Norman Lovett

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News Roundup (17/03/13)

Posted by Alex on March 17, 2013
Posted in: News Roundups. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , .
  • The Garbage Podcast: Series I Commentaries – Confidence & Paranoia

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In this edition of our continuing celebration of Red Dwarf’s silver anniversary, we mark the 25th anniversary of the initial airing of Confidence & Paranoia with our latest commentary for the episode. With the last two shows of Series I, Red Dwarf really takes of as the writers and actors have eased into the show more. This also marks the start of what would be come a recurrent theme in the show; the exploration of the psyche. With a lack of outside influence to turn to, Rob and Doug instead have their characters look inward and we start to really get a deeper analysis of what makes them tick. In this episode, it’s Lister that we get under the skin of, finally starting to see what holds him back and why he never made any attempt to fulfil his dream with Kochanski when she was still alive.

Was a manifestation of the psyche an inevitability in a sci-fi comedy? Why did Rob and Doug keep coming back to it? Does Rimmer have Lister’s best interests at heart? And just who likes short shorts? (Spoiler: Chris Barrie fans like short shorts.) Literally some of these questions will be answered as Alex, James and Andrew take a look at a highlight of the first series.

You can download it from The Garbage Podcast site or via iTunes and if you enjoy it then please do leave us a rating/review to let other people know; we’d greatly appreciate it. You can also stream the podcast on the player below:

 

  • Dwarfcasts: Justice

dwarfcasts_logo_2011Ganymede & Titan have uploaded a new edition of their Dwarfcast episode commentaries, this time covering Justice from Series IV. Ian Symes, John Hoare, Tanya Jones, Daniel Stephenson, Jonathan Capps and the Fan Club’s Jo Sharples look over the episode and afterwards there is also a bonus commentary on the Series IV deleted scenes.

You can find it here or you can subscribe via iTunes.

 

  • The Red Dwarf Introcast – Red Dwarf USA

rdpodcastlogosizedA new episode of The Red Dwarf Introcast has been uploaded, this time reviewing Red Dwarf USA. Heath, Angela, Shane and Paul are joined by Nick Quinn to discuss what the much maligned both Red Dwarf US pilots. So just what will Heath and Angela make of it? Will they love it? Or will they go against the general consensus? You’ll have to listen to find out.

The episodes are available to download and you can find them on the podcast’s website and is also available on iTunes.

 

  • Danny John Jules In ‘Pussys Galore’

danny bikeFor Comic Relief, Danny John-Jules and his MotoVentures partner Steve Keys have created and released a comedy short in which they play  Cat Man and Panther, fighting the villainous Slocombe and trying to stop her from hoarding all the red noses. And it’s all done in pink lycra! You can watch the short below:

 

  • “Electric cars? They’re rubbish aren’t they?!”

BobbyNext week sees Robert Llewellyn giving talks to various skeptic societies on the subject of electric cars and their worth. Here’s the blurb:

Electric cars? They’re rubbish aren’t they?! Nothing but glorified golf carts that take forever to charge and then run out of power on the way to the shops. Try finding somewhere to charge them. They cost a fortune to buy and another fortune to replace the battery when its range drops to half. You don’t want to believe all that nonsense about them being environmentally-friendly. They are actually worse than petrol-powered cars because the batteries are made from dirty lithium and use electricity made from dirtier coal. There isn’t even enough lithium in the world to make all the new batteries we’d need anyway. Electric cars are just rubbish. Aren’t they? – Robert says no. This evening he’ll tell us why he thinks we need to put away our prejudices and think seriously about electric vehicles as the future of transport.

You can see Bobby giving the talk at the following locations on the following dates and you don’t need to be a member to attend:

 

  • Norman Lovett Live In London

normanlovett_profilepicHaving previously told you about Hattie’s appearance at Ruby Tuesdays in Central London, we can now also confirm that  the next one will feature Norman Lovett. Here’s the blurb from the organisers:

Ruby Tuesdays continues its distinctly red shade with another Red Dwarf star as April’s headliner, NORMAN LOVETT.

Norman is a true legend of stand-up, with a career that stretches back some 30 years. As well as being recognised by as Holly the computer from the cult sci-fi sitcom, he was one of the small group of comics who played the original Comedy Store.

Also performing:

IAN SMITH. A star in its ascendency on the UK comedy circuit, Ian has been a finalist in pretty much every new act competition going. He gets extra points for being a support act for legendary wrestler Mick Foley in 2011. “He’s a smart operator with an appealing manner and can expect a fruitful comedy career ahead.” Chortle

AMY HOGGART as PATTIE BREWSTER. Pattie Brewster has no friends. Instead she sits around collecting cats and writing self-help books. “Smart and sassy… highly impressive and original characters.” The List. “She has the charm of Lucy Porter and the potential to reach even higher on the comedy ladder.” Chortle

ADAM OLIVER. With his unique and unpredictable brand of clowning, Adam has performed shows at Fringe festivals in Brighton, Edinburgh and Adelaide. In 2011, under his German alter-ego Stefan, he duped Radio 1 into allowing him on-air with David Hasslehoff. Expect plenty of audience interaction.

ALEX LOVE. Finalist in the highest profile comedy competition in the market town of Droitwich, Worcestershire, Alex is also quite keen on telling people that he’s a support act for Richard Herring’s Edinburgh preview in Brighton in July.

Introducing IAN SYMES. Upgrading himself from audience at the last Ruby to performer in his first ever gig, Ian is a big name on certain internet forums. He is occasionally recognised as being one of the presenters from Big Brother’s Bit on the Side on Channel 5.

Your MC for this fine evening will be PAUL LANGTON. Fresh from pulling out of Edinburgh 2013, Paul was a finalist in Up the Creek’s One to Watch competition in 2011 and likes to shout things.

The show takes place at The Queen’s Head in Piccadilly Circus at 8PM and entry is £3. You can find more details on the event’s Facebook page here.

 

  • Space Precinct Legacy: Blu Ray Release

Space PHaving mentioned the premiere screening of the documentary last week, we now have details of how to preorder Space Precinct Legacy on Blu Ray. The documentary is about the short lived Gerry Anderson series and among the talking heads are Bill Pearson and Steve Begg whose work on Red Dwarf you’ll be familiar with. The documentary also interviews members of the cast and well known people from the effects world such as Neil Gorton. Having watched the film at the premiere we have to say that it’s worth watching for Bill’s humorous contribution alone, but it’s an interesting look at an ambitious failure.

You can preorder the Blu Ray from Amazon for it’s April 1st release date. You can view a trailer for the film below:

News Roundup (03/03/13)

Posted by Alex on March 3, 2013
Posted in: News Roundups. Tagged: , , , , , , , , .
  • The Garbage Podcast: Series I Commentaries – Balance Of Power

Image2In this edition of our continuing celebration of Red Dwarf’s silver anniversary, The Garbage Podcast mark the 25th anniversary of the initial airing of the show’s third episode with our commentary for Balance of Power. After dipping their toes deeper into the sci-fi with Future Echoes, this episode sees Rob and Doug bring the programme back to looking at the dynamic between the characters, specially in this episode Rimmer’s need to see himself as Lister’s superior.

Was this a better approach than the sci-fi heavy route? How does Rimmer’s death effect the dynamic between him and Lister? And just how questionable is it to have a good old gawp at a dead woman’s holographic breasts? Alex, James and Andrew take a look at these issues and more as they badly joke their way through to the end of the first half of Series I.

You can download it from The Garbage Podcast site or via iTunes and if you enjoy it then please do leave us a rating/review to let other people know; we’d greatly appreciate it. You can also stream the podcast on the player below:

  • The Red Dwarf Introcast – Quarentine And Demons & Angels

rdpodcastlogosizedSince our last news roundup, The Red Dwarf Introcast have uploaded two new episodes shows looking at episodes from Series V. The first sees Heath Angela and Shane are joined by Darren Forrester to review Quarantine. The second episode sees Darren return to sit in for Shane for the review of Demons & Angels, with Russ Greeno joining to share his thoughts on the show and his memories from having been on the set for the episode.

The episodes are available to download and you can find them on the podcast’s website and is also available on iTunes.

  • Danny John Jules On Pointless

Pointless_CelebritiesSaturday saw the airing of a special edition of Pointless Celebrities, in which Danny appeared with his Death in Paradise co-star Ben Miller. The other teams on the show were made up of Andi Osho and David Schneider, Paul Whitehouse and Charlie Higson and Ed Byrne with Shappi Khorsandi.

The episode is currently available to watch on the BBC iPlayer and can be viewed until 6:59PM on 9th March. Danny also recorded a ‘Sitcom Duos’ special of the show with Craig, which as of yet does not have a set air date, but will appear sometime in March.

  • Norman Lovett’s Outside Of The Box 

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Norman Lovett’s latest standup DVD, Outside the Box, has now been made available as  a download. The show (which is exclusive to Go Faster Stripe) can now be downloaded for the highly reasonable price of £5, while the physical DVD, which also features a Q&A with Norman and fellow comedian Arthur Brown, is still available for £12.

If you haven’t previously read it, you can find our review of the DVD here and you can find options to download the show or purchase the DVD here at Go Faster Stripe.

  • Hattie Hayridge Live In London

HattieFor those of you in or near central London, Hattie will be performing in Piccadilly next week. Here’s the blurb from the organisers:

Following January’s triumph, we bring you your March headliner: HATTIE HAYRIDGE.

Best known as the female version of computer Holly in Red Dwarf, Hattie has gigged all over the world and even won Celebrity Mastermind.

“Hattie reminds me of those James Bond sexy villains. Right when it looks like she’s about to kiss you, Hattie drops a tarantula down your pants.”

Time OutAlso performing for your pleasure you will see:Musical merriment from SARAH MILLS

System-smashing mirth from CHRIS COLTRANE Punster and widely retweeted tweeter SOPHIE JOHNSON

Star of Harry Hill’s TV Burp and digital cassette expert OLI BETTESWORTH

Collector of Classic Musicals DVDs and Edinburgh Fringe 2013 bottler PAUL LANGTON

And fresh from lasting 3m30s at the Comedy Store King Gong after losing the audience while talking about Two Girls One Cup, your MC for this fine evening will be ALEX LOVE.

The show takes place at The Queen’s Head in Piccadilly Circus at 8PM and entry is £3. You can find more details on the event’s Facebook page here.

News Roundup (17/06/12)

Posted by Alex on June 17, 2012
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  • Series X

As another week comes to an end more work has been finalised on the new series. According to Doug and Richard Naylor’s tweet all VFX work has now been completed at ONIGHT UK. We even heard that the titles have been applied and in in Series III style. With that in mind, you may be wondering just how close we are to series actually being completed. Well Richard said on the 12th that the series was 17 days away from being completed, so it would appear that we are looking at the 29th as the sign off date. A tweet from Richard this afternoon shed a little light on the matter of what still remains to be done:

Mixing the sound for RDX show 6 today so it’s ready to be graded tomorrow. It’s all scarily close to being finished! Show 6 is very good.

Doug also mentions that once the grade is completed, the then DVD documentary, Smeg Ups and deleted scenes will be finished off. While on the subject of the DVD, a few little details were divulged by Doug and Richard. Here’s a summary of what they had to say:

  • The DVD will contain seamless versions of the episodes with no advert breaks.
  • It will be launched at same time Worldwide in November
  • Among the extras will be the usual collections of Smeg Ups and deleted scenes.
  • The making of documentary will run to around 2 hours, and is a ‘documentary with teeth’.
  • One thing that will appear is a collection of fan reactions after Red Dwarf X show 1 live show. Richard Naylor was editing them this week and said ‘I forgot quite how overwhelmingly, amazingly, fantabulous the reaction was.’

There has also been some discussion about the marketing of the series with another meeting on Wednesday. One issue discussed on Twitter was whether or not to have hash tags for Twitter on the ad breaks. Here’s what Richard tweeted:

  • 17 days until all six new episodes of Red Dwarf X are complete. How do you guys feel about #’s at the part breaks? Good idea or bad idea?
  • They wouldn’t be on DVD version. What about if you had #spinmynipplenuts at the ad-break!? There’s gonna be a bumper for tx show either way.
  • General feeling is 60 – 40 against I would say.
  • I think having a single #reddwarf at the ‘out’ ad-bumper (tv only) is a good idea. Don’t think it’s desperate or forcing any conversation.

It’s an issue that led to some heated debate. My own personal feelings on the matter are that as long as it doesn’t interfere with the program itself then it’s fine by me. Currently, lots of people are adding hash tags to their posts about Series X, but they all use different tags such as #RedDwarf, #RedDwarfX and #RDX. I really wouldn’t like to see something like #spinmynipplenuts, but I do think having a uniform hash tag is a good idea. That said, there is no reason that this can’t be applied to trailers and posters instead. Whatever your feelings on the use of hash tags though, they do appear on an increasing number of programs including the likes of Have I Got News For You, and as such I really can’t see that anyone would realistically accuse the program of sinking to desperate measures to garner interest. Either way there is clearly a desire to try and use as many mediums as possible to promote the new series, (as has also been evident with the recent launch of the official YouTube channel,) which is surely to be applauded.

  • Norman On Gorman

Today’s edition of Dave Gorman’s Absolute Radio show (with self-confessed Dwarf fan Danielle Ward and guest host Michael Legge) featured Norman Lovett and Chris Difford. The pair appeared to promote their current tour and upcoming Edinburgh show, the details of which can be found here. The show is now available for download here, or can alternatively be downloaded directly from iTunes. Here’s a photo of all of the above at the recording:

  • Red Dwarf/Hello Kitty T-Shirt

Red Bubble user Yayzus has created a cute t-shirt that might well be an interest to some of you out there, featuring a cross between Red Dwarf and Hello Kitty. Here’s the blurb:

What do you get when you cross  a human, a hologram, a cat and a robot with a Japanese kawaii icon? Red Dwarf Kitty.

Traversing the depths of space the crew of Red Dwarf come across another version of themselves from another dimension…a dimension dominated by cats.

Unfortunately for Cat, these kitty’s don’t have the fashion or style one would expect of travellers from a Feline dimension.

Hello Kitty meets Red Dwarf in this moggy mash-up

You can choose from an array of colours and the design can also be applied to a hoodie, Baseball shirt, long sleeved t-shirt, V-neck t-shirt and girly fit t-shirt. You can order one on Red Bubble here.

  • Tounge Tied 8-Bit

And finally, something of a curiosity. Here is a version of ‘Tongue Tied’ from YouTube user 9000pivot that has been chiptuned, played against an 8-bit style Red Dwarf title screen. You can download the track here watch the video below.

News Roundup (06/05/12)

Posted by Alex on May 6, 2012
Posted in: News Roundups. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . 1 comment
  • Series X

The Series X edit continued this week, with all shows offlined by the end of the week ready to go to the online edit. Richard Naylor commented that having edited them it was very difficult to pick a favourite, while Doug had this to say about Episode 5:

Danny is bloody brilliant in Sh 5. Utter privilege! ‘You haven’t listen to a word I’ve said.’ The man is a legend.

However, all wasn’t so good with Doug, as this selection of some of his tweets shows:

Aggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!

It’s not computer related. Aggggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

Much calmer now. Aggghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. Ooops, sorry, no, I’m not.

Running a bit low on the old Luck Virus at the moment.

On a happier note, the edit also saw a visit from Howard Goodall, who came talk through his ideas for the incidental music with Doug. Here is a photo from said visit, in which it’s interesting to note that we appear to get a first glimpse at the Series X logo on the monitor behind Doug and Howard.. On the other screen you can just make out the logo again on a different background in what could very possibly be the end of the new title sequence:

Meanwhile, there were some more tweets from Nathan Cubitt and Andrew Ellard about what’s been happening in the Behind the Scenes edit:

Andrew Ellard

Here we are again. Nathan Cubitt shoots and cuts, I sit at the back and go “Nah, don’t include that.”

Nathan Cubitt

Highlights of today’s logging so far: Doug firing a ball at me… oh & a topless Craig, but I doubt anyone’s interested in that :-) Glad to hear Howard Goodall is composing for RDX – I’ve just been cutting the excellent conducting of said theme by Tom Price.

So what have we got to look forward to soon? Well evidently some thought is being given to a variety of ways to publicise the show, with Richard Naylor asking:

Right calling all Dwarfers. Gimme your best Red Dwarf #’s. So far I’ve got #TheBoysAreBackInTown and #Smeg (Original huh?!) I need help! GO! Plan might be to use the best ones around RDX transmission and try and get them trending. Chance to get some really weird stuff trending!

Personally, I would favour either #BoysFromTheDwarf or #SlimesComingHome, but any hash tag that can be put on adverts and posters to try and get the show trending on Twitter is a great idea. In the meantime, here’s something else that Richard Naylor mentioned to look forward to:

Currently grading show 2. Looking good. Will post some pics later.

  • Unseen Series III Production Photos

As we mentioned earlier in the week, Paul Muller over on Ganymede & Titan made an excellent find this week on the Eagle Transporter Forum. A gentleman by the name of Andy H, who is presumably Andy Hopkinson of the VFX team on series III and IV, has uploaded a collection of behind the scenes photos from Series III. I’m sure many of you saw these when we posted about them earlier in the week, but just in case there are a few of you that haven’t it seems worth mentioning again as there really are some fantastic pictures in there. You can find them, along with some comments from Andy about the construction of the Bazookiods, here.

  • Craig Returns To Coronation Street

Craig returned to the Coronation Street set this week to start filming his return to the show after taking time out to film Red Dwarf X. Craig’s onscreen departure was shown on December 15th, coincidently the night before the first episode of Series X was filmed, and his return to Weatherfield has been a little longer in coming than some may have expected. The Mirror says that this 3 month break was extended due to the writers struggling to write Lloyd back in, but this is The Mirror and they are sighting a undisclosed ‘source’, so it’s probably a load of old tot. Craig’s return, which is said to feature a plot where his ­character Lloyd go head-to-head with Steve McDonald, should air sometime in June.

  • 2 Free Chapters Of ‘News From Gardinia’

Robert’s new book, ‘News From Gardenia’, has now been released via Unbound to pretty positive so far, and as such Robert has been entertaining the idea of a sequel on Twitter. If you did order a copy through them which included the audiobook option, then you will also now find that is available to download. For those of you that haven’t however, Robert has made the first two chapters available to download for free as a taster. You can download these here, as well as the entire book for £5.99. The book will be available in bookshops July as a paperback and e-book, and in the meantime the hardback is still available from Unbound.

  • Norman On Pappy’s Flatshare Slamdown

Norman appeared last Sunday as a guest on Pappy’s Flatshare Slamdown, the award winning podcast where unruly tenants Ben Clark and Tom Parry battle to avoid doing annoying household chores by getting guest comedians to take sides and help them fight it out over a number of games. Here’s the blurb for the episode:

Norman Lovett and Cariad Lloyd join the boys for the final #flatslam in the series – and it is a bumper-length fight over who is going to clean the flat windows. While Cariad gives us some very sensible glass-buffing tips, Norman goes off on one talking about The Big Bang Theory. Worse is to come when he reveals he isn’t a fan of puns – how will he cope with the next fifty minutes? Elsewhere in the show, Ben indicates how little he cares about winning, Tom is confused by vinegar and Matthew loses control. Plus a big shout to brave Beef Brothers complainee James who endures the collapse of his case with stoicism and by throwing in the towel before it has even got started.

You can download the episode on iTunes and the British Comedy Guide website, or you can listen to it on the player below:

News Roundup (25/03/12)

Posted by Alex on March 25, 2012
Posted in: News Roundups. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , . 1 comment

A slimmer roundup this week, partly due to less happening and partly due to the fact that I’m en-route to Cardiff to dick about on the Tardis, and as such I’m writing this a little earlier than normal. Before we get to that though, just a quick reminder that the third part of James’ exhaustive Series X diary is now online, and brings us up to present day. There were certainly plenty of things I had totally forgotten about in all 3 parts, and some that were most interesting to read back post-recordings. Anyway, on with the news:

  • Series X News

Just a few hours after our last roundup, we found out from Robert that there is to be an extra day of filming. We still don’t know when this is to be or what it is to involve, but I would still say that best guess is that it’s either for little pick-ups to make the shows flow better now they have been edited, or to redo bits that they have discovered aren’t quite right when looking at them in post. One other likelihood is that this will be green screen work as we know that the sets were cleared out some weeks ago now.

In the meantime, the edit continues with show 2 being locked according to Richard Naylor. So too does the model work continues for the test shoot on Monday, a shoot which we are glad to hear Doug will get to go to this time. We have learned a few more details about the what models are being made, with Richard Naylor explaining that Bill Pearson has nine in his workshop that are either new or reconditioned. You can read our speculation on what these might be here, but we have also subsequently learnt from Doug that all ships will be portrayed by miniatures and that another model is a ‘bigature’ of the Dwarf’s hull. This particular model has interchangeable parts, which means that it can be used to portray a variety of parts of the ship. Once again, you can see our speculation as to what this might be used for here. We are obviously very keen to see pictures of some of these models, or indeed any pictures from the production as I’m sure all of you reading this are too. With that in mind, you might be interested to know that the first of such pictures might be imminent, with Richard Naylor tweeting:

Expect some exclusive RDX stills soon.

In the behind the scenes world, Nathan Cubitt has given us another update about what footage he is working through:

Watching the world’s worst rap thanks to Ray Peacock & Ian Symes. I had hoped to erase it from memory, but it’s on the hard drive. Sorry SPOILERS. Ok just a little… the rap begins ‘For my dinner I had an egg, I like it when they say smeg’.

This is from the second recording, and a moment that I recall had many of us wincing as Ray tried to coax a rather reluctant Ian into doing a rap. All that and he still didn’t win a prize. Still, for those of us at the recordings, these bits with Ray and Tom interacting with the audience were a big part of the experience, and its lovely to hear that they are been comprehensively documented. Well, all apart from Little Smudger’s story of her Red Dwarf sex tape, though Ray sums this up best, saying:

I’m both disappointed and relieved.

  • Dwarf On Demand

The official site updated on Friday with an article that covers all the various ways you can watch the show on demand in both the UK and the US.

Online video streaming services are all the rage, these days – and no technologically-minded home is without some form of device, from games consoles to tablets to specially-powered TVs, that can take advantage of the vast libraries of online streaming content now available.

You can read Seb’s breakdown here.

  • Fully Charged Series 2 Launches

As we mentioned last week, Robert has a brand new series of his online show ‘Fully Charged’; an online show in which Robert Llewellyn looks at the newest electric cars, and different forms of renewable energy. Since that last update, the first episode has been released. You can watch it here:

  • New Gigs For Norman & Hattie

News of another two gig dates; one for Hattie and one for Norman. Norman will be appearing at the Lighthouse Cinema in Newquay on the 19th of April. Tickets are £12 (or £10 with concessions). Hattie’s is slighter odder, with the ‘Great British Cucumber Festival’ announcing her appearance:

More exciting Cue Fest news – proud to announce stand-up comic and actress Hattie Hayridge Holly from Red Dwarf fame will be opening the Cucumber Festival. By strange coincidence her Dad and family worked in the cucumber industry. Looking forward to it even more now! Don’t miss the opportunity to meet her in person – all of her, not just her floating head on a computer screen!

No, we had no idea such a thing existed either, but apparently it is a ‘food festival & family fun day to promote Lea Valley cucumber and other salads, local business and attractions’ on Saturday 12th May 10am-4pm Abbey Gardens, Essex.

News Roundup (11/03/12)

Posted by Alex on March 11, 2012
Posted in: News Roundups. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , . 3 comments

Compared to last week, we’ve had a fairly quiet week on the news front. It’s been a bit more active on this site however, with us welcoming a new member to the team; James. Well, I say team, but bringing in James has brought us up to two people working on this site. Still, the Christmas party has improved 100%. Bonza. We’ve also started to put up more articles, with the first part of James’ on-going Series X diary and my own article on the morality of Rimmer. Anyway, self-aggrandizing aside, here’s the news this week.

  • Series X (& XI?) News

As James’ update commented, Richard Naylor confirmed this week that it seems the shows will run to exactly 30 minutes in a 40 minute slot on Dave. That’s a whole extra 30 seconds than normal. Of course, that 40 minute slot allows for adverts, and there seems to have been some concern as to how these will sit in the show. Obviously, even those of us at the recordings can’t say for sure where the ad break cuts will be, even with the audience for episode 5 having seen an edit of episode 1. However, my own feeling at the recordings was that the episodes seemed to be split quite well into three separate 10 minute acts. That’s not to say the edit might not cause this to no longer apply, but purely in plotting terms, the 3 acts form worked much better than the splits in the individual parts of Back To Earth; not that that is a surprise considering that as far as Doug is concerned, Back To Earth is a piece that should be viewed in one sitting rather than in 3 parts over 3 nights. In that regard its much like a Pink Floyd concept album, or an Ann Widecombe sex tape.

Looking beyond Series X, ori-STUDFARM (from Scuttercast) provided an interesting piece of news on Ganymede & Titan from the British Sci-Fi weekend at the National Space Centre in Leicester:

At the end, somebody was asking which other Red Dwarf character would they like to have played and why. Danny told a story about he and Craig both putting on one of Krytens old used masks each and the make up department spraying them to match skin colour. Then they went downstairs and freaked Doug out….The way he was talking, I got the impression that this was from a recentish filming. Maybe BtE or RDX.He also mentioned that Doug was seriously contemplating a storyline in which everyone played another character. Much like Craig and Chris in Bodyswap.

First of all, if the incident with the masks was during the record for Series X, then I really hope that Nathan Cubitt caught it on camera for the behind the scenes documentary on the DVD. But, the really interesting thing here is the suggestion that Doug is giving thought to further episodes for the series. As you may be aware, at the recordings for the new series Doug started each show by asking the audience not to spoil what happens online, as if they were to make another series they would like to have the audience back, and Dave would be less amenable to this if details leaked out months before the shows aired. This changed by the recording of the last two episodes to Doug saying ‘when we make Series XI’.

There has been some speculation is that Dave may possibly keen to capitalize on the shows return, and that the possibility of another series has been mooted. Obviously, a lot of that will be determined by the audience figures and international sales, though I would imagine that they have found the very positive reactions to the recordings to be very encouraging. What would seem more likely to me is that this is Doug working on the assumption that another series is on the cards, and thinking ahead to it. It’s certainly not a bad area to look at, depending on how it is done. The cast have often been known to do impressions of each other, and I would be particularly interested to see Bobby doing some in the show after listening to his myriad impersonations in ‘The Man In The Rubber Mask’. After so many years with no new shows to look forward to, it’s fantastic to know that not only is a new series on the way, but that some thought is being given as to what to do next.

EDIT: A little clarification from Anthony on the comments from Chris and Danny:

DJJ did say that at one point Doug was considering a plot line that involved all the actors playing each others characters, but I got the impression that this was an old idea that didn’t go anywhere. He then later said that when Doug saw them as mechanoids, you could see his mind start working of how he could work it into a story. He finished this sentence with the words “it would be called Opposite World or something”.

  • What A Load Of TOS

Seb Patrick has started a new series of articles for the Friday updates on The Official Site, covering the evolution of the costumes. Just like his article on the evolution of the sets, this article covering Lister’s costume goes into great depth and picks up on details that many of us have no doubt not noticed. It’s a lovely little in-depth read, and we look forward to more of them in the run up to the promotion for Series X starting.

 

  • Danny On TV with ”Motorbike Diaries: Mad in the Med’ 

Danny will on our screens next month with the show ‘Motorbike Diaries: Mad in the Med’. The show, featuring Danny traveling 7000 miles with Graham Hoskins by motorbike, will be on TV 8pm on Monday 9th April on Sky 419 & Virgin 527. Here’s the blurb:

Not everyone with a desire to take on a life changing travel adventure has the time or money to go round the world for a few months.  Yet the desire to see amazing new places, meet people who don’t speak your language, travel the less trodden road and create a world of memories remains.

So how about 7000 miles by motorbike in just 16 days? Through 15 countries across 3 continents?  Just to make it a bit more interesting, do it in the ski season with no backup or makeup trucks.

With this plan, two novice adventurers:  entrepreneur Graham Hoskins and  actor Danny John-Jules were thrown together just 3 weeks before they embarked on this life changing experience.  Sit back and see what happens.

For more information you can visit the show’s site here, and you can view a trailer for the show below:

  • Norman On Tour (With Chris Difford)

In an unusual combination, Norman has announced that he is to do a series of shows with Chris Difford from Squeeze. Here’s the blurb:

Double Ivor Novello Award-winning lyricist and enigma Chris Difford comes to Bradford’s St George’s Hall for one night only. Chris will be joined by the fabulous comedian Norman Lovett to make a show of outstanding music and comedy.

There are more dates to be added, but here are the currently announced ones:

May
11th Leatherhead FC
15th Dartford Orchard Theatre
17th Sterling Toll Booth
21st Runcorn Brindley Arts Centre
22nd Buxton Opera House
23rd Hartlepool Town Hall
25th Solihull Arts Complex
26th Borehamwood Arts Theatre
27th Half Moon Putney London
30th Leamington Royal Spa Centre
31st Bradford St George’s Hall

June
2nd Alnwick Playhouse
5th Bury St Edmunds Apex
6th Aldershot West End Theatre
7th Andover Lights
8th Swansea Grand Theatre
9th Newport Riverfront Theatre
23rd Maidstone Pizza Express

August
11th Worthing Town Hall

September
1st Firle festival

  • Round Ireland With A Fridge On BBC 4

Fifth Dwarfer Tony Hawk’s film ‘Round Ireland With A Fridge’ is to get an airing on BBC 4 next Sunday at 9PM. The book it is based on is a very funny read, and the film is of equal excellence with an array of other comics such as Ed Byrne, Sean Hughes and Josie Lawrence putting in appearences. I strongly encourage anyone to watch, or indeed seek out the DVD as by Tony’s own admission; he has a garage full of them. For those unaware of the true story the film is based on, here’s the blurb:

Tony Hawks wakes up one morning to find he has accepted a drunken bet to hitchhike around Ireland with a fridge within one calendar month. The document was signed. The bet was made. The adventure begins. A comedy road trip, based on Hawks’ bestselling book. A true story… with a few fibs.

Tony is currently working on a film of his second book, ‘Playing the Moldovans at Tennis’. Tony is looking for help with releasing this film, the funds from which will go to charity. So if you are in a position where you believe you might be able to help, then please read this message from Tony:

We need someone to help us with the release of the feature film of my bestselling book Playing The Moldovans At Tennis -  so we can attempt to ensure some meaningful returns – because all profits will go to this care centre in Chisinau, Moldova.

We plan a theatrical release next year and we need to begin preparations soon. Someone with some experience of the commercial side of the film business would be fab but not essential, (basic skills in marketing and PR would be great) This might suit someone who has worked in this field before, and is now looking for a fun environment to work in for a couple of days a week – and to give a little bit back….(as I’m doing!)

If it’s not for you – please pass on the info to any friend or colleague who might be able to help us.

Contact pa@tony-hawks.com

Tony