Dave’s Friday update is here, and it’s this lovely panoramic view of the new bunk room. While we’ve previously glanced different sections of it in the trailer and teasers, this pictures provides an opportunity for some close examination of the highly detailed set for those that didn’t attend the recordings. For those of us that did it’s equally exciting of course, providing a great chance to look closely for things that we might have missed before.
Click to enlarge (oo-er):
Loveliness aside, what you are no doubt after from us is a breakdown of some of the more interesting elements:
The set
Overall, you’ll notice a similarity in design of the back wall with the bunk room from Back to Earth. While that room was smooth and polished however, this room is much grungier with more detail that culminates in a design that is more industrial in nature. It has previously been suggested that while the specials showed what might have been officer’s quarters, this series represents the lower depths of the ship and the living quarters of the miners. It’s an idea that we quite like, and this set definitely goes a long way to support it.
The bunks
It’s wonderful to see that the photographs and cuttings are once again present, just as they were for Back to Earth. Along with the like of the usual photos of Kochanski and the ‘Arnie does it best’ cutting, it’s interesting to see the new addition of the miniature t-shirt on the wall of Lister’s bunk carrying the design for the London Jets seen in Series I.
The console
By going for a far simpler affair than Back to Earth with a traditional keyboard and multiple data filled monitors, the design certainly feels more like Dwarf pre-VII and closer to the grimier Red Dwarf that so many fans loved.
The table
We are a world away from the button heavy design in Back to Earth, and back to a much more basic affair that is in keeping with the overall design of the set. Note also that the chairs, while connected to the base here, are detachable, allowing for a budget saving exercise in swapping the furniture from one set to another.
The cooking area
Something we haven’t seen in a bunk room for some time now, but with obvious links back to Series III. It’s a nice thought that Lister’s slob like nature is being represented less through a penchant for curry, and more though his bringing everything into the bunk room to save him having to make any effort to go anywhere other than the sleeping quarters and the drive room. This brings us onto…
The sofa
We were a little unsure of this when we first saw it at the recordings, but it’s something that grew on us over time. The design might be slightly at odds with the rest of the set, but the idea that Lister took it from elsewhere on the ship (say a diner or an arcade) is an appealing one.
The games console
While the idea of a gamer being a slob is something of a cliché these days, having Lister willing away his hours gaming rather than working or hunting for his girlfriend is an appealing one, harking back to the Lister of I-III who would kill time with films and videos.
The guitar
A musician’s gripe here, but I’m delighted to see that Lister’s guitar is no longer the cheap Encore Strat from Back to Earth, but rather a Les Paul design that’s in keeping with his previous guitars.
The return of the goldfish tank
Smashing.
It’s an authentic Les Paul copy.