Joking Apart

Todhunter and Kryten appear together on DVD... sort of.

26 May, 2006

If ever there was a DVD, after Red Dwarf, that deserves a place in your collection, it's the award-winning BBC2 comedy series Joking Apart - out on May 29th.

For those who don't know the show, it starred Robert Bathurst - Red Dwarf's Todhunter - as comedy writer utterly failing to cope with his recent divorce. There was a lot of black humour, and a device that showed Mark's thought process as a stand-up comedian, but the show was mostly focussed on some brilliantly-structured farce.

It comes from the pen of Coupling and Press Gang writer Steven Moffat, a sci-fi legend in recent years thanks to his authorship of three of the best Doctor Who stories to date - The Empty Child, The Doctor Dances and The Girl in the Fireplace. And watch out for Robert Llewellyn - the Kryten actor makes a guest appearance in episode four in his 90s persona of 'new man'.

The DVD is being released by fledgling company Replay DVD, a label created entirely due to one Joking Apart fan's desire to see his favourite show get a home release. After exhaustive and popular campaigning from jokingapart.com failed to convince bigwigs to do the right thing, Craig Robins put his money where his mouth was.

You can read the full, impressive story at replaydvd.co.uk, the only place Joking Apart is currently being sold. (PayPal, cheque or postal order only.) And if one man's tireless efforts and his totally professional DVD release don't impress you, how about this - bonus material!

Outdoing many standard industry releases, Joking Apart includes four episode commentaries by Moffat, Bathurst and co-stars Fiona Gillies and Tracie Bennett, as well as a well-made retrospective documentary 'Fool If You Think It's Over'.

Anyone who has heard Moffat's Who commentaries knows that the guy gives great microphone, and Robins confirmed to reddwarf.co.uk that this new release sees him on top form. "Steven Moffat is excellent value, even when he isn't trying. There is a great moment of accidental comedy right at the start of the last commentary where Steven manages to leave himself speechless!"

We're wishing Replay every success - if only because we want to make sure they follow up with a release of the show's second (and final) series!

Want to know more about the show? Check out the Mr Flibble interview with Robert Bathurst.