DwarfCast 137 – Skipper Commentary DwarfCasts Posted by Jonathan Capps on 11th June 2021, 11:38 Subscribe to DwarfCasts: RSS • iTunes Another day, another DwarfCast milestone as we have finally completed our commentaries on all traditionally lengthed Red Dwarf episodes, marking an end to a series of casts going back to 2006. Unless Series XIII comes along, of course. Also, we're going to do The Promised Land in a few weeks. And we'll likely revisit some old episodes if we feel like it. But still. Anyway, join Ian, Cappsy and Danny as they jump between dimensions to see if they can find a reality in which Doug remembers he wrote Dimension Jump and Stoke me a Clipper as they have a jolly old time talking over the final episode of Red Dwarf XI, Skipper. Read more →
DwarfCast 102 – Series XII Retrospective Byte Two DwarfCasts Posted by Ian Symes on 12th October 2019, 15:22 Subscribe to DwarfCasts: RSS • iTunes Following last week's celebration of Series XII's second anniversary, we're back to celebrate Series XII's second second anniversary, with what's possibly the happiest and most overall positive DwarfCast we've ever done on the subject of Dave-era Red Dwarf. It's Byte Two of our series retrospective, with John Hoare, Tanya Jones, Danny Stephenson and Ian Symes returning to ruminate on Mechocracy, M-Corp and Skipper, as well as assessing the series, and indeed the XI and XII production block, as a whole. Along the way we discuss alternative pronunciations of "Mechocracy", how episodes of Red Dwarf are in fact cobbled together from CCTV footage, invisible dildos, the logistics of owning planets, why Mr Rat is a fried egg chilli chutney sandwich face, and alternative pronunciations of the word "grimace". Because this was recorded several months ago, there's also speculation that Skipper might be the last ever episode of Red Dwarf, which seems increasingly less likely after the events of the last few days, but never mind. Read more →
DwarfCast 96 – Mac McDonald Interview Xtended DwarfCasts Posted by Ian Symes on 16th November 2017, 21:35 Subscribe to DwarfCasts: RSS • iTunes Last Friday morning - a mere twelve hours after Skipper had landed on UKTV Play - a DwarfCast splinter group consisting of Ian Symes, Danny Stephenson and Jo Sharples descended on returning guest star Mac McDonald's house, and he foolishly decided to let us in, for the second time in as many years. Later that night, we played you a brief snippet during the Live DwarfCast, but our conversation was long and rambling, so here's the full-length uncut version. Our rambling chat touched upon all manner of Skipper-related topics, such as last-minute script amendments, the similarities between Mac and Hollister, the benefits of budget constraints, Doug's approach as a director and what happened to Hollister after Series VIII. We also touched upon such diverse topics as lost luggage, being cast in Batman, Donald Trump, pornography, moustaches and tales from the rehearsals of the Red Dwarf Movie. Read more →
Let’s Talk About Skipper (on Dave) News Posted by Ian Symes on 16th November 2017, 09:00 Hello there, Dave viewers. The time has come. After tonight, you won’t be Dave viewers any more, and the other lot won’t be UKTV Play viewers – we’ll all be one glorious whole again. The final episode of Series XII airs at 9pm tonight on Dave, after which we can finally retire the longest-serving Spoiler Policy in Red Dwarf history. But until that moment comes, this is the thread for non-spoilery discussion of Skipper, and we’d ask that anyone who’s seen the episode already should please be careful not to give anything away until it’s been on the telly. When we’re finally all on the same page again, you might want to catch up on the Play-paced discussion thread, or listen to the epic and somewhat emotional final Live DwarfCast of the series, or read the in-depth written review of the episode, provided by yours truly. But save some room for pudding, because after the episode airs tonight, we’ll be releasing a bonus DwarfCast containing an Xtended interview with a member of the Skipper guest cast. Take one last look at that Spoiler Policy graphic, folks. *salutes*
Red Dwarf XII: Skipper Review Reviews Posted by Ian Symes on 14th November 2017, 16:49 For the third time since Red Dwarf's revival, I find myself sitting down to review a series finale, and pondering the very nature of what a series finale ought to entail. The Beginning went for an emotional resolution, leaving the characters very much in a place where they can be picked up again, but providing a satisfying full stop to their adventures if the worst came to the worst. Can of Worms didn't have to do that, and indeed it wasn't initially designed to be the final episode; it was placed at the end presumably because it was deemed to be one of the strongest, with an attention-grabbing premise to raise expectations. Skipper aims to tick both of those boxes, and yet in many ways it's like no Red Dwarf finale that's been before. While it shares with Back To Reality the threat of a fundamental change to the show's formula, it packs so many big and varied ideas into its running time that it feels more along the lines of a Doctor Who finale - throwing handfuls of elements from the history of the series together, jumbling them all up and turning everything up to 11. It super-serves the hardcore fans and hooks in the casual and lapsed ones with a much-publicised returning guest star, then hits them all with surprise after surprise when it gets underway. Such a unique episode of Red Dwarf needs to be tackled in a different way. The story can be split into three distinct stages, both in terms of the progression of the plot and the journey of the main character. So let's deal with those stages one by one. Read more →
DwarfCast 95 – Live Skipper Instant Reaction DwarfCasts Posted by Ian Symes on 11th November 2017, 13:22 Subscribe to DwarfCasts: RSS • iTunes It's the final live DwarfCast of the series, and this very special occasion is marked with an almost full set of G&Ters gathering in the same room at the same time. John Hoare, Tanya Jones, Danny Stephenson and Ian Symes, along with returning guest star Jo Sharples of the Red Dwarf Fan Club, came armed a whole heap of opinions on the series finale, and a few surprises up our sleeves, the most exciting of which is an exclusive interview with... Read more →
Let’s Talk About Skipper (on UKTV Play) News Posted by Ian Symes on 9th November 2017, 21:36 It’s the end. But the moment has been prepared for, with this here discussion thread. More than two and half years after Doug Naylor announced that twelve new episodes had been commissioned, we’ve reached the twelfth. For the last time this year, and possibly ever, at 10:20pm it will be time to frantically refresh UKTV Play until we see the word “Skipper“. Unless you’re in the dimension where it’s already been released, in which case the link is below. IT’S THE FINAL LINK. Don’t be sad when it’s all over, because there’s still one more LIVE Instant Reaction DwarfCast to come, and it should be rather a good one. Not only will we have a series-high amount of G&Ters in the same room at the same time, we’ve also got an exciting extra surprise that’s so exciting and surprising that we can’t tell you about it until after you’ve watched the episode – head to the comments if you want to know what it is. Don’t miss all of this and more at 9pm on Friday – as usual, the link will appear on here, on our Twitter feed and our Spreaker page at 8:40pm.
Time keeps on Skippering News Posted by Jonathan Capps on 8th November 2017, 10:18 I can’t quite believe it but tomorrow marks the end of Series XII for UKTV Play when it only seems like yesterday that Lister was playing a duet with Hitler. It will also be the first time in almost two years that there will be no new Red Dwarf waiting in the wings for us. This could very well be the end. Don’t fret, though, as for the final time this year we’ve been given a teaser clip for the forthcoming finale Skipper – and it’s a good ‘un. Continue reading →
