Craig Charles: Sets are being built and we’re getting an audience News Never let it be said that we won’t react to a story mere days after it’s been posted on our forum. So, thanks to Timestone2000 for bringing this Digital Spy article about Craig’s appearance on ITV’s This Morning to our attention. Armed with this new information, I will now diligently copy and paste their transcribed quotes: “It is exciting. The last series was 1998 – and we started it in ’87… but I’ll be back in the leathers, back in the dreadlocks. Everyone is back on board and they are building the sets now at Shepperton.” Firstly, I still find it amusing that to the cast most series are a year earlier in their heads because that’s when they were filmed rather than aired. Well, I say “amusing”, but what I really mean is “barely worth mentioning”. Secondly, we’ve known for a while that the pre-production was starting this month, but it’s heartening to hear about the sets being built. It’s real, and tangible. At the moment all we can do is guess, but the hope is that we’ll be seeing more studio sets for this series due to it being more than twice the length of BtE and so the need for variety and, hopefully, the budget for such things will be greater. We know that BtE relied heavily on CGI environments, but it’s still unknown just how much CGI work can be done now that we’re talking about a proper series rather than a one off relying on favours. We can only hope that Mike Seymour is still willing to use his fxphd students for cheap labour leaving some money to allow Mike Tucker’s Model Unit to get involved with the visual effects as much as possible. “It’s going to be like the old days, we are going to rehearse, and record it in front of a live studio audience. Everyone’s older, but I could still fit in the costumes!” Now, this is very interesting. If Craig simply said there was going to be an audience I’d be wary to take it as a proper confirmation as he could be jumping the gun like so many previous times. However, the mention of rehearsals mixed in there hints at the old schedule of rehearsing Monday to Wednesday, pre recording Thursday and shooting in front of the audience on Friday. Not only that, but if the sets really are being built at the moment, you would assume the audience decision must’ve been made, as that would affect how the studio and sets are laid out and built. “We all really wanted to do it… the only problem was trying to get some time off Coronation Street, but they’ve been really good to me and given me the time off. It would’ve been terrible if they went off to do it without me!” Thanks, Corrie! Speaking about his role as cabbie Lloyd in the ITV1 soap, Charles told presenters [snip] Whoops, gone too far. Nothing to see here. So, there we have it. By Craig’s account, series X is being made right fucking now. It’s still a difficult thing to grasp until Andrew TOSes off an official confirmation of the details, but hopefully that will be coming soon. I’ll certainly be poised by the official site at 11:30 on Friday, just in case.
My mum spotted Craig in WH Smiths in Euston station yesterday. EXCLUSIVE AND RELEVANT SPY NEWS: His ringtone is “Superstition”.
Yeah I caught this on This Morning yesterday. T’was most exciting! Really want to get some tickets for the January portion of filming due to a) birthday, b) baby being old enough to leave with parents for babysitting!
The idea of Red Dwarf sets currently being built at Shepperton…makes one tingle, don’t it? I hope there’s a proper good Rimmer-centric episode. I still think a story with Michael McGruder would be a great idea. In fact it would work a lot better now the cast are older IMO. We can guess that the main thrust will be the search for Kochanski. Both Chloe and Hattie back is a must.
TICKETSTICKETSTICKETSTICKETSTICKETSTICKETSTICKETSTICKETSTICKETSTICKETSTICKETSTICKETSTICKETSTICKETS Being in the audience for a Red Dwarf recording is one of my two lifetime ambitions. And I doubt I’ll be getting a girlfriend anytime soon.
OMGFANGIRLSQWEEEEEEEEEEE *ahem ahem ahem* But really some “proper” sets being built? This is most interesting
SO neither of these things are true at the moment. Goddamn it, Craig. It’s nice that he’s excited, though.
“Went for a ride to see the Red Dwarf sets and designers at Shepperton to clear my Moto GP head. It was nice and peaceful.”
ASSUMPTION: If the sets are actually being built, or have been built, then a decision has been made about the audience situation. Whatever it is, there’s going to be a shit storm when we find out…
From Robert Llewellyn, “Tiny snippet of Red Dwarf related news. I’m having a ‘mask fitting’ next week. The hulk of the small rouge one is looming.” “Lots of ‘tickets for Red Dwarf recording’ questions. Simple answer. I don’t know yet. There will be live audience, will try to find out.”
And from Bobby this evening: I must stop working and go to bed. Got to have the Kryten mask glued on tomorrow afternoon. Fingers crossed it still fits! Hey ho. Yes, new series starts recording in 3 weeks.
I know he’s trying to keep us calm but updated, but knowing recording is three weeks away, and knowing fuck all about tickets yet…it’s not helping my nerves.
Si, get a grip. You know full well that it will be announced loud and clear through official (and unofficial) RD channels the *moment* details on tickets are available. (IF it’s being recorded in front of an audience, which GNP haven’t confirmed yet. Also, GNP haven’t confirmed shooting dates yet, so calm down. We know that a while ago it was scheduled for “November”, that doesn’t definitely mean that any audience shoot, if there is one, is happening then. For all we know, there could be location work and other prep to do first.)
I’ll be interested to know how the shooting is structured, actually. I’d like to think it’s the old method of rehearsing Monday – Wednesday, pre recording Thursday and audience shoot on Friday, but I guess it would make sense to have all location and all studio stuff shot in separate blocks.
Robert Llewellyn said they start filming in three weeks. It would seem that they are filming the first three or four episodes and then taking a break over Christmas before recording the last two or three.
Seb – yeah, I know. But I don’t have a computer, don’t always have access to a decent broadband connection, rely on my shitty BlackBerry, and, if I did get tickets, don’t know how the fuck I’d get down there. I don’t have a social life, so don’t really know how to deal with events like this. Cheers, though. Calm. *deep breaths*
Robert has confirmed on his blog that two episodes will be recorded before Christmas and four will be recorded after.
