DVD out on June 15th! News Posted by Ian Symes on 20th February 2009, 12:03 A show insider has emailed us to reveal the following exclusive news: the Back To Earth DVD will be released on June 15th – a mere two months after the last episode is broadcast. There are no details as to extras so far, other than the promise that there will be “in-depth bonus material guaranteed to inform and entertain”, much like the regular series releases. Excellent. So, let’s speculate wildly. We can expect the usual trailers, deleted scenes (if there are any) and smeg ups. A cast commentary is probably a given, providing they find another day to get them all together. A commentary involving Doug would also be bloody excellent, whether he’s on his own, with the cast, with other crew members or even with Ellard or something. Please, please, Doug: do a commentary! Other than those, who knows what they’ve got up their sleeve? The best bits of the regular DVDs mostly came from unearthing fascinating items from the archives, but this release has the advantage of being the only Red Dwarf DVD to be compiled alongside a production. The possibilities are endless. Hopefully, the Making Of element will be much heftier than the half-hour version screened on Easter Monday, and hopefully the development of the specials – the thoughts and dreams floating around Doug’s brain and how he came to realise them – will be covered as well as the actual shooting and editing. In other news, TOS have confirmed that Back To Earth will now have three episodes, at the expense of Unplugged. Not much new information – just the assurance that the decision was made for creative reasons rather than budgetary or scheduling reasons. They’d already booked two days to make Unplugged, so there’s no problem there, and much of the material for an extra part was already planned to be used on the DVD. Interesting titbits to dissect: the extra filming days will all be on location, which is interesting – more outdoor stuff! Plus, there’s a mention of the sets being struck by the time of the extra shooting days, which confirms that there WILL be sets of some description, after the confusion generated by Robert’s MacBreak Weekly interview. Doesn’t mean there won’t be extensive greenscreen elements for the shoot, of course – I love how there’s so many details of this production that we’re still completely in the dark about. Ooh, I wonder what this DVD’s musical featurette will be!
Im really thinking a Blu-Ray release is on the cards. If so… I will be purchasing a PS3. I’ve been wavering fr a while now, but THAT will certainly encourage me. Very happy about the 3 parter, Andrew has sold It quite well there. No dissapointment for Unplugged right now. The Red Dwarf trilogy is here!
This release date scares me, it has a very real possibility of being released on the same day as Doctor Who: The War Games or the Dalek Wars Box set, the two DVD I am looking forward too most out of this years Who releases, I know Red Dwarf will always come first, I might have to wait a week for one of the best Who releases (though I probably won’t care since I will have Krytie to keep me occupied).
I was prepared for a wait before it came out though to be fair. We know full well how much effort they put into the DVD releases. And now that the Beeb have nothing to do with it, you could be looking at a much more meatier product than before! We all know what the BBC are like for pressuring releases for their sales figures… And I also have a feeling a Hi-Def version will be released in some format, Blu-Ray sadly being the only one now. Unless just for the sheer hell of it we get a Red Dwarf HD-DVD release out of the Blue haha!
This is so so good! A year ago who would have thought this could ever have been on the cards? I hope there IS commentary as IMO they were a big part of the series 1-8 DVDs. GNP certainly have their work cut out for them!
But the BIG questions: What colour will the sleeve be? And will it be infitting with the other sleeve designs?
dose anyone think a documentary on the move is realistic?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!? Not really – this is a release for Back To Earth. It might be discussed, but I doubt we’ll get the full story we crave here. If we ever do.
> But the BIG questions: What colour will the sleeve be? And will it be infitting with the other sleeve designs? I doubt it, as it’s not an actual series… now if this were to eventually promote a Series IX then I’d presume THAT would be the next sleeve to match the previous 8.
Well this one does go after Series VIII in out collections so it should match or else we will have Series VIII matching something that is not next to it. Wait, Series IX?
Well the Bodysnatcher set didn’t carry anything on, it was a standalone set. As were the Smeg-Ups and Beat the Geek. Was only the proper series that worked as flowing spines. And yeah, IX would be the ninth series wouldn’t it?
No what I mean is when are they making Series IX? While the future of Dwarf looks bright and plentiful we have no indication that a ninth Series will be produced.
Bobby said months ago when all this was first announced, while in the States, that the main purpose of these specials was to see if there was still a following big enough to create a new series. And unless they want to mess with our heads, I’m presuming the ninth would be the next one haha.
Well the Bodysnatcher set didn?t carry anything on, it was a standalone set. As were the Smeg-Ups and Beat the Geek. Was only the proper series that worked as flowing spines. Ah, but this is a set of *new episodes*. Bodysnatcher and Beat The Geek well, weren’t.
The Bodysnatcher boxset had new material and I consider Bodysnatcher a new episode, a non canon new episode but still new.
Cool! I hope this means they’ll be released about the same time in the US. >I hope there IS commentary as IMO they were a big part of the series 1-8 DVDs. I can’t seem to get the commentary to work on mine for some reason. It’s turned on, but I get nothing. :-/
>I can?t seem to get the commentary to work on mine for some reason. It?s turned on, but I get nothing. :-/ If it doesn’t work on all releases you should try using the DVDs on another DVD player, if not then take them back, they really are very good commentaries, if not just for Chris Barrie doing an immpression of Craig in his absence in Series V.
I haven’t tried it in my computer’s yet. I’ll try that and see what happens. EDIT: I’m such an idiot. I got confused by the selection method to make it work. Purely operator malfunction. DUH. As my husband would say, I’m remotely inept.
I think it has to be a dual release, or just on DVD. Blu-ray is still quite a limited format, you want as many sales as possible, and Blu-ray would limit these sales by it’s nature. I think a quick release on DVD, and then another later in the year on Blu-ray would satisfy the market. Unless it’s double disk DVD/ Blu-ray edition. It could work that way. But it won’t be a ?13.99 start price.
Whether or not it’ll be released on Blu-ray it’ll certainly be on DVD. No need to worry about that. Considering the cameras they’re using I’d think it’s a possibility it would go to Blu-ray too, although no doubt ordinary DVD benefits from such equipment too.
The DVD will upscale, but not to the quality of HD. I’m not saying it’s a waste, but the cost of Red cameras to be used just for DVD would be. I think it’s a great way of future proofing the Specials. It’s been captured, they can do what they want with it at a later time. I’m also excited at the prospect of quality sound. Red Dwarf would benifit so much from a 7:1 sound source. Stereo sound will give you surround sound, but even that is falling off new amplifiers. I know it’s the last thing on the list for many, but times are changing!
Yes! And Bodysnatcher kind of carries on from where VIII left of on the spines. No ‘Red Dwarf’ obviously but the background is very similar.
It also has the picture on the spine. I assume this time around will have Sophie on the spine if she is one of the main cast in these episodes.
When I bought Red Dwarf I on DVD, I didn’t even have a DVD player. It was my first DVD, and I had to watch it on my brother’s PS2. If BTE gets a Blu-Ray release, then that’ll be my first Blu-Ray purchase, and I’ll be watching it on my brother’s PS3. Oh, how times have changed.
I only got a DVD player a few weeks before I got Red Dwarf I, still have the DVD player today though, bloody good one too.
>>My first DVD is too embarassing to say. >Embarrassing/illegal. I wish it was some sort of freaky porn but this is worse.
I only got a DVD player a few weeks before I got Red Dwarf I, still have the DVD player today though, bloody good one too. Yep, same here. We do have a lot in common here on this point.
I think all this shows exactly why GNP were wise to hold off as long as they did to start making the DVDs. The market was just going super-nova when Series I came out.
TBH, I think what’s even better than that is that you forced it to be 2 per year – I know you couldn’t have gone quicker with that amount of content, but even in 2002 there must have been a temptation to shove them all on a DVD and flog them all as a box set rather than producing separate DVDs laden with extras.
We were actually being asked to quicken the pace from very early on – as soon as the first two series blew everybody away (five times the anticipated total sales in the first months alone), we were being asked if we could bung the whole lot out faster. But we said no. Quality counts. For that matter, quality was likely part of the reason the numbers were good in the first place. Well, I like to think so, anyway…
Definitely. Red Dwarf I was my first DVD purchase, and I watched it on my sister’s DVD player (she got it for her birthday that November). I remember being disappointed that series II didn’t come out sooner as I was writing an essay on Gender Representation in British Sitcom for my AS/A Media Studies course in College and had chosen to use “Parallel Universe” as the basis for part of my essay. Ended up borrowing a VHS of the ep from a family friend.
Quality counts. For that matter, quality was likely part of the reason the numbers were good in the first place. Well, I like to think so, anyway? It’s one of those things in business you never know. Can we drop the quality without affecting sales – probably, but we’re too scared to try/why drop a winning formula.
Well, at least I only have to wait a few months after broadcast before being actually able to see it.
I think all this shows exactly why GNP were wise to hold off as long as they did to start making the DVDs. The market was just going super-nova when Series I came out. We were actually being asked to quicken the pace from very early on – as soon as the first two series blew everybody away (five times the anticipated total sales in the first months alone), we were being asked if we could bung the whole lot out faster. But we said no. Quality counts. But two months seems awfully quick.
In case you didn’t already know, the DVD is now available to pre-order at play.com for ?12.99. Cult comedy Red Dwarf is returning to TV, 21 years after its initial launch. The show has been resurrected by digital channel Dave for a two-part Easter weekend special, which sees the cast finally return to Earth. Written and directed by Red Dwarf co-creator Doug Naylor, the new show reunites the line-up, including Coronation Street’s Craig Charles. Here: http://www.play.com/DVD/DVD/4-/9230274/Red-Dwarf-Back-To-Earth/Product.html
A thought just struck me, and I can’t think why it’s only just hit me – will the new DVD have a traditional cast commentary? I’ve had a quick scan down the thread, and I can’t see any other mention of one…
I’m sure they will have a commentary of some sort even if they have to drag Mr Flibble in to do the commentary.
