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RED DWARF Frequently Asked Questions List (FAQ)

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Pat Berry

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Sep 16, 1996, 3:00:00 AM9/16/96

Archive-name: tv/red_dwarf-faq
Last-modified: 1996/09/03
Version: 5.10

=========================================
RED DWARF FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS LIST
Version 5.10, 03 September 1996
Maintained by Patrick M. Berry
p...@berry.Cary.NC.US
=========================================

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 October 1996.

Deleted obsolete URL for alt.comedy.british FAQ.
Corrected episode reference for "Tongue-Tied" video.
Updated SON OF SOUP information.
Deleted Hattie Hayridge's forthcoming book RANDOM ABSTRACT MEMORY,
since she says it will have little to do with RD.
Updated Official Fan Club information.
New URL for the alt.tv.red-dwarf Web site.
Added note that Rob Grant plans to write another novel.
Deleted "Is there a RED DWARF computer game?" (There isn't.)
Correction: Series 6 videos *are* available in the U.S.
Added publisher and date for BACKWARDS.
Added the Uppsala English Bookshop.
Corrected address and phone number for Distribution Network Co.
Added Alchemy Carta Ltd.
Added "What is the 'Smeg Ups' tape?"
Deleted "What's the 'lost' ending of 'Out of Time'?" since the "Smeg
Ups" tape is widely available.
Deleted several sections dealing with inconsistencies and added a
pointer to the PIP document.
Deleted list of Space Corps Directives and added a pointer to Charles
Daniels's list.
Bootlegs of the second U.S. pilot are now turning up a conventions.
Deleted "Should I post RED DWARF graphic images or sounds?" That
topic is more properly addressed in the Primer.
Deleted "Who is Gordon Bennett?", since that topic is covered in the
Red Dwarf References List.
Removed details of Craig Charles's arrest, incarceration, and trial.
Update Series Seven status.
Added "Will there be more RED DWARF after Series Seven?"
Added "What other RED DWARF documents are available online?"
Deleted Topic Bar from the list of foods (it's covered in the
References List).
Reformatted the headings and cross-references.

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 is the "Smeg Ups" tape?
| 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 Seven?
| 20. Will there be more RED DWARF after Series Seven?
| 21. Was Craig Charles arrested for rape?
22. What's the title of the last episode of Series Two?
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. Where can I find online information about RED DWARF?
29. Are there RED DWARF magazines?
30. Has RED DWARF won any awards?
| 31. What are the Space Corps Directives?

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:

Veronika Berglund
Cma
Damone
Charles Daniels
Friday
Bette Llewellyn
Matthew Manzano
Andy McDermott
Annette "El Skutto" McIntosh
David McShane
Lee Weinert
and Robert Llewellyn & Doug Naylor (via the Smeg-Ups tape!)

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. You can access it at
any time by the following methods:

http://www.cis.ohio-state.edu/hypertext/faq/usenet/tv/red_dwarf-faq/faq.html
http://www.lib.ox.ac.uk/internet/news/faq/archive/tv.red_dwarf-faq.html
http://www.cs.ruu.nl/wais/html/na-dir/tv/red_dwarf-faq.html

ftp://rtfm.mit.edu/pub/usenet/news.answers/tv/red_dwarf-faq

You can also request the FAQ List by email from the FAQ archives at
MIT. Send a message to mail-...@rtfm.mit.edu with the following as
the body of the message:

send /pub/usenet/news.answers/tv/red_dwarf-faq

If you can't get a copy by any of the methods described above, email
me (p...@berry.Cary.NC.US) and I'll send you a copy.

This document is Compilation Copyright 1993-1996 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 2-6)

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 1-6 are
available for purchase by PBS member stations.

------------------------------

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" song from "Parallel Universe" 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
books, T-shirts, and other RD merchandise).

In the Netherlands, you can get them from W.H. Smith stores.

In Sweden, Series 1-5 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: or...@sfbok.se
WWW: http://www.sfbok.se/sfbok/sfboke.html

[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 is the "Smeg Ups" tape?

| "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.

------------------------------

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

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

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 bo...@bolen.bc.ca or visit their Web site at
http://www.bolen.bc.ca.

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, available by anonymous ftp:

ftp://ftp.queeg.crater.com/pub/red-dwarf/general/red-dwarf-guide

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

------------------------------

7. What other RED DWARF documents are available online?

| Quite a few, actually. The Guide to alt.tv.red-dwarf Documents
| (maintained by Annette "El Skutto" 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 mcin...@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 rejecting this version, NBC commissioned 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 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
casting a woman as the 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 Six.

------------------------------

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.

Rob Grant has stated that he will not be involved in future RED DWARF
| television projects, but he plans to write another RED DWARF novel.

------------------------------

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.)

------------------------------

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 bhaji is a vegetable dish made with okra.

Tarka dhall 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. Damone and
| Annette "El Skutto" McIntosh 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 "El Skutto" 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 Six, 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.

Holly may return in Series Seven, but it isn't known who will play the
role.

------------------------------

19. What's the status of Series Seven?

| Filming of Series Seven was completed in late August. The BBC will
| air the new series beginning in January 1997.
|
| Series Seven is different from previous RED DWARF series in several
| ways:
|
| * It consists of eight episodes instead of the usual six. According
| to one report, the tentative titles are:
|
| 1. Ticket to Ride 5. Heartache
| 2. Natural Born Rimmers 6. Beyond A Joke
| 3. OUROBOROS 7. Epideme
| 4. Duct Soup 8. Nanarchy
|
| * It was filmed on closed sets, with no studio audience. However, the
| episodes will be screened for an audience in October, possibly to
| record the laugh-track.
|
| * Rimmer is not in all of the episodes.
|
| * An additional continuing character is introduced. This character
| (in ROT13 for those who would rather be surprised) is Xevfgvar
| Xbpunafxv, played by Puybr Naargg.
|
| * "Beyond a Joke" was co-written by Robert Llewellyn. This is the
| first RED DWARF episode with a writing credit for anyone other than
| Rob Grant and Doug Naylor.
|
| * Holly may return, but it isn't known which version of Holly.

------------------------------

20. Will there be more RED DWARF after Series Seven?

| According to one uncomfirmed report, the BBC has reserved a slot in
| its 1998 schedule for an eighth series of RED DWARF.

One or more Christmas specials are also planned, but the scripts are
not written and no details are available.

------------------------------

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 Two?

"Parallel Universe," according to the RADIO TIMES and the label of the
BBC videotape release. No title in given the episode, which begins
with a musical number instead of the usual titles sequence.

------------------------------

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).

------------------------------

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:

"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!"

------------------------------

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
1-5. 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 (U.K.). 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.

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 (see #29). 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?"

------------------------------

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 - 9.50 Sterling
Eire - IR#10 (8.50 Sterling)
Europe - 9.50 Sterling equivalent
USA - US$20.00 (??.?? Sterling)
Australia - A$27.00 (13.00 Sterling)
New Zealand - NZ$32.00 (11.00 Sterling)

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:

U.K.: 40 Pitford Road
Woodley
Reading
RG5 4QF

U.S.: Jupiter Mining Company
P.O. Box 13097
Coyote, CA 95013

Australia: Tom Marwede
PO Box 1044
Bundoora 3083
Victoria

Note: The address listed in the RED DWARF PROGRAMME GUIDE (see #26) is
incorrect.

Additional information about the Official Fan Club can be found at the
alt.tv.red-dwarf WWW site (see #28).

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 in NZ dollars is:
- New Zealand $15
- Australia $20
- Rest of world $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. Where can I find online information about RED DWARF?

WORLD WIDE WEB: There are several known RED DWARF home pages. These
carry information on scripts, links to the FTP site, quotes, and other
goodies.

Paul Wain's page:
http://136.170.129.54:8080/red_dwarf

Legion's page:
http://www.tufts.edu/~jfeuerst/reddwarf.html

The alt.tv.red-dwarf page:
| http://www.cobalt.demon.co.uk/alt.tv.red-dwarf/

Mark Gaither's page:
http://www.hal.com/~markg/docs/RedDwarf/rd-home_page.html

Fission Chips's page:
http://turnpike.net/chrisk/rd.html

J. Dondzil's page:
http://www.castle.net/~jdondzil/red-dwarf.html

Kev Davis's page:
http://www.cms.dmu.ac.uk/~c2kd

Fenric's page:
http://zen.btc.uwe.ac.uk/~n2-ellis/OtherLinks.html

Michael Nagy's page:
http://www.queeg.crater.com

FTP SITES: Files related to RED DWARF can be found at the following
sites:

ftp://ftp.queeg.crater.com/pub/red-dwarf
ftp://ftp.shu.ac.uk/pub/red-dwarf/
ftp.demon.co.uk/pub/humour/red_dwarf
ftp://ftp.funet.fi/pub/pics/tv+film/RedDwarf
ftp://ftp.sunet.se/pub/pictures/tv.film/Red_Dwarf

INTERNET RELAY CHAT: Regular IRC parties 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 atje...@homer.louisville.edu or
Humanless at x...@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.

NEWSGROUP: There is a Usenet newsgroup devoted to news and discussion
about RED DWARF:

news:alt.tv.red-dwarf

MAILING LIST: Two RED DWARF mailing lists are known to exist. An
unmoderated list is distributed by the pipex.com list server. To
subscribe, send email to LIST...@LISTS.PIPEX.COM with the following
text as the body of the message:

subscribe reddwarf Your Name

Holl...@aol.com runs a moderated RED DWARF mailing list. 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.

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".

------------------------------

29. 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. One issue so far,
containing 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.

------------------------------

30. 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.

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).

------------------------------

31. What are the Space Corps Directives?

Charles Daniels has compiled a list of Space Corps Directives, All
Nations Agreements, and Rimmer Directives mentioned on the show. Refer
to the Documents Guide (see #7) for details on where to find a copy.

[The list that formerly appeared in this space was derived from
Charles's document, and I neglected to ask his permission to use it.
My apologies to Charles for this oversight. -- PMB]

------------------------------

End of RED DWARF Frequently Asked Questions List (FAQ)
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