The Garbage Podcast

In this edition of our continuing celebration of Series III’s 25th anniversary, we sit down to talk about Marrooned for our latest commentary.

Sitcoms derive a lot of these hummour from the relationships and atangonism between the charecters, and this episode takes that to it’s logical conclusion. Trapping Craig Charles in an inhospitible waste and forcing him to talk, simply to stay sane and not think about food certainly provided a strong start to this year’s ‘I’m a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here’, and we like to think it was all done in tribute to this classic episode of Red Dwarf.

Is the show strongest when it has this minimal type of set up? Is this perhaps the strongest episode of the show? And why are we even bothering to discuss this episode rather than the obvious all time classic; Red Christmas? These pay-per-view mobile friendly topics and more are discussed as Alex, James and Andrew look at an episode that is difficult to surpass.

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Having started doing commentaries for the 25th anniversary of each episode last year, we’re back to mark the anniversary of Series II with a brand new series of Garbage Podcasts. In this edition, we sit down to watch the fan favourite that is Backwards. There is unquestionably a marked difference between this episode and what came before in Series II, and for many it’s the episode they joined the show with. Some however believe it to be undeserved praise, and see the show as a blip in quality for the sake of a cheap gag. But overall, the show’s repeated high ranking in polls suggests that for the majority it’s an episode fans are happy to watch again and again.

Is the episode more than just a gimmick? Does this signal a major tonal shift for the show? And just how little does one have to pay Arthur Smith to have him complain about any given topic?

We rip into these topics like Cat rips into a hillbilly with his barbed penis in the novel version, as Alex, James and Andrew look at the start of a what many consider to be the start of the classic formula for the show.

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Last year September we marked the 25th anniversary of Series II with a series of commentaries for each episode because… well mainly because we’d done the same for Series I and we’d made a rod for our own back. But when sitting down to do the same for Series III, we realised we’d forgotten to ask Andrew to turn up to record.

Always ones to waste an opportunity, we decided to go ahead anyway and instead preview the series by looking at the forwards version of Backwards on the DVD. It’s been questioned before if it’s worth having the whole episode in reverse rather than just highlights, and to make some kind of petty point we reversed the audio of this commentary (though this edition has been put forwards again so that we are comprehensible and no longer sound German). We’re making a point, but we’re not actually addressing it at the team behind the DVD. We’re addressing it at the one prat on the internet who’s bothered to get this recording, turn it round, and actually work out the rubbish we’re saying. What a poor sad life they’ve got!

Does any of the episode make sense when watched in reverse? Has anyone ever watched it from start to finish? And what happens when you bring in Kerry Shale to remaster Series I for the Japanese market? These tedious topics and more are discussed as Alex and James get them out of the way before starting on the Series III commentaries properly later this week.

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In this edition of our continuing celebration of Red Dwarf’s silver anniversary, we mark the 25th anniversary of the initial airing of Parallel Universe with our latest commentary for the episode. In a Series of incredible highs it seems somewhat strange to go out on an episode that is generally the lowest ranked of the series in most people’s opinions. One of the reasons often cited is the questionable sexual politics of the show; a criticism that will come up more than once over the course of the Red Dwarf’s ten series. But are we too harsh on this episode? It could be argued that it has something of a reputation that it doesn’t deserve, but equally it’s not unfair to say that in this case the problem with it more to do with the writing rather than the concept.

Did anyone buy the Tongue Tied VHS anywhere other than in Poundland? Just what is the female equivalent of a big banana? And are 3 middle class males really the best people to be discussing the subject of sexual politics without descending into euphemism? Join Alex, James and Andrew for a long hard look at these topics as they try to penetrate the last episode of the series in this week’s Garbage Podcast.

The post The Garbage Podcast Series II Commentaries: Parallel Universe appeared first on The Spoilist.

In this edition of our continuing celebration of Red Dwarf’s silver anniversary, we mark the 25th anniversary of the initial airing of Queeg with our latest commentary for the episode. This fan favourite sees Holly shine with an episode devoted to his character. While we would see this again to a certain extent in White Hole, this is the episode where Norman’s incarnation of the character is arguably at it’s best, and manages to create some of the most fondly remembered lines of the series.

Why does this Holly seem so removed from the pop up pun machine of the later series? Can you feel for Veale? And with such a good episode, why are we seemingly just talking about Series VIII and the remastered project here? Join Alex, James and Andrew as they avoid addressing all the relevant issues in this week’s Garbage Podcast.

The post The Garbage Podcast Series II Commentaries: Queeg appeared first on The Spoilist.

In this edition of our continuing celebration of Red Dwarf’s silver anniversary, we mark the 25th anniversary of the initial airing of Stasis Leak with our latest commentary for the episode. With this episode, we see the show developing it’s own mythology to expand the types of stories we can have and allow us to have the original crew of the ship back again. It’s the last occasion that we’ll see this until Series VIII and the last time we’ll see Kochanski until Series VI, and as such this episode almost acts as a goodbye to that element of the show. This episode also sees the crew playing around in time once again this series, and it’s something that will continue throughout the shows run, doubtless due to the success of its use in episodes like this.

Would you say being woken up to find everyone you know has died is romantic? Why are the ship’s doctors try to treat a mental breakdown with a blood transfusion? And why don’t we spend more time talking about what is clearly the most interesting thing about the show; the corridors? Everybody loves a good corridor. It’s the corridors that really make or break a show. So join Alex, James and Andrew for some fascinating corridor discussion, corridor analysis and corridor comparison in this week’s Garbage Podcast. And did we mention the corridors?

The post The Garbage Podcast Series II Commentaries: Stasis Leak appeared first on The Spoilist.

In this edition of our continuing celebration of Red Dwarf’s silver anniversary, we mark the 25th anniversary of the initial airing of Thanks For The Memory with our latest commentary for the episode. While Series II starts to expand the scope of the show, this episode sees Rob and Doug conducting another character study as was more common in Series I. The audience are asked to think serious questions of both Lister and Rimmer’s attitudes and outlooks, and in doing so themselves we see the characters becoming friends in a way that seemed so inconceivable in the previous series.

Is the gift of memory a kind one? How long does it take to do a jigsaw when you’re drunk? And is it possible for a sandwich with egg in to ever be wrong? Join Alex, James and Andrew as these piece these issues together in their look at this underrated classic.

The post The Garbage Podcast Series II Commentaries: Thanks For The Memory appeared first on The Spoilist.

In this edition of our continuing celebration of Red Dwarf’s silver anniversary, we mark the 25th anniversary of the initial airing of Better Than Life with our latest commentary for the episode. With this episode, Series II really feels as if it is getting underway with the introduction of location filming and an opening of worlds allowing the show to expand out of it’s previous confines and move closer to the adventure-sitcom format it would eventually take on. It also sees the start of a change in the way that Rimmer is written, with a greater insight into the character’s makeup and how his childhood played a part in making him the man he was.

Is a miserable day in Rhyl anyone’s idea of paradise? What are the pros and cons of a mermaid’s anatomy? And just what uses could John Pomphrey find for a pint of Laxo? These disgusting topics and more are discussed as Alex, James and Andrew look at an episode that contains a central idea so good that it’d go on to become the basis of the second Red Dwarf novel.

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Back in February we marked the 25th anniversary of Series I with a series of commentaries for each episode, and with today being 25 years since the start of Series II it seemed only fitting to do this series too. So, just as with the last series, there will be a new episode of The Garbage Podcast for every episode of Series II released on the anniversary of each episodes’ initial airing. This first edition takes a look at Kryten and ponders just how much has changed in the 6 months between this series and the first, as well as thoughts on the introduction of what would become one of the show’s best loved characters.

Does this episode contain the single worst effect in the show’s history? Can you really liven up any set with an inflatable banana? And just which of the cast is wearing a secret merkin? These libellous topics and more are discussed as Alex, James and Andrew look at the start of a series that sees the show taking far more confident steps and showing signs of what it will become.

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