Red Dwarf to return Page 10
"no laugh track"
How many people are gonna say, "It wasn't as funny without it"?
Hopefully the Corrie bit is just a quick "Holly-hop Drive" jump (I think that's what is was called?).
Series 1-6 was shot in front of an audience.
Series 7 is just awkward because their acting and timming is colder. I didn't like Kochanski in 7, but in 8 I thought she really worked and I think it was because she was responding to a live audience.
Quote: Matthew Stott @ February 15 2009, 2:01 PM GMTHmmm, interesting . . .
http://www.reddwarf.co.uk/news/2009/02/06/space-meets-the-street/
Rimmer and Lister look older and very different, not that it bothers me, but the Kat looks the same.
Rimmer didn't age for 3 million years on the Red Dwarf but these past 10 years have been hell. 
Quote: Leevil @ February 16 2009, 1:48 AM GMTRimmer didn't age for 3 million years on the Red Dwarf but these past 10 years have been hell.
It does creep up on you like that sometimes.
The Official site assures us it's not the Red Dwarf equivalent of 'Dimensions In Time' (shudder), so they'll have to be doing something pretty special with the Corrie sets to avoid a mess.
Part of me thinks it might be a 'Back To Reality' - style set-up, but I have my doubts that would be any good.
What I find interesting is that Rimmer is a hologram and there's no Holly or Kochanski - does this mean that they are continuing from the end of series VI and pretending that VII and VIII took place in a parallel universe or something? Interesting.
As far as the VII vs. VIII debate goes - I enjoyed VII when it was first on, but in hindsight it is weak on gags. The lack of a laugh track was also a factor. I didn't like Kochanski to begin with but she grew on me. All in all it was alright but not classic Dwarf by a long way.
VIII was way funnier, but I thought the interesting science fiction plots of series 1-6 had been all but abandoned and the reliance on two and three-parters let me down. Did we really need a 2-parter about a dinosaur let loose on the ship? Yeah, fair enough the dinosaur CGI model probably cost them a packet and they wanted to get their money's worth, but still. However, I liked the back-to-basics approach they took and getting Capt. Hollister and co back was a good stroke. The prison set-up was good as well, but I felt it lacked the danger that a space prison/Kamikaze missions deserves. It all felt a bit safe.
From another site:
ACTRESS Sophie Winkleman – who plays Big Suze in Peep Show and has just announced her engagement to Lord Freddie Windsor – has joined the cast of the Red Dwarf reunion, which began shooting in Shepperton Studios on Monday.
Quote: Matthew Stott @ February 18 2009, 5:07 PM GMTFrom another site:
ACTRESS Sophie Winkleman – who plays Big Suze in Peep Show and has just announced her engagement to Lord Freddie Windsor – has joined the cast of the Red Dwarf reunion, which began shooting in Shepperton Studios on Monday.
This news is coming from the Dave website. Just keep your eye on that for the latest news: http://dave.uktv.co.uk/
6 was the last good series, one of the best. Should have called it a day after that one. I liked seies 3, 4, and 6 best.
Really cannot wait to see this, Rimmer is one of the greatest comedy characters ever created so I hope it focuses on him.
Is Lister wearing a tie?
Oh, bugger. I hope they know what they're doing. The way it fizzled out suggests otherwise (even the most die-hard amongst us would admit it did some serious dipping at the end). But as it's still one of my ultimate best-ever shows I've my fingers crossed.
Pre-order the new Back To Earth double-DVD set now, available for £12.99 at Play.com.
See Amazon product listing
[p=http://www.play.com/DVD/DVD/-/26/55/-/9230274/Red-Dwarf-Back-To-Earth/Product.html]
Synopses for the episodes have now also been made available by Dave.
Back To Earth – Part One
Nine years later the Red Dwarf crew are older but still none the wiser. Lister's busy day of annoying Rimmer is interrupted by the discovery of a dimension-hopping leviathan in the ship's mile-deep water tank.
Back To Earth - Part Two
Rimmer's replacement, Katerina (Sophie Winkleman), is determined to guide Lister back to his home planet. But Earth in 2009 is not everything the boys had expected, and Rimmer has no intention of being replaced.
Back To Earth - Part Three
Knowing they are destined to die, the Dwarfers – in best Blade Runner traditions – track down those responsible for their creation to plead for more life.
I can't say that any of these descriptions fill me with confidence for the new shows but hopefully they don't do the episodes justice.