin I immediately thought it was the same actress who played Cassandra in Red Dwarf.
For many years I thought Geraldine McEwan and Zoë Wanamaker were the same person. You’re not alone here.
My brother thought that Kryten referring to Kochanski as “Princess Leia” in Duct Soup was a wink to the audience about them being the same actress. We had the Star Wars Trilogy on video and he would have been at least 10 when he said that.
As a child I thought Kelsey Grammer and John Lithgow were the same person. By which I mean that I thought that the guy from Santa Claus: The Movie and Third Rock from the Sun voiced Sideshow Bob, because I hadn’t seen Cheers/Frasier at that point.
For a long time I would always mix up the movies of Brad Pitt and the movies of Leonardo DiCaprio. Which was kind of harsh on DiCaprio, considering he’s over a decade younger and as far as I’m aware has never been accused of domestic abuse.
If I actually watched more of their films it wouldn’t have been as much of a problem in the first place. Obviously I felt no need to watch OUATIH, because Django Unchained was already the peak Tarantino movie performance by Brad Pitt.
I used to get Lionel Blair mixed up with both Lionel Ritchie and Tony Blair. Name-based confusion entirely but it still amuses me to think about.
Steve Martin & Leslie Nielsen for me back in the day. White haired comedy actors so clearly the same person. Funnily enough, I was speaking to someone about Naked Gun last month and they started talking about Steve Martin so not just young me.
There was a time during my single digits that Craig Charles and Gary Wilmot would get muddled in my tiny little brain. Probably just me (and you). I’m quite clear whose wedding breakfast was superior, though.
I get Reg Varney’s name right but I almost always say Reg Varney when I mean Jim Varney as well. Also I can never remember Mike Yarwood’s name without first thinking “not Stanley Baxter, the other one”.
Steve Martin & Leslie Nielsen for me back in the day. White haired comedy actors so clearly the same person. Leslie Nielson was the one with a brother who was the Member of Parliament for Yukon. There, sorted.
“Public Access,” like Wayne’s World, is different from “Public Television.” Public Television is its own sort-of-network; it has a lot of nationally-seen shows like Sesame Street or Masterpiece Theatre, and locally-produced public-interest shows, that will often be shared to other Public TV stations. Public Access has largely disappeared since the internet. With Public Access, anyone from the public could sign up, take a two-hour class, and put a show on the air. They could either produce it themselves (borrowing equipment from the station) and bring in a tape, or broadcast live from the studio. As an aside, I had a show on Public Access, and we did more than one episode about Red Dwarf. Even got a very special guest star for one: https://youtu.be/kcvdVP88tmw
For a long time I would always mix up the movies of Brad Pitt and the movies of Leonardo DiCaprio. Which was kind of harsh on DiCaprio, considering he’s over a decade younger and as far as I’m aware has never been accused of domestic abuse. With DiCaprio, it’s more the fact that he’s like 50 and has never had a girlfriend over 30.
As an aside, I had a show on Public Access, and we did more than one episode about Red Dwarf. Even got a very special guest star for one: https://youtu.be/kcvdVP88tmw G&TV
Public Access TV was a world of hopeful amateurs and maniacs, sometimes both at the same time. It’s the best shit ever.
Thanks for clarifying, King Zilch, and I demand your Red Dwarf episodes are uploaded in full to YouTube post haste.
Thanks for clarifying, King Zilch, and I demand your Red Dwarf episodes are uploaded in full to YouTube post haste. Does the Internet Archive work? https://archive.org/details/the-movie-geek-show-Season02/TheMovieGeekShow_30_Smegfest97-1.mp4 https://archive.org/details/the-movie-geek-show-Season04/TheMovieGeekShow_76_Smegfest99.mp4 And here’s the complete video of my Danny John-Jules encounter: https://youtu.be/ALL8GqC6GF0 KCTS Channel 9, the PBS station that produced Swirly Thing Alert and others, was one of the first stations to show Red Dwarf in the US, starting in 1989. This was at their merch store. Through the 90s the Red Dwarf marathons were a regular event on channel 9, with their own Red Dwarf t-shirt for those who pledged. Having the stars of RD was a big event – usually pledge breaks just had some station personnel who may or may not know about the show. Even Joel McHale was higher-profile, known in the area for a locally-produced sketch comedy show called Almost Live!, that was also where Bill Nye The Science Guy made his reputation.
As I mentioned in the other thread, those KCTS pledge drives were my parents introduction to Red Dwarf, and off airs of same are where I watched Series I and III.
As I mentioned in the other thread, those KCTS pledge drives were my parents introduction to Red Dwarf, and off airs of same are where I watched Series I and III. Oh yeah, I had my tape of the first two seasons practically memorized. I tried to pause recording during the pledge breaks but I would go and pee and get a snack and end up missing the end of the break, so a couple of season one episodes were missing the opening. Did you have the famous KCTS Red Dwarf t-shirt?
Did you have the famous KCTS Red Dwarf t-shirt? Alas no, those tapes were a few years old by the time I was watching as a child and my parents caught them from north of the border.
Great podcast as always. Laughed when you gave Danny a hard time about the whole Cassandra situation. I’m on Danny’s side on this one. For many years I thought Geraldine McEwan and Zoë Wanamaker were the same person. Even as a stretched out piece of skin I immediately thought it was the same actress who played Cassandra in Red Dwarf. Also, a bodyless face in a frame is a similar visual to a bodyless head on a screen. In fact, given that the Doctor Who Cassandra wasn’t any kind of seer or fortune teller, I’d hazard a guess that Russell T Davies named the character after the Red Dwarf Cassandra.
Doug, RTD, John Sullivan and Mike Myers all independently named their respective Cassandras after their hot water bottles.
That was a popular period for pop cultural Cassandras: * Cassandra (Red Dwarf) – broadcast 1999 * Cassandra Cain (Batman) – 1999 * Cassandra Nova (X-Men) – 2001 * Cassandra (Soul Calibur 2) – playable debut 2002 * Cassandra (Doctor Who) – broadcast 2005 Is it reading too much into this to wonder if the name was unusually common because prophesies of disaster, and looking to the future more generally, were on people’s minds around the turn of the millennium?
Great Episode as always, i too really laughed at the bbc 80’s continuity announcemer impressions! i could be in the minority here, but in terms of Smeg Ups, i wanted the versions from the VHS, although identical but split in half over the two ‘Byte’ VHS’s, they started with the Series VIII titles sped up to like double speed which i enjoyed, i know they would have not matched every other Smeg Ups or anything on the DvD with not having the silver logo on space background, but i enjoyed the silly sped up titles and theme tune, am i in the minority?
I never had the VIII VHS tapes but those two smeg up compilations were included on the Just the Smegs DVD.
I never had the VIII VHS tapes but those two smeg up compilations were included on the Just the Smegs DVD. Completely forgot about Just The Smegs!! Cheers Clem
