Usenet 1994 January/usenetsourcesnewsgroupsinfomagicjanuary1994.iso/answers/red_dwarf-faq

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From: [e-mail] (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!*
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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     kept getting more and more out of date, and we could just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 ([e-mail]) 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 [e-mail] or
[e-mail].  (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."
           --------------------------------------------------------