Archive-name: tv/red_dwarf-faq Last-modified: 1997/03/01 Version: 5.19 ========================================= RED DWARF FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS LIST Version 5.19, 1 March 1997 Maintained by Patrick M. Berry pat@delta.com ========================================= WHAT'S NEW IN THIS VERSION New or changed information is marked with a vertical line in the left margin. This list is updated on or about the first of each month. The next scheduled update is 1 April 1997. Corrected spelling of tarka dahl and bhindi bhajii. Corrected sequence of reversed dialogue in "Backwards." Added 1991 BAFTA to list of awards. Removed URL for Official Fan Club WWW site (it's been shut down). Updated several other sections to mention Series 7 where appropriate. TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. What is RED DWARF? 2. Where can I see RED DWARF in the United States? 3. Where can I get videotapes of RED DWARF? 4. What are the "Smeg Ups" and "Smeg Outs" tapes? 5. Where can I get other RED DWARF merchandise? 6. Is there an episode guide for RED DWARF? 7. What other RED DWARF documents are available online? 8. Did RED DWARF start on radio? 9. Is there an American version of RED DWARF? 10. Who is Grant Naylor? 11. Where can I write to the cast and crew of the show? 12. What does "smeg" mean? 13. What are the lyrics of the theme song? 14. What does "LEVEL NIVELO" mean? | 15. What are some of the foods mentioned on the show? 16. Aren't there a lot of inconsistencies in RED DWARF? 17. Why is Holly now a woman? How did Kryten change? | 18. What happened to the Red Dwarf and Holly? | 19. What's the status of Series 7? 20. Will there be more RED DWARF after Series 7? 21. Was Craig Charles arrested for rape? 22. What's the title of the last episode of Series 2? 23. What are the lyrics of "Tongue Tied"? | 24. What are they really saying in "Backwards?" 25. What's in canister 1121? 26. Are there books about RED DWARF? | 27. Are there RED DWARF fan clubs? 28. Is there a RED DWARF newsgroup? 29. Is there a RED DWARF FTP site? 30. What about IRC? 31. Are there RED DWARF mailing lists? 32. Where can I find RED DWARF information on online services? 33. Are there RED DWARF magazines? | 34. Has RED DWARF won any awards? CREDITS This FAQ List was originally created by Michael J. Montoure and Renee Ann Byrd. Thanks to the following people, who contributed new information for this version: C.C. Bell TJ Vanderstoop Jason Wakeling Sea HOW TO FIND THE LATEST VERSION OF THIS LIST The current version of this list is posted every 14 days to alt.tv.red-dwarf, alt.answers, and news.answers. At any time, you can request a copy of the most recently posted version by sending an email message to mail-server@rtfm.mit.edu with the following as the body of the message: send /pub/usenet/news.answers/tv/red_dwarf-faq If you have trouble getting the FAQ as described above, email me (pat@delta.com) and I'll send you a copy. COPYRIGHT NOTICE This document is Compilation Copyright 1993-1997 by Patrick M. Berry. It may be freely redistributed in its entirety provided that this copyright notice is not removed. It may not be sold for profit or incorporated in commercial documents without the written permission of the copyright holder. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. What is RED DWARF? RED DWARF is a British science fiction comedy series that has been on the air in the U.K. since 1988. It is the brainchild of "Grant Naylor", a creative team consisting of Rob Grant and Doug Naylor, who write and produce the show. The premise of the show is best summed up by the opening narration used in the first series: "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 The regular cast of the series is: Dave Lister...............................Craig Charles Arnold Rimmer..............................Chris Barrie Holly.....................................Norman Lovett (series 1-2) Hattie Hayridge (series 3-5) The Cat................................Danny John-Jules Kryten.................................Robert Llewellyn (series 3-7) RED DWARF is also a series of novels based on the TV show. The novels greatly expand on, and are greatly different from, the show. Many of the same ideas appear in the novels, but these ideas are put together in new and interesting ways. Four novels have been published so far: RED DWARF: INFINITY WELCOMES CAREFUL DRIVERS by Grant Naylor ISBN 0-14-012437-3 Penguin, 1989 RED DWARF: BETTER THAN LIFE by Grant Naylor ISBN 0-14-012438-1 Penguin, 1990 RED DWARF: LAST HUMAN by Doug Naylor ISBN 0-67-085255-4 Penguin, 1995 RED DWARF: BACKWARDS by Robert Grant ISBN 0-670-84574-4 Penguin, 1996 The first two novels have also been published in one volume: RED DWARF OMNIBUS by Grant Naylor ISBN 0-14-017466-4 Penguin, 1991 This combined rerelease also contains the script for "Dave Hollins, Space Cadet" (one of the SON OF CLICHE sketches that started it all -- see #8), a reproduction of the beer mat on which the idea for Red Dwarf was allegedly first written, and the original script for "The End" (the first episode of the series). ------------------------------ 2. 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 doesn't show it, write to them, and convince | your friends to write to them, until they do! Series 1-7 are available for purchase by PBS member stations. The best way to find out what your local PBS station is doing is to contact them directly. Check the PBS Web site at http://www.pbs.org to see whether your station has an e-mail address, or call them on the phone. ------------------------------ 3. Where can I get videotapes of RED DWARF? Videotapes of Series 1 through 6 are available at video stores in the U.S. (try the Suncoast chain) and throughout the British Commonwealth. A video of the "Tongue-Tied" (the song from "Parallel Universe, re-staged and expanded) also exists. NTSC versions of the first six series can be ordered from: Critics Choice Video Box 749 Itasca, IL 60143-0749 In Australia, all episodes are available from ABC stores (along with RD books and audio books). In the Netherlands, you can get them from W.H. Smith stores. In Sweden, Series 1-6 are available from the following sources: SF-Bokhandeln Stora Nygatan 45 111 27 Stockholm Telephone: 08/21 50 52. Fax: 08/24 77 30. E-mail: order@sfbok.se WWW: http://www.sfbok.se/sfbok/sfboke.html The Uppsala English Bookshop Svartbacksgatan 30 Uppsala Tel. 018 - 100 510 E-mail: bookshop@ueb.se WWW: http://www.ueb.se [Let me know about availability in other countries and I'll add the information here. -- PMB] The alt.comedy.british FAQ List includes an excellent list of mail-order dealers who will ship British comedy videotapes to overseas customers. Refer to: ftp://rtfm.mit.edu/pub/usenet/news.answers/tv/british-comedy/general-faq/part4 ------------------------------------- 4. What are the "Smeg Ups" and "Smeg Outs" tapes? "Red Dwarf Smeg Ups" is a 51-minute videotape (available from the same sources as the series videotapes) containing bloopers from Series 5 and 6, with commentary from Robert Llewellyn as Kryten. The tape also includes the unused ending from "Out of Time" and a sort of FAQ list in which Kryten attempts to answer the ten most asked questions about the show. "Red Dwarf Smeg Outs" is a similar collection of material from earlier seasons. ("Smeg Outs" is not yet available in the U.S., but according to one report, Fox Video will release it by Christmas 1997.) ------------------------------ 5. Where can I get other RED DWARF merchandise? According to the "Smeg Ups" tape, you can get jackets, T-shirt, hats, mugs, birthday cards, posters, and calendars from: Distribution Network Company P.O. Box 10 London SW 19 3 TW UK Telephone: 081 543 1231 and badges from: Alchemy Carta Ltd The Alembic Hazel Drive Leicester LE 3 2JE UK Telephone: 0533 824824 Fax: 0533 825202 You can order lots of stuff (books, books on tape, T-shirts, baseball caps, SMEGAZINE back issues, NTSC videotapes, etc.) from John McElroy. For a catalogue, send $1.00 to: JOHN MCELROY 2401 Fox Plaza 1390 Market Street San Francisco, CA 94102 USA RD books and tapes can be ordered through the Bookpages web site: http://www.bookpages.co.uk/ Most of the RED DWARF-related books can be ordered from: Star Tech Box 456 Dunlap, TN 37327 USA Books related to the series can be ordered from Bolen Books in Canada. Send email to books@bolen.bc.ca or visit their Web site at http://www.bolen.bc.ca. In Australia, RD merchandise such as T-shirts, shorts, and mugs is available from: Plato's Records 10 Station Street Frankston VIC 3199 Phone (03) 9781 5977 Fax (03) 9781 2645 Merchandise is also available from some of the fan clubs (see #27). The Official RED DWARF Fan Club has its own line of merchandise. The New Zealand-based fan club Zed Shift operates a mail-order service for members living in New Zealand. Other sources of RED DWARF memorabilia are listed in the book THE MAKING OF RED DWARF (see #26). ------------------------------ 6. Is there an episode guide for RED DWARF? The RED DWARF PROGRAMME GUIDE (see #26) contains an extensive episode guide for the series. If you're looking for an electronic guide, Otto Heuer maintains (or used to maintain, it's somewhat out of date) a good one at: http://www.tc.umn.edu/nlhome/g249/heuer004/reddwarf.txt To get you started, here's a quick list (created by Dale Clayton): Series 1 - 1988 Series 2 - 1988 1 The End....................15 Feb 7 Kryten.................... 6 Sep 2 Future Echoes..............22 Feb 8 Better Than Life..........13 Sep 3 Balance of Power...........29 Feb 9 Thanks for the Memory.....20 Sep 4 Waiting For God............ 7 Mar 10 Stasis Leak...............27 Sep 5 Confidence & Paranoia......14 Mar 11 Queeg..................... 4 Oct 6 Me^^2......................21 Mar 12 Parallel Universe.........11 Oct Series 3 - 1989 Series 4 - 1991 13 Backwards.................14 Nov 19 Camille...................14 Feb 14 Marooned..................21 Nov 20 D.N.A.....................21 Feb 15 Polymorph.................28 Nov 21 Justice...................28 Feb 16 Bodyswap.................. 5 Dec 22 White Hole.................7 Mar 17 Timeslides................12 Dec 23 Dimension Jump............14 Mar 18 The Last Day..............19 Dec 24 Meltdown..................21 Feb Series 5 - 1992 Series 6 - 1993 25 Holoship..................20 Feb 31 Psirens................... 7 Oct 26 The Inquisitor............27 Feb 32 Legion....................14 Oct 27 Terrorform................ 5 Mar 33 Gunmen of the Apocalypse..21 Oct 28 Quarantine................12 Mar 34 Emohawk: Polymorph II.....28 Oct 29 Demons and Angels.........19 Mar 35 Rimmerworld............... 4 Nov 30 Back To Reality...........26 Mar 36 Out of Time...............11 Nov Series 7 - 1997 (titles and date subject to change) 37 Tikka to Ride.............17 Jan 38 Stoke Me A Clipper........24 Jan 39 OUROBOROS.................31 Jan 40 Duct Soup................. 7 Feb 41 Blue......................14 Feb 42 Beyond a Joke.............21 Feb 43 Epideme...................28 Feb 44 Nanarchy.................. 7 Mar ------------------------------ 7. What other RED DWARF documents are available online? A great many, including lists of TV stations airing the show, other roles played by RED DWARF actors, the Space Corps Directives, and a comprehensive timeline. The Guide to alt.tv.red-dwarf Documents (maintained by Annette McIntosh) lists them all, with directions for finding the latest version on the Internet. The Documents Guide is posted to alt.tv.red-dwarf every Tuesday. You can also find it on the World Wide Web at: http://www.queeg.crater.com/docguide.html or email mcintosh@wehi.edu.au and ask for a copy. ------------------------------ 8. Did RED DWARF start on radio? Not exactly. Rob Grant and Doug Naylor wrote the short-lived radio series SON OF CLICHE (broadcast for two six-episode seasons on BBC Radio 4 in 1984). In an ongoing series of sketches, a space cadet named Dave Hollins was trapped alone on a spaceship with a slightly senile computer called HAB. (The voice of HAB was provided by Chris Barrie, the actor who plays Rimmer in RED DWARF.) Many of the ideas and jokes from these sketches were later incorporated into RED DWARF, but there is no direct connection. The script for one of the "Dave Hollins, Space Cadet" sketches is included in the RED DWARF OMNIBUS (see #1). ------------------------------ 9. Is there an American version of RED DWARF? No, not really. The NBC network expressed interest in an American version of the show and two pilots were made by Universal, but no series was ever produced. The first pilot was written by Linwood Boomer and filmed on 22 January 1992 at Universal City Studios in Los Angeles. The cast included the following actors: Dave Lister.................................Craig Bierko Arnold Rimmer.............................Chris Eigelman Holly........................................Jane Leeves Kryten..................................Robert Llewellyn The Cat....................................Hinton Battle Christine Kochanski...................Elizabeth Morehead First Officer Munson...................Michael Heintzman Captain Tau...........................Lorraine Toussaint Grant Naylor served as technical consultants. Robert Llewellyn (from the BBC cast) reprised his role as Kryten. (Some fans may also recognize Jane Leeves from the American comedies MURPHY BROWN and FRAZIER. LAW AND ORDER fans may remember Lorraine Toussaint as public defender Shambala Greene.) The plot was a retelling of "The End", with some elements of "Future Echoes" thrown in for good measure. Some surprising and odd changes were made: for example, Lister was transformed into a clean-cut and well-dressed Caucasian, and the H on Rimmer's forehead was replaced with a silver marble. After this version was rejected, Grant Naylor filmed a second pilot with the following cast: Lister......................................Craig Bierko Rimmer....................................Anthony Fuscle Holly........................................Jane Leeves Kryten..................................Robert Llewellyn Cat........................................Terry Farrell The second pilot was not a complete episode, but rather a promo that combined scenes from the first pilot, bits from the BBC series, and newly filmed segments spotlighting the new cast members. This pilot fixed some problems (such as restoring Rimmer's H), but had more odd changes, such as a female Cat. (Terry Farrell went on to play Jadzia Dax on STAR TREK: DEEP SPACE NINE.) The second pilot was also rejected, and the proposed series was shelved indefinitely. [Does anyone know who wrote the second pilot, or when and where it was filmed? -- PMB] Neither pilot has ever been aired or released on videocassette, but bootleg copies can be found at science fiction conventions. A redesigned Kryten suit (of somewhat better quality than the old BBC version) was made for the U.S. pilots by Joseph Kerezman and Mike Moore of JK Costuming. After the pilots were rejected, the BBC created a new Kryten suit (based on the U.S. one) for Series 6. Some U.S. fans have observed that the UPN series HOMEBOYS IN OUTER SPACE imitates RED DWARF in a number of superficial ways. ------------------------------ 10. Who is Grant Naylor? The "About the Author" note in the RED DWARF novels (see #1) has this to say about the creator(s) of the series: "Grant Naylor is a gestalt entity occupying two bodies, one of which lives in north London, the other in south London. The product of a horribly botched genetic-engineering experiment, which took place in Manchester in the late fifties, they try to eke out two existences with only one mind. They attended the same school and the same university, but, for tax reasons, have completely different wives. The first body is called Rob Grant, the second Doug Naylor. Among other things, they spent three years in the mid-eighties as head writers of SPITTING IMAGE; wrote Radio Four's award-winning series SON OF CLICHE; penned the lyrics to a number one single; and created and wrote RED DWARF for BBC television. They have made a living variously by being ice-cream salesmen, shoe-shop assistants and by attempting to sell dodgy life-assurance policies to close friends. They also spent almost two years on the night shift loading paper into computer printers at a mail-order factory in Ardwick. They can still taste the cheese 'n' onion toasties. Their favourite colour is orange." Grant Naylor's number one single was "The Chicken Song," a SPITTING IMAGE spinoff. Philip Pope composed the music and produced the record, which was released in 1986 by Virgin Records. In 1996, Rob Grant resigned as coproducer and cowriter of the show. When asked why, he told the RADIO TIMES, "We wrote the pilot for the series in 1983 . . . It's been a long time and it's taken up a lot of time . . . I thought, 'Enough's enough; I want more than just RED DWARF on my tombstone.'" Grant plans to write additional RED DWARF novels, and may also be involved in the RED DWARF movie that is tentatively planned to follow Series 8. ------------------------------ 11. Where can I write to the cast and crew of the show? The Official RED DWARF Fan Club (see #27) will forward mail to the cast and crew. They do not open the mail if a covering letter explains what it is and asks for it to be forwarded. ------------------------------ 12. 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 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. ------------------------------ 13. What are the lyrics of the theme song? The theme song was composed by Howard Goodall and sung by Jenna Russell. The words are: 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 much debate over the "goldfish" line -- it is not sung very clearly, and some fans think it is simply "Goldfish *are* nibbling." However, in the "Smeg Ups" tape, Kryten recites the theme song lyrics, and they are as listed above. (A "shoal" is a school of fish.) An "extended mix" version of the song was recently released on two soundtrack compilation CDs (BETWEEN THE LINES, a collection of BBC themes, and THE CULT FILES, a collection of science fiction themes). The extended version included two extra verses written by percussionist Ian Hu (who apparently is not connected with RED DWARF). The additional verses are as follows: I'll pack my bags and head into hyperspace Velocity at time-warp speed Spend my days in ultraviolet rays Fun, fun, fun in the sun, sun, sun We're locked on course straight through the universe You and me, and the galaxy Reached this stage, this hyperpathic age Fun, fun, fun in the sun, sun, sun Fun, fun, fun in the sun, sun, sun The "hyperpathic" line is rather difficult to understand, and the version given here may not be correct. ------------------------------ 14. What does "LEVEL NIVELO" mean? Red Dwarf is a bilingual ship, with English and Esperanto as the two official languages. "Nivelo" is the Esperanto word for "level". The signs in the corridors of the ship simply indicate (in both languages) what level you're on. Esperanto is a real language, developed in the the 1880s by Polish ophthalmologist L.L. Zamenhof. The episode "Kryten" establishes that Lister, Holly, and Kryten all speak at least some Esperanto. Rimmer is shown trying -- and failing -- to learn Esperanto from a videotape. The name "Esperanto" means "one who hopes," a fact that is alluded to in "Back to Reality." ------------------------------ 15. What are some of the foods mentioned on the show? Vindaloo, the most frequently mentioned food item on the show, is a very, very hot Indian curry dish. Most Indian restaurants have them on the menu. They can contain almost any variety of meat, thus Lister's references to "mutton vindaloo," "chicken vindaloo," etc. Madras sauce is another standard curry sauce, less hot than vindaloo. Poppadoms, another Indian food item, are thin lentil-flour wafers resembling tortillas, deep-fried until crisp. A shami kebab is an appetizer served in Indian restaurants. It consists of finely ground meat and lots of spices, grilled over a flame. The meat is a mixture of pork and either goat (in more authentic restaurants) or beef (in less authentic ones). You typically get two shami kebabs with a salad side dish. Shami kebabs are sometimes prepared and served in an egg coating, similar to an omelette. Chutney is a fruit piccalilli (pickled relish), often eaten with cold meat. Gazpacho soup is a Spanish tomato-and-cucumber cold soup which often includes garlic, olive oil, and bread. It's common in Spain and in upscale American restaurants. A Pot Noodle is an instant noodle product marketed in the U.K. by Golden Wonder, a snack food company. It's a plastic container with pre-cooked dried noodles and flavorings inside. To prepare it, you add boiling water. A kipper is a herring, cured by splitting, salting, and smoking. Kippers are eaten as a breakfast food in some parts of the U.K. Taramasalata is a Greek appetizer consisting of a light paste of fish roe, olive oil, lemon juice, and moistened bread crumbs or mashed potatoes. | Bhindi bhajii is a vegetable dish made with okra. | Tarka dahl is a mild curry dish based on lentils. ------------------------------------------------------------ 16. Aren't there a lot of inconsistencies in RED DWARF? Many viewers have noticed that the details don't always match between one episode and another. The subject even comes up on the "Smeg Ups" tape when Kryten reads the Most Asked Questions About RED DWARF, all of which have to do with one inconsistency or another. Annette McIntosh and Damone have compiled an exhaustive list of inconsistencies and contradictions within the TV series. This document is called the Red Dwarf Plot Inconsistencies Project (PIP). Annette McIntosh maintains a similar document, the Red Dwarf Book Plot Inconsistencies Project (BPIP), which lists inconsistencies within the series of RED DWARF novels. For details on where to find the PIP and BPIP, refer to the Documents Guide (see #7). ------------------------------ 17. Why is Holly now a woman? How did Kryten change? The original actor to play Holly, Norman Lovett, left the series after a dispute over his salary. In an interview with RED DWARF SMEGAZINE (issue 9, November 1992), Lovett said that he asked to be paid the same as the other actors on the series, but his request was turned down. Hattie Hayridge had appeared in "Parallel Universe" as Hilly, Holly's female counterpart. "When Norman said he wasn't doing another series, I auditioned," she recalls. The character of Holly kept the same name and personality despite the recasting. Kryten's original actor, David Ross, wasn't available to commit to a series when Grant Naylor decided to make Kryten a continuing character, so he was replaced by Robert Llewellyn. (Ross later returned in "White Hole" as the new voice of Talkie Toaster.) There were also several changes in the show's look between Series Two and Three, including changes in costumes, sets, and miniatures, particularly the addition of the Starbug and its hangar bay. Most of these changes are more or less explained by the following words that scroll rapidly up the screen 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. ------------------------------ 18. What happened to the Red Dwarf and Holly? | Throughout Series 6 and 7, the characters travel aboard Starbug; the Red Dwarf (and Holly) don't appear at all. This tends to confuse viewers who missed the explanation in "Psirens". Briefly, what happened is this: Lister parked the Red Dwarf in orbit around a planetoid, and then forgot which planetoid it was. "They're all the same, those little blue-green planetoids. Blue-green and planetoidy." Subsequently, Red Dwarf was stolen "by persons or lifeforms unknown." Starbug followed the ship's vapor trail for over 200 years, with Lister and the Cat in deep sleep and Rimmer switched off to conserve power. At the first opportunity to actually catch up with Red Dwarf, Kryten revived the others, and the saga continued . . . The real reason for the change was to eliminate Holly from the show. According to Hattie Hayridge, the parts for Holly and the Cat had both been getting smaller and smaller. Grant Naylor decided to drop one of the characters and expand the other. It was easier to drop Holly because many of her lines could be given to Kryten instead. ------------------------------ 19. What's the status of Series 7? The BBC began airing the new series 17 January 1997. RED DWARF is | shown on BBC2 on Fridays at 9:00 p.m. Each episode is repeated on the | Sunday following its original broadcast. In the U.S., it will begin | airing on some PBS member stations in the near future. Series 7 is different from previous RED DWARF series in several ways, which are listed below. Those which qualify as spoilers are ROT13 encoded so that no one will read them by accident. If you don't know what ROT13 is, go to news.announce.newusers and read "Answers to Frequently Asked Questions About Usenet." Look for the topic "How do I decrypt jokes in rec.humor?" You may also want to look up ROT13 in the New Hacker's Dictionary: http://www.ucet.ufl.edu/programming/jargon/jargon_toc.html. A Web-based ROT13 decoder can be found at: http://otto.vmr.fsu.edu/~davis_t/rot13.cgi - It consists of eight episodes instead of the usual six (see #6). - As indicated above, writers other than Rob Grant and Doug Naylor were used for the first time. - It was filmed on closed sets, with no studio audience. The episodes were later screened for an audience to record a laugh-track. - Rimmer is in four of the episodes. - Guest actors include Brian Cox, Don Henderson, Ken Morley, Sarah Alexander, and Michael J. Shannon. - Xevfgvar Xbpunafxv (cynlrq ol Puybr Naargg) wbvaf gur fubj nf n erthyne punenpgre va "Bhebobebf." Guvf Xevfgvar pbzrf sebz n cnenyyry havirefr. - Gur punenpgref fgneg bhg qrnq (qhr gb gur raqvat bs "Bhg bs Gvzr") naq "gurve yvsrfglyrf jvyy vzcebir gurernsgre." - Va "Ananepul," Fgneoht svanyyl pngpurf hc jvgu Erq Qjnes naq Abezna Ybirgg ergheaf nf Ubyyl. ------------------------------ 20. Will there be more RED DWARF after Series 7? Yes, definitely! The BBC has reserved a slot in its 1998 schedule for an eighth series of RED DWARF. Furthermore, Chris Barrie enjoyed filming his four episodes of Series 7 so much that he has committed to return for all eight episodes of Series 8. Filming of the eighth series is planned for summer 1997. Doug Naylor has expressed interest in producing a RED DWARF feature film after Series 8. ------------------------------ 21. Was Craig Charles arrested for rape? Yes, but he was cleared of all charges. Charles was arrested in July 1994 when his ex-girlfriend filed rape charges against him. In February/March 1995, he was tried and acquitted due to lack of evidence. ------------------------------ 22. What's the title of the last episode of Series 2? "Parallel Universe," according to the RADIO TIMES and the BBC videotape. No title was given the episode, which began with a musical number instead of the usual titles sequence. The title has been added to be BBC videotape (and is on the label as well). ------------------------------ 23. What are the lyrics of "Tongue Tied"? "Parallel Universe" begins with a musical number that 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 (near me) Tied tongue (tied tongue) Tied tongue (tied tongue) Whenever you're in town I saw you 'cross the dance floor (dancin') I thought of birds and bees (reproductive system baby) And when I 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 "Nunubididoo" (tongue tied) Nuh mur nuh murh ni nong nurl 'Cause you make me tongue tied (tongue tied) Tongue tied, whenever you are near me (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 say Bedurble-diggle-doggle-dooby-doggle-durgle-day I'm trying to say nungy-nangy (nangy-nungy) Ningy-nongy, why can't I tell you clearly (clearly) Be-dobby-durgle (dobby-durgle) Durgle-dobby (durgle-dobby) Whenever you're around (around) Whenever you're around (around) In the fall of 1993, "Tongue Tied" was released as a single in England and rose to #17 in the Gallup UK Top 40. The artist was listed simply as "The Cat." A music video of "Tongue Tied" was reportedly shown on the TOP OF THE POPS show in England and on MTV in the States. Copies of the video (and a half-hour program on the making of the video) are available from John McElroy (see #5). An alternative version of the video can be found on the "Smeg Outs" videotape (see #4). ------------------------------ 24. 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 notable exceptions, 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: | "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! . . . | Frankly, your act's crap. Anyway, anybody could have done it. I hate | the lot of you. Bollocks to you!" ------------------------------ 25. What's in canister 1121? According to the RED DWARF QUIZ BOOK (see #26), it's the remains of Kristine Kochanski. When Lister comes back to life on the backwards Earth, he discovers that he's married to an elderly version of Kochanski. Presumably, treating the canister with gamma and X rays was part of Holly's plan for restoring her to life along with Lister. (If none of this makes any sense to you, you haven't read the ending of the novel BETTER THAN LIFE -- see #1.) The original script for "The End" included a scene (cut from the final version) in which Lister placed the powdered remains of each crewmember in a separate canister and ejected them all into space (and this is done with George McIntyre's remains in the aired version). It's reasonable to conclude that Lister did this, although nothing is said about it in either the episode or the novel. The number of canisters floating in space ("something in the region of ten thousand") is consistent with the size of the crew given in INFINITY WELCOMES CAREFUL DRIVERS (eleven thousand, one hundred and sixty-nine). ------------------------------ 26. Are there books about RED DWARF? Numerous RED DWARF reference works are available: THE OFFICIAL RED DWARF COMPANION by Bruce Dessau ISBN 1-85286-456-7 Titan, 1992 This thin little book (95 pages) 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. Available in England and at conventions in the U.S. RED DWARF PROGRAMME GUIDE by Chris Howarth and Steve Lyons ISBN 0-86-369682-1 Virgin, 1995 "Everything you never wanted to know about the smash smega-series." An in-depth collection (about 230 pages) of information about series 1-6. It includes sections on History, The Characters, The Programmes, The Index, The Creators (cast and production crew), and The Spin-offs. The Index is by far the largest section of the book and is an alphabetical list of almost everything mentioned to during the series, from "A to Z of Red Dwarf, The" to "Zoom function". Note: This book contains an incorrect address for the Official RED DWARF Fan Club. For the correct address, see #27. RED DWARF -- PRIMORDIAL SOUP: THE LEAST WORST SCRIPTS by Grant Naylor ISBN 0-14-017886-4 Penguin, 1993 This book contains the complete scripts for "Polymorph," "Marooned," "Dimension Jump," "Justice," "Back to Reality," and "Psirens." Not published in the U.S., but available from John McElroy (see #5) and other distributors of imported books. RED DWARF: SON OF SOUP by Grant Naylor ISBN 0-14-025363-7 Penguin, 1996 A sequel to PRIMORDIAL SOUP, containing scripts for "Gunmen of the Apocalypse," "Holoship," "Camille," "Backwards," "Kryten," and "Me^2," with introductions by Rob Grant. THE MAN IN THE RUBBER MASK by Robert Llewellyn ISBN 0-14-023575-2 Penguin, 1994 Describes Llewellyn's involvement in RED DWARF from the beginning of Series 3 through the filming of the American pilots (see #9). Plenty of anecdotes and stories, and lots of trivia. The section on the American pilots is especially revealing, and gives some plausible reasons why the whole project fell through. THE MAKING OF RED DWARF by Joe Nazzaro ISBN 0-14-023206-0 Penguin, 1994 A rather slender book with lots of colour photographs. Focuses on the making of "Gunmen Of The Apocalypse". The book goes into a fair amount of detail, but nothing that couldn't have been gleaned from a half-dozen back issues of the now-defunct SMEGAZINE. The book's main strength is the added material: some great photos, fragments of the original "Gunmen" script (mostly stage directions, but also one unfilmed scene) and storyboards used in the filming. The back of the book contains information on how you can purchase RED DWARF paraphernalia such as t-shirts, baseball caps, and models of Starbug and Kryten. RED DWARF QUIZ BOOK by Nicky Hooks and Sharon Burnett ISBN 0-14-023662-7 Penguin, 1994 RED DWARF trivia and mind-bending teasers. Contains questions such as "What was referred to as a small off-duty Czechoslovakian traffic warden?", crosswords, word searches, "who said . . .", information about the cast, and photos. After a while, though, you have to wonder about the mind of someone who can put together questions such as "What follows the leaflet campaign?" or "What was in canister 1121?" RED DWARF SPACE CORPS SURVIVAL MANUAL by Paul Alexander ISBN 0-7493-2374-4 Mandarin, 1996 A survival guide for Space Corps officers, written by fictional Marine Colonel Mike "Mad Dog" O'Hagan (who served with the Space Corp Special Service Really Really Brave Division). Has sections on finding food and water, setting traps and snares, appointing a leader, survival psychology, first aid, and even surviving death. Includes numerous marginal notes and comments scribbled by the Lister, Rimmer, Kryten, and the Cat, a survival questionnaire filled out by each crewmember, and a flicker-book animation (of an arm being amputated) in a corner of the pages. Pictures from Series 7 appears as snapshots "taped" into the book. Quite funny, if a little fixated on cannibalism (or, as Col. O'Hagan prefers to call it, "recipe-based respect for the dead"). 112 pages. RED DWARF LOG NO. 1996 by Paul Alexander ISBN 0-434-00370-0 William Heineman Ltd, 1995 A 1996 diary with a few extras. Computerised entries by the four crewmembers and Holly are scattered through the pages, along with recipes, Space Corps book excerpts, and other assorted items. Several new Space Corps Directives appear for the first time in this book. ------------------------------ 27. Are there RED DWARF fan clubs? Yes, fan clubs exist in several countries. Here's a list: THE OFFICIAL RED DWARF FAN CLUB This club is based in England, but has addresses in several other countries. Membership includes four issues of their magazine BETTER THAN LIFE, a badge, and a membership card. Membership rates (per year) are as follows: UK/BFPO - 10.00 Sterling Europe - 10.00 Sterling equivalent USA - US$20.00 Australia - A$36.00 New Zealand - A$42.00 Cash or cheques in your local currency are accepted, but take weeks rather than days to clear. If you prefer to send an International Money Order, the equivalent rates are shown above. Write to: United Kingdom: 40 Pitford Road Woodley Reading RG5 4QF United States: Jupiter Mining Company P.O. Box 13097 Coyote, CA 95013 Australia/New Zealand: Tom Marwede PO Box 1044 Bundoora 3083 Victoria Note: The address listed in the RED DWARF PROGRAMME GUIDE (see #26) is | incorrect. The Official Fan Club WWW site has been shut down. ZED SHIFT PO Box 10104 Wellington New Zealand Zed Shift publishes a quarterly magazine (GARBAGE POD), operates a mail-order service for New Zealand members, and holds the occasional meeting. Members receive four issues of GARBAGE POD, a guide to RED DWARF, a membership card, and a hologram H. The cost of one year's membership is: - New Zealand NZ$15 - Australia NZ$20 - Rest of world NZ$25 For a registration form, send an SAE or IRC. BETTER THAN LIFE Sylvia Pranga Isolde-Kurz-Str. 145 (36) W-4400 Munster-Nienberge GERMANY This club publishes a newsletter (mostly in German) called TALKIE TOASTER (TM). ------------------------------ 28. Is there a RED DWARF newsgroup? Indeed there is. It's called alt.tv.red-dwarf. There is a Web page for readers of the newsgroup at: http://www.cobalt.demon.co.uk/alt.tv.red-dwarf/ Before posting to the newsgroup, you should read the alt.tv.red-dwarf Primer. See the Documents Guide (#7) for directions on finding the Primer. ------------------------------ 29. Is there a RED DWARF FTP site? Yes. Files related to RED DWARF can be found at ftp.queeg.crater.com in the /pub/red-dwarf directory. ------------------------------ 30. What about IRC? Regular IRC parties for RED DWARF fans are held on Sunday nights at 20:30, Greenwich Mean Time. Many people from the newsgroup drop in both on this night and many other times during the week, on the EFNet #starbug channel. Continent North America Europe Australia ---------- ----------------------- ------------------ ---------------- Time code PST EST GMT CET WST EST Example Los Angeles New York London Paris Perth Sydney Time 12:30 15:30 20:30 21:30 05:30 07:30 From GMT -8hrs -5hrs --- +1hr +9hrs +11hrs Adam Jewell (who goes by "Krosis" on IRC) helps to run a #starbug on the Undernet with another guy who goes by "Humanless". There are no set times as of yet; email Krosis at atjewe01@homer.louisville.edu or Humanless at xhx@pix.net for more info on when they usually meet. This channel is a permanent "registered" channel and anyone is welcome to drop in at any time. ------------------------------ 31. Are there RED DWARF mailing lists? Two RED DWARF mailing lists are known to exist. One is moderated; the other is unmoderated. The moderated list is run by Holly5120@aol.com. To join, send her a note asking to be added to the list. Digests are sent out once a day, and the moderator also sends out RED DWARF sounds and chatlogs on request. The unmoderated list is distributed by the pipex.com list server. To subscribe, send email to LISTPROC@LISTS.PIPEX.COM with the following text as the body of the message: subscribe reddwarf Your Name ------------------------------ 32. Where can I find RED DWARF information on online services? CompuServe: RED DWARF discussions can be found in the second Sci-Fi/Fantasy Media forum. GO SFMEDTWO and select Message section 15: Red Dwarf. America Online: AOL has a Red Dwarf area that can be reached by using keyword: Dr Who, then choosing British Science Fiction, and then choosing Red Dwarf. Holly5120 holds a RED DWARF chat session on alternate Fridays at 10:00 EST in the Tardis Console Room (keyword DrWho). GEnie: RED DWARF discussions can be found in the British TV topic of the SHOWBIZ RT. Prodigy: The SCIENCE FICTION BB has an active topic called "Red Dwarf". ------------------------------ 33. Are there RED DWARF magazines? RED DWARF SMEGAZINE, the official magazine for the series, ceased publication with Volume 2 Issue 9 (December 1993). Some back issues are available from John McElroy and Star Tech (see #5). Several RED DWARF newsletters or fanzines are published by RED DWARF fan clubs (see #27). In addition, two independent fanzines are known to exist: STASIS LEAK Space Rat Press P.O. Box 422 Park Ridge, NJ 07656 USA U.S./Canada/and Mexico: $12 U.S. per issue Elsewhere: $15 U.S. per issue STASIS LEAK is written by Joe Nazarro, who also wrote THE MAKING OF RED DWARF (see #26) and formerly wrote for the SMEGAZINE. Three issues have been published so far: #1 Interviews with Grant Naylor, Chris Barrie, Hattie Hayridge, Andria Pannell (makeup designer). RED DWARF fiction, article on U.S. pilot, Series 5 preview and production notes, trivia quiz, an "old vs. new" debate, and an episode guide for seasons 1 and 2. Black and white photos inside throughout and back cover. Color photo cover of Rimmer from "Holoship." 50 pages. #2 Interviews with Craig Charles and Danny John-Jules, plus Craig's press conference from Visions '92. More RED DWARF fiction, book reviews, a preview and production notes for Series 6, reader survey results, and episode guide for Series 3 and 4. Black and white photos inside, color photo cover of Duane Dibbley. 54 pages. #3 In diary form, this issue chronicles Nazarro's experiences on the set of the series and provides a glimpse into the editing of THE MAKING OF RED DWARF. It contains all of the material that didn't make it into that book, including behind-the-scenes photos and script outtakes. [Does anyone have a page count? -- PMB] THE SMALL ROUGE ONE Peg Kennedy and Bill Hupe Footrot Flats 916 Lamb Road Mason, WI 48854 USA U.S./Canada/Mexico: $7 U.S. Elsewhere: inquire Devoted entirely to original RED DWARF fiction. At least two issues so far. Issue 1 contained four stories: "Special Delivery," "Companionship," "Virus," and "A RED DWARF Christmas Carol." The last three form a sort of trilogy. Center artwork and color artwork cover. 5 1/2 x 8 1/2, 56 pages. TALES FROM THE DWARFSIDE Time Meddlers of Los Angeles P.O. Box 4092 North Hollywood, CA 91617-0092 $10.00 postpaid, photocopied Primarily fiction. The November 1994 issue contains the following stories: "Homecoming" by Joshua Lou Friedman "Introspection and Catharsis" by Jill Sherwin "Fuschal" by Matthew G. Mitchell "Hairball" by David McGorray "Judgment Day" by Brenda M. Sulley "The Quagaar" by Dean Kaufman "Company of Heroes" by Derek Spencer & Jeff McCree "Body Language" by Jim Shaun Lyon Also included are an article called "Recipes from the Talky Toaster" by Dana Lynn Roberts, interior art by Deanna Bayless, and cover art by Marlys Walburger. ------------------------------ 34. Has RED DWARF won any awards? At the 1994 International Emmy Awards, the RED DWARF episode "Gunmen of the Apocalypse," tied with ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS (Series 2: "Hospital") in the Popular Arts category. The International Emmys are awarded by the International Council of the National Academy of TV Arts & Sciences. RED DWARF was also nominated for International Emmys in 1987, 1989, and 1992. | In 1991, Series 3 won a BAFTA award for "Best British Comedy." [Can anyone tell me what BAFTA stands for, and who awards it? -- PMB] At the 1994 British Comedy Awards, RED DWARF won Best BBC Situation Comedy. At Eastercon 1989 and 1992, RED DWARF received the Best Dramatic Presentation award. At the Cult TV 1994 convention, awards were presented to Grant Naylor (Best Writers) and RED DWARF (Best Show). ------------------------------ End of RED DWARF Frequently Asked Questions List (FAQ) ******************************************************