Dwarfcasts (a Red Dwarf Podcast)

With brand new Red Dwarf back on our screens, no pesky lockdown was going to prevent us from forcing our semi-formed, barely-thought-through opinions on you via a live platform. The entire G&T team of Jonathan Capps, Danny Stephenson and Ian Symes logged on to the G&T Towers remote access point, as did our guests Phil Pagett, Jo Sharples and Shelly Smith. And there was much to talk about over the course of two damn hours, including giant floppy disks, fake deaths, moonlight, a bit of unfortunate outdated language, the new Gary Glitter of space, surprising siblings, a more fitting name for the Anubis Stone, and men of painted neck. For the first time ever, we bothered to properly integrate the Skype feed into our broadcasting console, rather than just turning the speakers up loud enough to be picked up by the microphone in the room and hoping for the best. It worked a little too well on the night, with the Skype correspondents much higher in the mix than the people behind the desk, but we've managed to tweak t

Fire up your podcast feed, abandon a baby in a pub and shoot an alternate version of your ex-girlfriend with a harpoon gun, because the latest victim of the DwarfCast commentary treatment is Ouroboros, the Xtended version no less. And as it tradition for the less good episodes of Red Dwarf, it falls to the double act of Danny Stephenson and Ian Symes to do the honours, because nobody else could face it. So join them as they continuously fail to remember which bits are Xtended and which aren't, and complain about the awkward pauses added by the process, while also leaving their own awkward pauses. Nevertheless, there's plenty to discuss, including JMC's fickle uniform policy, comparisons between what's on screen and what was in an early draft of the script, how to make a disintegrator, the incestuous implications of the episode's big twist and exactly what "hospital corners" means. Oh, and the "you're lying" thing comes up every now and then. This is the last of the DwarfCasts we banked earlier this year, so p

No, really. Ahead of their new sketch show pilot The Nether Regions airing on BBC Radio 4 on Thursday 24th October at 11pm, Rob Grant and Andrew Marshall invited your intrepid DwarfCast team of Ian Symes, Danny Stephenson and Jo Sharples for a big old chat at Rob's kitchen table. We touched upon the "terrifying" experience of performing in front of an audience, the intricacies of their writing process, the sketches and characters that didn't make the final cut, their "bloody magnificent" producer Gordon Kennedy, and also got the latest on Quanderhorn Series 2. And yes, we also discussed another show that Rob co-created, covering his experiences at Dimension Jump, being back on set for the first time since the 90s, and the possibility of him ever writing for Red Dwarf again. All this, plus 2point4 Children, Son of Cliche, Strange, Week Ending and how Rob's The Strangerers caused unexpected problems for one of Andrew's series. We also grill Andrew about his connection to Marvin The Paranoid Android, get Rob's t

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 nev

We published the first part of our Series X semi-retrospective two months after the first episode aired. For Series XI, we waited five months. Today is the second anniversary of Series XII launching on UKTV Play, so I guess it's time to admit that we no longer have a "semi" on our hands. Yes, having finally given up on the plan to get all five of us together in one room, join 80% of the G&T team - namely John Hoare, Tanya Jones, Danny Stephenson and Ian Symes - as we look back on Cured, Siliconia and Timewave. Revisiting the episodes with fresh eyes and ears, we analyse how they stand up now that they're no longer brand new, and track how our opinions have changed since our initial instant reactions. Spoilers: we're still not keen on Timewave. Along the way we discuss Doug's obsession with castration, Uncle Frank's questionable true nature, the purpose of James Buckley, a surfeit of MILFs, how annoying it is to have coffee poured on one's bollocks, and how to fix the "spit on her wrist" joke with one simple w

That's 100th DwarfCast. Not 100th PodCast like you and Skeletor think. Very nearly thirteen whole years ago, a group of young and self-important Red Dwarf fans decided to tip their toes into the barely-chartered waters of podcasting, unleashing their verrucas into the world with the first edition released on October 1st 2006. The fact that it's taken this long for the hundredth episode to come out should be a source of embarrassment and regret, but instead, brace yourself for the most self-indulgent and smug thing we've ever done: a documentary about ourselves, which runs for nearly an hour and a half. Join Jonathan Capps, John Hoare, Tanya Jones, Daniel Stephenson and Ian Symes for a look back on the history, highlights and lowlights of what is undoubtedly a podcast about Red Dwarf, ably assisted by a former regular making a one-off guest appearance many years later, reddwarf.co.uk editor Seb Patrick. We discuss the origins of DwarfCasts, the evolution of our style from ill-informed dickheads to slightly-bet

May 2019. Broadcunting House lies abandoned, a layer of dust coating its various microphones, laptops and indigenous cats. Suddenly, a door opens, a switch is flicked, and a light bulb slowly stutters into life. From the shadows emerge four mysterious, yet sexy, figures. An ancient warning system is triggered, issuing a familiar call to arms. "Awooga", it cries, "this is a DwarfCast". And it bloody well is. It's only the third one since Series XII finished, and the first regular episode commentary that we've bothered to release since September 2017. We are back. So join John Hoare, Tanya Jones, Danny Stephenson and Ian Symes as we jabber on over Emohawk: Polymorph II, covering such topics as Series VI's change in direction, Covington Cross, the distinction between different types of GELF, where Starbug's corridors come from, and the nature of the sphincter. We then lapse into a bit of a discussion of Series VI in general, and how it possibly represents Rob and Doug perfecting the very art of the half-hour sit

It's been eight days since the start of the twentieth Dimension Jump convention, honouring the thirtieth anniversary of Red Dwarf, and to be honest we still haven't fully recovered. If you're looking for a comprehensive, chronological and coherent guide to what happened over the weekend, you won't find that here (Gazpacho Soup's social media roundup does a good job of that). Instead, we waited until the early hours of Monday morning, when everyone was at their most tired and emotionally involved, and gathered whichever attendees and team members were still around, regardless of their levels of energy or sobriety. It offers a fairly accurate snapshot of the mind of your average Red Dwarf fan having come to the end of such a special weekend. Our random anecdotes and memories include our reactions to the weekend's bits and bobs for Dwarf news - ie. the current status of the Blurays and Series XIII, behind the scenes goss about the time Jo accidentally stalked Charles Augins, speculation as to the contents of a "

To celebrate Red Dwarf's 30th anniversary, we took the airwaves (and indeed to the booze) to have a bit of a party. In a rambling, meandering and slightly shambolic show weighing in at just over two hours long, the entire G&T team - Cappsy, John, Tanya, Danny and Ian - plus special guest Jo Sharples, gathered to discuss the Pearl Poll results in very fine detail, reveal how our own preferences stack up to the general consensus, attempt our first live episode commentary on The End, and open the show up to the listeners in a chaotic phone-in free-for-all, which touched on subjects such as the Smegazines, the differences between the solo novels, Red Dwarf USA, and one hundred duck-sized Norman Lovetts.

As part of our Live 30th Anniversary DwarfCast, also available in full elsewhere on the feed, we attempted our first ever live episode commentary. Join Jonathan Capps, John Hoare, Tanya Jones, Danny Stephenson, Ian Symes and Jo Sharples as they discuss all things The End, such as Chris Barrie's thights, Craig Charles's testicles, clipboards, reused bits of set and the back of Doug Naylor's head.

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. Oh, and as an added bonus we're giving you another chance to hear the spectacular finale to last Friday's Live DwarfCast, ou

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... Mac McDonald! So join us to discuss all things Skipper, including giant rats, disembodied heads, bicycle gags, back references, star knots, escape pod windows, the returning Holly, the non-returning Holly and Captain Hollister's gruesome death. Plus, we look back on the series as a whole, look forward to the forthcoming DVD/Bluray release, and say Ed Bye in the only way we know how, by finishing on a song.

In what is possibly a first for G&T, a consensus has been formed regarding the quality of a new episode, and it's not negative. To document this momentous occasion, 80% of the team - namely Jonathan Capps, John Hoare, Tanya Jones and Ian Symes - congregated to explain exactly how this has come about, along with our excellent guests Jo Sharples and Shelley Smith, both of the Official Red Dwarf Fan Club. Join us for noticeably jollier than average discussion about all things M-Corp, including perception filters, word counts, virtual worlds, puppetry, birthday presents, startup sounds, vibrators, radio jingles, and whether or not cats wank. We also round up Richard Naylor's revelations on Mechocracy, find ourselves once again pondering the possibility of a Red Dwarf Movie, and look ahead to what appears to be a jam-packed series finale.

Dust off your rosettes and buff up your ballot box, it's time for the strong and stable podcast that caters for the few, not the many. Mechocracy is this week's political hot potato, but G&T failed to return a majority, so John Hoare and Ian Symes entered into a coalition of chaos with Joey Newsome and Carrie Parsons of the Fan Club, and independent member Curtis Threadgold. Topics on the agenda include manipulative mopping, surprise re-appearances, how many times Rimmer has killed himself, smear campaigns, the women of Doncaster, and how many letters there are in the names of various colours. We also find time to squeeze in Some News, look ahead to M-Corp and end on an impromptu examination on how the Dave era is perceived.

Who'd have thought it: the episode about a place where criticism is illegal is the one that's attracted more criticism than any other this series. Join John Hoare, Tanya Jones, Danny Stephenson, Ian Symes and the Fan Club's Jo Sharples for a spot of criticising, castigating, chiding, blaming, harping, panning and scoffing at Timewave. It's not pretty at times, but I'd like to think we at least covered the reasons why we reacted so badly to the episode, and we were aided by two fantastic guests - Shelley Smith and Dan Pendleton - to give their perspectives on some of the trickier topics. The brilliant subjects that we really enjoyed discussing to death included the problematic portrayal of the Enconium's crew, Cat's problematic attitude to women, unresolved plots, repetitive jokes and speedy resolutions. Plus, for the second week in a row we discuss the word "clitoris" and Operation Yewtree, although not at the same time. On the plus side, there are positive comments at a rate of roughly one every twelve minut

Whose idea was it to do a live DwarfCast on Friday 13th? This was supposed to be the first glorious coming together of the entire G&T team this series, but while Jonathan Capps and Danny Stephenson successfully dialled in to join Ian Symes and "guest" Jo Sharples at G&T Towers, John Hoare and Tanya Jones were stuck in traffic as a result of a local stabbing. Would they make it to Broadcunting House in time to discuss all things The One Where Everyone's Kryten with us? Tune in to find out, as well as discovering which side of the "best episode in years"/"worst episode in years" axis we all sit, the implications of Rimmer's dream of being a fish, the difference between a MILF and a clitoris, and the origins of Baby Don't Be Ovulating Tonight. Plus, we round up all the latest news we've neglected to write about properly, give our thoughts on the latest UKTV Play controversy, and do a live audio-only taste-test of some actual Leopard Lager.

The long wait is finally over. Red Dwarf is BACK and so are our LIVE DwarfCasts - in a change from Series XI, these are now happening at UKTV pace, meaning they're back to being (almost) Instant Reactions. First up, a rather under-strength G&T team was represented by Ian Symes, joined by a trio of guests: Jo Sharples of The Official Red Dwarf Fan Club fame, Helena Raymonde of hanging round car parks with Robert Llewellyn fame, and Clayton Hickman of actual fame. Yes, the former editor of Doctor Who Magazine and writer for The Sarah Jane Adventures and Wizards vs Aliens popped round to G&T Towers to chat all things Cured. Topics included Hitler, wheelchair ramps, shooting someone in the face, UKTV Originals branding, Hitler again, Stalin's lookalikes, the quality of Series XII's special effects, the quality of Series XII's episode titles, more Hitler, and whether or not Lister should just fuck off.

With just over a month until Red Dwarf XII debuts on Dave (and most likely just under a month until it debuts on UKTV Play), what the world needs right now is another discussion about Series VII. Luckily, we've picked one of the better episodes of that particular run as the subject for our latest commentary. Get ready to update your spreadsheets at home, and tick off Stoke Me A Clipper. Join Cappsy, Danny, Ian and the Fan Club's Jo Sharples (who, by the way, has recently announced the dates for the next Dimension Jump), as we discuss such diverse topics as the perils of a cold opening for a small child, Craig Charles's secret past as a Leeds United supporter, the similarities between Ace Rimmer and Ford Prefect, another early role on Red Dwarf for Richard Naylor, plastikkrokodil and why Lister's tie is so shiny. Plus, we offer up a possible solution to a plot hole that's been bugging Cappsy for over twenty years.

It can't have escaped anyone's attention that things have been a bit slow on the old DwarfCast front of late. It's becoming increasingly difficult to get sufficient numbers of us together in the same room, but we managed to gather three on a Friday night last month. And how did we mark this rare and joyous occasion? By watching the fourth worst Red Dwarf episode of all time. You're welcome. So join Jonathan Capps, Danny Stephenson, Ian Symes and the Fan Club's Jo Sharples as we discuss mostly the bad bits of Only The Good..., covering such diverse topics as how to amuse yourself in prison, multiple piss-poor fonts, Danny John-Jules's cracking set of pins, having it off with Hollister, what the opposite of lemon is, and Richard Naylor's first producer job.

It has now been a full seven days since the start of The Official Red Dwarf Fan Club's nineteenth convention, but the feeling of elation is yet to wear off, along with the taste of the booze and the complete physical and mental exhaustion. To preserve the memories for years to come, as well as to fill in those who were unable to attend, a merry band of extremely tired people congregated in a hotel room on the Sunday night to record the traditional post-DJ DwarfCast. Those people were Danny Stephenson and Ian Symes from G&T, Alex Newsome, Joey Newsome, Carrie Parsons, Shelley Smith and Jo Sharples from the Fan Club, DJ helpers Amy Foley, Kiran Parsons, Tom Pyott and Lauren Seamans, and DJ attendees Mark Bowen, Stephen R. Fletcher, Heledd Flower, Dan "Pendo" Pendleton and Jonathan "Jonsmad" Young. We tried to go through the weekend in chronological order, but it soon descended into a hotch-potch of such diverse topics as pink helmets, giant bazookoids, confused firemen, Michael McGruder, six degrees of separati