That’s Bilbo Bagshot’s shop, isn’t it? News Posted by Ian Symes on 23rd February 2009, 10:57 G&T reader danwatts has very kindly posted a photo he took in Richmond the other day. Click ‘read more’ to see it, although obviously you run the risk of spoilering yourself. But then, I sincerely doubt that anyone round here would not want to spoiler themselves… So, they’re filming in a comic shop, and there appears to be a couple of Red Dwarf posters and a Smeg Head t-shirt in the window. This opens up a lot of interesting questions, mostly: is that just there to publicise the shooting, or is it part of the set dressing? I can’t tell – the fact that it’s only in one window (the smaller one at that) could suggest that it won’t be on camera, but then again why would GNP allow the shop to publicise the fact that they’re shooting there before they’ve actually done so? If the Dwarf merchandise is part of the scene, then we’re almost definitely getting some sort of meta-fictional twist in Back To Earth. Bearing the Corrie stuff in mind, all signs seem to be pointing that way. But then again, that “Back To Red Dwarf Earth” poster at the very front of the shop display definitely looks like it’s an unofficial quick-and-dirty-Photoshop-job. My money is tentatively placed on the bit of the table that reads “we’re reading too much into this”. But anyway, the most exciting thing about this revelation is that the comic shop in question is They Walk Among Us, which is better known as the Fantasy Bazaar from Spaced. Hooray! Let’s hope nobody on the cast or crew committed the faux pas of saying that Hawk The Slayer was rubbish. Many thanks to danwatts for sharing his photo with us. EDIT: Mr. Watts has provided four more photos: One, Two, Three, Four.
A Red Dwarf/Spaced connection! My life is complete. With this and sharing an actor with Peep Show, these specials are linking up with all my favourite “post-Dwarf” sit-coms. We just need a Black Books link now and I’ll be happy…
Thirded, those are great pics danwatts, thanks for sharing. I also notice inside the shop is the Series III/IV logo with what appears to be different text, I’m not too sure.
I also notice inside the shop is the Series III/IV logo with what appears to be different text, I?m not too sure. Yeah, it’s this t-shirt.
You say that that shop is the one used as ‘Fantasy Bizaar’, but is it not ‘Silent Reading’, the other shop where Tim worked for an episode?
I’m unable to see any links (removed?) but that picture at the top is great! I understand from Rob’s Twitter that they were doing location shooting in Richmond, but I think that particular picture is a publicity shot. And they managed to get hold of a starbug playset too! I’ve been trying to find one of those, most shops don’t have them any more. (The one shop I found was a bit too pricey, quite a bit more than the play equivalent. I wish I’d grabbed one on play when I had the chance!
Hmm, that’s stange, pictures won’t show for me for some reason, hehe maybe it’s a sign, don’t read spoilers.
You say that that shop is the one used as ?Fantasy Bizaar?, but is it not ?Silent Reading?, the other shop where Tim worked for an episode? Nah, that’s on the Seven Sisters Road, round Tottenham way.
>Hmm, that?s stange, pictures won?t show for me for some reason, hehe maybe it?s a sign, don?t read spoilers. Same here.
The director of my RD Fan Film broke my Starbug playset, as I used it as a prop in the film. He bought the damaged one off me, and I bought a replacement about a year later. I opened it, had a little play, then put it safely away on a high shelf – from where my brother pulled it down and broke the front leg off later that day.
>> You say that that shop is the one used as ?Fantasy Bizaar?, but is it not ?Silent Reading?, the other shop where Tim worked for an episode? >Nah, that?s on the Seven Sisters Road, round Tottenham way. I thought FB was on a corner though. Where’s that big window (where the aliens were pointing and laughing)?
They Walk Among Us moved premises after Spaced filmed there, so while it’s the same business run by the same lovely people, it’s not the same building.
OK, there?s now the one pic in the article but the pics in the comments don?t appear That’s why I’ve put the links in the article. They Walk Among Us moved premises after Spaced filmed there, so while it?s the same business run by the same lovely people, it?s not the same building. Oh, bollocks.
Awesome pictures. Interesting with the Dwarf Mercfhandise all oer the shop. What the hell are they up to? Excited as always…
Ah, that wasn’t made obvious to Northern types like myself. How was I supposed to know that? MAKE THESE THINGS OBVIOUS, SYMES. >Let?s hope nobody on the cast or crew committed the faux pas of saying that Hawk The Slayer was rubbish. They could have always given Krull a try.
Ah, that wasn?t made obvious to Northern types like myself. How was I supposed to know that? MAKE THESE THINGS OBVIOUS, SYMES. I didn’t know! I feel silly now. It’s Seb’s fault.
Well, you can see where I was coming from, can’t you? You’ve got to agree, it looks more like Silent Reading…
They Walk Among Us moved premises after Spaced filmed there, so while it?s the same business run by the same lovely people, it?s not the same building. So these news *almost* made my day. Still made my hour or two or three.
I thought FB was on a corner though. Where?s that big window (where the aliens were pointing and laughing)? I know Andrew’s commented above that TWAU has since moved, but I’d always assumed they’d used a different exterior anyway. When people talk about TWAU as being “the Spaced shop”, my assumption was always that it was the interior. Anyway, even if it’s not the same premises, it’s near enough (the new place is literally around the corner from the old place) to count as a connection in my book.
This probably is most likely a publicity shot. If it’s not, then I thought up a possible plotline where they return to our present day and though the use of the Entertainment industry they end up being responsible for the creation of the ship. Sounds bad I know, and I’m probably a smeghead for bringing this up. Anyway, these photos are even more reaffirming that Red Dwarf is back!
Also, I think the combination of this and the Coronation Street stuff leads to the pretty inescapable conclusion that the show is going meta in some way. How much of an element it’ll prove to be (i.e. whether it’s the whole show, or just a 5-minute gag), I wouldn’t care to speculate. But my guess is that either the crew somehow make it into “our” world (dimension jumping, perhaps?), or this is a sequence involving the cast as “themselves”. Either way, it all looks frightfully postmodern. Which, as I’ve said before, is an idea I’m actually kind of excited about. I wonder if Doug’s been reading his Jasper Fforde?
i’ll cringe if dave lister meets craig charles proberly have some over the top geeky red dwarf fans agghh plz say im reading to much into these piks :(
>Which, as I?ve said before, is an idea I?m actually kind of excited about. I’d like it if it hadn’t already been done before, extremely well, in Back to Reality.
>I?d like it if it hadn?t already been done before, extremely well, in Back to Reality. Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmnot really, though… EDIT : Well, actually, no, I do see what you’re getting at. BTR was a level of “meta” – stepping outside the RD “world” – that it was possible to do without breaking the fourth wall. But with BTE, I’m expecting something more… well, for want of a better word, Ffordian, basically. Something that properly acknowledges to the viewer that Red Dwarf is a fictional TV show. Whether it’ll be a case of the crew being made aware of it, or simply that we’re watching “the show” being made, is another thing… Oh, actually. There’s a thought. This is COMPLETELY out there, but… what if the entirety of “Back to Earth” is a show, a sort of spoof documentary, about GNP *making* an (actually non-existent) special called “Back to Earth”? That would be mind-blowing. And probably wouldn’t sustain the joke over an hour and a half, so it’s probably not the case, but still.
>I wouldn?t care to speculate. But my guess is that either the crew somehow make it into ?our? world (dimension jumping, perhaps?), or this is a sequence involving the cast as ?themselves?. Either way, it all looks frightfully postmodern. The Sliders finale is an episode where they find out that in one alternative dimension their exploits are followed by a TV show- your post reminded me of this.
Just popped in and had a (very) quick chat with the gal in the shop. They were definitely filming and all the stuff in the window they bought with them (wanted to buy the poster!)
“last action hero” springs to mind simulants do a star trek first contact style time travel which the dwarfers get sucked into set on moden day 2009 the simulants go search for the last human being, who they end up mistaking craig charles for dave lister so the dwarfers have to get to craig charles before the simulant does enter corrie connection… and green screen work ok that idea sucks, but so does a real world connection :(
Which, as I?ve said before, is an idea I?m actually kind of excited about. I wonder if Doug?s been reading his Jasper Fforde? Or even Stephen King for that matter. He’s not renowned for metafiction, but it was quite a major theme in a couple of books. (I’m not sure I should say which… not wanting to spoil things in case any of you read them in future.) The way he dealt with it was kind of interesting though and made sense. Kinda. I read a similar idea in Animal Man too. I really disliked that take on it though.
>I read a similar idea in Animal Man too. I really disliked that take on it though. GET OUT YOU ARE BANNED FROM THIS WEBSITE EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY.
But it was perfect! Honestly, I think Animal Man #26 is one of the greatest single issue comics of all time. And the reset was clearly there because of the fact that DC wanted to carry on a successful title, but there was literally NO way it could carry on after what Morrison had decided to do with it. I prefer to believe, despite the fact that Buddy is now kicking around the DC Universe in normal “hero” form (and he’s getting a new series soon), there was no such thing as an Animal Man series after those 26 issues. Not one of the people that followed Mozza did ANYTHING good with it. The closing Jerry Prosser run, in particular, was catastrophically bad.
(more from me on this subject here : http://www.alternatecover.com/2008/11/05/dusting-off-animal-man-5-december-1988/)
(srsly though, I can appreciate your point of view, it’s just that it’s that comic that basically got me INTO metafiction in the first place, so I find it difficult to fathom not liking it.)
That’s fair enough. The whole scene WAS interesting, but I was hoping there would be some kind of ‘in-world’ explanation, if that makes sense. I was hoping it was going somewhere, then didn’t. It did have interesting things to say about creativity, retconning, authorship, etc though. I just didn’t like it as a story device I guess.
I still don’t think it’s real, a location like this only seems to point to a non reality, it’s not actually them, not a dream, but a recording. Still it could be part of the Dave advert, and not actually part of the show at all.
I’m still going for the non-reality scenario … I’m getting a sort of BTR vibe where the RD signs, etc in the shop are clues to help them find their way out. But would they do that kind of thing again? Probably not.
sadly i dont think doug would go for another BTR style episode to make these specials actally matter, they would have to actally get back to earth for real
>im alot less excited for the specials now I’ll be right there with you if it turns out Doug really is reading Jasper Fforde.
I, too, am even MORE excited about the specials now, although I can’t see this being a ‘the crew finds out they’re all part of a TV show’ type thing. I think that would just mess things up a bit and it’s not a good idea. The only way I can see it happening is if it’s all illusions and hallucinations and they just THINK they’re part of a TV show and then it turns out that they’re not. But that’s a bit too similar to the themes of Back To Reality really. Not that I’d mind though, I think the story could work quite well.
Hahaha! When I first saw that, I didn’t recognise you, but I thought “that bloke looks like John Hoare”.
I am to be seen laughing in the top one. Oh joy. I’m sure I recognise the person with the Powerpuff girls rucksack…
Surely the Red Dwarf posters won’t appear in the episode. That would be like in the League of Gentlemen film where the characters are watching an episode and Herr Lipp goes through all the League merchandise in Steve Pemberton’s house.
>im alot less excited for the specials now I wouldn’t let a few still photos that could mean anything quell your enthusiasm.
I completely missed Andrew laughing in the top photo, must be the red coat he’s wearing and/or my bad eyesight…
> I completely missed Andrew laughing in the top photo, must be the red coat he?s wearing and/or my bad eyesight? I’m in the brown coat. The chap in red is our Behind the Scenes cameraman and editor, Nathan, of The Beginning/It’s Cold Outside fame.
>these piks with the corrie piks, just makes me feel like this is just gonna be one big spoof I know what you mean – I’ve voiced similar worries earlier (my notorious Children In Need comment). But we’ve been told it’s ‘not what we think’, so I’m cautiously optimistic.
I was joking but the jokes on me as I thought the person in Red was a women (with apologies to Nathan)…
>I know what you mean – I?ve voiced similar worries earlier (my notorious Children In Need comment). But we?ve been told it?s ?not what we think?, so I?m cautiously optimistic. wasnt that when everyone thought it was a corrie cross over :S from the piks, we can still see its a corrie connection, i can see it being craig charles
> wasnt that when everyone thought it was a corrie cross over :S The only people who thought it was a Corrie cross-over were the ones not paying attention to what Robert and the official site had to say on the matter.
>I?ll be right there with you if it turns out Doug really is reading Jasper Fforde. Will people in this thread stop making me need to ban them?
So it’s a Coronation Spaced Dwarf crossover now! Nice pics. As long as we are reading things into these pictures, what about the white alien wandering into shot, bottom right of the picture. Is that a new character who features prominantly in the new specials?
I?m in the brown coat. The chap in red is our Behind the Scenes cameraman and editor, Nathan, of The Beginning/It?s Cold Outside fame. You don’t look anything like you did in that dream I mentioned last week. I have to say, I’m disappointed.
http://www.richmondandtwickenhamtimes.co.uk/news/4154587.Red_Dwarf_crew_film_at_Richmond_comic_shop/ Sorry If that has been posted. Here’s the interesting bit: “The shop was filled with Red Dwarf merchandise including a bath that had been used by Lister in a previous episode.” My memory is shit tonight. All I can think of is the kochanski bath scene in Duct Soup.
“A spokesman for the Red Dwarf crew” I’d bet good money this mysterious spokesman’s surname rhymes with Wellard.
Interesting… Red Dwarf came to film at the shop, it made for a very different Friday. They changed the interior of the shop making it a Red Dwarf specialist retailer full of props and toys from the series.
A Red Dwarf/Spaced connection! My life is complete. Watched BITR3 the other night (OK, so sue me), and realised there already was one – Jeillo Edwards – the second ground controller – played Tim’s Dole officer in ‘Change’. What a sucker I’ve been, what a fool.
