Red Dwarf On Course For Return To Earth
By bohus
Lots of people have attempted to fuse comedy and science fiction, and it seldom works. For every brilliant "Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy" and "3rd Rock From The Sun", we got dozens of "Quark" and "Homeboys From Outer Space". In the early 90s, I was treated to a copy of a copy of a bootleg of the BBC's "Red Dwarf". Even though all the multi-generational fuzz and homebrewed PAL conversion, I could see that Red Dwarf's sci-fi absurdity was something very special.
The series lived on through studio and cast changes, lasting long enough to have early episodes remastered with fakey film look and a superfluous CG shellacking. After the series long run, the official web site kept a steady of stream or merch going as well as reporting on the frequent rumors that the show was coming back. Finally one of those rumors is true.
In April, the UK's Dave channel is premiering three fresh episodes of Red Dwarf. The three shows tell a single story and will be released as a movie on DVD in the future. Red Dwarf usually employed a studio audience, but to guard against plot leaks Dwarf will be shot on a closed set. The final program will also be the only installment with no laugh track.
The program is being shot with a Red camera at better than HD resolution, so the Dave channel is really pulling out the stops to produce this long-awaited episode from a brilliant show that's been off our screens for ten years. I really hope that they remember the show's balance of SF and comedy is what made it such an enduring cult classic... and if they don't, they can just smeg off!
Read more on the official website
The entire series is on DVD on Amazon
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