Red Dwarf VII: First Listing

Posted by John Hoare on July 13, 2005 09:42 AM

Oh oh oh oh, it's started. I knew it would. (Yeah, yeah, I know I used that quote same time last year. Piss off.) On amazon.co.uk is a Red Dwarf VII DVD listing - the first one we've spotted. Well, actually, I nicked it from Pendo on the "wonderful" RD Livejournal community. Thanks, Pendo. Thendo. THAT NEVER GETS BORING.

The (R2) release date for is given as November 7th. Bear in mind that release dates given this early are sometimes wrong, so best wait for the official GNP announcement. It's a pretty bare entry all in all, but keep an eye on it - occasionally things can be added to things like this before a DVD Details article mentions it...

So, back to checking the BBFC every day, then. Clearly, my life is complete in every way possible.

Comments

Strange price of £17.24. I can't see it staying at that.

By performingmonkey on 13-07-05 @ 18:57

3 discs.

By Jamie on 13-07-05 @ 21:29

Yes. We have known this fact for quite a while.

By Mr Flibble on 13-07-05 @ 22:01

Not the correct cover yet though. I'm wondering what they'll do with that colour - does it denote the parallel-reality connecting tube thing in Ouroborus? I can't imagine what the detail of the cover would be apart from having the two crews rather lamely connected by a strip of all-encompassing violet toothpaste goo.

By Jauntily Entrenched on 14-07-05 @ 12:19

It's the GELF ship from Beyond A Joke, isn't it?

By Ian Symes on 14-07-05 @ 13:26

If that's correct, then it's the most iconic colour scheme yet. Or is that sarcasm? What else could have been used?

By Thomas on 14-07-05 @ 17:27

'The Entire and Extended Series'

I hope it doesn't say that on the final cover. It makes it seem like the whole series is extended.

By performingmonkey on 14-07-05 @ 18:13

I've just read the following on another board: "They should've just filmed the whole thing."

I don't think I've ever seen such an extreme case of both looking a gift horse in the mouth, and having absolutely no idea about TV/DVD production whatsoever.

By John Hoare on 14-07-05 @ 19:36

In reference to what?

By Ian Symes on 14-07-05 @ 20:58

Oh, fucking hell. That was meant to go in the Identity Within story.

I KNOW HOW TO RUN A WEBSITE.

By John Hoare on 14-07-05 @ 21:15

That Walliams and Lucas' 'Rock Profile' thing is coming to DVD soon. Think you mentioned it in relation to Little Britain and them not living up to their early promise.

By Rad on 14-07-05 @ 23:23

Anything > Little Britain

OK...that's not entirely accurate...

Any comedy that's been as popular as Little Britain > Little Britain

By performingmonkey on 15-07-05 @ 01:45

Yeah, I agree with you. I quite enjoyed the first series but even at Episode 5 to 6, what I enjoyed was wearing thin. The new stuff in Series 2 seemed to be aiming for disgusting rather than funny and the rest of it was just the same as before.

Can't believe they're thinking about doing the three series, 'Stop before the show goes downhill', thing.

By Rad on 15-07-05 @ 10:33

I'm sure there'll be a fourth series planned. The BBC will probably lock them in a room at gunpoint if they refused to write it. Two series of one idea is more than enough. That's why The Office could only go for two series. And I applaud Gervais for sticking to his guns with 'Extras', which the BBC wanted as a primetime September show on BBC1, but he made sure it was on BBC2 in July.

Anyway, if Little Britain makes some changes for the third series I will applaud them for doing so.

By performingmonkey on 15-07-05 @ 15:08

> Two series of one idea is more than enough.

Oi!

By Red Dwarf on 15-07-05 @ 18:28

Too bloody right.

By Last of the pissing Summer Wine on 15-07-05 @ 19:46

I actually would watch that if it was Last of the Pissing Summer Wine. Watching old men urinate everywhere on primetime BBC1 would be fun.

By John Hoare on 15-07-05 @ 20:24

Good idea for a television programme. Not that the BBC would ever make it...

Actually, if those two young whippersnappers can get away with vomiting WI ladies on primetime BBC1...

By Last of the pissing Summer Wine on 16-07-05 @ 17:05

OK...look at it this way - Dwarf went through a lot of changes, especially after series II. By series VI it was like a completely different show (I would say it had become a mere shadow of it's former self but that might upset people...), and there were still a lot of possibilities that could have been explored (and there still are, but sadly we won't see them).

Sure, VIII was a change we could probably have done without, but at least Doug was trying out something new (the same goes for VII). What I'm trying to say is that Little Britain is a sketch show, so there's only so far you can go with it, but Dwarf could go on forever with new situations. There is one thing though...I think there's only so many times you can say 'write the theme tune, sing the theme tune' (I'd say once...), but this is similar to the number of items of clothing that the Cat can say they're 'deader' than. Something to ponder....or maybe not. Fuck the world anyway.

By performingmonkey on 16-07-05 @ 23:13

And yet there are NEVER TOO MANY TIMES you can say "Thanks" in the style of Look Around You.

By Seb on 16-07-05 @ 23:52

"I actually would watch that if it was Last of the Pissing Summer Wine. Watching old men urinate everywhere on primetime BBC1 would be fun."

Actually, a new sitcom called 'Still Game' on Friday , 10pm on BBC2. Its about Glaswegian pensioners and has been known to be rather rude.

By Rad on 18-07-05 @ 13:45

Well the first review of the disc makes it look desirable: http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000A7JHQ6/qid=1121861810/sr=2-2/ref=sr_2_3_2/026-7461420-2049241

By Latefast on 20-07-05 @ 13:19

"This series is great, it answers the question of the end of series 6 and Ace Rimmer is back."

YES OBVIOUSLY THE SERIES WAS GOOD BECAUSE OF THOSE TWO REASONS. And if they didn't mean to link the two, they should have used a full-stop, not a comma.

"I have to admit Red Dwarf lost it when series 8"

I've watched some of 7 and 8 recently. 8 beats 7 by a country mile, by the virtue of these: jokes.

By John Hoare on 20-07-05 @ 16:44

Also: they should BAN customer reviews of DVDs before the fucking thing has been released.

By John Hoare on 20-07-05 @ 16:45

But John they are these: shit jokes.

By Cloister on 21-07-05 @ 09:22

I still can't get over the price. Aren't the 3 discs supposed to draw people in who wouldn't buy the series for the episodes themselves? At £23 standard retail aren't they shooting themselves in both feet?

By Latremante on 21-07-05 @ 09:37

I still think of Chuckle-Chuckle Vision, Chu-chuckle Vision when I watch series 8 (which isn't often I admit) - especially when they're doing that bit of surrounding Rimmer in a circle as they shuffle along the corridor and peeping up continually just before he falls down that hole.

Does anyone know for sure whether in White Hole the cast actually recorded all the repeating dialogue again and again for the "so what is it?" scene or whether it's an editing job? The commentary suggests the cast remember it as something they had to learn and perform in sequence but the repetition seems too perfect for it to have been live. Perhaps Rob & Doug saw the live version and decided an edited version would be better? If it looked anything like the "see you in ten minutes?" scene in series 8 then such a decision wouldn't have been difficult to make.

Why the fuck didn't they just use the same clip of Hollister saying "see you in ten minutes"? Would have lost the accumulative laughter bellowing over the top of that hilarious scene I suppose.

SEE you in ten minutes?
See YOU in ten minutes?
(suddenly leaning in too far and with the wrong eyebrows): See you in ten minutes?

By Cloister on 21-07-05 @ 10:13

It was all done live. Check out the deleted scenes on the Series IV DVD. It's very clever.

By Mr Flibble on 21-07-05 @ 11:22

I'd just like to ask the writer of the 'See you in ten minutes' line what on earth he was thinking? What is the point in it? Do you think it was funny and clever? If so, why? I bet you can't think of anything, so why is it in an episode of Red Dwarf? The episode is OK apart from a few *glaring* errors of judgement like this. Can also be said for the rest of the series.

By Thomas on 21-07-05 @ 12:14

Pete 2 is my least favourite episode of any of my favourite comedies. I'd still think it was terrible regardless of that gag.

By Ian Symes on 21-07-05 @ 13:32

"It was all done live. Check out the deleted scenes on the Series IV DVD. It's very clever."

I've checked there. A part of me thinks that they filmed it like this, but the episode contains the exact same clips repeated again and again. There are too many subtleties in the performances that the actors wouldn't have known they were doing that repeat throughout that scene. It's one thing for Rimmer to lean in the way he does when he says "a *white* hole?", and for Lister to put on his hat and point the way he does when he says "spewing time..." - but quite another for all the other little facial twitches throughout. The rhythm of the voices is identical each time as well - something that's very difficult to do consciously (compare "see you in ten minutes?" with Kryten's line after Rimmer's "A *white* hole?" as an example).

I think that the scene was edited together but the cast just assumed their performance (with its repetitions) was used as it was filmed, hence their recollections in the commentary.

By Cloister on 21-07-05 @ 13:37

By the way I was wondering how people think the DVD people will sort out the foil logo for series VIII. If you look at the above picture you'd think it's obvious - just at an extra "I" - but if you check the series VI disc, you'll see there's no room for an extra two "II"s on there. Will the main logo have to be shifted to the left? Or will they allow the "V" to overlap the ellipse?

By Cloister on 21-07-05 @ 13:42

Oh I see. They've shrunk down the numerals quite significantly. That's how they'll do it - never mind.

By Cloister on 21-07-05 @ 13:46

It's a bit inconsistent but it's nowhere near as daft as the size of the spine lettering. They buggered it up on the series II DVD and then pretended it was deliberate by varying the size on every other release.

By Pete Martin on 21-07-05 @ 14:00

And Red Dwarf VII is soooo much better than Red Dwarf VIII.

By Pete Martin on 21-07-05 @ 14:01

https://www.ganymede-titan.info/articles/likevii.php

By Mr Flibble on 21-07-05 @ 14:22

Okay Pete don't get carried away. Red Dwarf VII is still a pile of shit. It just looks okay now because of the abomination of VIII. I think that making each successive piece of work worse than the last is a pretty poor way of making your older work look good.

By Cloister on 21-07-05 @ 14:24

"It's a bit inconsistent but it's nowhere near as daft as the size of the spine lettering."

It's a load of cock, that's what it is. And I saw this coming a mile off but I never said anything. They should overlap with the ellipse, that's what. At least it'll be consistent.

Or maybe they wanted a special kind of consistency to separate the shittest series of Red Dwarf from the rest. They've got it then.

By Landing Pad on 21-07-05 @ 14:29

Right. I fucking *am* going to write an article about VII/VIII, you know, rather than spend ages commenting here. Watch out for it this weekend.

By John Hoare on 21-07-05 @ 17:47

Woohoo!

By Pete Martin on 21-07-05 @ 17:51

"I think that making each successive piece of work worse than the last is a pretty poor way of making your older work look good."

Oh yes, the technique of Matrix Revolutions, there.

By Glancewards on 22-07-05 @ 09:27

Series VIII various faults do not serve to improve series VII thankyou very much. It's good anyway. Always view series on their own merits - it's a very consistant series when you watch it through. Great opener - the last stand of the famous four, the neccessitated Rimmer leaving story, introduction of Kochanski, her integration, the absence of Rimmer and finally the tying up of loose ends. Beyond A Joke, *another* Kryten story is a bit misplaced, but it has it's moments and the inclusion of Identity Within on the next DVD redresses the balance. A very cohesive series, much more so than VIII. Kochanski is a much more rounded character than in VIII and by the end I accept her presence. I think it's about time VII was acknowledged as better than VIII on it's own terms.

By Thomas on 22-07-05 @ 12:26

"Okay Pete don't get carried away. Red Dwarf VII is still a pile of shit."

Just to confirm, I'm no advocate of VII but I will stick up for it when it's lumped unfairly with VIII. The two series are completely different.

As Thomas points out above, VII is a very cohesive series. While never that funny, there are some okay character moments (in no way does this include Kryten's constant blubbing) and some reasonably imaginative stories. These aspects are totally absent from Red Dwarf VIII which struggles with five unoriginal/crap stories over eight wholly depressing episodes.

After VII, I thought the show could be redeemed. Now, after VIII, I just want it to end.

VII is a pile of shit compared to other Red Dwarf, VIII is a pile of shit compared to most sitcoms. Seriously, I think it's THAT bad.

By Pete Martin on 22-07-05 @ 13:21

I'll agree that I can appreciate Stoke and Blue as episodes worth watching in their own right. But the rest I can't be bothered with - I hate the series opener with that ridiculous resolution to the cliffhanger and the nonsense time-travel story (I'm not a fan of changing-history stories anyway, but why does the paradox with Kennedy lead to his death when the exact-same paradox resulted in the RD crew's survival?), and I think having Kochanski in the series was a misguided move. Starbug was made bigger for series 7 (why?) - stupidly bigger - completely removing the tension of being trapped in the vessel in the first place. I think revisiting the Gelfs fails because the costumes are too realistic for the RD crew, and they've changed the language into "AKAKAKA AK-AK-AKAKAKAKA" all the time when in Emohawk the writers were really particular about what it should sound like.

Anyway - in general I find Stoke and Blue good episodes, but the rest of them have just too many crap moments in so that the balance is tipped. I'll agree that series 8 is much worse though.

By Cloister on 22-07-05 @ 13:34

Pete - your message wasn't up when I started typing my recent post. I agree with you.

By Cloister on 22-07-05 @ 13:36

"After VII, I thought the show could be redeemed. Now, after VIII, I just want it to end."

This is an interesting point. With the series VIII trailer (the "every generation has an idiot" one) I was really excited about RD redeeming itself with an innovative shift in focus. I really felt that it would be a claustrophobic series with our crew being essentially "marooned" inside a society they no longer identified with. It could have been fantastic. When the episodes began my heart began to sink, and each time they awoke from one of the hallucination sequences I thought to myself "oh! that was only a dream - that means it wasn't real Red Dwarf" - genuinely refusing to allow it to be that bad. There was a point though when I realised the crapness had accumulated to a point of no-return and that RD was forever tainted. That reservoir dogs sequence and "my files are corrupting!" stuff and pretty much every attempt at humour in series VIII for that matter can fuck off.

The "breaking Kryten's programming" introduction to Camille compared with "I'm feeling two emotions! Oooh that feels good!" equals Fuck Off Red Dwarf Series Eight Fuck.

By Tangerine on 22-07-05 @ 14:02

"Right. I fucking *am* going to write an article about VII/VIII, you know, rather than spend ages commenting here. Watch out for it this weekend."

If this article ends up being a criticism of people who disregard either series VII or VIII as purely shit then John Hoare sounds and behaves exactly like that Craig in that Big Brothers.

By Possinger on 22-07-05 @ 16:46

It's going to be an article about why VIII is actually better than VII, you FUCKING CUNTS. Although I can't say I'm over-fond of either series.

In fact, I'm wondering whether more shit about VII/VIII is what's needed at the moment. I might write a nice article instead. We'll see.

By John Hoare on 22-07-05 @ 16:48

As long as you don't write a nice article John. Enough of you suckling the combined emaciated private parts of the celebrated Grant Naylor mechanism. But if you're writing one about series VIII being better than VII may I suggest you underpin it with a detailed reflection on precisely how wrong you are as well? It'll need that.

By Possinger on 22-07-05 @ 16:57

Oh shut up Possinger - you ARE a smeg head.

By Mr Flibble on 22-07-05 @ 17:10

> As long as you don't write a nice article John. Enough of you suckling the combined emaciated private parts of the celebrated Grant Naylor mechanism.

Not that you need me to tell you this, but the reason I'm usually in suckling-mode is because GNP have just done something worth suckling.

> But if you're writing one about series VIII being better than VII may I suggest you underpin it with a detailed reflection on precisely how wrong you are as well? It'll need that.

I'll let everyone else provide that.

By John Hoare on 22-07-05 @ 17:18

I'm on John's side with this entirely. And eventually I'm going to do my In Defense of Series VIII article. Maybe even this Sunday, if I squeeze in some time.

Please note I said "In Defense of Series VIII," and not, "Why Series VIII is Notably Less Shit than Series VII" so as not to steal John's thunder.

By Phil on 23-07-05 @ 03:40

VII is better, sorry.

By Thomas on 23-07-05 @ 12:11

> I'm on John's side with this entirely. And eventually I'm going to do my In Defense of Series VIII article. Maybe even this Sunday, if I squeeze in some time.

Excellent. I've wanted to read this for ages.

> Please note I said "In Defense of Series VIII," and not, "Why Series VIII is Notably Less Shit than Series VII" so as not to steal John's thunder.

Mines a pretty specific argument - I doubt people who like both series would get much out of it, for instance. Or, indeed, people who *love* VIII, rather than just think it's better than VII...

By John Hoare on 23-07-05 @ 14:53

I'll tell you the thing about VII/VIII that *really* gets me - apart from tedious comparisons to previous series that go on and on and on (speaking of which, my article will be up later).

It's when I hear something like this - and realise that it's given me more joy and pleasure and laughter than most of the last two series combined.

By John Hoare on 23-07-05 @ 16:38

Article is written, BTW. But it's pending review by Ian, as I think it's a bit shit currently.

Yeah, I know, it never usually stops me...

By John Hoare on 23-07-05 @ 23:23

Peculiar how this thread has ended at precisely the number of posts required for syndication the world over.

Well - except for mine. It's the highly anticipated Christmas Special folks.

By Laddel on 26-07-05 @ 15:04

I thought that was 52?

By IanIanSymes on 26-07-05 @ 20:12

Oh yes.

Fuck.

Well consider yourself lucky we're not ending on a cliffhanger...

By Laddel on 27-07-05 @ 09:12

Hey, sorry to barge in. Does anyone know what that missing episode is all about? Christ i must be sad but i'm quite intrigued.

By Paul on 23-08-05 @ 21:33

What's this? A Paul that isn't me? I'm gonna go back to being clem in that case.

By clem on 23-08-05 @ 22:02

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