The work of Ian Boldsworth

[typeforty]

I dropped my Patreon subs down to the lowest tier after he described himself as a key worker in a Cabin Fever episode, showing no irony or self-awareness

I would put actual money on there being plenty of both irony and self-awareness when he said that.

I was a little disappointed by the film - at one point I think it fell a bit too much into a loop of "They go somewhere and Ian tricks Barry" - but the highs are very high, the final act of the film is genuinely tense, and the whole product is a hell of an achievement, all things considered.

[Replies From View]

Has anyone else found themselves mutter-singing

Spoiler alert

"Manky Morris is a wanker"

[close]

recently?

[Wayman C. McCreery]

Ian's just tweeted that he had a mini stroke a couple of weeks ago. Crikey. I hope he's alright.

[SweetPomPom]

Just saw that, fingers crossed and all that - bit of a shocker.
Sent some vibes and bought a tour print, hopes he comes back 100%. Mini stroke is promising, I guess..

[Brian Freeze]

Any news from Ian about his health? He ok?

[DrGreggles]

He seems well on the recent Patreon pods, so that week or so he took off has done some good.
Sounds like he'd been overworking himself and doing the jobs of multiple people around the release date, so it was probably a combination of stress and fatigue.

[Brian Freeze]

Ah, great, thanks. Best wishes Ian.

[BritishHobo]

Sounds like they've had some shit experiences with venues this weekend. First a screening where a venue cancelled the Q&A and told punters it was because Ian had pulled out. Second and far worse, Birmingham MAC last night turning away people who were a few minutes late due to a crash on the motorway (including someone who had flown in from Berlin for the screening!), and again putting the blame on Ian and Barry, saying it was their call.

[DrGreggles]

I was there yesterday and it began a bit late, and some people were still coming in after it had started, so I suspect it was more than a few minutes in some cases.
The screening was good fun though. The extra footage is amazing, but you can see why it was cut.

[DrGreggles]

FWIW, Ian got caught up in the traffic too and Barry had to do the opening intro himself.
They were both there for the Q&A/bonus footage sections though.

I was pleasantly surprised that about half the audience were watching for the first time, as you'd have thought that this sort of thing was for the more hardcore fans and it was the 3rd Brum screening.

Hopefully the fact that the new screenings were selling out will lead to more being announced, but I suspect that the hassle the venues are causing them will mean not. Shame if that's the case, as the Q&As are like a bonus Parapod Live.

[MojoJojo]

And now he's passing a kidney stone...

It's not what he's trying to do, or what I signed up for, but his Patreon is making me far more appreciative of my health.

[MoreauVasz]

This thread has gone very quiet...

I finally saw the Parapod the other day and was struck by Ian's charisma. He has a real twinkle in his eye.

Do wish he'd got someone else to direct the film though as it feels like a Jackass film pretending to be a regular film.

[Pink Gregory]

This thread has gone very quiet...

Not much to say, he's doing his art and his autoharp thing, Loopholes podcast (which either I don't love or exclusively put on to fall asleep to).  No new revelations.

[titfer05]

On a recent 'Cabin Fever', Ian said he didn't have anything to do with Barry now.

Can't remember the exact quote but he felt he had served his purpose as far as Barry was concerned.

Quite sad really.

[Mobbd]

On a recent 'Cabin Fever', Ian said he didn't have anything to do with Barry now.

Can't remember the exact quote but he felt he had served his purpose as far as Barry was concerned.

Quite sad really.

That sucks. Fuck Ian.

[non capisco]

That's a shame if they've fallen out. I enjoy listening to the more even-handed dynamic between Barry and Hayley Ellis on the Worriers podcast, where Barry is much less of a stooge than in his work with Ian, but will always have fond memories of the Parapod causing me to double up with laughter on the street and have to sit down to compose myself on numerous occasions.

[Clive Dogshit]

Yeah that's a shame to read, although The Parapod (and Barry/Ian partenership) definitely felt like it had run its course.
I did a re-listen a month or two ago and it's still one of my favourite podcasts. The episode where Barry reads out a letter from an American listener in a "Southern Belle" accent had me choking with stifled laughter on a packed tram.

[Des Wigwam]

On a recent 'Cabin Fever', Ian said he didn't have anything to do with Barry now.

Can't remember the exact quote but he felt he had served his purpose as far as Barry was concerned.

Quite sad really.

That sucks. Fuck Ian.

My reading of that was Barry felt Ian had served his purpose (I haven't heard the podcast). Be a shame if either side felt that or behaved that way. Maybe moreso for Ian given the Peacock and Gamble partnership.

[non capisco]

I did a re-listen a month or two ago and it's still one of my favourite podcasts. The episode where Barry reads out a letter from an American listener in a "Southern Belle" accent had me choking with stifled laughter on a packed tram.

When he reads out the phrase "knick-knacks" in that accent and they both lose it. Sublime stuff.

[titfer05]

That sucks. Fuck Ian.

No, the impression Ian gave was that he'd been used to further Barry's career.
It's a real shame as I still think The Parapod is a brilliant podcast. Always makes me laugh despite numerous listens.

[Old Nehamkin]

No, the impression Ian gave was that he'd been used to further Barry's career.

Wasn't that basically the same way he characterised his fallout with Gamble, that he was the victim who'd been used and tossed aside?

Call me cynical but is it possible that Boldsworth himself might be the problem here? He's a funny guy but IMO the signs are there that he can be quite a needy and possessive person.

[MarkyMark2000]

Wasn't that basically the same way he characterised his fallout with Gamble, that he was the victim who'd been used and tossed aside?

Call me cynical but is it possible that Boldsworth himself might be the problem here? He's a funny guy but IMO the signs are there that he can be quite a needy and possessive person.

That's how I have read all of this previous collaborations post-Parapod. It seems not a single one of his projects has ended without some drama and Boldsworth should maybe look inwards. I don't think has been "used", Gamble had the talent and looks and Dodds seemingly hasn't done anything to try and capitalise on the success. I don't think he has that drive or if I'm honest, the intelligence. His criticism towards others came across as bitterness most of the time and it was one of the reasons I left his Patreon, it felt like uncomfortable airing of dirty laundry that cast a shadow over previous works and left a bad taste in the mouth after listening. That and th fact that the whole daily posting was just him cataloguing his various supposed illnesses and had become dull.

I don't think his Parapod work is done though as I saw him have a spat on Twitter with some other podcasters using the name and it turns out he HAS registered Parapod as a trademark (something I took with a pinch of salt in the past) and a little reading and searching reveals some interesting facts (who the fuck is Richard, have we been had with the whole Ian name à la Ray Peacock?) and maybe suggests he is holding it for future use.

Such a shame. 2 stars, used to be some funny bits.

[Clive Dogshit]

Would have loved to have seen him on taskmaster though.

[MarkyMark2000]

Would have loved to have seen him on taskmaster though.

I have to agree that would have been essential watching. Surely Ian and Horne are friends of old and could 'have a chat"? Playful naughty Ian was fun and that's the reason I found him, The Ray Peacock Podcast used to double me over.

[Mobbd]

No, the impression Ian gave was that he'd been used to further Barry's career.

That is quite possibly what Ian thinks.

Others here have already said what I think and I'm glad they did.

My read is that Ian has his problems (as discussed on the Mental Podcast and on his Patreon and elsewhere) but they quite often manifest unpleasantly and borderline abusively in his relationships with others. I think he's bitter and needy and likes to be in control of his relationships and maybe even of the people themselves. Gamble and Dodds know it, as does the girlfriend he had during the Parapod years. I suspect Herring sees it too. It's all too clear to the listener and it's why I left his Patreon after a while and why I think I'm done with him now. I am honestly sympathetic and I wish him the best but it's car crash stuff that I don't want to witness anymore.

[Pink Gregory]

The podcast he's doing at the minute - Loopholes, bit like a more serious Parapod with a much more equal footing for the two hosts - is quite good podcast in bed material, I'm not especially interested in it but he has a bit less of a combative persona, maybe because he's not necessarily trying to be funny.

Maybe he plays quite well against women rather than men?  I quite liked the dynamic with his producer on the post-Gamble FUBAR shows, and his miniseries with Angela Barnes, much less overbearing and argumentative.

[DrGreggles]

I think Ian's relationship with Barry was purely a work thing - there was never a suggestion that they hung out as mates like he did with Ed.
Not sure he hasn't blamed himself for other fallings out either, as the Reboot pod has covered, but time seems to have healed that.
What happened with Ed has never been made public, and he does mention on occasion that they're still in touch, but I always got the impression that it was him who ended their partnership.

[Pink Gregory]

Plus I think if they were ever on friend terms the Parapod movie might have taken it out of them

[BritishHobo]

I really love the Reboot and Loopholes podcasts. The revival of his relationship with the other Big and Daft guys has been really lovely, and as above I love the more equal footing of Loopholes, where you've got someone who is more academically interested in the subject, and willing to give a balanced perspective from the opposite corner.

Naturally I'm massively behind on Loopholes, and need to listen to most of the Hard Talk podcasts with Jon (always the way with me and podcasts), but I think he's continuing to prove his worth as one of the original greats of podcasting.

[MojoJojo]

Re: Barry Dodds - I've noticed he never mentions Ian or the Parapod, in a way which feels like deliberate self-censoring, so assumed they'd parted ways. My feeling, and I'm not really sure if anything supports this, is that the Parapod movie ended up pretty traumatic for Ian, and cutting ties with Barry is part of moving on. It's always hard to tell how real things in a podcast are, but I think there was some genuine resentment that Barry would hardly do any prep or put any effort in, while Ian would have to spend hours and hours editing stuff down. The workload of the film probably magnified that.