Dwarfwood #1 News Posted by Jonathan Capps on 6th September 2006, 13:04 RUSSALL T DAYVEES IS STEALING DWARF THINGS! Following a number of nice crossovers between Red Dwarf and New Who, the new issue of TV Zone is reporting that a newly announced episode for the forthcoming sci-fi drama Torchwood is to be called Out of Time. Fancy that!
> Hmm… is that one coincidence too many? No, I don’t think so. I mean, the only connecting factor is Russ Tee, and I can hardly imagine him deliberately ripping off Dwarf at every opportunity. They’re just nice little coincidences, as no real ideas have found their way to Who, just little bits and bobs here and there.
R.E.M.’s 1991 album is called Out Of Time, so Rob and Doug probably ripped it from there anyway, or the DeLorean license plate in Back To The Future (although I think that says ‘Outatime’).
Also, it’s probably likely that a series based on time travel will use the title “Out of Time” at some point…
I think it mainly proves what many of us knew already – that Rob and Doug have an eye and ear for the iconic. I often ponder the things that, visually, just scream ‘Red Dwarf’ at you as icons. The original RD ship, Starbug, skutters, Kryten’s head, the H on the forehead, Holly’s floating face on a monitor…this isn’t accidental. It’s inspired. (Sure, the designs aren’t always theirs, but even they’re approved from a selection; it’s a skill.) The same is true of their approach to language. So often the gags, the lines, the references, the titles are little works of art – perfectly-formed nuggets of language that work better with THAT syntax, THAT choice of words, than they would any other way. It’s jealousy-inducing for a writer, but so impressive. It’s also inevitable that, once in a while, a good writer will find the same success with the same (or similar) combination.And they don’t come much good-er than Davies and his team.
> It’s also inevitable that, once in a while, a good writer will find the same success with the same (or similar) combination.And they don’t come much good-er than Davies and his team. Yeah, but it’s a shame that no-one but RTD and Moffat could write anything worth broadcasting for season 2. Thank the lords of Kobol that Paul Cornell is back for season 3. A lot of people lay into RTD but I really like his way of writing, how almost every line is there to provoke a reaction. I like how he KNOWS he’s gonna rile up the audience with certain things but keeps them in anyway (e.g. the paving stone gag, lines like ‘you’re so gay’ etc). Rob and Doug would have been able to a write a brilliant episode of new Who. There’s so much thought-provoking sci-fi goodness in Dwarf that would be way better than some of the, er, crap concepts we’ve had to experience in the first 27 episodes of Who. Rob and Doug knew how to write great sci-fi and comedy and merge them into…one glorious whole. Sadly, most of the new Who writers haven’t been too successful at mixing sci-fi with family-friendly drama. Admittedly it must be quite difficult to achieve, and that’s probably why the darker episodes have been better (although I do realise they seem better to ME because, like it or not, new Who IS more for kids/family viewing and not aimed at someone like me who’s seen every sci-fi/storytelling concept done to death, I’m sure younger viewers liked New Earth when I thought it was shit, but I bet a lot of them didn’t really get TGITFP when I thought it was astoundingly original) Anyway Torchwood…it’s potential is IMMENSE. I’d say this could be more popular in America than new Who is because it’s going to be more adult and serious, which is how they like their sci-fi. They still don’t get that new Who is made for a family audience, so putting it up alongside Battlestar ‘Cylon gang-rape’ Galactica makes it seem like a ridiculous romp and the first season got ripped into big time (although they liked Eccleston and Piper).
