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I actually thought that it was the weakest episode so far this series. Too many sketches went on far too long and the one with the robot was the worst offender.

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> It really DOESN?T make any sense when the trailer is better than the movie, but that is so often the case.

Doesn’t it? It makes a lot of sense I think. If you can just pick the funniest or most dramatic moments and cram them into a short space of time then it stands a decent chance of impressing.

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I think the ‘Brylcreem’ gag is one of the best in Series VIII.

Unfortunately it’s followed up with the explanation which insults the intelligence of anyone watching.

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> Bloody hell, I?ve just stumbled across ITV1 showing a new impov series, using ITV ?faces? acting in scenes where everyone else has had the script. ?Thank God You?re Here?, it?s called. The format?s actually quite neat. Not as edgy as C4 or whatever, but Paul Merton?s hosting and I?ve hit a half-dozen decent laughs?

The format is fine I agree but the general consensus is that the Australian version is much, much better. There are some laughs there but not enough over an hour I think and some of the guests that they’ve chosen are poor (though bizarrely Fern Britton has been the best so far). Paul Merton also seems to be struggling.

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I watched a little of the Slattery/McShane show and I found them to be as they were on WLIIA. By that I mean that they’re certainly not to my taste. I really dislike McShane’s delivery and they both seem far too pleased with themselves.

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> Better than the early days of Paul Merton, Stephen Fry, Josie Lawrence, Sandi Toksvig, Mike McShane and the amazing Tony Slattery? Really? Cripes!

Well Merton and Fry could be very good no doubt. I think that the makers realised how important Mochrie and Stiles were though and that’s why they appeared in nearly every show together during one period. When you see them opposite Slattery, Lawrence, McShane etc. they really wipe the floor with them imo.

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> Which begs the question: Who, of today?s performers, would you put on a new edition of WLIIA?

They could try it with a lot of the same people who are on Mock the Week I guess. Really though I think it was Mochrie and Stiles who made WLIIA. When I watch the repeats, it’s those two who consistently make me laugh while the others rarely do.

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I decided to drag this thread up again as the DVD is released on Friday. Also, I noticed that Chris Barrie will be helping to promote it in some way.

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Personally I don’t think that TV is any better or worse than it has ever been before.

I think part of the reason why people feel it’s worse is due to romanticizing the past. For example, people talk about how there aren’t any great comedies like Python, Morecambe and Wise, Two Ronnies etc. any more. Nobody ever mentions things like Russ Abbot, Hale and Pace, Little and Large, Cannon and Ball etc. which all ran for ever too though. Are current shows really worse than those on the whole?

Also, people are far more picky over what they watch now. There are hundreds of channels and lots more other stuff that people can do to entertain themselves so people won’t just watch ‘anything’ like they used to.

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> The strange thing is Dwarfin? USA is probably better because the pilot footage isn?t present, a bit like watching Lost In La Mancha. Of course I would love to have seen both pilots on DVD, but the documentary itself does a really nice job of registering everyone?s opinions, having Doug and Robert talk the production side, before relishing in Craig Charles? bitterness.

And Danny’s bitterness of course.

I think the Dwarfin’ USA doc is as good as it could have been but I would love to see a doc which covers the situation from more than just Doug’s and Robert’s perspective. The chances of that happening are probably zero I know but Rob and all of the Americans involved would bring a whole new slant to things and why the show wasn’t a success I’m sure.

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> How old do we reckon he is? He trolls like a 14 year old and pontificates like a 40 year old.

But there was nothing in this thread that merited your response to it. Obviously everybody (or certainly me anyway) writes stupid things on the boards from time to time but in this thread it’s only you who has done that and not him. If you don’t like the way that somebody writes then why drag yourself down to their level or below?

In answer to the question, I think that the Series 8 doc is possibly my least favourite. Not really because of how it was made or anything but just because I disagree so strongly with some of the comments that are made. ‘A Ben Hur of Dwarves’ for example.

In some ways I think that the remastered doc is the best one because it covers things so succinctly. The other 7 series docs are all excellent as well though.

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I think you’re right about the Dark Ages DVD only being released in America. It pops up on ebay from time to time.

I agree that The Strangerers didn’t really work as a nine part series but I don’t think just shortening it would have solved many problems. They should have made Sarah Alexander’s and Mark Heap’s characters much more prominent I think to give the show some reality. To have constant strangeness was never going to be sustainable.

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> No, she wasn?t Japanese. I said she was hot, remember.

Apologies. I misinterpreted what you wrote. My Mistake.

> Yep, that?s it, I?m offended. Again.

I’m not sure why. It’s hardly a revelation that lots of Japanese women have a fetish for Western men. Not all by a long way but lots. Similarly plenty of Western men have a thing for Asian babes. Hardly groundbreaking stuff.

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> I went to high school with a kid who took Japanese and college and did great at it?despite the fact he was a big fat idiot slob loser. Also, he ended up dating a girl far hotter than anyone else in my circle of friends ever got. And he?s still with her to this day.

You mean a Western man found a hot Japanese girlfriend? Hardly a challenge.

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> Yeah, in all seriousness, I?m aware that I?m going to find it INCREDIBLY difficult. And if I ever want to become even vaguely competent at the simple stuff, it?s going to take masses of time and effort.

I think that if you work at it then you should be able to learn to speak it to a reasonable standard without ‘that’ much trouble. Once you get into the swing of it, it’s quite easy to pronounce Japanese words because there are only 5 vowel sounds. Pronouncing English is probably more difficult.

Also, if you ever do visit Japan then people will appreciate you speaking any Japanese and respond politely.

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N is The Monkees
http://www.monkees.net/default.htm

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N looks very like The Monkees to me.

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> Thousands

You’re probably right. I do agree though that the writing was just as big a problem as the casting. I guess that as soon as Alison Graham described the episode as being very special, it was almost a guarantee that it would be average at best.

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> I didn?t see any reason for it to be Kylie cast (aside from the star cachet? which appears to have worked if you look at the overnights) as opposed to someone with more in the way of recent acting experience.

Well exactly. Kylie is a likeable person but she really isn’t massively talented. There are hundreds of actresses who have more ability than her and could have played the role better. Hiring one of them would have improved the show but could have damaged the ratings.

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Geoffrey Palmer was excellent as always (and underused as already mentioned) but that was the best thing about it. They should try hiring actors based on their suitability for the role rather than on their fame (Kylie) or their being talked about as the next big thing (Russell Tovey).

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> People are saying LOTR is a step back from Brain Dead?

I don’t think that anyone was saying that. It was The Frighteners that was described like that.

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> Aye, and it?s his best film too. Bar none.

Better than Heavenly Creatures? Or Braindead? Not in my opinion. I thought it was a massive backward step.

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Thanks for the info.

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> You forgot the seven minutes of ?violence? removed with the careful use of a blunt razor blade and some gaffer tape.

Which violence was cut and who was involved in it?

Am about to start writing a uni dissertation about Bond and this could be useful to mention so would appreciate any help on the subject.

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British people enjoy moaning though don’t they. If they’d been polled 20 years ago then they probably would have said much the same thing.

I agree that there isn’t a classic mainstream sitcom at the moment but I guess that’s because a lot of the top comedy writers don’t want to make that type of show anymore.

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http://www.networkdvd.net/product_info.php?products_id=539

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> The other point is this: For every line you write about liking something, we get a dozen about what you don?t like. Is it really fair to only pipe up with your opinion when it?s a negative one?

That is completely untrue Andrew and I would suggest that the comments that I’ve made about The Bodysnatcher Collection show that.

I’ve praised the remastered doc including your narration, the other 2 docs, Doug and Ed’s commentaries, agreed that the remastered eps look better than they did on video, said that the Bodysnatcher script is impressive and would have made a good early episode, enjoyed Rob and Doug’s commentaries too…

Now that is, as far as I can see, all of the major stuff that’s on the box set.

I’m not sure why my not liking the text tracks and thinking that the group commentary isn’t particularly interesting should count for more than all of the praise that I have given to the content.

> I realise I?ve only made this point seventeen times, but nobody?s suggested anything like this.

I know you may find this hard to believe Andrew but not every post that I make is a reply to your’s. That post was specifically a reply to somebody else as it clearly stated.

> One point is that a review should, in majority, cover the CONTENT.

Haven’t I already said that I should have written about the content??? What’s the point of mentioning that again?

The bottom line is that one short review written on Amazon when I had a few spare minutes before a lecture is hardly going to massively affect sales. If anybody thinks it will then they can always add their own short 5 star review anyway.

Now I have praised the content of the DVDs, and your work on them, many times Andrew. I have specifically done it in this thread and I am doing it again now. I have also explained specifically that many threads on this type of board are about, ‘what you would have done differently’. That’s why people make suggestions and criticisms of everything icluding all of the series. How you can possibly think that that adds up to 12 negative comments for every positive one I don’t know.

Now can we please let this go because it’s not really that important is it.

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> Out of curiosity? how do you consider the other releases?

Well I bought all of the Series DVDs and Bodysnatcher which I guess is the thing which anybody can do to support the franchise most. Other than that, I’ve said many times that I like Series 1-6 a lot, like Series 7 & 8 less and think that the extras on the DVDs have been excellent. Obviously, as I said, I’ve made comments about small things on the DVDs that I think could have been better as most other people have too.

> ? OH thats what Ive been doing wrong all these years :D Thats your choice, and there?s many items Ive not purchased. BUT sometimes, I would buy something pointless to show my support. End of the day, Dwarf merchandise is Dwarf merchandise. There are many fans who buy EVERYTHING (me not one of them).

If you want to buy pointless stuff to show your support then that’s great. But my point was that that doesn’t suddenly stop other people from being fans as you previously implied.

> I just think your being unfair with your review. You could of been more fair in what you said, being a ?fan? and all?

Unfortunately I’ve never liked either Smeg Ups or Smeg Outs. I know lots of people do but I don’t. Would it really be fair therefore for me to post a review talking about how much I love them?

Now anybody who does like them is obviously free to post their review here, there or anywhere. Surely rather than complaining about me giving my honest opinion, that would be a better option.

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> This franchise deserves support.

The franchise gets support. The extras on the series DVDs are widely considered to be superb, most people seemed to like Beat The Geek and Bodysnatcher has also been very well received.

Of course people make suggestions about certain things which could have been done differently because that’s what message boards are all about. People make the same type of suggestions about all of the series as well but it doesn’t mean they are anti-Dwarf.

> Andrew, If you decided to re-release all the Dwarf DVD?s in a box with a shiny plastic badge, and an extra smeg or two, I?d still buy the bloody thing. Because Im a fan!

I think you are confused about one thing. The word fan does not translate as meaning somebody who will blindly and unquestioningly buy any piece of merchandise that goes on sale.

I’m sure lots of people will want to pay for the mobisodes, Just The Smegs etc. and will praise them which is fine. But some people might want to criticise them as well. Where’s the problem with that?

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> Yeah, in a way I?m the one who?s been a little unreasonable.

Andrew, this isn’t about anybody being unreasonable.

> But no reviews of I to VI, interestingly. Which suggests that Amazon?s review space is being used as an excuse to bash things about Red Dwarf that you don?t like, rather than as a place for balanced and measured opinion. Why nothing positive? Why no superbness?

Simply because I bought these DVDs much earlier when I wasn’t using Amazon. Nothing more than that.

> Having read your various DVD-based posts over the months, I?m not surprised exactly – 90% of DVD mentions bemoan something – but I don?t think you get to reclaim much high ground based on that first line.

It’s not about reclaiming high ground Andrew. It’s about giving an honest assessment of items so that other people can decide whether they want to buy them or not. Now I personally don’t think that Just The Smegs is a worthwhile purchase. Even if I didn’t already have the smegs on the other DVDs then I wouldn’t buy it. So there is no way that I can give it more than 2 stars. If other people, including yourself, feel differently then they can add their own reviews. That’s what it’s all about isn’t it?

Also, you seem to be implying that fans ought to give opinions that they don’t actually agree with so that people will buy Dwarf merchandise. I very strongly disagree with that.

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> How would this be a useful review of four entire series of the show? So, similarly, how is the text above a useful review of two specials that have, previously, always been pretty well regarded?

Well the comments about the character introductions do review that part of the content of the DVD. Other people find them funny which is fine but as I don’t there’s no point in pretending otherwise.

Also, if people haven’t bought the Series DVDs then they will know for themselves that they haven’t seen the material. Me saying that it is available elsewhere isn’t going to put them off from buying it.

I don’t see Just The Show and Just The Smegs as being the same kind of thing. Similar certainly but one contains entirely released material and the other doesn’t.

I do take your point though that I could and probably should have written a couple of lines about whether I find the actual smegs funny.

I think the first line of my review, which you omitted, probably negates the possibility that I’m ‘costing the franchise sales’ anyway as the other reviewer may do.

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Not Going Out essentially uses the dry white wine and perrier gag in one episode of the first series. Fitting I guess that new comedies should use Dwarf gags as Rob and Doug occasionally did the same thing with earlier shows.

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Personally I think that the Death ending is out of character with Dwarf as a show. It feels, to me at least, like an idea that could be ok in The Simpsons or Family Guy maybe if it was done right but to have Rimmer metaphorically meeting Death in Dwarf doesn’t work for me.

The other endings wouldn’t have been classics but I think the straightforward death scene would have been my preferred option.

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> Isn?t it interesting though that she found the English part of the insult more insulting than the bitch part.

It depends on the context though I guess. I’ve been mistaken for being English millions of times (I’m Welsh) and it doesn’t bother me in the slightest but if they used the word English like that then it would be bizarre.

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> 10 weeks in jail for calling a Welsh woman English!

Or ore accurately for calling her an English bitch. The jail sentence is bizarre but the fact that the man used any nationality in his insult shows that he’s a twat.

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Wasn’t it Caroline Quentin who didn’t want to do any more? Probably a good thing imo.

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I hate to say it but I thought the exact opposite. I thought that the first episode was good but they basically used up all of their decent ideas in that. As the viewing figures were poor and got worse, I really hope that they don’t commission a second series.

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This really must be the most pitiful list of nobodies that they’ve ever compiled for this show. Just how many celebrities have to turn you down before you decide on ‘celebrity’ chef John Burton Race?

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Personally I think that the stuff written by Rob and Doug together has to be separated from what was written by Rob and Doug alone. The Lister character (and the other characters) had changed into something slightly different by that point so it’s difficult to directly link them with the earlier series.

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I thought it was mostly dire. Last week it seemed promising but this week essentially had many of the same ideas, less successfully executed. It seems, to me at least, that they put all their best sketches into the first episode and very little left for week 2.

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Thought that it was a promising start but agree that it was too repetitive. Hopefully that won’t plague it throughout the series.

The Martin Freeman sitcom pilot was more impressive last night and certainly deserving of a series.

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I agree that that’s a poor line and the ‘it’s harder to get into than an airline Mini Kiev’is another example of that formula going wrong imo. First of all, it isn’t inventive as this sort of joke needs to be as someone already said and it also is something that probably very few of the audience can relate to at all.

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I guess it would still be possible to make a good Dwarf movie (though obviously not a profitable one) even if the cast were in their 70s. It would all depend on how Doug would write it.

I’ve already mentioned that I think Lister’s slobbishness would have to be toned down but I also think that the relationship between him and Kochanski would have to change a little. To have a couple of middle aged people (one of whom is very attractive) who had never been married, had children or really done anything could seem unconvincing.

The childishness of her character, and some of the other characters, might have to change a little too.

Those changes definitely could be made then but there would always be the possibility of the ’60 year old wearing a pair of shorts’ scenario developing if a comeback went wrong.

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> Series I was written before casting and rehearsals (with the exception of Me2). So the character wasn?t changed at all. What slobbishness was there is in the original scripts for the 40-something version – Lister always wearing the same shirt, due to saving up his pay, is in the very original pilot script (reprinted in the Omnibus).

ok. I stand corrected.

I think Rob and/or Doug have mentioned before though something about none of the slobbishness being there when they first conceived the character. I probably took the comment slightly out of context though.

I still think that it can be a problem. Paul Alexander has talked about how it feels wrong for middle aged men to act like students and if Craig Charles had been in his mid-40s for all of those series (a physical impossibility I know) then Lister could have seemed a much sadder and less likeable character.

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>> That Lister was a completely different character though and I think that age is relevant to the character as he has always been written for the TV show

>Not always. Most of series one was written for the brain-fried, washed-out 40-something Lister.

Sure, but the character had already been changed to incorporate the slobbishness which would now be difficult to pull off.

The ‘what’s an iguana?’ comment to me indicates more a lack of general knowledge than anything else. I can think of a lot of people who I’ve met who wouldn’t ever have heard of one.

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That Lister was a completely different character though and I think that age is relevant to the character as he has always been written for the TV show. Having a man in his 20s who is a slob and a bum is fine but it’s much more difficult to pull that off when you have an actor who is in his mid-40s (or older) in the role.

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Well, I agree with you up to a point there. I’m sure that if something like Dad’s Army had been released as a movie without having been a TV series first then it probably would have got much better reviews.

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The thing is that although films like Dad’s Army and The Likely Lads are considered to be ok, they aren’t considered by many to be a patch on the actual TV episodes. Dad’s Army had them coming face to face with the Nazis which most consider to have been a mistake and The Likely Lads had them going on a trip which took them away from their usual haunts. Most sitcoms are only constructed to be 30 mins long obviously and to stretch it any longer means moving them from their usual habitat which damages things before you’ve even begun.

Any Dwarf movie wouldn’t have that problem because of the setting so it has an advantage in that way at least. If Rob and Doug had ever written a feature length episode back in the day then that might have been interesting.

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I read the comments that John made about U.S. made britcoms, and was surprised that he considers it to be a myth that most britcoms that have been made into movies have been rubbish. I struggle to think of any that have really succeeded both commercially and critically.

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