The Return of The Return of The Return of Red Dwarf

[Zbigniev Hamson]

Having recently discovered that I'm not the only member of the Fear Her Appreciation Society I wonder if anyone else actually likes B2E?

I don't think it's ever felt like "proper" Red Dwarf since the end of series 6 really, it's almost been like watching other people pretend to be the same characters since then.

[Rob McCow]

NEW! NEW! NEW!

Via SFX:

Danny John-Jules, aka Cat, has given CultBox an update on the status of the show’s tenth series, which will air on digital channel Dave.

“The tenth series begins filming in late November,” he reveals, before going on to confirm that, “We’re going to be doing six half-hour episodes, the same as when we first started. The whole industry needs to go back to the basics” And, as has been previously reported, the new series will definitely be filmed in front of a studio audience: “Everyone missed the studio audience bit… It’s like being in the theatre and being in the TV studio at the same time… It sorts the men out from the boys, let’s put it that way.”

Big Interview...

Well, they might get it right this time. I didn't think they went too far wrong with 'Back To Earth', though it did sag in places. With six episodes, there's bound to be some good stuff in there.

[Anthony Williams]

I like the idea of going back to basics with a studio audience and all... but I can't help but wonder whether both Grant and Naylor will be writing, or just by Doug Naylor?

[Dirk Gently]

I'm looking forward to it. I hope its a Grant/Naylor production & not just Doug Naylor. Although it might not happen unless it's only Doug.

[Richard Brinck-Johnsen]

I think if Rob Grant had come back on board Grant Naylor Productions (which these days is Doug Naylor, his wife Helen Norman and Andrew Ellard who does the official website and most of the DVD extras) would be shouting it from the roof tops so the best we can hope for is for some of the better series VII & VIII episodes.

I've come to the conclusion that if I could request one thing from this new series that would make it must not miss TV for me it would be this...

The return of Hattie Hayridge as Holly

Sadly just an idea on my part at the moment though so don't get excited.

[Anthony Williams]

I'd rather see Norman Lovett!

[Richard Brinck-Johnsen]

I'd rather see Norman Lovett!

I was quite pleased when he popped up at the end of Series VII but then Doug wrote some really rubbish one-liners for him in Series VIII (although obviously he can't be blamed for bad writing) and on occasion his smug delivery really grated. Plus if you've seen the Beat the Geek quiz DVD he looks really old now whereas Hattie looks great.

I really liked Holly in the first two series but I first started watching during the original run of Series III (I was 10 and Sylv was the Doctor, all was right with the world) so Hattie will always be the better Holly for me (as well as Hillie )

[Anthony Williams]

I'm not sure... for me, he was the real highlight of Series VIII.

Well, that and the period joke. Whitney found that one so hilarious that she's fully planning on doing it to our daughter (providing we have a daughter, of course) when she reaches that age. She's going to have us

[Si Hunt]

I think poor Hatty suffers because of Red Dwarfs first "it's not as good as it used to be" backlash, when fans started saying that the special effects and sci-fi storylines of Seasons 3 onwards wern't as good as the first two seasons of two people arguing in their bunks when they had no money. So she's always been associated with the "later" period of the show, while NL has always been the hallowed "best Holly". But she's just as good in her own way, and given that he chose to leave, I thought it was really rude that when Holly returned in Series 7, they automatically gave it back to Lovett.

Si.

[Richard Brinck-Johnsen]

I think poor Hatty suffers because of Red Dwarfs first "it's not as good as it used to be" backlash, when fans started saying that the special effects and sci-fi storylines of Seasons 3 onwards wern't as good as the first two seasons of two people arguing in their bunks when they had no money. So she's always been associated with the "later" period of the show, while NL has always been the hallowed "best Holly". But she's just as good in her own way, and given that he chose to leave, I thought it was really rude that when Holly returned in Series 7, they automatically gave it back to Lovett.

Si.

See I've never got this, I really like a lot of the series one and two episodes, even "the golden sausage cat priest one" as Craig Charles once described his least favourite ever episode which shares it's name with a popular sitcom.
However I really see Series III-V as the heyday of Red Dwarf, especially as III was the point where it became much more of a sci-fi show with the re-introduction of Kryten as a regular character ("the science officer"), the Polymorph, the Backwards universe, and Hudzen.
Anyone who thinks the first two series have better effects must be watching a different show to me unless I've drifted into a parallel universe...

[Anthony Williams]

However I really see Series III-V as the heyday of Red Dwarf

Agreed, although I'd say III-VI. Still prefer Norman as Hol, though!

[Richard Brinck-Johnsen]

I was going to argue the point but then I remembered that actually the first three episodes of VI are pretty good especially Gunmen of the Apocalypse which was probably the last of the truly great episodes (although I do have a soft spot for Stoke Me a Clipper from Series VII)...

It'll be interesting to see if Holly does come back but I know Norman was quite disgruntled after being asked to keep the dates for Back To Earth free but then not eventually contracted for it (they did make it as cheaply as possible and I guess having one less actor to pay who wouldn't have really contributed much to that particular story must've been a considerable saving)...

I'm hoping that they've got a little bit more money to spend on "Series X" although it's worth remembering that Series VIII was made for exactly the same budget as fellow BBC sitcom Dinnerladies!

[SiHart]

As I've said before, I'm not a bog fan of 6. It seemed to coast along without doing anything particularly outstanding, retreading past glories like including Dwayne Dibley for the sake of it, the Emohawk and all the Space Corp Directives (though some of them were pretty funny, so...) Not as great as V!

[Richard Brinck-Johnsen]

As I've said before, I'm not a bog fan of 6. It seemed to coast along without doing anything particularly outstanding, retreading past glories like including Dwayne Dibley for the sake of it, the Emohawk and all the Space Corp Directives (though some of them were pretty funny, so...) Not as great as V!

Emohawk was such a come down after Gunmen. Basically just an excuse to re-use old ideas. The series never quite recovers after that and the least said about the cliffhanger ending of Out of Time the better.
Ironically I can just about recall that Emohawk debuted on my brother's 13th birthday whereas 19 months earlier my own 13th birthday saw the debut of the superb Back To Reality. (As completely irrelevant coincidence exactly 13 years later on my 26th birthday was the first broadcast of Rose)

[Andrew Curnow]

Anyone who thinks the first two series have better effects must be watching a different show to me unless I've drifted into a parallel universe...

I've been called worse things!

I really do enjoy the earlier series more - not that I don't like (some) of the later ones, but (and I'm more than happy to admit there's probably some nostalgia attached to this) the first two series, when I watch them, still retain something of the magic of when they were brand new. Production-wise, of course, they look much cheaper than the later years - and when the studio audience laughs, it sounds like there's only about 20 people there, but just as the Eccleston series one has a special something to it, that's how I feel about RD 1 & 2.

Another reason, probably, is that my brother & I religiously videoed those first two years, meaning that the week between each episode would be spent in many a rewatching (likewise Sylvester McCoy's Who, since we got our first VCR just two weeks before the end of Colin Baker's run) so I feel more familiar with the first two seasons than the others.

Don't get me wrong - I still like a lot of the later stuff (the 'Texas Book Depository' bit has me in fits every time) but equally I feel it sometimes relied a bit too much on FX and 'clever' ideas rather than good quality scripts.

But I'm really looking forward to it coming back!!!

[Alex]

I'm a big fan of the first two series as well, I think they're really well scripted and have lots of lovely ideas in them - and it was before the show become dependent on cgi and returning characters like Ace Rimmer and Duane Dibley. Indeed the first four series are all fine by me, it's only after that that I find the quality varies.

I'd like to see Norman back as well, I met him last November after seeing him headline a comedy gig and he was lovely. Though I know Pip saw him around the same time, and he had quite a few harsh things to say about Red Dwarf in general!

[Richard Brinck-Johnsen]

Well I know he was quite annoyed about being asked to keep the dates free for Back To Earth and then not actually contracted for it so it wouldn't surprise me if he turned down the opportunity to come back for RDX.

Anyway... Next Friday at 11.30am The Official Red Dwarf website will be announcing details of the filming of Red Dwarf X ... Woot!

Also for those who follow the website as I've done slavishly for the last decade some other news... It's the end..., Change my dear... etc.

Definitely another end of an era moment for me at least!

[Anthony Williams]

EXCITING about RDX! Hurrah!

SAD about the website - but it sounds like he's going to go on to bigger and better things within Grant Naylor Productions. I'm pleased for him

[Si Hunt]

Danny John-Jules has blasted the BBC for its treatment of Red Dwarf.

The actor has played the Cat in the sci-fi comedy since 1988 and will soon reprise the role in a new series on Dave.

"The BBC never really pushed Red Dwarf as one of their flagship shows, even though it was so successful," he told Digital Spy. "I think it all stems back to the commissioning days, when the BBC turned down [the show] twice."

He added: "Isn't it ironic that it was Manchester that commissioned Red Dwarf - this guy Peter Ridsdale-Scott up in Manchester, who again was put out to pasture by the BBC!

"This wonderful guy... commissioned Red Dwarf against all the odds. And now the BBC's based in Manchester!"

John-Jules suggested that Red Dwarf is still under-appreciated, claiming that the show's cast would often be "ignored" by the BBC.

"There's no question that if I was in a show in Hollywood that had been running for 23 years, I'd be able to hang out with [Barack] Obama!" he argued. "We've not even had a cup of tea at the BBC! But it's not like it worries us - it's great to be a bit controversial."

He continued: "We never get invited to comedy awards shows or BBC luvvie shows, anything like that. Red Dwarf has made untold millions all over the world, but we're still not part of the furniture, if you know what I mean.

"We never had a pat on the back from anyone. But we're happy with that. We didn't mind being ignored at the BBC canteen and in the rehearsal room."

I think Danny is being a little selective and a lot unfair. Surely the BBC did push "Red Dwarf" as a flagship show - I remember Series 7 got a Radio Times cover, despite still being on BBC 2. He conveniently overlooks the fact that it was the RD Production Team/writers that went off chasing the "big money" of a film for many, many years during which time I'm sure the BBC would have settled for another series. When it all fell through, they came back about a decade later, cap in hand, and the BBC didn't want them. Boo hoo. By no stretch has Red Dwarf been "running" for 23 years, as there's only been eight and a bit series in that time.

Si.

[Richard Brinck-Johnsen]

Danny can be a bit wierd at times.


Anyway, we are now a few minutes away from the big announcement from reddwarf.co.uk

[Richard Brinck-Johnsen]

Apparently they're having technical problems. Thank goodness I'm following the new site runner on twitter. I will post the news when it appears!

[Richard Brinck-Johnsen]

Be-in-the-audience-for-red-dwarf-x!

Ticket Applications go live at 2pm Today

Anyone else going to apply (we might as well try for the same days)?

[Si Hunt]

I'd love to go but can't apply at work. But if you need anyone to go with, I can do any day except 13th Jan!

Si.

[Richard Brinck-Johnsen]

I'm going to apply for Saturday 7th Jan. I believe the limit on tickets per application is going to be 4 people and I've already had 3 friends express interest so I'm obliged to give them first refusal but you can be top of the waiting list and If I am allowed to apply for 6 I'll add you and Simon to the first refusal list.

[Si Hunt]

Thank you!

Si.