Hi Peter,
Thanks for the input. I hope you’ll forgive an element of surprise at your claims. Perhaps they just landed at the wrong time. The re-launch required an awful lot of work, and has been approached with a very positive mindset. The conclusion of
'Something Old' was intended to speak positively, but your concerns have been addressed more explicitly in a comment
here in a professional blog about campaigning, which hopefully puts your fears at rest.
You are right to imply that the site and community have slowed in recent times, although thanks largely to the Eyeshield fanzine, the Radio Drama team, and the Knightmare Lexicon, it has never stalled. I understand too that the feedback towards the new site is not universally positive. I think it may have come as a shock, despite the precursory warnings on the forum, and such a change of aesthetic after a decade of warm familiarity with the old site will take some getting used to. There is no doubt, however, that the site makeover refashions Knightmare as a 2010 concern. Efforts are being made to make the site re-launch the centrepiece for community activity. As you surely realise, the chances of a Knightmare DVD, which are proving remote, can only be helped by this surge of energy and activity back into Knightmare folklore.
The facts, alas, are not optimistic. As Alan notes, a much stronger response is needed to get the episode/DVD premise off the ground, and also the recent liquidation of Intermedialab is ominous for the prospects of any new series. But, where there is buoyant activity and fans in numbers,
anything is possible. Tim Child confessed that Televirtual’s concerns returned to Knightmare because of fan demand.
Thus, it is only if fans flock here in numbers and the DVD launch becomes a success – remote, but possible – that Knightmare will become a commercial attraction once again, and that is the only likely scenario which could procure a new format. If conglomerates had believed that Knightmare would have been a commercial success on DVD, you can guarantee it would have happened long ago. As is it, the commitment of the fan-base towards the episode purchase/DVD currently is not proving them wrong. Go and evangelise!
As for personal memories: as a reader of the 1640s, I appreciate your ‘truly Revolutionary’ remark. Certainly it was. Although I know I encountered it the year before, my first strong memory of Knightmare was from Series 3 in 1989, as a 5-year old. The death of Ross (team six) in the once-used chamber of Morghanna with the narrow ledge is always striking. Nicest memory is quite an unusual question: we might see a lot of masochistic replies! I’m not sure how to answer, but my most powerful memory is the end of Series 6, the red dragon episode. That has always haunted, even now.