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Path: senator-bedfellow.mit.edu!bloom-beacon.mit.edu!world!news.bu.edu!olivea!uunet!noc.near.net!howland.reston.ans.net!ux1.cso.uiuc.edu!vixen.cso.uiuc.edu!uwm.edu!caen!usenet.coe.montana.edu!netnews.nwnet.net!news.u.washington.edu!byrdie From: byrdie@u.washington.edu (Byrdie) Newsgroups: alt.tv.red-dwarf,alt.answers Subject: Red Dwarf FAQ, version 3.5 Followup-To: alt.tv.red-dwarf Date: 24 Jul 1993 00:02:27 GMT Organization: The People Who Brought You BEEEEER *milkshakes!* Lines: 524 Approved: news-answers-request@MIT.Edu Message-ID: <22pu6j$783@news.u.washington.edu> Reply-To: number6@bailey.cpac.washington.edu NNTP-Posting-Host: goren1.u.washington.edu Summary: A whole stack of information about the BBC Science Fiction/Comedy series, "Red Dwarf." Please read this file before posting questions to alt.tv.red-dwarf. Keywords: FAQ Xref: senator-bedfellow.mit.edu alt.tv.red-dwarf:4678 alt.answers:599 Archive-name: red_dwarf-faq Last-modified: 1993/07/23 Version: 3.5 (Hi! Sorry we haven't posted this in a while, but it just kept getting more and more out of date, and we could just never seem to find the time to update it, and Michael hasn't had postnews access in a while. Here it is, and thanks for your patience! -- Michael and Renee) -------------------------------------------------------- THE "RED DWARF" FREQUENTLY - ASKED QUESTIONS LIST -------------------------------------------------------- Prepared by: Michael J RD.faq Version 3.5 Montoure and Renee Byrd Revised: 07/23/93 -------------------------------------------------------- ________________________ CONTENTS OF THIS LIST I. What is "Red Dwarf"? II. Where can I see "Red Dwarf" in the United States? III. Did "Red Dwarf" start on radio? IV. Is there an Episode Guide for "Red Dwarf"? V. How do you know the title of the last episode of Season Two? VI. Why is Holly now a woman? Why did Kryten change? VII. What are the lyrics to the theme song from the end credits? VIII. What are the lyrics to "Tongue Tied"? IX. What are they really saying in "Backwards?" X. What does "Smeg" mean? XI. Who was "Gordon Bennett"? XII. What are some of the foods mentioned on the show? XIII. Is there going to be an American "Red Dwarf"? XIV. Will there be any more substantial changes in Season Six? XV. Is there a "Red Dwarf" ftp site? XVI. Are there "Red Dwarf" novels? XVII. Are there books about "Red Dwarf"? XVIII. Where else can I find out more about "Red Dwarf"? _______________________ WHAT IS "RED DWARF"? "Red Dwarf" is a British Science-fiction comedy series that has been on the air for five seasons, each season lasting for six episodes. It is the brainchild of "Grant Naylor", a creative team consisting of Rob Grant and Doug Naylor, who write and produce the show. Production has finished on the show's sixth season, which, due to delays, won't be airing in England until this fall. The premise of the series is best summed up by the opening narration used in the first season: "This is an S.O.S. distress call from the mining ship Red Dwarf. The crew are dead, killed by a radiation leak. The only survivors are: Dave Lister, who was in suspended animation during the disaster, and his pregnant cat, who was safely sealed in the hold. Revived three million years later, Lister's only companions are: a life form who evolved from his cat, and Arnold Rimmer,a hologram simulation of one of the dead crew." --- Holly, the Ship's Computer ____________________________________________________ WHERE CAN I SEE "RED DWARF" IN THE UNITED STATES? "Red Dwarf" is seen on public television stations across the country. If your local PBS station won't show it, write to them, and convince your friends to write to them, until they will! The first five seasons are all available for purchase by PBS stations. The BBC has also started to release videotapes. Seasons Two, Three and Four have been released, and Season One is beginning to be released now. (These tapes are also starting to become available in the U.S.) __________________________________ DID "RED DWARF" START ON RADIO? Not exactly. There was an episode of the short-lived Radio 4 series "Son of Cliche" that was written by Rob Grant and Doug Naylor which contained several ideas they later incorporated into "Red Dwarf". A space cadet named Dave is trapped all alone on a spaceship with a slightly senile computer, called HAB. (The voice of HAB, by the way, was provided by Chris Barrie, who later went on to star as Rimmer.) While this was clearly the forerunner for "Red Dwarf," there isn't any direct connection. The script for this radio episode is supposed to be in the "Red Dwarf Omnibus" (see section XVI). ___________________________________________ IS THERE AN EPISODE GUIDE FOR RED DWARF? Otto Heuer has written a very good guide, available by anonymous ftp on toaster.ee.ubc.ca, but here's a quick list to get you started: Series One: Series Two: Series Three: Series Four: Series Five: ----------- ----------- ------------- ------------ ------------ "The End" "Kryten" "Backwards" "Camille" "Holoship" "Future Echoes" "Better Than "Marooned" "D.N.A." "The Inquisitor" "Balance of Life" "Polymorph" "Justice" "Terrorform" Power" "Thanks for "Body Swap" "White Hole" "Quarantine" "Waiting for The Memory" "Time Slides" "Dimension "Demons and God" "Stasis Leak" "The Last Day" Jump" Angels" "Confidence "Queeg" "Melt Down" "Back to + Paranoia" "Parallel Reality" "Me ^ 2" Universe" ______________________________________________________________ HOW DO YOU KNOW THE TITLE OF THE LAST EPISODE OF SEASON TWO? There was no title given in the original broadcast. The episode opened with a musical number instead of the normal titles. Most British fans learned that the episode's name was "Parallel Universe" from its listing in the Radio Times; some American fans called it "Tongue Tied", after the song in the opening musical performance. "Parallel Universe" was the most common title used, and it has now been confirmed as the official title as printed on the BBC videotape releases. ____________________________________________________ WHY IS HOLLY NOW A WOMAN? HOW DID KRYTEN CHANGE? The original actor to play Holly, Norman Lovett, decided to leave the series to further his career. (There is no truth to the rumor that he died.) Also, Kryten's original actor, David Ross, wasn't available to commit to a series when they decided to make Kryten a continuing character, so he was replaced by Robert Llewellyn. (Ross later returns in "White Hole" as the new voice of Talkie Toaster.) Hattie Hayridge, the actress called in to play Holly, had previously appeared in "Parallel Universe" as Hilly, Holly's female counterpart. "There were no plans to call me back," Hayridge explains. ". . . when Norman said he wasn't doing another series, I auditioned." The character of Holly kept the same name and personality despite the recasting. Along with the recasting, the reclassification of Red Dwarf from a Paul Jackson Production to a Grant Naylor Production (making it now officially a production outside the BBC, although it is still filmed at Noel Gay Television) brought with it several changes in the show's "look" between Seasons Two and Three, including changes in costumes, sets, and miniatures, including the addition of the StarBug and its hangar bay. The majority of these changes were more or less briefly explained by the following explanation that scrolled up the screen at high-speed at the beginning of "Backwards": "Three million years in the future, Dave Lister, the last human being alive, discovers he is pregnant after a liaison with his female self in a parallel universe. His pregnancy concludes with the successful delivery of twin boys, Jim and Bexley. However, because the boys were conceived in another universe, with different physical laws, they suffer from highly accelerated growth rates and are both eighteen years old within three days of being born. In order to save their lives, Lister returns them to the universe of their origin, where they are reunited with their father (a woman), and are able to lead comparatively normal lives. Well, as normal as you can be if you've been born in a parallel universe and your father's a woman and your mother's a man and you're eighteen years old three days after your birth. Shortly afterward, Kryten, the service mechanoid, who had left the ship after being rescued from his own crashed vessel, the Nova 5, is found in pieces after his space bike crashed into an asteroid. Lister rebuilds the 'noid, but is unable to recapture his former personality. Meanwhile, Holly, the increasingly erratic computer, performs a head sex change operation on himself. He bases his new face on Hilly, a female computer with whom he'd once fallen madly in love." It IS possible to read all this, using a VCR with good freeze-frame capabilities. Try it. ______________________________________________________________ WHAT ARE THE LYRICS TO THE THEME SONG FROM THE END CREDITS? "It's cold outside, there's no kind of atmosphere, I'm all alone, more or less. Let me fly far away from here, Fun, fun, fun in the sun, sun, sun. I want to lie shipwrecked and comatose, drinking fresh mango juice. Goldfish shoals nibbling at my toes, * Fun, fun, fun in the sun, sun, sun, Fun, fun, fun in the sun, sun, sun." (*: There has been some debate over this line -- it is not sung very clearly, and many fans think it is simply "Goldfish ARE nibbling..." However, in the fourth season episode "Meltdown," the end theme is performed by "Elvis" [Clayton Mark], and the word "shoals" is more distinct. Also, some fans who have seen the episode on closed- captioned broadcasts report that the subtitles do read "shoals." A "shoal" is a school of fish.) ________________________________________ WHAT ARE THE LYRICS TO "TONGUE TIED"? As mentioned above, "Parallel Universe" began with a musical number, which turns out to be a dream had by the self-centered Cat. The studio audience's laughter makes the lyrics a little hard to understand, but combining a couple of different posters' ideas of what they were gave us this: The Cat: (Chorus -- Lister and Rimmer:) When I saw you for the first time (first time) My knees began to quiver (quiver) And I got a funny feeling (feeling) In my kidneys and my liver (digestive system baby) My hands they started shakin' (shakin') My heart began a-thumpin' (boom boom boom) My breakfast left my body (huey huey huey) It all really tells me something Girl you make me tongue tied (tongue tied) Tongue tied, whenever you are near me Tied tongue (tied tongue) Tied tongue (tied tongue) Whenever you're in town I saw you on the dance floor (dancin') I thought of birds and bees (reproductive system baby) I barely tried to speak to ya (talk talk) My tongue unraveled to my knees (flippety-flippety-flop) I tried to say I love you (love you) But it came out kind of wrong girl (wrong girl) It sounded like min-oo-bitty-boo (tongue tied) Na-nee-ner-ner-nee-nung, nirl 'Cause you make me tongue tied (tongue tied) Tongue tied, whenever you are near me Be-dobby-durgle (dobby-durgle) Tongue tied (tongue tied) Whenever you're around Oh I'm beggin' on my knees Sweet, sweet darling, listen please Understand me when I saaaaaay Bedurble-diggle-doggle-dooby-doggle-durgle-day I'm trying to say nungy-nangy (nangy-nungy) Ningy-nongy, but I can't tell you clearly (clearly) Be-dobby-durgle (dobby-durgle) Durgle-dobby (durble-dobby) Whenever you're around (around) Whenever you're around (around) ______________________________________________ WHAT ARE THEY REALLY SAYING IN "BACKWARDS"? Most of the reversed dialogue in the episode "Backwards" is pretty much either what the subtitles say it is or what you'd expect from context; some of it actually appears to be random noise. There are two good counterexamples, however. When Lister and the Cat steal a bicycle, its owner yells after them, "You scoundrels! Return my bike immediately!" -- at least, according to the subtitles. What he actually says, however, is, "Oi! Hey! Oi, you robbing bastards, that's our tandem!" Later, when the stage manager comes in to yell at Rimmer and Kryten, he appears to be blaming them for starting the "fight." Here's what he's actually saying: "Frankly, your act's crap. Anyway, anybody could have done it. I hate the lot of you. Bollocks to you! . . . You are a stupid, square-headed, bald git, aren't you? I ain't pointing at you, I'm pointing at you. But I'm not actually addressing you, I'm addressing the one prat in the country who's bothered to get hold of this recording, turn it round, and actually work out the rubbish that I'm saying. What a poor, sad life he's got!" _________________________ WHAT DOES "SMEG" MEAN? The characters in the show use it as an all-purpose profanity. Apparently derived from "smegma," the term for a particularly unpleasant bodily secretion, the slang term "smeg" was reportedly in use in England before the show premiered, although not commonly. Grant and Naylor presumably adopted this little-known bit of Scouse profanity as a blanket replacement for all other swearing, to keep them out of trouble with the BBC and to poke fun at the long-standing convention in science-fiction of inventing "futuristic" slang. ___________________________ WHO IS "GORDON BENNETT"? "Gordon Bennett" is a name used by the characters, most notably Holly, as an exclamation ("Gordon Bennett! What was that?"), and the actual person is said to have been an American newspaper tycoon with a penchant for extravagant and expensive gestures. He became widely known enough that his name seems to have become an expression of disbelief in England, and is possibly simply used as a substitute for saying "God." ____________________________________________________ WHAT ARE SOME OF THE FOODS MENTIONED ON THE SHOW? "Vindaloo," the most commonly referred to food item on the program, is a very, very hot Indian curry dish. Most Indian restaurants will have them on the menu. They can contain almost any variety of meat, thus Lister's references to "mutton vindaloo," "chicken vindaloo", etc. "Poppadoms", another Indian food item, are thin lentil-flour wafers resembling tortillas, deep-fried until crisp. "Chutney" is a fruit picallilli, often eaten with cold meat. "Gazpacho soup" really does exist and really is meant to be served cold. Several different recipes exist. A "pot noodle" is, judging by its appearance, similar to the American Cup O' Noodles. Its quality is apparently very questionable. ________________________________________________ IS THERE GOING TO BE AN AMERICAN "RED DWARF"? Probably not. A pilot was produced for NBC, involving Grant Naylor as technical consultants, Craig Bierko as Lister, Chris Eigelman as Rimmer, Jane Leeves as Holly, Tony award winner Hinton Battle as Cat, and Robert Llewellyn reprising his role as Kryten from the British cast. Historically, many English shows have been redone for an American audience ("Max Headroom" being an example), but many fans were apprehensive about the uniquely British humor not translating too well. Some fans who had a chance to see the filming report that some suprising and odd changes were made, for example, the transformation of Lister to a clean-cut and well-dressed causcasian, and the replacement of the "H" on Rimmer's forehead with a glowing red dot. The pilot reportedly was a retelling of "The End", with some elements of "Future Echoes" thrown in for good measure. After rejecting this version, NBC commissioned a *second* pilot, which fixed some problems (such as restoring Rimmer's "H"), but which had some further odd chages, such as casting a woman as the Cat. (Interestingly, the Cat was to be played by Terry Farrell, who is now more well known in the U.S. for her role as Dax on _Star_Trek:_ _Deep_Space_Nine._) Both pilots are finished, but it doesn't seem at this point that either of them will ever air. It's very unlikely that the option to make the series will be picked up. Sounds like we won't be missing much, however. ____________________________________________________________ WILL THERE BE ANY MORE SUBSTANTIAL CHANGES IN SEASON SIX? A couple. First off, although the American pilot didn't succeed Robert Llewellyn got to keep the newly redesigned Kryten suit -- which, being made by a California-based special effects house, is of somewhat better quality than the old BBC version -- and he'll be wearing it in Season Six. (Apparently, some changes were made to the mask as well -- the end of his nose seems to be missing in advance footage.) Secondly, we've heard from a couple of different sources now that Hattie Hayridge will NOT be returning as Holly next season -- and that there *won't* be anyone replacing her. Apparently, they feel that Kryten provides enough scientific plot exposition -- and can move around -- so Holly isn't really necessary anymore. For this season, it should be simple to explain her absence, as most of the season will not take place on board the _Red_Dwarf_ . . . . They have apparently made several substantial changes and improvements to the _StarBug_ set, and you can also look for an interesting technological development for Rimmer's lightbee. ___________________________________ IS THERE A "RED DWARF" FTP SITE? Yes. Dave Gagne (daveg@ee.ubc.ca) has been kind enough to put an anonymous ftp site on toaster.ee.ubc.ca (137.82.56.10). There's a lot of good stuff there in the /pub/red-dwarf directory. Here's a list of the files currently on the site: FAQ - You don't NEED to get this -- you're reading it. :) backwards - (Ross Smith) What are they really saying in 'Backwards'? episode-guide - (Barry Williams) Guide to all Red Dwarf episodes. episode-list - Short list of all Red Dwarf episodes. red-dwarf-guide - (Otto E. Heuer) Guide to Red Dwarf. favorite-quotes - Best lines in Red Dwarf. fortune-quotes - Best lines in Red Dwarf in "fortune" format. red-dwarf-guide - Longer Guide to Red Dwarf. The pub/red-dwarf directory also has the following subdirectories: contrib - Miscellaneous stuff, not "real" Red Dwarf. pictures - GIF & JPEG pictures from Red Dwarf. scripts - Scripts (unofficial) from the show. sounds - Music, other sound snippets from RD. synopses - Synopses from various episodes. ________________________________ ARE THERE "RED DWARF" NOVELS? Yes -- two so far, "Red Dwarf: Infinity Welcomes Careful Drivers" and "Red Dwarf: Better Than Life." The books greatly expand on, and are greatly different from, the television series: although they do contain several ideas from the series, these ideas are put together in new and interesting ways. The two books are published by Penguin Books. The ISBN of "IWCD" is 0-14-012437-3. "BTL"'s ISBN is 0-14-012438-1. These books are starting to be available in the United States and you should be able to order them from your local Waldenbooks. A third novel is in the works, as they are contracted to do at least one more, although their schedule producing the show hasn't allowed them to confirm when it will be finished. In the meantime, however, the two books have been combined into one large re-release called the "Red Dwarf Omnibus," which contains some new material. (It's been rumored that the "Omnibus" actually fulfills their contractual obligation, as it *is* technically a "third book." This hasn't been confirmed, however, and they are still presumably doing a third novel.) _____________________________________ ARE THERE BOOKS ABOUT "RED DWARF"? Yep. Recently released in England (although you can get it at a few conventions in the States) is the OFFICIAL RED DWARF COMPANION, a thin little book that has a lot of wasted space, but some interesting quotes and information and some wonderful color photos throughout. If you're looking for in-depth, solid information about the show, this isn't where you'll find it; but if you want a nice, light read, a collector's item, and an attractive coffee-table-book, this is it. Here's the info: THE OFFICIAL RED DWARF COMPANION by Bruce Dessau 95 pages, 6.99 pounds ISBN: 1 85286 456 7 Titan Books Ltd, 19 Valentine Place, London, SE1 8QH You can also pick up RED DWARF -- PRIMORDIAL SOUP: THE LEAST WORST SCRIPTS, by Grant Naylor. The book contains the complete scripts for "Polymorph, "Marooned," "Dimension Jump," "Justice" and "Psirens." (That last is, of course, the script for an as-yet unaired Season Six episode.) ISBN: 0-14-017886-4 ____________________________________________________ WHERE ELSE CAN I FIND OUT MORE ABOUT "RED DWARF"? There is now a new, fully sanctioned fan club for "Red Dwarf". Membership is $17 and includes four issues of their magazine, "Better than Life", a badge, and a membership card. Write to: THE OFFICIAL RED DWARF FAN CLUB c/o MARK KENNEDY PO BOX 50552 PALO ALTO, CA 94303 There is also an official magazine for the series being published in England. There are supposed to be overseas subscriptions available, and you can find it at some specialty shops and convenions. The magazine seems aimed at a younger audience, but is fairly clever and has nice interviews (and great photos). The title sometimes appears on the cover as "Red Dwarf Smegazine." For more information, write to: RED DWARF MAGAZINE FLEETWAY EDITIONS LIMITED 3RD FLOOR GREATER LONDON HOUSE HAMPSTEAD ROAD LONDON ENGLAND NW1 7QQ For those of you who are interested in fanzines (unofficial, fan-written publications), there is a new one being put out by Space Rat Press, entitled "Stasis Leak," including several interviews and episode guides. The first issue of the 'zine costs $10.00 plus $2.00 for postage and handling. (Make checks payable to Space Rat Press.) They seem to have obtained permission from Grant/Naylor to do this, which is rare for a fanzine to do. They don't know whether there will be a second issue or not, but the first issue is finally out, and it looks really good. Write to: SPACE RAT PRESS P.O. BOX 422 PARK RIDGE, NJ 07656 -------------------------------------------------------- This F.A.Q. may be reproduced, electronically or in print, so long as the authors' names remain intact. It may not be used for profit without the express written permission of both authors. Bribes cheerfully accepted. Comments, questions? Send e-mail to number6@bailey.cpac.washington.edu or byrdie@byron.u.washington.edu. (Compliments are always nice, too. :> ) -------------------------------------------------------- MANY THANKS TO: Paul S. Winalski, "There's an emergency going on." D. J. Clark, Neil Postlethwaite, MICHAEL J MONTOURE AND Kimble Ketolainen, Jim Lyon, Geoff and Lane, Dave Gagne, Ross Smith, Otto RENEE ANN BYRD Heuer, Simon Jerram, FRUITBAT, Dan Crow, and Grame Griffiths "It's still going on." --------------------------------------------------------