The following are three articles dating from February 1991 to May 1992. They cover Series IV and Series V. Click to enlarge each page.
TV Zone – Issue 15 – February 1991
This issue includes a news piece about the impending return of Talkie Toaster and an interview with Robert Llewellyn, Chris Barrie and Hattie Hayridge.
Starburst – Issue 153 – May 1991
This issue includes an article about the model effects of Red Dwarf IV.
Starburst – Issue 165 – May 1992
This issue includes a feature on the set of ‘Back to Reality’ with quotes from the cast and Rob Grant and Doug Naylor.
Last week saw the release of the first Series X trailer, and while this week’s release of a short message from Robert in character as Kryten is a little more subdued, it is nice all the same and gives a glimpse of the corridor set that ran in between and behind the bunk room and drive room sets. You can view the video below and you can read what Ganymede & Titan had to say about it here.
It also appears that various online retailers are starting to list the new series on DVD. Simon Bromley pointed out to us that Red Dwarf X is available to pre-order on Play and HMV with an availability date of the 19th of November. So, it would seem that the new series will be airing sometime within the first two weeks of November. That’s the closest we’ve come to a date so far, but when we hear more we’ll let you know.
Dimension Jump XVII
After the announcement last week of when Dimension Jump would be held and that Robert Llewellyn would attend, the Official Red Dwarf Fan Club has announced that the next confirmed guest is Chris Barrie. Registration is currently at a special rate for early bookers of £55 for fan club members and £65 for non-members, but don’t delay in booking as the rate will only remain until the beginning of September. You can find more information, links to register for the event and details of how to book a hotel room over on the Dimension Jump website.
The Red Dwarf Introcast
A new episode of The Red Dwarf Introcast covering Waiting For God has been released. If you are unfamiliar with the podcast of the concept, it follows in the format of other introcasts by having 4 people watching Red Dwarf and then talking about it; two of whom haven’t seen any of it previously. The episode is available to download and you can find them on the podcast’s website and is also available on iTunes.
We had joked after the news roundup last week that if the much hoped for trailer for the new series failed to materialise this week, we would be reduced to picking apart Richard Naylor’s holiday pictures instead. So when the release of the trailer was beset by technical problems throughout Friday afternoon it started to look increasingly likely that this roundup would look like this (click to enlarge):
Fortunately, with those issues sorted the trailer was released later that afternoon to much praise. Many websites that had previously expressed concern about the series seem to have revised their opinion on it having now seen some footage, with many stating that it does indeed have the look and feel of pre-VI Dwarf. It’s been great to see such a positive reaction, especially as the trailer holds back on so much from the funniest lines to any dialogue at all from Rimmer. Now the reason for this is obvious and I commended the restraint, but it does mean that if this trailer is going down well the series should go down ten times better.
If you didn’t see it already, you can find our breakdown of the trailer here and you can also find Ganymede & Titan’s take on it here. If for some reason you haven’t yet seen it (and if not why are you reading this?), then you can view it below:
Dimension Jump XVII Date Announced
The Official Red Dwarf Fan Club have this week announced the dates and venue for Dimension Jump XVII; now set to take place between held over the weekend of the 3rd, 4th and 5th of May 2013 at the Birmingham City Centre Holiday Inn. Here is the press release from the club:
The Official Red Dwarf Fan Club is delighted to announce that the greatest weekend on Earth will be back in 2013 with Dimension Jump XVII. Once again it will held in the very nice surroundings of the Birmingham City Centre Holiday Inn. The guest booking is currently in the early stages, but we’re very pleased to announce that the wonderful Robert Llewellyn has confirmed he will attend (this time in person rather than being beamed through the Internet and projected on a big screen) and more guests will be announced in the immediate future as the event starts to take shape.
DJ XVII will of course be an extra special event, as it will be the first convention after the Autumn 2012 airing of the brand new series X, so look out for series specific plans and guest bookings once everyone has seen the amazing new episodes.
For the all the up-to-date details be sure to check out the DJXVII introduction page before making your merry way to the registration and hotel booking pages to secure your place for the greatest Red Dwarf weekend around. We very much look forward to seeing you in May!
Registering in advance for the event will prove slightly cheaper depending on how early you book, and whether you’re an existing TORDFC member. Here’s the breakdown of registration costs:
From Friday 20th July – 23:59 Monday 3rd September:
£55 – Members
£65 – Non-Members
From Tuesday 4th September until the event:
£65 – Members
£80 – Non-Members
There is also a special room rate that the Fan Club has agreed with the hotel for DJ attendees on the Friday and Saturday nights. Per night, a room can be booked at £70 per night for a single, or £77.50 for a double/twin and breakfast is included in this price.
There are limited spaces for the event, so it’s recommended that you book early for a weekend of Q&A sessions, quizzes, video showings, a Saturday night disco and the chance to tell me to my stupid, fat, ferrety face what a load of blathering crap I have been coming out with in our articles. You can find links to register, details of how to book with the hotel and general information about the event on The Official Red Dwarf Fan Club’s dedicated website.
Watch Tony Hawk’s ‘Playing The Moldovans At Tennis’ For Free Online
Tony Hawk’s new film ‘Playing the Moldovans at Tennis’ is now avalible to watch for free online. The film, dramatised from the best-selling book, is an independent British feature film that tells the true story of Tony Hawks and the unlikely bet which turned into a life-changing adventure. All profits go to the care centre for children with cerebral palsy in Chisinau, Moldova, which was in turn started with the royalties from the book.
The film can be watched in it’s entirety here, with an option to also watch versions with English, Russian or Romanian subtitles. Whilst the film is free to view, I would encourage everyone to donate to the very worthy cause via the donate buttons on the page. The film is also available to buy on DVD here.
The Red Dwarf Introcast: Balance Of Power
A new episode of The Red Dwarf Introcast covering Balance of Power has been released. If you are unfamiliar with the podcast of the concept, it follows in the format of other introcasts by having 4 people watching Red Dwarf and then talking about it; two of whom haven’t seen any of it previously. The episode is available to download and you can find them on the podcast’s website and is also available on iTunes.
It’s not so much of a news roundup as a news catch-up this week with a few bits that we forgot to bring you before, so apologies if some of this is a few weeks behind.
Series X
Firstly, an update on the 48 second trailer we mentioned previously. Last Sunday we knew the trailer to be due sometime in the next two weeks roughly, but following this tweet from Richard Naylor it appears that we will actually be due the trailer sometime next week, most likely on Friday to tie in with the official site’s weekly update:
I’m off to Crete for a week! Woop! By the time I’m back you’ll all have seen the new RDX trailer!!
We’ll be updating quickly when we have more details (on the trailer that is, not Richard’s Greek holiday), and depending on the type of Trailer we get we’ll probably have a series of screen grabs and a breakdown for you too.
DwarfCast: The End – Original Assembly Commentary
Ganymede & Titan updated a couple of weeks back with a new DwarfCast. The new episode covers the original assembly of The End that was reconstructed for the Bodysnatcher collection, plus a bonus of the Series I deleted scenes. Here’s the blurb:
As we approach Series X, almost all of G&T gathered to warm up our vocal chords and surprising opinions. Join John, Ian, Cappsy, Danny and, very occasionally, the fan club’s Jo as we talk over The End: Original Assembly (we’re just too cool for the broadcast version) from the Bodysnatcher DVD and then later, in what can only be described as a ‘special treat’, the Series 1 deleted scenes.
A new Red Dwarf podcast has appeared online in the shape of The Red Dwarf Introcast. Following in the format of other introcasts, the podcast involves 4 people watching Red Dwarf and then talking about it; two of whom haven’t seen any of it previously. The first two epsiodes covering The End and Future Echoes are now up to download and you can find them on the podcast’s website and is also avalible on iTunes.
News From Gardenia On Amazon
Robert’s latest book, News from Gardenia, is now available on Amazon after previously only being purchasable from the Unbound website. The book, which is available in hardcover and Kindle form, can also be previewed on the Amazon website with the first two chapters available to read online. A general release to high-street book shops is due sometime this year.
You may have wondered after our roundup last week whether we would actually find anything to write about this week. To be honest, the same thought was plaguing us somewhat as well, so imagine our relief when Doug tweeted the following message:
48 sec RDX Trailer being launched online Mid-July.
First of all it’s worth saying that the length is something of a surprise (ooo-er). We certainly expected that the promotional campaign would likely follow a similar route to the Back to Earth one, with the first trailers to appear being much like the blipverts. We know from a tweet from Richard Naylor some time ago that a variety of different lengths trailers have been produced after all, but I don’t imagine that many people will be complaining about getting a preview that’s close to a minute long.
So we can assume that, all going to plan, we should see the trailer sometime within the next two weeks and we can breathe a sigh of relief that we will have something to bring you on a Sunday. With the air date still over 2 (or more likely 3) months away however, it should still be some time until we start to see the trailers appear on TV. As such this will no doubt be a trailer that will have every detail picked over, and when we hear more you can be sure we’ll let you know straight away.
Two Pieces Of Two Red Dwarf Models
This is a story that we meant to include last week, but somehow managed to get overlooked. As users on the official forum and G&T will have seen, it turns out that a rather significant piece of the original Red Dwarf model survived. Here’s what ‘The Magpie’ had to say about how he came by the piece and some pictures of it are featured below:
Due to some unforeseen circumstances, I’ve finally decided to part with an item that I’ve had for the last 23 years. It’s the right-hand side name plate section from the original Red Dwarf model, and has sat in my old bedroom at my parent’s house all that time.
I worked at the Visual Effects unit as a temp over Easter 1989, and was part of the team tasked with chucking out the remaining bits (after the shelf fall – as I remember it fell from around 15 feet up in the props store – top shelf might not have been the best place to put it! ). It was rather heart-breaking to have to chuck it into a skip, but I managed to ‘salvage’ this bit in a bin bag.
It’s fascinating to see that this still exists, and we’ll certainly let you know more when we know what means the piece is being sold by. In the meantime, another piece of another Red Dwarf has also appeared on the ebay in a chariety acution. This time it is from the Remastered model that has been modified for use in Series X. You can find the item here on eBay, and here is the description and some photos of the piece:
THIS IS A CHARITY SALE FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE FIBRO MIYALGIA AND CYSTIC FIBROSIS CHARITIES.
A UNIQUE PIECE OF THE JUPITER MINING CORPORATION SHIP – RED DWARF MAQUETTE
SIGNED BY CRAIG CHARLES, DANNY JOHN-JULES,CHRIS BARRIE AND ROBERT LLEWELLYN
The lovely team at Grant Naylor Productions (Shepperton Studios) has kindly given us this amazing piece of Red Dwarf memorabilia to sell for charity.
Grant Naylor are currently filming a new series of Red Dwarf and the prop team decided to resize the model/maquette of the ship. This means this section of the maquette was actually used in the filming of the original series. This is definitely not a replica.
The 4 cast members listed in the order above have signed it in black marker pen.
The production team also gave us a certificate of authencity dated 12th May 2012 which reads:
“I hereby certify this is a genuine section of the Jupiter Mining Corporation Ship – Red Dwarf from the TV Show Red Dwarf”
Signed, on behalf of Grant Naylor Productions Ltd.
Measurements: Length 19.5″ (49.5cm) and width just under 2.5″ (6cm)
Condition: of course this is in used condition as it is nearly a quarter of a century! Slightly dusty and scratched, some small sections have come off (see pictures) but the colour of the paint is still excellent and there is no specific damage to the plexiglass support (glue marks visible underneath).
We encourage you to ask as many questions as needed.
THIS IS A ONE-OFF ITEM, A PERFECT CENTERPIECE FOR A COLLECTION.
As this item is fragile the P&P costs have been adjusted accordingly (remember this is for charity).
There is also an option to collect in person, however you will be required to provide sufficient evidence that you are the purchaser, including ID and proof of address.
Scuttercast – Infinity Welcomes Careful Drivers
Finally, one more piece of news that somehow passed us by until now. The latest episode of the Red Dwarf podcast, The ScutterCast, is now available for download. This latest episode marks a break with the usual format with a discussion of Infinity Welcomes Careful Drivers rather than a televised episode. You can download it here, or via iTunes.
It seems that for Series X information, Howard Goodall is leakier than a Welsh man with incontinence issues. As such, following the picture he released on Sunday, Howard has uploaded another picture along with a brief preview of some of the music he has recorded. The sample, titled ‘Going for the Phone’, is exactly the kind of thing we had hoped he would bring to the show. The title itself is something of a spoiler, and as such we won’t let you know at this point which episode it is from. The one thing we can tell you is that the music and the shot in the photo are both taken from 2 different episodes. The picture does also ffeature our first look at one of the guest stars, so let speculation begin as to what role they might have.You can view Howard’s picture and listen to ‘Going For The Phone’ below:
In typical fashion, once we’ve done the week’s roundup something else appears that we would have included. This particular thing should be of interest to many, as the following tweet and picture from Howard Goodall shows his set up for recording the incidental music, with some footage of the new Red Dwarf Model in action. Enjoy!:
It’s Sunday. The Sabbath. Yet I find myself yoked to a Red Dwarf far out in space. The dashboard..
UPDATE – We suspected this might be the case due to the lack of background detail, but here is confirmation from Richard Naylor on the origin of the shot:
That model shot from HG was just from a rough cut btw. Not graded or comped properly.
In typical fashion, as soon as we put up the news roundup you can almost guarantee that some piece of news will break that we would have otherwise included. This one is a particularly nice one though, as Richard Naylor has tweeted a sneak peek of the new Dwarf model in action at last weeks test shoot. Of photo, it’s still difficult to make any final judgements on how the new ship is fairing since the reworking and under the scrutiny of the RED cameras, but this would certainly seem to suggest that the time and effort needed for the model work is paying off in a big way.
As we mentioned in our news roundup, this week saw the model shoot starting in earnest after a highly successful test run. We’ll be covering this shoot again in our weekly roundup, but in the meantime there have been some interesting bit of information that you might well like to hear about. The shoot lasted 4 days, and going by these tweets from Richard and Doug Naylor, the results seem to have been fantastic:
Richard:
Ended 2nd Red Dwarf model shoot day on slate 100.
So excited for you guys to see the model work this series of Red Dwarf. We’ve done a months work in 4 days and it looks brilliant.
Doug:
Miniature shoot over. 192 slates in 4 days. Some jaw dropping stuff. What a crew. So talented. So nice. An absolute privilege 2b there.
We have further learned from Bill Pearson that the proposed shoot originally consisted of far less shots, which Richard Naylor subsequently clarified for us. He explained that the plan had been to get 20 beauty shots of the Dwarf at least, so the original plan was for somewhere in the region of 60/70 shots. It’s a significant increase from that to 194 and should really give a nice variety of shots to choose from. The combination of this amount of shots along with the new interchangeable hull section could also mean that we may well end up seeing a lot more of the surface of the Dwarf than ever before. That is of course before we even get onto the various other models that have been created or reworked recently. We’ve got to say, after the problems with the original shoot it’s great to hear that this one has gone so well and by all accounts exceeded expectations. It certainly seems that bringing Bill and Steve on board has really paid off in a big way and we eagerly await a chance to see the results. Incidentally, should anyone from the production be reading this, if these aren’t all on the DVD it’ll be a travesty.
As mentioned in previous news posts, the model shoot needed to be remounted. After the successful test shoot mentioned in the news round-up yesterday, today begins the four day shoot as Doug Naylor explains on twitter:
Red Dwarf Model shoot tomorrow! There’s so much to film!!
With the test shoot going well they will presumably have ironed out any problems that plagued the first model shoot. Though it does seem like they have less time to film the models this time around (6 days in the first shoot compared with 4 in this shoot).
