Red Dwarf, this weekend

[Zulu Romeo]

Well, they're going to show the whole thing back to back tomorrow, which might give us a good indication of how well it works (if at all) over the full 90 minutes (plus ad breaks).

I said I would reserve overall judgement after seeing the third part, so here it is. As it is, overall it started out cool with bursts of humour here and there, in particular the introduction of Katerina (remember her?), then sagged in the middle by getting bogged down with the meta-references to the TV show and the TV-channel-named-after-one-of-the-characters (clue: it's not Rimmer TV, which to me sounds like something on pay per view hotel sets), only to be wrapped up in a knowing, homage-filled, "you see what we DID THERE?!" sort of way and leaving us with a good feeling inside and the possibility of more to come.

Overall, not too bad for something well-loved and cherished but absent for so many years. It reminded me of some of what was good about the show, but with some very unnecessary chunks of bloat and self-indulgence. I'll still give it a thumbs-up.

 

[Bob The Skutter]

I really hope we do get a series 10. The BBC seems to just continually throw a spanner in the works when it comes to it's revival. They rejected a series 9 long ago and also rejected a Red Dwarf film.

I pay my damn TV licence and I want RED DWARF! How dare the BBC have stopped it's revival all those times!!

Well to be fair it seems they were open to series 9 for something like 7 years, but Doug was too busy looking for a film deal, which kept falling through, and rather than just admitting it and going back to TV he just kept on at it, until no-one at the Beeb were interested any more. So if you must blame someone, blame Doug.

 

[All Seeing Eye]

Overall, not too bad for something well-loved and cherished but absent for so many years. It reminded me of some of what was good about the show, but with some very unnecessary chunks of bloat and self-indulgence. I'll still give it a thumbs-up.

I thought the Cats comparison of Coronation street to Rimmer World was misplaced/misused.
That's my main beef.

 

[Zulu Romeo]

Overall, not too bad for something well-loved and cherished but absent for so many years. It reminded me of some of what was good about the show, but with some very unnecessary chunks of bloat and self-indulgence. I'll still give it a thumbs-up.

I thought the Cats comparison of Coronation street to Rimmer World was misplaced/misused.
That's my main beef.

But to be fair, Cat did have a point.

 

[Jadzia]

That's almost exactly what I always say when I watch British television shows! I say, "Those SIX episodes were an entire season?"

In British television history, 6 episodes was the standard number that the BBC were willing to fund per season. It become kind of a tradition, even when their policies became more flexible in the mid 1980s, many shows were still given 6 episode seasons. Red dwarf (no doubt because it was considered high risk) was one of these

 

[Zulu Romeo]

That's almost exactly what I always say when I watch British television shows! I say, "Those SIX episodes were an entire season?"

In British television history, 6 episodes was the standard number that the BBC were willing to fund. It become kind of a tradition, even when their policies became more flexible in the mid 1980s, many shows were still given 6 episode seasons. Red dwarf (no doubt because it was considered high risk) was one of these

In these enlightened days, they'll be willing to commission anything from 8 to 13 episodes of a new series of a long-running "safe" popular show like Doctor Who for instance, which will guarantee an Audience™ for their all-too-precious ratings wars and fanbases. For newer fare, such as The Office, for instance, they'll still want to stick to 6 episodes per series and play it safe.

 

[All Seeing Eye]

BTW, I need clarification on something:

1) Are they in the alternate universe they entered into in series 8?

and

2) Is Rimmer just the new hologram they activated in the alternate universe?

 

[Bob The Skutter]

BTW, I need clarification on something:

1) Are they in the alternate universe they entered into in series 8?

and

2) Is Rimmer just the new hologram they activated in the alternate universe?

Was it in the show? No? Then how do we know?

 

[Jadzia]

That's almost exactly what I always say when I watch British television shows! I say, "Those SIX episodes were an entire season?"

In British television history, 6 episodes was the standard number that the BBC were willing to fund. It become kind of a tradition, even when their policies became more flexible in the mid 1980s, many shows were still given 6 episode seasons. Red dwarf (no doubt because it was considered high risk) was one of these

In these enlightened days, they'll be willing to commission anything from 8 to 13 episodes of a new series of a long-running "safe" popular show like Doctor Who for instance, which will guarantee an Audience™ for their all-too-precious ratings wars and fanbases. For newer fare, such as The Office, for instance, they'll still want to stick to 6 episodes per series and play it safe.

Their first Great Experiment™ with longer commissions for safe popular shows was 'Allo 'Allo I think

 

[All Seeing Eye]

BTW, I need clarification on something:

1) Are they in the alternate universe they entered into in series 8?

and

2) Is Rimmer just the new hologram they activated in the alternate universe?

Was it in the show? No? Then how do we know?

No but there was a scene where that new hologram was saying Rimmer was the commanding officer wasn't there? wasn't Rimmer the ships captain in the alternate universe in series 8? Lister was higher ranked than Rimmer because he took that Chefs exam.

 

[Bob The Skutter]

BTW, I need clarification on something:

1) Are they in the alternate universe they entered into in series 8?

and

2) Is Rimmer just the new hologram they activated in the alternate universe?

Was it in the show? No? Then how do we know?

No but there was a scene where that new hologram was saying Rimmer was the commanding officer wasn't there? wasn't Rimmer the ships captain in the alternate universe in series 8? Lister was higher ranked than Rimmer because he took that Chefs exam.

Rimmer was always the commanding officer, he had the highest rank. In the next ep after the chef's exam Holly said Lister had lied.

 

[Jadzia]

No but there was a scene where that new hologram was saying Rimmer was the commanding officer wasn't there? wasn't Rimmer the ships captain in the alternate universe in series 8? Lister was higher ranked than Rimmer because he took that Chefs exam.

He failed the chef's exam. He just lied about the result.

Rimmer = second technician (not an officer)
Lister = third technician (not an officer, lowest rank, no subordinates)

 

[Bacl]

No but there was a scene where that new hologram was saying Rimmer was the commanding officer wasn't there? wasn't Rimmer the ships captain in the alternate universe in series 8? Lister was higher ranked than Rimmer because he took that Chefs exam.

Yeah, uh, Rimmer is not an officer. That's kinda his whole deal.

He's an incompetent vending-machine repairman with a Napoleon complex.

 

[All Seeing Eye]

Was it in the show? No? Then how do we know?

No but there was a scene where that new hologram was saying Rimmer was the commanding officer wasn't there? wasn't Rimmer the ships captain in the alternate universe in series 8? Lister was higher ranked than Rimmer because he took that Chefs exam.

Rimmer was always the commanding officer, he had the highest rank. In the next ep after the chef's exam Holly said Lister had lied.

Oh right, forgot about that. I just remember the "How did I do Mr Lister Sir".

Yeah, uh, Rimmer is not an officer.

With all the crew dead he's made senior officer. It says that in the Back to Earth eps.

Go here and skip to 5:39.

 

[Zulu Romeo]

In British television history, 6 episodes was the standard number that the BBC were willing to fund. It become kind of a tradition, even when their policies became more flexible in the mid 1980s, many shows were still given 6 episode seasons. Red dwarf (no doubt because it was considered high risk) was one of these

In these enlightened days, they'll be willing to commission anything from 8 to 13 episodes of a new series of a long-running "safe" popular show like Doctor Who for instance, which will guarantee an Audience™ for their all-too-precious ratings wars and fanbases. For newer fare, such as The Office, for instance, they'll still want to stick to 6 episodes per series and play it safe.

Their first Great Experiment™ with longer commissions for safe popular shows was 'Allo 'Allo I think

Clearly that was a huge gamble especially as the cast were largely unknowns at the time, although it was from the writer that also gave us Dad's Army and It Ain't Half Hot Mum (the previous instalments of Croft's WW2 Trilogy) and Are You Being Served, so there was still some pedigree there. Nevertheless, it did lead to good moaning throughout the rest of the 80s thereafter.

You know, this trilogy of specials has made me realise I have hardly seen many episodes of Red Dwarf at all. I'll need to get hold of the DVDs somehow...

 

[All Seeing Eye]

You know, this trilogy of specials has made me realise I have hardly seen many episodes of Red Dwarf at all. I'll need to get hold of the DVDs somehow...

Just buy the full box set off Amazon.

 

[Zulu Romeo]

You know, this trilogy of specials has made me realise I have hardly seen many episodes of Red Dwarf at all. I'll need to get hold of the DVDs somehow...

Just buy the full box set off Amazon.

Is it the original version or the "remastered" version(s)?

 

[Bob The Skutter]

You know, this trilogy of specials has made me realise I have hardly seen many episodes of Red Dwarf at all. I'll need to get hold of the DVDs somehow...

Just buy the full box set off Amazon.

Is it the original version or the "remastered" version(s)?

The individuals have the original episodes, plus loads of extras, then series 7 and 8 have extended, series 7 also has a Remastered episode or two.
Just the shows, is what it says on the box, original episodes.
The Bodysnatcher Collection is the first 3 series, remastered with extras that weren't on the original 3 sets.

 

[Zulu Romeo]

Just buy the full box set off Amazon.

Is it the original version or the "remastered" version(s)?

The individuals have the original episodes, plus loads of extras, then series 7 and 8 have extended, series 7 also has a Remastered episode or two.
Just the shows, is what it says on the box, original episodes.
The Bodysnatcher Collection is the first 3 series, remastered with extras that weren't on the original 3 sets.

Cheers. I might check them out at some point.

 

[Captain Shaw]

...Those three episodes were series nine?

That's almost exactly what I always say when I watch British television shows! I say, "Those SIX episodes were an entire season?"



Earlier this week they aired two brand new episodes of The Office on the same night (episodes 20 and 21 of a 25 episode season). If that ever happened in Britain, people's heads might explode.

Well some shows do 2 series a year like top gear.
Who show 2 sets of 9 eps.
Also our TV channels have all run out of money so there noway they can afford 20+ of anything at the moment.