News Roundup (24/03/13)

  • Series XI in 2015?

250px-Red_Dwarf_logoWhile we encourage you not to put any stock in such things, it would be remiss of us not to at least give passing mention to this article on Divine Varod, which has been spread around online and reports on comments by Chris at Britscifi earlier this month:

…it looks like we’re in for a long wait, as a new series for Red Dwarf isn’t expected until 2015. This date looks set as Chris Barrie gave it to fans when asked in a packed room at Britscifi earlier this month. Writer Doug Naylor has been contracted for another 6 episodes.

Now, while we would all love to see a new series ASAP, we hasten to remind those f you that have been messaging us for information in relation to this story that it is in no way a confirmation. Aside from the fact that this is reporting on second hand information, which we always therefore take with a pinch of salt, the cast have been known to say things are further down the line than they actually are plenty of times in the past. It is far more likely that there has been a provisional penciling of dates which Chris is referring to. Once again, the only place that will provide an official confirmation is The Official Site and until it’s listed there, anything else should be regarded as rumour at best. You can be sure though that we’ll bring you any information the minute that we hear it.

  • The Garbage Podcast: Series I Commentaries – Me²

Image225 years on from the initial airing of Me², The Garbage Podcast mark the silver anniversary of Series I’s close with our commentary for the episode. Considered by many to be the best episode of the series, Me² sees the show pick up on the psyche based threads of the previous episode and runs with it. It also shows Rob and Doug writing with the actors in mind for the first time, due to the episode having been written after rehearsals. Certainly, it sees the series go out on a high and provides an interesting insight into the direction the show was to take in future runs.

Does the series go out on a high? Does the Gazpacho Soup revelation mark a change in the way we view Rimmer? Is the editing of this podcast putting Alex on the verge of a breakdown? And when given the opportunity, is this podcast starting to turn in to a worrying copy of AIOTM <aiotm>? The answer to all of these questions is a more unanimous yes than if you asked Rick Wakeman what progressive rock band he was in, if he enjoys eating curry while wearing a wizards cape and if he is prepared to be grumpy about anything for the right price. Alex, James and Andrew discuss this and more as they take a look at the last episode 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:

  • Scuttercast: Dear Dave

ScutterCastThe Scuttercast have uploaded the fifth of their shows covering Series X, this time reviewing  Dear Dave. While the Dwarfcasts provided instant reactions and we at The Garbage Podcast looked back at the episodes after a few days to gauge the reactions and online opinions, the Scuttercast is able to take the information from the recently released DVD into account, providing a different look at the episodes to either of the other podcasts.

The episode is available to download and you can find it on the podcast’s website and is also available on iTunes.

  • ‘Red Dwarf’ Talking Head Could Be A Future PA

Screen Shot 2013-03-24 at 18.52.06You may have noticed various mentions of Red Dwarf on the news this week. This is due to researchers in Cambridge having developed a digital personal assistant whose talking, floating head on a black background is more than a little reminiscent of Holly.

Zoe, the avatar portrayed by Zoe Lister, can express a range of emotions such as happiness, anger and fear. The idea is that in the future she could be used on mobile devices and tablets in much the same way that Siri is currently used on apple devices.

You can read more about the story and see Zoe in action on the BBC News site and the Sky News site.