It’s Wednesday, and that can only mean one thing – time for a preview of what is technically next Thursday’s episode of Red Dwarf XII:
I’ve not watched this, but judging from the title and the thumbnail, we’re in for a whole new shade in Red Dwarf’s “alert” system, and a return to the science room set for the first time this series. Our coverage of Mechocracy will commence as soon as Timewave has appeared on Dave.
Kris Carter / October 25, 2017 at 9:58 am / #
The entirety of that clip is better than all of Timewave.
Tom2damoon / October 25, 2017 at 10:09 am / #
lets get our hopes up and say this is gunna be a good one. better than timwave atleast!
Cloud Strife / October 25, 2017 at 10:12 am / #
Just from that minute. It sounds like the description to the plot of M Corp. Is Mechocracy not next?
Rubber / October 25, 2017 at 10:17 am / #
Really really really enjoyed that. WELCOME BACK SCIENCE ROOM!
Ali Green / October 25, 2017 at 10:23 am / #
This plot strand is very similar to the premise of M-Corp which is the episode directly after this. Definitely some bad structural choices of the shows in XII with the first 3 being Starbug adventures and the final 3 being Red Dwarf based, and also the continued references to the same things in every episode (guitar, om song, the 1970s etc…)
Ali Green / October 25, 2017 at 10:26 am / #
As much as my opinion of this episode may be inflated due to being in the audience I will stake my reputation on it and say it is a damn sight better than Timewave!
Darrell / October 25, 2017 at 10:39 am / #
Siliconia too had (and still has) the synopsis of M-Corp on the EPG, so god knows what’s going on.
si / October 25, 2017 at 10:41 am / #
Yes, that made me chuckle.
KyoSo / October 25, 2017 at 10:43 am / #
M-Corp is an actual software update to the ship itself. This looks like they’re going to get some kind of trojan horse that fucks with the on board machines.
I just hope this episodes features skutters and that they behave like complete bastards. Seems wasteful to have bothered to build new ones at all if they’re not going to be at least once utilized as more than just background props. But if there’s any episode that was going to use them for something major, it’d be this one.
sd99 / October 25, 2017 at 11:48 am / #
Nice to see some colour that isn’t blue in the set… enjoyed the gags, not bad. Rimmer seems to shout a lot more in XI and XII and doesn’t seem to talk naturally. Not sure if that’s deliberate, but I really notice it now.
I had no expectations for timewave despite the earlier negative reports surrounding it, so these have now become *low* expectations for this. Hopefully that will be a good thing – ie. expect shit, get average!
Taiwan Tony / October 25, 2017 at 11:53 am / #
I liked that. Rimmer being Rimmery again.
Jonsmad / October 25, 2017 at 12:21 pm / #
Barrie on form, best new bit this series so far, given that I had seen cured recorded so not new to me,
Siliconia was a grower cus just too much screen confusion on first watch, and timewave is garish, a good ol fashion alert gag but not reusing any jokes, brilliant, felt at home yet lovely new ground, an alert rimmer likes and its his yellow streak :-) love it.
Dax101 / October 25, 2017 at 1:01 pm / #
I always assumed they were the series 8 skutters just fixed up to working order.
Stephen Abootman / October 25, 2017 at 2:00 pm / #
If you put the YouTube subtitles on, Rimmer is quoted as saying ‘call me Dickie if you like’ 😆
KyoSo / October 25, 2017 at 2:33 pm / #
Seems a waste to have bothered to refurbish the Series 8 skutters up if they were only going to be background props. Well. Sort of. Ish.
Not that having skutters just hanging out on the set isn’t warmly reminiscent of early series, though.
I just want more of them.
Ben Saunders / October 25, 2017 at 2:41 pm / #
The way this screenshot is edited, especially with RImmer’s composition/expression, makes it look like a typical YouTuber clickbaity video.
YELLOW ALERT PRANK! (GONE SEXUAL!!)
flanl3 / October 25, 2017 at 2:58 pm / #
I love how it says yellow across the entire room. But how would it work for alerts which aren’t yellow?
Taiwan Tony / October 25, 2017 at 3:11 pm / #
The letters would change. To, say, “BLUE.”
Or “RED”?
bloodteller / October 25, 2017 at 3:15 pm / #
or “BROWN”.
cwickham / October 25, 2017 at 4:39 pm / #
> as soon as Timewave has appeared on Dave.
Timedave
flanl3 / October 25, 2017 at 5:28 pm / #
I meant that it wouldn’t take up all the panels, you chairs. What would they do with the rest of the letter panels?
Ben Saunders / October 25, 2017 at 5:32 pm / #
Step up to blue alert? Are you absolutely sure sir? It would mean changing out the panels.
Stephen R. Fletcher / October 25, 2017 at 8:26 pm / #
The only time I’ve allowed myself to watch a preview clip before watching the episode. Since I’d been to the recording for it, I figured what the hell. First time I’ll be watching something I was at the recording for (unless I finally watch a House of Fools episode I saw before tomorrow night) so it should be an interesting experience. I know most people here have either been to several recordings or already seen the one episode they went to, but it’s pretty new for me.
NoFro / October 25, 2017 at 8:57 pm / #
Loved this clip. Actually liked the yellow lighting in that it gave the set a warmer look.
flanl3 / October 25, 2017 at 9:04 pm / #
Can we please get a yellow alert science room on the flipside of the DVD?
Rubber / October 25, 2017 at 9:15 pm / #
YES TO THIS x1000000
Lily / October 25, 2017 at 10:59 pm / #
Yup, I thought it looked a bit odd.
Not watched the clip. I’ve avoided as much info as possible about all the episodes. I can wait 24 hours.
cwickham / October 25, 2017 at 11:12 pm / #
Next week’s Taskmaster isn’t going to be previewed on UKTV Play as it’s the finale. I wouldn’t be surprised if they do the same for “Skipper”.
si / October 25, 2017 at 11:21 pm / #
The Taskmaster series finale has a winner, though. They’re just wanting everyone to discover who it is all at the same time.
Unless Skipper ends with some monumental, series altering revelation, I don’t see any real reason why it shouldn’t be online the week before.
cwickham / October 25, 2017 at 11:29 pm / #
Skipper has a big hook with the return of **r*** ***e**, the image of Retro Rimmer and the possibility of being the last ever episode, though – it’s clearly going to not be your average episode. I’ve tweeted the UKTV Play account to see if they’ll tell me in any event though.
bloodteller / October 25, 2017 at 11:35 pm / #
well yeah but if Skipper appears on UKTV Play at the same time that it appears on Dave, it’s not going to get many views on UKTV Play- the incentive behind watching it on there is that you get episodes a week in advance.
plus adding Skipper a week late would be really inconsistent and annoying
Dax101 / October 25, 2017 at 11:36 pm / #
The hook of nostalgia.
Rubber / October 25, 2017 at 11:40 pm / #
I’m holding out for a Robert Bathurst cameo in Skipper and I’m sure I’ll be disappointed but wouldn’t that be TREMENDOUS?
Jonsmad / October 25, 2017 at 11:41 pm / #
Thanks. youve just saved me from sitting there any longer looking at uktv play waiting for it. Though i watched and enjoyed siliconia again instead. Its good! Greg has a stupid shaped head anyway.
Interesting to see if Skipper will go the same way. I hope not as because i will be in a soundcheck with Madness that evening and have to choose when to watch that evening without a laptop to hand.
Ben Saunders / October 25, 2017 at 11:42 pm / #
There is a core audience of (young) people who watch things online anyway, even if its on TV they’ll check it out on iPlayer or whatever, because they’re out working/partying/doing literally anything else at the time of broadcast. That’s the biggest advantage of online distribution, imo, being able to watch it whenever you want, and not having to sit down for these exact thirty minutes and watch it NOW. Granted, Sky+ exists, but students generally cannot afford Sky+.
Jonsmad / October 25, 2017 at 11:43 pm / #
I heard he was going to do it, but then got cold feet.
Rubber / October 25, 2017 at 11:46 pm / #
‘<3 <3 <3’ etc
Ben Paddon / October 26, 2017 at 12:23 am / #
Joking apart, I hope he does pop up, but I won’t be surprised if he doesn’t.
cwickham / October 26, 2017 at 12:27 am / #
I could be happy if C.P. Grogan was also back, but it depends on if she’s had a change of heart. Maybe if she has she’d love to stay.
Ben Saunders / October 26, 2017 at 12:58 am / #
I just finished watching Psirens and the last thing I want is for C.P. Grogan to come back. She’s shite. As soon as she turns up Chris Barrie says “oh dear” on the dvd commentary and I sympathise with him completely
performingmonkey / October 26, 2017 at 1:06 am / #
I just hope they don’t hold it back and keep the episode’s release in line with the others. No-one can complain then! :)
Chloe is a much better fit for the character IMO.
Ben Saunders / October 26, 2017 at 1:27 am / #
She’s a much better fit for any and all characters, because she can act
Admittedly I’ve only ever seen Grogan in Dwarf
Pete Part Three / October 26, 2017 at 6:26 am / #
I hope Kryten (played by Robert Llewellyn) is in it.
Darrell / October 26, 2017 at 7:46 am / #
Skipper is the only one I won’t be able to watch the night it goes up so I hope you all have to suffer for a whole week Taskmaster-style to make it marginally less upsetting for me. I think that’s fair.
Taiwan Tony / October 26, 2017 at 8:52 am / #
>Unless Skipper ends with some monumental, series altering revelation, I don’t see any real reason why it shouldn’t be online the week before.
I heard that Cat calls Rimmer a ‘fucking cunt’!!
Dax101 / October 26, 2017 at 1:07 pm / #
I don’t know how you would make the kochanski thing work tbh since continuity changed abit after series 2 so instead of lusting after her they had actually dated for a while.
Skipper also sounds like an ambitious episode that could easily go wrong with trying to recreate series 1 nearly 30 years later
performingmonkey / October 26, 2017 at 5:23 pm / #
Just think yourself lucky you don’t have to watch M-Corp from a hotel room like I will, after a night out in London’s fabulous West End. Fucking First World problems!!! grrrr….
Darrell / October 26, 2017 at 6:32 pm / #
I need to be up at 5am the day after due to committing to a tough commute for my new job starting the week after next. It is going to *obliterate* me having to wait the best part of 24 hours to see the one episode out of all twelve I have been most interested in by far for the best part of two years.
cwickham / October 26, 2017 at 6:38 pm / #
yeah they replied Skipper will be previewed like the rest of them.