‘Red Dwarf’

 

(TELEVISION MEMORIES 8)

 

“Smoke me a kipper; I’ll be back for breakfast”

 

"Howdy-doodly-do, how's it going?"

 

“Smmmmmmmmmmmeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeegggggggg”

 

There is a new television channel that has been launched this week called ‘Dave’ and even though the channel has nothing to do with either ‘Super Dave’ or ‘Van Halen’, it will be featuring the adventures of a quite super ‘Dave’, the ‘Dave’ who uses the surname ‘Lister’.

 

As a male focused entertainment channel that has advertising proclaiming it is ‘home of witty banter’, what better series to show than ‘Red Dwarf’, a sitcom that just happens to be situated in space. In fact I think the show was supposed to be more like a ‘traditional’ alternative sitcom than a science fiction programme, as like ‘Blackadder’ in the World War trenches and like the hopeless flatmates of ‘Bottom’ it was all about the comedy of confined spaces.

 

As a child who was not interested in science fiction shows such as ‘Star Trek’ or ‘Dr. Who’, I had missed the first couple of episodes as I had misunderstood the concept and so was being ignorant to the show’s existence. It was only when somebody at school told me that here was a very funny comedy series rather than the new ‘Space: 1999’ that I took notice.

 

I joined the show at the point after all the other crew had been wiped out and so the set up was more like a SF version of ‘Waiting For Godot’, than the show we know and love. I did not get to see the first couple of episodes till a few years later and I was slightly disappointed that the show had not opened with the fake suburban setting of a living room shown through a garden patio window, which was then revealed to be on the side of a mining ship in space.

 

I enjoyed these early shows very much, but looking back I think was obvious that there were limitations to just focusing on the two characters of ‘Dave Lister’ and the obscenely named ‘Arnold Rimmer’; and so it was good that some of the secondary characters were developed. However, when I first saw the third series of the show, I remember thinking “what have they done to it” as the format had changed to being more like ‘the Young Ones’ in space, than to what it had been before (with Chris Barrie playing the Rik Mayall role, perhaps?).

 

Looking back now, I think that series three was the beginning of a golden age for ‘Red Dwarf’. This was because the first series was not as funny as I remembered it and it was obvious that the show really needed the permanent character of ‘Kryten’ to make it work. Of course, there was still ‘Holly’, though ‘he’ had turned female at the start of the new series because Norman Lovett had gone off to do his own surreal sitcom (‘I Lovett’, I think), whilst Danny John Jules was still there doing his feline ‘Morris Day’ role, though thankfully when his character’s time was increased they did not make him as annoying as Chris Tucker’s ‘Rudy Rhod’.

 

It is hard to pick the best episode from the Hattie Hayridge years, as the writers ‘Grant-Naylor’ managed to get the right mix of comedy, surrealism and science fiction within these shows. Some of my favourite parts included ‘Talkie Toaster’ and his bread related products, the one where ‘Kryten’ becomes human, the polymorph, Smmmmmmmmmmmmmmeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeegggggggg” and not forgetting any episode with the iconic duo of ‘Duane Dibbley’ and ‘Ace Rimmer’.

 

It was a pity that ‘Red Dwarf’ went on beyond series six as the later episodes were not as funny. I think ‘Grant-Naylor’ should have taken a lead from ‘Fawlty Towers’ and quit whilst they were ahead. The later series felt more like a glossy American SF show than a comedy series and were probably developed with the American market in mind. I do not think it helped that there were a lot of problems and creative differences behind the scenes; as one writer wanted to make it even more comic and the other, more like a proper ‘Sci-Fi’ show. I cannot remember if it was Rob Grant or Doug Naylor, who left the partnership to do ‘The Strangerers’ on ‘Sky One’, but after seeing both subsequent shows it was obvious that they needed the creative skills of each other.

 

I like this show, and agree, the first seasons were funnier.....

 

I'm inclined to think the later seaons were made to attract fans from the US, as it was aired on PBS stations here....

 

 

Also, seem to remember Craig Charles (Dave Lister) being accused of some child molestation charge, but, don't remember what became of that accusation.....

Craig Charles wasn't accused of Child molestation but was accused of rape which he was acquitted of.

OH one of my favourite tv shows growing up! I loved it still watch it to this day: well if Rob lets me that is...

 

It lost it after Rimmer went tho and Holly.

I thought the show started going downhill when Katchansky joined the crew... It wasn't even the original Katchansky (who was played in the flashback sequences by Claire Grogan..) either... By the time it got to series 8, everything I ever loved about the show just disappeared.... :(

i never took to it.... its just annoying.

I thought the show started going downhill when Katchansky joined the crew... It wasn't even the original Katchansky (who was played in the flashback sequences by Claire Grogan..) either... By the time it got to series 8, everything I ever loved about the show just disappeared.... :(

 

I was not bothered about that series at all.

Craig Charles wasn't accused of Child molestation but was accused of rape which he was acquitted of.

 

 

Thanks for the correction...