my care2
make a difference

community & fun

groups

get together & make a difference

 
 
This thread is closed.
 Red Dwarf January 11, 2006 5:06 PM

...part two of a series of spin-off threads, in which you, the viewers at home, get to discuss a specific BritCom mentioned in Rebecca's post "Anyone out there?" This week we take a look at the sci-fi comedy classic Red Dwarf. "To badly go where no-one has gone before..." this terrific show lasted 8 seasons from 1988 to 1998 (crikey, so long ago). this show definitely has a big cult-following in the UK, but i don't know about elsewhere. i remember the day at school after the first episode aired (i was only 12 at the time), where the phrase "look out earth, the slime's coming back!" was heard throughout the playground... Synopsis: the crew of a 21st-century deep-space mining ship, the Red Dwarf, are all - bar one - wiped out following a radiation leak. The sole survivor is David Lister, who has been placed in suspended animation for 18 months as punishment for smuggling aboard a pet pregnant cat. Lister remains in stasis for three million years, and when he awakes he has some unexpected company: a hologram of his former shift leader Rimmer, who has retained all the foibles of the master material; the shipboard computer Holly, now showing definite signs of senility; and 'Cat' a strange human-like creature who turns out to have evolved, over the past three million years, from the pregnant moggy - resulting in a sort of feline-sapien. This mismatched assortment proceed to roam the universe, becoming involved - despite their reluctance - in a fantastic variety of weird and wonderful adventures. By the third series the computer personality had been replaced by a new, sparkier version and the crew were joined by an all-too-human-like android, Kryten. Ostensibly, despite its futuristic trappings, Red Dwarf has all the aspects of a traditional sitcom: a closed set, the clash of opposing personalities forced to share the same space, a surrogate family set-up and the continuing possibility that their dilemma might be resolved at any moment. But as the show progressed it called upon different strengths to propel it away from traditional orbits towards more uncharted areas. Although the plots embraced many typical sci-fi themes (parallel universes, black holes, time warps, alternative histories, matter transportation and so on), when wedded to the comedy format some truly original television was created. Grant and Naylor refused to underestimate their audience and assumed that viewers would have had sufficient grounding in sci-fi to make elaborate explanations unnecessary. And even if the science did leave the audience behind, the writers realised that the comedy would carry the day. Vulgar, occasionally crude but always witty, the dialogue more than matched the crazy plots - Arnold Rimmer was a whiny, shallow, self-centred hologram who had a sharp tongue and considered himself above the others (his other dimensional alter-ego Ace Rimmer on the other hand was an all-action, idolised, space hero) ; Lister was an everyman with a 'laddish' outlook on life; Cat was a fashion victim who often displayed aspects of his feline past; the admirable Kryten was an android servant who, like Jeeves, often operated beyond the call of duty but who, unlike Wodehouse's creation, often dropped his masters into difficulties rather than saving them. The computer, Holly, was at first morose and senile (in the person of Norman Lovett); a later personality (interpreted by Hattie Hayridge) was more efficient but had a flippant attitude and a mischievous streak. Excerpt from BBC comedy guide: http://www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/guide/articles/r/reddwarf_7775370.shtml about 10 years ago, when i was a student, i saw Craig Charles play a stand-up show , which was a disappointing waste of money. he was just rude and abusive. obviously all the credit for the Red Dwarf character had to go to the scriptwriters because Craig is not a funny comedian in his own right. Nowadays he plays a small part as a taxi driver on the british soap opera "Coronation Street", which along with "East Enders" is gradually becoming a vehicle for failed actors and comedians... would be great though if the BBC were to make another series of Red Dwarf - oh please! by the way, Rob Grant and Doug Naylor also published some novels based on Red Dwarf, which are well worth reading, under the author's name "Grant Naylor". see here for example: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0140124381/qid=1137027120/sr=1-3/ref=sr_1_3/002-6468258-9944006?s=books&v=glance&n=283155 also noticed there are plenty of RD DVDs on amazon.. in europe there is a better alternative to amazon : http://www.play.com free delivery on everything! but i do not partake of advertising, so please spend your money on a donation to one or more of these organisations instead! http://www.IFAW.org http://www.oceana.org http://www.orangutans-sos.org http://www.tigertrust.info http://www.sharktrust.org http://www.wdcs.org  [ send green star]
 
  New Topic              Back To Topics Read Code of Conduct

 

This group:
BritCom Fans (British Comedies)
27 Members

View All Topics
New Topic

Track Topic
Mail Preferences


Copyright © 2009 Care2.com, inc. and its licensors. All rights reserved