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. Read more →
Red Dwarf: Complete Series I-XIII Box Set Review Reviews Posted by Ian Symes on 9th October 2025, 09:38 It doesn't feel too long ago that I was reviewing the last Red Dwarf box set, but it turns out that was six and a half years ago; we've been through a global pandemic, four new Prime Ministers and even a new monarch since then. There's only been one new episode of Red Dwarf broadcast during that time, but there is one very big difference between the 2025 box set and the 2019 one - the original BBC run and the Dave era are now joined together in one glorious whole. This is of course how it should be; despite the change of broadcaster, it was always a continuation rather than a reboot, and given that UKTV is now wholly owned by the BBC's commercial arm, there should be no barriers to the reunification of Red Dwarf. So it makes sense to replace the Series 1-VIII-only box set with a newly-released Every Episode Ever box set in the shops; there's no guarantees that all episodes will be available on iPlayer indefinitely, and so anyone who doesn't already own physical copies of the shows can pick them all up with one convenient purchase. But what about those of us who already have the 2019 box and all the individual releases between Back To Earth and The Promised Land? Is there any incentive for the hardcore to part with their hard-earned cash, other than completism? Other than the extra episodes themselves, is this box set a significant upgrade on the previous one? Read on to find out... Read more →
DwarfCast 175 – Re-Disc-overy: Series VII DwarfCasts Posted by Ian Symes on 22nd January 2025, 08:43 Subscribe to DwarfCasts: RSS • iTunes "A side-swipe at oven chips" As we enter the twentieth anniversary year of one of the most seminal short films of all time, it's an opportunity for us to reflect on our own pasts as we explore the The Movie: Yeah No Yeah No DVD, which features among its bonus material the entirety of Red Dwarf VII. It's the most personal trip down memory lane in our Re-Disc-overy series so far, as we not only commentate on the fan films, but also reveal all the behind the scenes details of the haphazard production processes, cringe at our past selves' incompetence, and consider how one simple film-making competition ultimately changed all three of our lives. But that's not all, as there's an awful lot to discuss in the rest of this three disc package too. Join us as we attempt to make amends for our past criticism of someone who really didn't deserve it, reminisce about the time Grant Naylor Productions threatened us with legal action, piece together Chris Barrie's whereabouts during the bits of Series VII he wasn't in, reveal the link between this DVD and the world of gardening, and begin to assemble our complete history of Red Dwarf via the medium of cancelling every single person involved. Read more →
DwarfCast 171 – Re-Disc-overy: Series VI DwarfCasts Posted by Jonathan Capps on 28th April 2024, 14:51 Subscribe to DwarfCasts: RSS • iTunes "Nic Farey is why we have to take off our shoes in airports" Even by the standards of the Red Dwarf DVDs, the series VI release was special and probably represents the arguable pinnacle of the original set of releases. As such, Cappsy, Danny and Ian had a marvellous time reliving an absolutely packed release of musical insight, more SFX behind the scenes goodies, plus a very amusing and previously unknown tale regarding Craig and horses! Read more →
DwarfCast 166 – Re-Disc-overy: Series IV DwarfCasts Posted by Ian Symes on 6th October 2023, 13:57 Subscribe to DwarfCasts: RSS • iTunes "Ribs and Pipes and Penises (oh my!)" Our voyage of re-disc-overy continues, as we tackle a most unusual release; the one that was out in the US before the UK, and that Young Cappsy managed to review before Young Ian for once. We rake over this bitterness as well as embarking on not one, not two, but three commentaries, forgoing the tradition of focusing on one big extra in favour of covering a handful of little bitty ones, the regular features that would otherwise be glossed over. Once again, we ensure that every single aspect of the release is discussed, and along the way we re-evaluate Hattie Hayridge's return to the role of Holly, try to get to the bottom of why the cast commentaries are so difficult to get through, and attempt to comprehensively solve the issues of both war and racism. Read more →
DwarfCast 163 – Re-Disc-overy: Series III DwarfCasts Posted by Jonathan Capps on 19th June 2023, 10:03 Subscribe to DwarfCasts: RSS • iTunes "The Gall of Gary Barlow" The third Red Dwarf DVD was released twenty years ago this November. It's time for another voyage of re-disc-overy, as we cast our minds back to a time of the online retail wild west, blossoming friendships and intense fansite rivalry. Although in practice, we probably spend more time reminiscing about our early Dimension Jump experiences than anything else, thanks to the choice of extra to receive the commentary treatment this time round, Hattie's DJ Diary. The surrounding, extremely waffley discussion takes in such topics as Red Dwarf's history with the AA, Craig Charles's overdue royalty payments, and farting in Ronnie Corbett's face. Each and every special feature is covered, we just hope that whatever you're using to watch your DVDs these days can actually access the menus... Read more →
DwarfCast 161 – Re-Disc-overy: Series 2 DwarfCasts Posted by Jonathan Capps on 14th April 2023, 13:36 Subscribe to DwarfCasts: RSS • iTunes "Could you make Patrick Stewart come in the middle of my television programme, please?" The second Red Dwarf DVD was released twenty years ago (as of a month and a half ago). Any bets as to whether we can get the next one done before this November? Back in early 2003 we had barely had chance to watch the first DVD more than two or three thousand times before another release was thrust into our sweaty palms. As is expected, the Series 2 DVD was very closely related to the first so you'd be forgiven for thinking this release might be a little less interesting, but as you will hear Danny, Ian and Cappsy still had plenty to talk about as they continue on their voyage re-disc-overy. Read more →
DwarfCast 157 – Re-Disc-overy: Series 1 DwarfCasts Posted by Ian Symes on 4th November 2022, 08:00 Subscribe to DwarfCasts: RSS • iTunes The first Red Dwarf DVD was released twenty years ago today. Yes, we regret to inform you that you're old. The fourth of November 2002 is a date indelibly printed on the brains of fans who spent months being teased and tantalised into a frenzy. Kids today with your YouTubes and your Netflixes and your Ministry of Sound may not appreciate just how big of a deal it was for Dwarf to join the digital revolution in such a wholehearted way, so gather round and listen to your Uncles Cappsy, Danny and Ian as we kick off a new series of DwarfCast retrospectives. For each edition of Re-Disc-overy, we're going to be sharing our memories of each DVD release, looking back on the media and fandom landscapes of the time, and of course revisiting and reassessing the many, many special features. Plus, we've picked out one extra per series to receive the commentary treatment, and this time it could only be Launching Red Dwarf. So get that lovely red box off your shelf, remove the dust from your ageing DVD player and join us as we discuss Red Dwarf's greatest unsung hero, unicycling jugglers, embarrassing Dimension Jump memories, the glory of Woolworths and much much more. Read more →
Let’s Talk About The Promised Land (on Bluray/DVD) News Posted by Ian Symes on 1st June 2020, 08:30 Nearly two months after broadcast, Red Dwarf: The Promised Land is out on Bluray and DVD today, the longest wait we’ve had for new episodes to appear on shiny disc since Back To Earth eleven years ago. That’s assuming people can get hold of their purchases today, of course; ever since the olden days of play.com with their lax attitude towards both release dates and VAT, pre-orders have generally turned up a few days before the official release more often than not, but apparently retailers and postal services have other priorities at the moment, the bastards. Amazon customers were initially advised that their delivery had been put back by several weeks, but this was revised in the last few days and the majority of orders have now been dispatched, as have orders with other retailers such as Zoom. So hopefully we’ll all get our copies within the next couple of days, one way or another. As with every release since 2002, we’ll be putting together a full and comprehensive review, although it may take longer than usual as your resident reviewer will be alternating between this and changing nappies. So while you wait for us to tell you the correct opinion on the packaging, the picture quality and the extras, use this thread to share your initial thoughts.
The Promised Discs News Posted by Ian Symes on 8th April 2020, 21:38 With just under 24 hours to go until The Promised Land airs on Dave, news broke of when we'd see it on shiny disc, thanks to Amazon's pre-order for the June 1st release of both the DVD and the Bluray turning up. A singular disc per format in this case, in a first for a Red Dwarf release, but one that's understandable given the size of the main feature. Mind you, Back To Earth was a similar running time and that managed a whole second disc of extras, admittedly in the rather different home media climate of eleven years ago. Instead, the rather attractive cover, naturally based on the fabulous poster, reveals that there's just under an hour's worth of bonus features, and they break down as follows: Read more →
