The Return of Red Dwarf

[Ronnie Rowlands]

No, this isn't the millionth fan rumour. Robert Llewellyn has confirmed in an American TV interview that a one-hour direct-to-DVD Red Dwarf special is to be filmed this year and released in 2009, with a future series in mind after that.

Does anyone think it will get anywhere, or is the whole series just too tired and old and end up failing as badly as 'Blackadder Back and Forth' in terms of quality compared to the original series? I'm rather cynical about it. What does everyone else think?

[Sput]

It was good until the BBC group think got in the way and sanitised it down to the mediocrity of things like My Family and other such dire awfulness.

[Nini]

Ooh, groupthink, them's using your noodle to equate Orwell's dystopia to BBC's comedy unit.

I predict a immense amount of fail, it's been 10 years and it's hard to believe in that time that the same edge will still be there, the edge was greatly dulled by the last series if the fan's opinions are to be believed. No, the humour will change and the writing won't meet up but not by a technical standard but by sheer expectations of it having to equal or better what preceded it. Which it never can do.

[Sput]

Ooh, groupthink, them's using your noodle to equate Orwell's dystopia to BBC's comedy unit.

I predict a immense amount of fail, it's been 10 years and it's hard to believe in that time that the same edge will still be there, the edge was greatly dulled by the last series if the fan's opinions are to be believed. No, the humour will change and the writing won't meet up but not by a technical standard but by sheer expectations of it having to equal or better what preceded it. Which it never can do.

That's what I mean. It became the BBC formula: unfunny woman, stupid man.

[Nini]

Yknow, that's actually a brilliant abridged version of my post there, well done.

[Sput]

Yknow, that's actually a brilliant abridged version of my post there, well done.

And you gave a verbose version of mine! Is it my fault that we're both so brilliantly in sync?i

[Nini]

I could think of worse people to be in sync with...

OK, maybe not.

[cdd]

Ugh, stupid clubcards.

Loyalty cards are a big problem for me. I am absolutely sick of being asked "Do you have a nectar/club/premierplus/sex&drugs card?"

Usually I respond no, but one in ten times I get a platitudinous "oh you really should get one why don't you have one?"

At which point I go in for the kill and tell them the real reason why I don't want any loyalty cards, which goes on for quite some time and bores them nearly to death.

[Gluben]

end up failing as badly as 'Blackadder Back and Forth'

Just lazy writing that let that one down really .. probably pool-writing. Such as the line "Elizabeth ... the .. first??" which, given that she threatened homocide for the quip "Is that right?", would almost certainly have insisted "Elizabeth the first?? Elizabeth the only and don't you forget it.". And the absurd and abrupt conclusion to the story. Such a classic five-minutes-before-deadline way of ending - oh why not have Baldrick's life flash before his eyes - that's an easy way to end it.




I did like the ClubCard gag though.

Partly bad because it had to incorporate the sponsors, and also because it had to be family-friendly. It's too late now, but I think that if it had had all the people return, a bigger budget, and more time, it could've worked as a great spin-off movie.

[Ronnie Rowlands]

I thought that the rush to include all characters and the general 'epic' feel about it was what ruined it...

Rik Mayall was brilliant in it though.