We’ve been a little quiet recently with constraints on our time meaning like the best of parties, we’ve ended up missing the entirety of January. So as we gradually come back around from our comatose state and look at finally releasing the next video review of the XI game and some more Garbage Podcasts, let’s just take a brief look at a few news stories of the past month that shouldn’t pass without note.
Charles Armitage RIP
This morning brought the unexpected sad news that Charles Armitage passed away at home on Monday, 6th of February. The news was announced by The Official Site:
We are very sad to report that Grant Naylor Productions co-founder Charles Armitage has passed away: https://t.co/3PXhTQp6rm
— Red Dwarf (@RedDwarfHQ) February 8, 2017
The grandson of Noel Gay, Charles formed Noel Gay TV with Paul Jackson, making him a key figure in television production. It wasn’t only television he would be associated with however, with various production companies seeing him work on films, stage productions, music management/ publishing and more.
In the world of Red Dwarf, Charles was an important player in the history of the show. His role would change through the years, seeing him start as a co-founder of Grant Naylor Productions and later becoming an Executive Producer on Back to Earth and Series X, as well a brief appearance in the former, waiting with the Dwarfers for a bus.
Series X was also Charles’ last active involvement with the show, and come Series XI he was no longer an executive producer on the show. Between this though, the documentary We’re Smegged on the Series X DVD highlighted some of the issues of that production, and on which Charles was a big presence in his role.
For any strain that may have shown over four years ago however, he was and remains an important figure in the show’s history, and one whose passing has been marked by cast and crew online.
Wow! @DougRDNaylor Just called me, and all I can say is "Holy Crap!!!!!" #RedDwarf #legacy
— Danny John-Jules?? (@DannyJohnJules) February 8, 2017
Yup. Sad indeed. https://t.co/XAJNxTluSF
— Danny John-Jules?? (@DannyJohnJules) February 8, 2017
Very sad news. I didn't want to say anything until the official RD site had announced it.https://t.co/bdRdOTFMYU
— Robert Llewellyn (@bobbyllew) February 8, 2017
We're very sad to hear Charles Armitage has passed away. We worked with him for many years & he was instrumental in bringing Red Dwarf back.
— Dave (@davechannel) February 8, 2017
Gutted. A properly lovely guy, not to mention extremely gifted, with a mind that was always ahead of the game. Dwarfers owe him much. https://t.co/cywvvvKyNZ
— Mark Dexter (@RealMarkDexter) February 8, 2017
Charles Armitage was first person I met whilst terrified about starting to work on Red Dwarf. He was warm, welcoming & fear-dissolving. RIP
— Ian Boldsworth (@Boldsworth73) February 8, 2017
We Have Been Watching
Tucked away quietly in the Christmas schedules was We Have Been Watching on Gold; a show that bears more than a striking resemblance to Googlebox, but instead of the public features various pairs of comedy figures watch and comment on clips from a range of comedies.
Among this line up is Craig Charles and Robert Llewellyn, sharing a sofa and some crisps. Following the Christmas special, 2017 has seen a full series of the show with more contributions from the pair, including them watching back clips from Lemons. In the absence of commentaries for Series X, it’s quite fun to see two of the main four cast members discussing the episode, and the show dedicates a fair section of one of it’s episodes to Red Dwarf.
Though the series has now finished, it is available on demand via Sky, and as with many shows on UKTV, it is set to be repeated soon on March 9th at 8:40PM on Gold. In the meantime, you can find various clips and details about the repeat run on the UKTV site here.
Dimension Jump XIX
Somehow with the hype of Series XI we largely managed to neglect covering the announcements of guests for Dimension Jump XIX; The Official Red Dwarf Fan Club’s 19th convention. Not that this has been of the slightest issue of course, as the event has now been sold out for some time, but that doesn’t stop us from being able to get excited by it’s lineup, especially with new guests having recently been announced.
With Series XI still fresh in everyone’s minds, we are therefore delighted by last week’s announcement Lucie Pohl, AKA Twentica’s Harmony De Gauthier, will be joining the already confirmed lineup so far of Chris Barrie, Robert Llewellyn, Hattie Hayride, Mark Dexter (Howard Rimmer – Trojan) and Suanne Braun (Cpt. Dorothy McCutcheon – Twentica).
Dimension Jump always promises to be an event not to be missed , but if you haven’t bought a ticket already, then miss it you will. However, whether you can be there or not, don’t forget to follow TORDFC and it’s dedicated Dimension Jump account on Twitter to keep abreast of the events. And to those of you attending, we’ll see you in April!
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