RED. DWARF. X. TRAILER. News Posted by Jonathan Capps on 21st July 2012, 04:10 Earlier today, the first Red Dwarf X teaser finally landed in our overly moist laps. My general thoughts on the whole thing will be given after I’ve gone through the key frames, all the while trying not to give away any plot spoilers, while still also speculating to the best of my ability. Oh, and did I mention that I’ve ingested quite a bit of gin? This is going to be ‘fun’. Anyway, let’s start, as is so often the tradition, at the beginning. Yep, that’s the title card alright. What I like about this is that it proffers both the name of the show and also the numbering of the series in question. My roman numerals are a little rusty, but I *believe* this is series 36. This appears to be the same title card we’ve seen on various edit suite pictures on Twitter, but not the same one used for the monitors during the recordings, which was the more standard logo without the gradient on the white letters. This is very interesting for some reason. Oh good lord, the infamous mask. It has split online reaction in twain. Some say “yeah, no, Bobby, the mask is pony” and others say “BLAH BLAH BLAH WRONG OPINION”. This is definitely a controversial mask, and our early set reports basically kicked its stupid mask arse for being a big stupid mask with a dumb face. In my own personal opinion, I still think it looks very dodgy when viewed on screen. It’s not just the hooked nose (although that is the most egregious part of it) but the mouth area also looks far from ideal. And really, don’t get me started on those ridiculous shoulder handles. That said, this is from an early episode and if memory serves me correctly there is a considerable improvement in Robert’s mask as a the series goes on. At the end of the day, it’s not a show stopper, but it’s definitely interesting how different this mask is from three years ago, when they pretty much got it spot on. In this scene between Kryten and Lister you get a fairly decent look at the bunkroom, with Lister lounging around on a sofa and the bunks visible over Kryten’s shoulder. It may just be the abominable quality of the video, but the Kryten shots look oddly like he’s against a greenscreen. I’m almost 100% certain this isn’t the case, though, because I’m sure this is a take from the night of the recording. Well hello there, old friend. The now familiar view of the side of the ‘new’ Red Dwarf model is looking pretty fucking sexy on camera. To continue the trend of tedious observations (I’ll try and have one for every screen, but no promises) this shot depicts the ship moving in the traditional direction of right to left, and not left to right (as described in the Back to Earth BTS, this roughly means they’re no longer traveling home, as in Back to Earth). OBSERVATION COMPLETE. LISTER DUN EAT A KEBAB. Lister, clad in his familiar leather jacket, fails entirely at eating his kebab without spilling it on the console and causing it to explode in a shower of special effects (presumably courtesy of the art department, although I’ll admit to be unable to conjure the exact names of anyone responsible for on-set special effects at this late hour). Here you get a pretty good look at the second standing set used this series, the Red Dwarf drive room. It’s really very nice and has lovely monitors with pretty patterns on them that Danny will probably turn into wallpapers at some point if you’re very nice to him. Here we see Rimmer, looking smart in his slightly darker blue tunic, hammering the living shit out of something on the table. If the sight of Rimmer smashing something repeatedly sends a chill down your spine, then you’re probably thinking of the scene in Back in the Red when he, completely inexplicably, went to fucking TOWN on his genitalia with a hammer, presumably to quell the enormous erection he was experiencing at the time. Luckily for everyone this is part of a very funny scene while, perhaps a *tad* overplayed, fits in very well in context. But, what the fuck is with the light thing in the middle of the table? Apparently the future is just too cool for a humble table lamp. There’s nothing particularly remarkable about Kryten in this scene (aside from the faintly over the top hand gestures) but take careful note of the set. This is a set that replaced the drive room for one episode and considering what we see later in the trailer, you can take your own guesses as to what it is. Another bunk room scene, as Cat expertly slides out the door, carrying what appears to be a bottle of milk and some sort of technological device. His costume here brings to mind his BTE outfit, but more pink. This clip is a great example of how Danny has managed to re-inhabit the role of the Cat with a aplomb this series (both physically and verbally). He really is one of the highlights of the series and easily the best he’s been since series VI. More drive room, here, as Kryten explains to Rimmer that Lister has lost him in a game of poker to some un-named antagonists. This is probably the strongest comedic part of the trailer, as the idea is very strong and Cat’s line that follows is a solid woofer. Special mention to probably the best Cat suit in the series, here, looking like a some sort of dapper Wild West type man. ACTION. Now, this is an interesting one. It’s a very quick shot in the trailer, but clearly it shows something rocking the ship pretty fucking severely. This was a scene that was very, very quickly shot mere hours before the audience were due to arrive and I’m pretty sure it would be close to the top of the re-shoot list, so this is likely taken from the seventh week of filming. I can’t say anything more about this scene because then that would be spoilers and I would be forced to ban myself from the site, and no one wants that. Right? RIGHT?! This is probably the most interesting part of the whole trailer, for a great many reasons. Firstly, it gives us a distant but complete shot of Red Dwarf and I have to say I’m not really a fan of how it looks shortened down. The front scoop is far, FAR too large for the new length, and this is only made worse by the fact the rear boosters have not been given their own protrusion (as with the series 1 and V models), giving the whole thing a very top heavy feeling. It’s a gorgeous model that I can’t help but feel has been done a disservice with the reworking. Secondly, here we see the actual Blue Midget model (originally built for re-mastered and scanned into Chris Veale’s mum’s C64 so they could make it dance, or something) on screen for the first time. This is a really odd shot, because it moves much, much faster than any model work we’ve seen before, giving it an oddly artificial feel. It’s certainly not bad, but you can definitely tell it’s being manipulated by a man in a silly green coverall rather than being swung around on wires by Rocky Marshall whilst atop a ladder. Lister is absolutely fucking delighted with this card. But who’s it from? It’s certainly addressed to some gentleman named ‘Dad’, but WHAT COULD THAT POSSIBLY MEAN? The comments already feature some theories on this, and they’re certainly very interesting. Let’s just say that’s it’s probably not from Bexley, given Lister’s rather blasé attitude towards his impending death in Future Echoes, the heartless bastard. The card itself has dreadlocks attached to it (me locks, man! Me locks are glued to this card!) and has a poppadom concealed inside, because DAVE LISTER LOVES CURRY AND EVERY FUCKER KNOWS IT. So, that about wraps up our first look at Red Dwarf X, and I suppose I better try to articulate my thoughts on the trailer as a whole. I don’t think, in all honestly, that it represents the series all that well. It seems very much geared towards showing the ‘whacky space funtime’ and so gives a bit of skewed view of what the series is like. If I was to see this as the first example of the new series, I’d be shitting my pants right now, convinced we’re about to experience Series VIII all over again. That is categorically not the case (although, ironically, Series VIII has a much better trailer that actually conveyed a bit of drama). Another problem is the complete and total lack of any Rimmer dialogue. I can’t even imagine why this would be, but this obviously won’t be the last trailer we see before broadcast so there’s plenty of time for some hot Barrie action in the coming weeks. The thing I’m most pleased about the reaction to this is how everyone has picked up on Danny’s performance, because he, along with Robert, really is one of the best things about this new series. They have absolutely *nailed* their performances, which makes sense since they seem to be the actors most positively affected by the presence of an audience due to their long time stage experience. Dave have indicated that this is just the start of the promotion for the new series, and we can expect new stuff every Friday from now until, hopefully, broadcast in September or October. I’m confident that as we get closer and closer to broadcast you’ll all have a much clearer idea of how this series is shaping up, and with each passing week the positive vibes will only increase. It may not be the perfect first look at Series X, but it’s a good start and despite my tone any reservations I may have aren’t as big as they might appear. Bring on the other trailers, and next time, Dave, try not to upload a video with the resolution of a COCKING POSTAGE STAMP. Thanks.
From the Dave FB page: “And that’s not all: we’ll be releasing something new every Friday, so watch this space!” This space duly bookmarked.
These shots aren’t great quality since the trailer is quite compressed, but speculation starts here: Oh man that looks good. Top notch model work there. Based on the way that shot kicks in with the opening theme I’m assuming that is probably how the opening credits start, quick pan over the name plate of the ship and then into the clips. Just because I like it so much, another shot of the ship, doesn’t that just look spiffy. Now this IS interesting. I didn’t catch what the card said until I paused the trailer to take this shot. Initially it just seemed like Craig was overacting but now I’m not sure. A Happy Fathers Day card to Lister? I can’t see them reintroducing Jim or Bexley from the parallel universe, so that leaves the idea of Lister giving himself a fathers day card (since he is his own dad after all). That would explain the way he is acting as he opens it all, it’s fake surprise since he gave it to himself, and also explains why Kryten and Rimmer look a little confused at the whole thing.
Wasn’t this something that Doug raised the idea of with the G&T guys at DJ last year? Seem to remember it popping up in a Dwarfcast somewhere.
Wasn’t this something that Doug raised the idea of with the G&T guys at DJ last year? Seem to remember it popping up in a Dwarfcast somewhere. Doug did indeed say that he wanted to explore that.
DwarfCast from the last DJ metioned the Father’s Day card as one of Naylor’s ideas for RDX. Lister is Jim and Bexley’s mother anyway…
DwarfCast from the last DJ metioned the Father’s Day card as one of Naylor’s ideas for RDX. Lister is Jim and Bexley’s mother anyway… Yeah, um, I didn’t make a mistake there. I was thinking it could be Dave putting together a fathers day card for Deb… I’ll go hang my head in shame for that mistake now.
I’m seeing Batman tonight but I’ll have an overly in depth analysis much later tonight / the wee hours of tomorrow.
There seems to be some very animated discussion of ‘Krytion’s nose, WTF’ on Facebook at the moment. Thoughts? Personally, I’m fine with it.
I love the grimy red color of the bunkroom. Ian was spot on when he described it as “slightly dystopian.” Also, I’m loving the details we can now see in Lister’s jacket. Thanks for the screen captures, Adam. For some reason I find myself speculating about the glass jug with lettering on it. I see absolutely nothing wrong with Kryten’s nose or mask.
> I’m seeing Batman tonight but I’ll have an overly in depth analysis much later tonight / the wee hours of tomorrow. Right on Cappsy. Pundits round here are saying that the incident in Colorado will hurt the film’s opening weekend figures. I’m going with a group of friends today, but may watch it again tomorrow out of sheer defiance.
Just to put something to bed from the other thread: Blue Midget is not CGI. It’s a model. That is all.
>Just to put something to bed from the other thread: Blue Midget is not CGI. It’s a model. That is all. As I thought. I’ve taken a guess on the Gazpacho Soup article soon to go up that it is the first time we see the model made for the Remastered series (the model only used to render the CGI version originally).
I’m seeing Batman tonight but I’ll have an overly in depth analysis much later tonight / the wee hours of tomorrow. In the meantime, our one is up on http://www.Gazpacho-Soup.com
My thoughts. Firstly all the actors look great! Loving the new costumes. Rimmer really suits his improved uniform, the BTE one just didn’t work on him i think. The Kryten look i think actually works despite my reservations when i saw the pictures. Don’t know why people are complaining about his nose. Funnily enough in some shots the mask looks a lot like the USA Pilot mask, especially around the eyes. Love Cats hair. In the photos it looked really weird, but works really well on screen. Great that we get to see a new variety of cat costumes too! The model shots looks absolutely stunning. Admittedly it’s only a compressed Facebook video, but the Dwarf flyby especially just looks so Hollywood it’s untrue. I really hope this is the start of a miniature model renaissance in TV and film! I really do. I still think CGI is pants in comparison. As for the snippets of character stuff and the comedy, i can’t even begin to make a judgement, because it’s pure trailer fodder. From the little we do see, it seems very Series 8 in gag style, but again there’s absolutely no way we can judge yet. Though from the little we do see, the actors have clearly eased back into their characters with no problems, just like they did in ‘Back to Earth’. Though all we see from Rimmer is his classic ‘losing the will to live’ reaction :D But its’ great to see! Seeing Cat’s ‘Me and me and him’ line made me optimistic, because if there was one actor who lost his way with his character in the last few series, it was DJJ. But from seeing that and BtE, i think he’s got it nailed again. Loving the sets. So much detail in them too. As much as i liked the BtE sets, i think these suit the style of Red Dwarf more. Though i can’t help but notice what look like Samsung TV’s scattered about the place. Hardly makes it seem futuristic :-D Though that’s nothing new, most of Series 1 had Sony logos all over the TV’s :D Sorry nerd detail :D Also, i can occasionally hear echo in dialogue.
It’s lovely to see a proper trailer at last. As a complete spoiler-phobe this is the first I’ve seen of, well, anything, really, and I think it looks jolly nice indeed. I agree about the oddness of Kryten’s nose, but it’s hardly a major issue and I’m sure we’ll soon get used to it. The sets look great, it was worth watching a few times just for that. I’ve no idea how representative that was of the standard of the gags but I’m happy to reserve judgement until I’ve seen more. Gosh, that was rather positive and upbeat for me, wasn’t it? I must be due for my pills and a nice lie down.
First thing: the people who did this site’s set reports weren’t kidding about the Kryten mask! Second thing: I wonder if the opening joke in the trailer is from the opening scene of an episode – perhaps the first scene in the first episode? It feels like it could be. Third thing: the Cat’s costume and quiff in the “apart from me and him and him” scene: wow! Fourthly thing: Of the two new trailers I’ve watched today, the Red Dwarf X one is the more exciting. Sorry, Mr Anderson.
I can’t seem to stop watching the trailer. It’s like the times I managed to tape the series vi, vii and viii trailers back in the day. It’s 3 years since this series was confirmed at DJXV and I’ve been following the progress of the production in worrying detail along with the rest of you since then. I’m nowhere near this fanatical about any other show. Thank you to Doug and all the Dwarfers!
I was slightly jarred by the neck area and shoulder loopies in motion but I got over it by the second watch.
Yeah, Kryten: I don’t have a real problem with the nose. It’s the neck. You know that old (series three? Four?) BTS photo where Robert has no ‘armour’ on, just his black under-suit thing (stop me if I’m getting too technical)? Well it looks like that – it’s as though his neck hoops are missing. We see so much of his neck, it just seems odd. But that’s just real nitpicking, and I’ve said before how I dislike the collar area of the new Kryten costume. As for the trailer – the model looks amazing, and I just keep rewatching it with a big grin on my face – I did an actual LOL on a couple of occasions. It just makes me very happy. Also, the Cat’s grey suit is wonderful.
Thrilled to see the new trailer. Krytens head differs a lot series to series, I’m sure I’ll get used to it, but it did stand out a bit in this trailer for me. But mostly I see a new dwarf world, now fully realised, from what I saw earlier in the year, thrilled to see models and everything in the mix. Spoiler question, are we allowed to mention what episodes bits come from if we know? As long as we make sure we dont go “it leads into… or because this happens next…” etc. Mentioning nothing not visible on screen?
Shall I start my 25p moan now, or shall I save it for the autumn? NO. You’re allowed two penn’orth, and that’s it….
Moan away. Last time you only had Golf to distract you. Pretty Soon you can hide in the Olympics for the rest of teaser season John. ;-)
I don’t like Kryten doing “zany” stuff…and his outfit/mask is a downgrade….um…uh… Rimmer hitting things with a hammer brings back bad memories of Back in the Red… That’s pretty much all I’ve got. Think this is far better than the early glimpses we got of Back to Earth. Moan away, John.
Sets! Models! Comedy lines! Getting Kryten’s mask out of the way – the nose IS weird but it also makes him look funny, so it’s a bonus! The rest of the mask and costume are absolutely bang on IMO. Cat’s look, and his performance in this trailer, is perfect, old school Cat! Lister betting and losing Rimmer in a poker game feels like classic Dwarf. However large a part of an episode that takes up, it’s a neat little idea. Cat’s response could have come from anywhere III onwards! The ‘Fathers Day’ card gag is good (mainly due to Rimmer and Kryten’s expressions), though anyone who puts poppaddoms in a card frankly needs a few life lessons… It certainly looks sitcom-y enough for me (yeah yeah, it’s not interlaced, but I think we can just about live with that. Though I wonder if they even tested 50Hz?) and the overall look of the series is more than we could ever have hoped for!
Jolly nice! Watched this In a cupboard under the stairs In work during a busy serving shift 3 minutes after It was published. Shame It’s not the only big thing that happened today that I’ll never forget… This ‘apparent’ news story confirms DVD & Blu-ray release… apparently: http://tvshowsondvd.com/news/Red-Dwarf-Series-10/17237
This ‘apparent’ news story confirms DVD & Blu-ray release… apparently: http://tvshowsondvd.com/news/Red-Dwarf-Series-10/17237 “Stay tuned, of course, for official BBC announcements with all the details and box artwork.” They’ll be waiting a while.
Well this is a bit on the exciting side, isn’t it! Good trailer, but I’m still getting used to the visual style (the brightness is a bit low, that’s all), but I should be used to that soon enough. Bring on Septoctovember!
I completely forgot about this and caught it late! Not a whole lot that made me laugh, but that won’t put me off considering the length of the trailer. The starting joke was amusing and very Kryten, and I liked the poker bit and it whets my appetite for that story. Not so sure of the oozing kebab stuff and the slapstick but in context that could be all right. Costume wise- I’m still getting used to Cat’s hair and Kryten’s shoulder hoops are too obtrusive. They should have stuck with the position nearer the neck in the previous series or removed them entirely. Otherwise they look good. I like Cat’s new grey suit. Sets models and effects are decent. A lovely surprise to see Blue Midget! They’re obviously following the Remastered/Series VIII design, which is fine with me. It does look a little different – I’m not sure if that’ simply due to the fact it’s a model rather than CGI. I think not, I think there are minor alterations particularly around the window area and more detailing. It has the basic look of V2 with the industrial flavour of V1 if that makes sense. It looks good anyway, although slightly odd in that effects shot. (Not in a way that particularly bothers me though.) I’m not sure if it’s the juxtaposition of the two ships (Red Dwarf and Blue Midget) or the way Blue Midget zips along… I’d like a model of Blue Midget anyway, although I doubt it will happen. :) Anyway. Overall a good taster, I think.
When assessing the trailer, it’s probably important to remember that Red Dwarf, traditionally, does not “clip” very well.
> When assessing the trailer, it’s probably important to remember that Red Dwarf, traditionally, does not “clip” very well. This is a very good point. Everyone, imagine I made this point in the article and you all think I’m really clever for making such a good point.
>That said, this is from an early episode It’s from the fifth episode filmed. >Kryten shots look oddly like he’s against a greenscreen. I’m glad I’m not alone on this.
Overall I think the trailer is solid without being great (could’ve done with at least one more decent gag in there), but my only huge problem is with Kryten’s mask and costume. I thought at the recording it looked weird and this has just confirmed my worst fears. The shoulder hoops are dumb but I could probably live with them – the mask though is a absolute CAR CRASH. That whopping crooked hooter…. what were they thinking? I’m also no crazy about the amount of Kryten Neck that’s now on show – why has that changed? It makes him look less like a robot, more like a man in an ill-fitting robot costume. No amount of spin can get me past this! In my honest opinion it’s the worst Llewellyn Kryten mask EVER (still better than David Ross’s though). So weird, considering how bang on Kryten was for BTE.
Ben dont repeat good points that Mr Capps has already implied after the event. And your clearly not drinking enough gin, saying good points like that so clearly and intelligently sir. Yeah there is a bit too much neck. We are meant to believe his head is interchangeable etc with spare ones. In modem news, I’d like to thank The Bridge Hotel across the road for not securing their wi fi with a password. I’ve just been watching Back to Earth DVD and i think in the commentary doug goes on about the camera and how nice it is you can get that film look of out of focus backgrounds. So I think the kryten in focus background not is a directional choice of some shots etc, rather than the green screen thing, that you erm think that it isnt. Or something like that.
I love the kebab scene. Perhaps cus it’s the kind of thing I do. I like my food and im a clumsy fucker. Loved watching a few takes of that being done live, and it being someones job to clear up kebab. I think the card stuff will work better in the episode for me, more than a trailer.
Cat expertly slides out the door, carrying what appears to be a bottle of milk and some sort of technological device. I thought it was a takeaway dish.
> But, what the fuck is with the light thing in the middle of the table? My knee-jerk response when I saw this in the trailer was, “There’s a beheaded Dalek on the table, wtf.” (I’ve since figured out that I was way off on that; don’t write in. :) I can get used to that light. In fact, the BTE console that people love, I find a bit Star Trek TNG now. I like this one better. > This is a set that replaced the drive room for one episode and considering what we see later in the trailer, you can take your own guesses as to what it is. Oh I see… The set that is very blue replaced the one that is very red. *little happy dance at my desk Well done Cappsy, thanks for that. (PS: he is right. Dark Knight Rises is awesome. I’d even say it’s the best one of the trilogy. Go see it now.)
I have to admit, despite my rampant enthusiasm for all things Series X, I have to agree with previous sentiments and say I’m really disliking the proportions of Red Dwarf itself. It almost seems like a bizzare perspective shot, it’s a real shame because if you scaled down those front supports and the engine outlets (never liked that design) it would look fantastic. The flatscreens scattered about aren’t doing anything for me either, they almost look like a last minuet afterthought as opposed to the old CRTs actually built into the set. They could at least have built some surrounds for them to differentiate them from the TV and monitors in my front room. But that’s all really just fanboy nitpicking, I’m sure on the whole it will be great :)
I don’t think the sets have translated as nicely onto the screen as they looked in person. Hard to tell from quick clips though, I suppose. Dwarf model close up is lovely though. Blue Midget scene is a little off, it seems to appear out of nowhere for one.
And Kryten’s hook nose is awful. Really noticeable at the recording I attended too. Interestingly it doesn’t seem to be present (or is at least very toned down) in the later scene in the trailer where he is explaining that Lister lost Rimmer in a poker game.
> Do I see Esperanto written to the far left of the still with Rimmer?????? If you’re looking at the fifth one from the top, I believe it says Danger No Impact (or something.) Forgot to mention before that I thought Alex and Soundable Object also did a very fine job with their analysis over at Gazpacho Soup. Really excellent, guys.
If the sight of Rimmer smashing something repeatedly sends a chill down your spine, then you’re probably thinking of the scene in Back in the Red when he, completely inexplicably, went to fucking TOWN on his genitalia with a hammer, presumably to quell the enormous erection he was experiencing at the time. I always thought he was hitting himself with a hammer to test whether the anaesthetic – which he had just injected into his groinal area in order to regain control of himself – had taken effect yet. He smashes himself in the groin, and is pleased to discover that it doesn’t hurt and thus was down he corridor, just as the anaesthetic (presumably along with the undoubtably disabling effects of the hammer) renders him unable to walk properly – leading to the hilarious comedy walk. Or something like that. As the trailer for Red Dwarf VIII said; ‘some things were never meant to make sense’.
The jokes aren’t great, but I’m guessing they don’t want to give away the better ones in the trailer. The sets are DARK. I don’t remember the older series being that drab. Kryten does look weird. The Dwarf itself looks good to me.
The whole clip is pretty dark. I hope the model shots especially look brighter on broadcast cause you can hardly see the Dwarf model.
Finally after week of build it was great to finally see the trailer and my first impression was stunned silence. I must admit on first viewing I didn’t like it, after seeing Kryten done good in BTE and then seeing him, it was like how could it go wrong, couldn’t they duplicate same procedure from 2009. the VII & VIII masks are almost identical and I’d love see either of them in place of that mask. Am reassured from reports that it evolves over the series. Cat seems more like series IV in some scenes, the stance during ‘poker scene’ is very similar to way he stood in opening of Camille, it’s spooky. even without any lines just seeing Rimmer and his mannerisms gives me good feel, just tried watching BTE after seeing trailer about dozen times already and the performance wether because of audience seems more Rimmer like. Lister seems okay but must admit not a fan of sauce spilling on console gag, something doesn’t feel right, feels to forced, but like others have said in context it will hopefully be better. ah the big red one, hate to say it but I prefer the pencil, they should have left if long or redone the scoop, just looks wrong at moment, plus effect of blue midget leaving appears unfinished, well I hope it is. haven’t seen effect shot that iffy since remastered! must admit am fascinated by glass jar in sleeping quarters, already been glimpsed in the first promo photo. can’t help but think is it the remains of Baxter’s hooch from series VIII, it does look similar. overall nice trailer but not one I’d show a friend who’s memory of dwarf was scarred by BTE. hopefully in coming Fridays we will get more juicer tit bits. one big plus, love hearing the audience, though loved movie feel of BTE when first shown, it know seems odd after watching ‘classic style dwarf again. well back boys!
>Am reassured from reports that it evolves over the series. If you’re judging from the first clip, then reassess your expectations as that’s from late on in the shoot. > He smashes himself in the groin, and is pleased to discover that it doesn’t hurt I love the logic of someone battering their gentitals to test whether anaesthetic is working. Surely he’s doing it to make his erection go down? Oh, hang on that makes even less sense, doesn’t it?. It’s an awful scene and trying to rationalise it is a waste of effort.
I find it interesting that Blue Midget was used instead of Starbug. I particularly liked the new cockpit, and am wondering if we’ll actually see Starbug this series or if the main ship they use to get off the Dwarf will be the Midget.
Well starbug was crashed in VIII, although yeah there are others seen, and Midget used in that series more, through the pbs and sketch stuff etc.
The main ship looks probably the best ever, in the close up name plate view. The ship-ectomy though does feel unproportioned result in that side on shot, compared to early ships and the CG ship in Back to Earth. Next era, Hello, Pencil Stub.
Are you sure that isn’t just your computer making it dark, performingmonkey? The model shots are lit fine to me.
He smashes himself in the groin, and is pleased to discover that it doesn’t hurt. I love the logic of someone battering their gentitals to test whether anaesthetic is working. Surely he’s doing it to make his erection go down? Oh, hang on that makes even less sense, doesn’t it?. It’s an awful scene and trying to rationalise it is a waste of effort. Oh I’m not trying to rationalise it, believe me. I was merely trying to put across my understanding of Rimmer’s actions within the twisted, lazy, demented logic of Series VIII. But… just to prove that I’m right ; ). From the Red Dwarf VIII scriptbook: 30. INT. DENTIST’S OFFICE – EVENING He injects his groin with a local anaesthetic. punches himself in the balls with a mallet. No pain. He smiles and exits. 31. INT. CORRIDOR OUTSIDE CAPTAIN’S QUARTERS – EVENING Rimmer starts to walk down the corridor but the anaesthetic starts to spread to his legs. He starts to walk most strangely as the top of his legs go to sleep. He passes some women and they all say ‘Hi’. As this is a thread about the trailer, I should say; it looks great to me and I can’t wait for the full episodes. The performances, particularly Cat, look spot on, and it certainly gives the impression of a series which seems to be both a recapturing of what was great about the glory as of Dwarf, and at the same time a confident reinvention of the franchise for a new era. The set design is outstanding and it now seems that despite there having been some fantastic sets throughout the show’s lifespan, this is what Red Dwarf’s interiors should perhaps have looked like all along.
>He injects his groin with a local anaesthetic. punches himself in the balls with a mallet. No pain. He smiles and exits. ..as blood and sperm dribbles out of his trouserleg. No. That doesn’t happen. Because then the scene would resemble reality. Anyway. Well done, Roger. Sorry…George. And welcome!
a) I like the opening joke. OK, so it’s a rehash of similar moments from previous episodes, but I especially like Craig’s reaction. b) The sets are bloody gorgeous. Anyone who didn’t see an episode recorded – they get even better when you see some wide shots. (Has *anyone* had a bad word to say about them?) c) Difficult to judge on the model shots. Whilst an obvious improvement on the CGI, they seem a bit flat and off to me – but we see them for so short a time and that video isn’t great quality, so I’ll wait and see for a proper look. (Regarding the shape, I have more of a problem with the BACK END of Red Dwarf than the front, but then I’ve never liked that booster assembly.) d) I don’t… feel the rest of the trailer. I felt much like I did at the recordings – there’s a lot of good elements, but line by line, it just doesn’t work for me. I’d best either change my mind or start figuring out why this is, or I’ll be ritually lynched at the episode reaction Dwarfcasts. e) 25p is a step backwards, just as The Hobbit is about to take a step forwards. I absolutely see why people like a lot of how film looks – depth of field and all that – and that’s worth bringing to Dwarf. But this frame rate issue drives me up the wall. I can see nothing useful about halving the frame rate compared to (most) older Dwarf. And I think the lack of immediacy particularly hurts comedy done live in front of an audience. Is it not ludicrous that 50s telly had twice the temporal resolution that Dwarf has now? f) As others have said – I really, really think it looks too dark. I though that at the recordings when looking at the monitors, but thought the grade might sort it out. It hasn’t. In many ways it’s something to admire – the easy thing to do when shooting in front of an audience is to have an enormous amount of light, and they’ve clearly decided to take a harder route, to increase the atmosphere. But again, I don’t think it helps the comedy. Moaning, there.
> b) The sets are bloody gorgeous. Anyone who didn’t see an episode recorded – they get even better when you see some wide shots. (Has *anyone* had a bad word to say about them?) Not bad as such, but as I said in a previous post, for me all the unmodified screens scattered about on brackets really ruin what is otherwise some outstanding set design. The fact they’re neither integrated into the sets, nor modified to look more in keeping with the overall look makes it seem they were an afterthought. This didn’t seem like a big deal looking at the sets live but somehow in that trailer it screams at me.
I am loving everything I have seen coming from RDX. From the episode I saw filmed, to the still frames released, to the other audience reactions and now this trailer…..I love everything except for Krytens mask. And I’ve not been able to pin point exactly what it is that is wrong…if it is indeen a single thing. The nose looks hooked and the chin looks to be extended, and it doesn’t seem as angled as in previous series. So I decided to do a side by side comparison with the BtE mask, which wasn’t that long ago and never really bothered me… Now, admittedly, the lighting is different and the head angles aren’t the same, but the RDX mask looks to me as though it was made by someone who had seen Red Dwarf and was making it from memory. Not working off any designs or still frames. It is totally different!
That’s very interesting, ori. I have to say, if you just cover the nose on the new mask (I’m looking on my phone, so, y’know, smaller screen) it really does make so much difference. :/ EDIT: Reading that post back after posting, it sounds stupid. What I mean is, if you cover up the nose on the new mask, all the other little niggles – the chin, the shape of the back of the head (which, to me, seems to angle itself a little higher up) – the other things look like things we could get used to (after all, the mask changes/evolves most series) when the nose isn’t in view, putting you off. But the nose…it looks like they forgot to apply the glue and it’s sprung up. :/
Forgot to mention RD USA is poniest of all. Bobby’s characterisation can shine through any rubber though.
It’s an oddly paced trailer. I know the dreadlock greeting card is intriguing to us (cos we paused the vid and know the potential of Lister getting a Father’s Day card)….but to the casual viewer? Other than being a nod towards Lister’s character, the punchline of the trailer being him talking about a bit of card with dreadlocks attached and an envelope with a bit of poppadom in it seems like an odd choice. But I sense this is a fairly poor trailer for a fairly good series.
I think this has the edge on the III mask, just because the colouring and the shape is better. I don’t have a huge problem with the VII mask. I’m concerned about the make-up around the eyes too as, strangely, Kryten looks like the only character who has aged a lot. That was a problem with the BTE mask too. >an envelope with a bit of poppadom in it seems like an odd choice. The trailer seems to have been designed around clips with short soundbites that got good audience reactions, rather than clips that make sense to new viewers. I’m not sure this trailer format works particularly well for a sitcom and think it may have been better to gives us a 47 second snippet of a single scene. That said, while there are comedy moments (plus dinosaurs, nakedness and dancing Blue Midgets) I despise of the VIII trailer, I think it works slightly better than this.
Seeing those masks side to side, I think I actually prefer X’s version, with the exception of the nose! It actually looks a bit more subtle, less… Michelin man, I guess. (I was actually thinking ‘lego man’ but that’s a poor comparison what with the lack of angularity in those little yellow guys, but it’s the proportional width I’m really thinking of.) Interestingly, even the nose isn’t an issue when seeing another scene in that trailer, suggesting subtle changes. (That’s been mentioned, albeit it seems the hooked nose came later. ?) For me the mask isn’t really an issue. Those shoulder hoops look wrong though. They should have kept the smaller versions on top of the shoulders rather than those things jutting out of the shoulder plates. I wonder how often they got caught on things as Robert walked around…
I’m hoping that one of the episodes has a fire in the officers quarters. Resulting in the crew moving away to these ‘dinghy quarters’ and Kryten having a slightly melted head. It could work…
The thing is…the mask can be as different as they want it, between series’, it doesn’t matter, its shape is only something we obsess over when looking at stills etc. I can’t remember ever caring too much about it when actually watching an episode. Bobby’s performance is what sells everything and, by all reports, he’s absolutely nailed Kryten this series. To mention the darkness and 25p (film effect), what Doug has gone for is a sitcom feel with a dramatic look. It DOES look too dark overall (but they must have seen this on the monitors and in the edit so it’s got to be a creative decision as opposed to a fuckup) though that could help make the show look more expensive than it is. Yeah…part of me wishes it was out-and-out interlaced video, brightly lit sitcom, but we’ve already had this and you could say it would have been a step back to go there again. But you could also say…a thousand other things about the subject… The proof will be in the broadcast pudding!
I must admit, I am coming across as though I am obsessing about it when it really is just a little distracting at first. It certainly will not ruin the show for me. Not at all…
Right I just watched the teaser again and the darkness thing IS just obsessing…! Maybe the model shots are lit fairly low but that’s all, and they still look cool enough. Yes. End of line lol.
It looks to me me like they’ve brought the Kryten mask back to Series IV proportions, ie. slightly taller and thinner whereas it had previously seemed to be getting wider. On the side by side comparison photo posted earlier, it almost looks like it could be a screengrab from IV. It definitely looks better than the BTE mask to me – less highlighting of the angles. >I’m hoping that one of the episodes has a fire in the officers quarters. Resulting in the crew moving away to these ‘dinghy quarters’ and Kryten having a slightly melted head. It could work… I wonder if we will get an in universe explanation for the move to new parts of the ship? Or is it better to not explain and let the fans develop their own theories?
I’m not keen on Kryten’s mask or shoulder hoops, simply because they’re different. But I know I’ll not notice them when I’m actually engrossed in the show. Ultimately, the more superficial differences RDX gives us, the better. I like to put stuff like Kryten’s different masks in order of preference. And if it was always the same, then I wouldn’t be able to do that.
I hope they have some kind of title for the quarters stenciled on a wall somewhere, but that’s as much explanation as I think is needed. We haven’t seen the drive room since series V so no need to explain that change in appearance. edit: Krytens shoulder hoops baffle me, don’t know why they ever introduced the bloody things.
>We haven’t seen the drive room since series V so no need to explain that change in appearance. I wouldn’t even say its a change in appearance, rather an entirely different room on the ship. Just as I always regarded the series III to V Drive Room (or Science Room, or Medi-Lab as I believe it is referred to as on various occasions) as a different room from the one shown in Series II, which in turn was different from the one shown in Series I. It seemed that in Series III they had upped and moved to the classier parts of the ship. In this series, there is perhaps some reason why they’ve been forced to inhabit the grimy, industrial parts of the ship.
Didn’t somebody somewhere announce/reveal that we do get an explanation of why they are in a different area of the ship? Or did I imagine that? (I’m tempted to say it was Seb on TOS…but may have dreamed this…..Not that I dream about Seb…..not much, anyway )
Sorry about long entry last time, wrote it on my iPhone. Few new responses from friend who hated BTE and my sister who’s been watching show with me since ’95 repeat run. My friend: my god they got old, are the laughs recorded? likes Cat, not keen on new Kryten mask.told her laughs came natural she can’t believe there weren’t cue card prompts. My sister: literally first observation was Kryten’s nose, seemed to get more reaction. also commented on aged cast. My dad: loved it, he and my mum loved pathos of BTE, dad’s so happy it’s 6 new shows and not one off special again. I’ll post more views from family & friends through series, for general/regular fan view.
One thing I forgot to mention: MAN, it’s nice to have that Red Dwarf X logo rather than the bevelled abomination we got for BTE. I don’t even mind the gradient.
told her laughs came natural she can’t believe there weren’t cue card prompts. I love that people would rather come up with conspiracies rather than go with the obvious! Please give us more along these lines though, Squeaky Gibson – it’s great to hear the outside perspective.
I showed my mum and dad (67) & (70) it and they laughed at the card with dreadlocks and popadom etc bit. I was mainly showing them it, so I could go, “I was there when that bit there happened.” which predictably just made them talk about the day they went to see Dad’s Army recorded, one that was set mainly in godfrey’s cottage or something. I dont think I’ve ever seen it.
No worries, I hope they will be of interest. I’ll try my best to convert my friend over to everyone ages accept it and enjoy humour camp, but she can’t see Craig as Lister after seeing him in Corrie and sees Chris as documentary host about trains etc now.
My sister is by no means a Red Dwarf fan, and has only occasionally watched it when I’ve stuck it on the telly. I showed her the trailer this morning, but before playing it she said ‘Oh, I bet they all look old now!’ When the first scene started with Lister and Kryten, (She genuinely had no idea about the uproar over Kryten’s mask) she said ‘Ha! They’ve even made the robot one old!’ I think that sums up the mask argument.
i admit krytens mask did suprise me when i first see it in the trailer but its only the first clip that it seems to be noticable, while the later clips in the trailer i didnt really notice it
I do think the shadows of that first scene enhance and highlight the worse of it. It doesn’t look as bad in the “lost Rimmer gambling” scene
> while the later clips in the trailer i didnt really notice it That’s maybe cause it’s different in the later clips. Also you don’t see Kryten as closely. I’m sure the mask will be the last thing we’re thinking of in the end….
I didn’t attend any tapings and I don’t know any spoilers to speak of, really, so I ask from a position of almost total ignorance: Do most of the scenes for the trailer seem to come from just one episode? I only ask because of some visual clues – clothing, bits of props, etc.
Robert’s just posted a quick RDX update on his blog. It’s generally just a link to the trailer, and a couple of answers to the most frequently asked FAQs. He also has this to say: Kryten does have a new head, spare head X with a newly designed nose. Some people don’t like his new nose and obviously, being a slightly neurotic and overly sensitive mechanoid, he’s a little miffed. Considering the week Robert’s had, is anyone else feeling a little bit guilty?
I’m more worried about the person I read somewhere not long ago seriously questioning why Rimmer looks older. …… And thanks for the answer on the trailer; Seb tweeted there are 5 of the 6 episodes in it. It just looks like a lot is from one, but what do I know, right? :-D
If Robert’s really miffed about negative mask comments he should just look for some of the many comments of people praising his performance this series.
> Considering the week Robert’s had, is anyone else feeling a little bit guilty? Nope, not Robert’s decision. The mask is an easy target for criticms as it’s noticeably different and there’s not a huge amount of footage to dissect so far. By the time the series airs, we’ll be moaning about something else.
Well, I’m not feeling that guilty either, but just thought…I don’t know *what* I thought, never mind.
Has anyone apart from slainmonkey in the RD chatroom pointed out that Lister’s jug from the promo image is in the Father’s Day bit?
I did elsewhere, but that doesn’t really count here. But I did! I suspect it’s some sort of citrus juice for the episode a friend helped … well, I could be wrong and will shut up. We’ll just wait and watch. :-)
Eureka! I’ve got it. Prof. Mamet was engaged to a pompous, ridiculous looking, mother hen clucking, irascible buffoon… who suddenly, one day, developed a hooked nose. (I’m still not bothered by the nose. But for those who are… there you go.)
Kryten has blown up so many spare heads etc, he’s having to use hook nosed spare head 12. Following the harrassment of Chew, in the soooo cold nose world, he’s no longer able to perform his job properly, he cant get to the same supplier because they took car bug off him, so he was to walk to the inferior nearby latex shop, and his hands are still shaking from all the upset. Hence the new nose in Kryten’s reality.
Does Kryten asking whats up with Lister and mentioning that he’s the last human being alive mean that the resurrected crew from series 8 are now dead? Also it was found out in Back to Earth Kochanski was alive and not dead. I’m probably reading too much into it.
>Does Kryten asking whats up with Lister and mentioning that he’s the last human being alive mean that the resurrected crew from series 8 are now dead? They died on the way back to their home planet (Earth).
Wouldn’t it be nice if VIII had been retconned out of the show entirely? That whole “reality bubble” thing people keep bandying about like idiots is starting to sound mighty tempting right now.
Why does nobody seem to count the inhabitants of Rimmerworld as human beings? Lister hasn’t been the last human being alive since then…
They nuked that planet from orbit. It was the only way to be sure… I got the quote, but it actually made me think of Lexx. If you’ve seen it you’ll know that I mean.
You could argue that Clones, Created by terraforming equipment, or reserected by nano technology, and people born in parrallel universes, are a tiny margin different in someway from the biologically born humans of this universe in question. Not that that is ever stated as such. But if you keep going on about all the other humans that are about, I’m going to mention Santa as being real in the red dwarf wider universe and he’s going to visit all those humans now who are alive and living backwards and be a bastard to them.
That definition doesn’t really work when you consider that Lister was actually born in the future with a parallel universe version of his ex-girlfriend as the mother and himself as his father. I hope they don’t explain it. It’s been years, if they aren’t mentioned I just will assume that Kochanski buggered off back to her home dimension and that the original crew all died somehow (maybe the nano-resurrection fails after a while, also explaining why the ship is different again).
“…I’m going to mention Santa as being real in the red dwarf wider universe…” Red Christmas is my favourite episode.
You could argue that Clones, Created by terraforming equipment, or resserected by nano technology, and people born in a parrallel universes, or alternate time streams, and santa, are a tiny margin different in someway from the biologically born humans of this universe who are born in the future with a parallel universe version of their ex-girlfriend as the mother and themself as the father. Or you could play durex volleyball instead, and the tights pulled across the room would look less stretched than this theory!
I still haven’t seen Red Christmas (and yet I call myself a fan), has anyone ever uploaded this legendary episode to you tube?
something as to what you said yesterday…….Doug Naylor didn’t write Red Christmas, Carl Wheatley did This is why I use the TOS chat.
It’ll be the best series… since the last one. In fact better than that, I’d venture almost as good as Series VII.
I just want the new episodes to sit comfortably alongside the past 55. If anything comes close to Tikka (talking overall episode rating, not style etc.) then I’ll be very happy. If any of the episodes make me laugh like anything pre-VII then I’ll be gobsmacked. That’s where my expectations lie and I’m trying not to raise them above that. We’re so lucky we’re getting a new series at all, it’s untrue. The huge amount of effort that’s gone into its production deserves, nah, demands our attention and appreciation!
> I still haven’t seen Red Christmas (and yet I call myself a fan), has anyone ever uploaded this legendary episode to you tube? Looks like this is the closest we can get: http://www.ganymede.tv/indepth/red-christmas-mobisode-review
Well, that’s my curiosity satisfied re: Red Christmas. Thanks for the link Hello Mabel. Also I agree with Performing Monkey, a new six part series is something to be very grateful for and we know that the team are going for gold. It reminds me of the wait for series vi in 1993 but my expectations are still realistic.
I miss Tonguetied. Bizarrely, there’s a bit in Red Christmas that is rather similar to a bit in Red Dwarf X. A very good bit in Red Dwarf X, I should add.
That’s a pretty good place to park your expectations for now Performing monkey. I think you’d perhaps agree from the little you’ve seen already? That a 4 man main characters on red dwarf with no holly setting, audience sitcom approach with model shots and goodall soundtrack, pretty much all penned and directed by doug. Sounds on papper to sit more comfortably alongside just after series I to VI in the 55 than the setting and production approaches of VII, VIII & BTE. So I think your 1st wish is in the can. From what I’ve seen I think there is a dam good shot or two at reaching your near tikka wish, in overall episodeness, but yeah too early subjective to call for sure. I’ll be overjoyed if my gob is smaked in the humour stakes near to that of the grant naylor years also. I’m fairly confident of some episodes reaching high 40’s in my like list of the 61. The two I saw recorded if they had been full episodes to judge, which they arent yet, rank higher than some completed episodes of previous series that I already know I dont like so much.
So, another half an hour or so til something new from Dave, yeah? What do we think we might get today? What dare we hope for?
> Bizarrely, there’s a bit in Red Christmas that is rather similar to a bit in Red Dwarf X. A very good bit in Red Dwarf X, I should add. Christ almighty.
> something as to what you said yesterday…….Doug Naylor didn’t write Red Christmas, Carl Wheatley did Slander.
Hiya! Will deliver these, but it’ll be closer to broadcast times, but they will happen. That I can promise you. I just wish there was a way of having having dynamic wallpapers, coz they would suit to move much more!
>Wouldn’t it be nice if VIII had been retconned out of the show entirely? That whole “reality bubble” thing people keep bandying about like idiots is starting to sound mighty tempting right now. God yes! BTE didn’t address the series VIII ‘cliffhanger’ in any way and I can’t imagine X will either.
I Tweeted about this earlier, and wasn’t going to post anything here, as it’s just me going “ooooh, maybe…?” but what the hell: I was looking on the Dave site earlier, and just had a general search for Red Dwarf, and most of the first results were listings (http://bit.ly/N3qDib). But the dates and series made me wonder about a possible RDX start date. My Tweet: Hm. Just seen that there are #RedDwarf VII&VIII marathons on Dave on the weekend of 8/9th September. BtE is on 2nd Sept. RDX start of 10th? So: Am I just reading too much into that, or could there be something in it?
It seems a bit far away from the release date of the DVD. Though I certainly hope it launches as early as possible.
Yeah, it’s earlier than I’m expecting too (I’m calling the first week of October). Although, as my free trial of Sky HD runs out on October 21st, a September 10th start date would suit me down to the ground.
Sounds too early to me but, at the end of the day, if the shows have been delivered, Dave could choose any week in Sept/Oct to start the series…
> Hm. Just seen that there are #RedDwarf VII&VIII marathons on Dave on the weekend of 8/9th September. BtE is on 2nd Sept. That’s weird. Why would they rebroadcast BTE before VII/VIII? It’s all the same to me since it looks like I might be waiting for the DVD anyway: still no news from BBC America or PBS…
> That’s weird. Why would they rebroadcast BTE before VII/VIII? It’s almost like UKTV schedule stuff with no rhyme or reason…
Oh, I saw this Tweet from Richard Naylor on Friday evening. http://twitter.com/RichardDGNaylor/status/231452845172457474 It reads: If my devious plan has worked RD fans should get a new RDX teaser week after next. I did RT it at the time, but don’t believe it’s been posted or leapt on by anyone on this fine site, when maybe it should’ve been..?
It’s almost like UKTV schedule stuff with no rhyme or reason… http://www.dirtyfeed.org/2012/07/cock-piss-partridge-etc/
Re: that Dave/Red Dwarf search (http://bit.ly/N3qDib)… Just had another look, and I see there are more weekend marathons planned – V and VI on Sept 15/16. Bizarrely, series VI is being shown the day *before* series V, but even so,it would appear that September is going to be Red Dwarf Month on Dave, which would fit in with the proposed ‘late September/early October’ airdates that we’ve been hearing about for, er, months. Anyhoo. I’m sure that regular checks of that search will strike Red Dwarf gold one of these days. Though it seems likely that there’ll be series III/IV marathons on Sept 22/23, and series I/II marathons on Sept 29/30, with that first week of October looking pretty probable for a RDX launch.
> > > > > > > > > Si’s weekly Red Dwarf on Dave Check-up > > > > > > > > > > As I thought, Series III/IV marathons over the weekend of 22nd (RDIV)/23rd (III). It definitely seems as though we’re going backwards, though – the current Red Dwarf September schedule on Dave runs at BTE [or ‘IX’] (2nd), VII (8th), VIII (9th), VI (15th), V (16th), IV (22nd), and III (23rd). I assume VII is being shown before VIII because of the ‘cliffhanger’ at the end of Nanarchy, though that doesn’t explain why VI isn’t shown before VII, what with the Out Of Time ending… Having said that, if they really are going ‘back to the beginning’, as it appear, why not show all the episodes (including multiparters) in reverse order? It’d be no more stupid than a lot of Dave’s other scheduling…
> So the new series could start as early as the 31st. Er, well, no. This is September, not August, I’m on about, and there’s only 30 days in September. Plus if we were looking at an August start date, I think we’d’ve heard about it by now. I do think it’s fair to suggest some time during that first week of October for a RDX start date, though.
Oh fuck. Brain fart. Was looking at an August calendar by accident. So the first week of October is indeed the likely start date.
As long as they don’t air at the same time as the next series of Doctor Who, it should get a fighting chance.
I thought that was due next week? I was expecting this weeks update to be the high quality picture of the Drive Room that Richard Naylor mentioned.
Richard tweeted this two weeks ago. Plans may have changed of course as they were supposed to release the Drive Room picture last week according to Richard.
Ah fair enough, I stand corrected. Doug also just mentioned on Twitter that the air date will be revealed in an unusual way.
I just assumed that Doug would fire himself out of a Cannon with one of those skywriting thingys, and he’d just sort of maneuver himself around to write the date.
Forgot to look yesterday, but Series II (29th) and Series I (30th) are indeed on Dave over the final weekend of September. /pointless comment.
When was the last time Dave aired Series I? Seems to me like it’s been a while but I could be wrong because I don’t always catch the Dave repeats when they’re on.
Ah ok thanks, it just seems whenever I catch them they play II, III, IV and VI more often than the others.
