Incoming Message, here they go again! News Posted by Ian Symes on 26th June 2026, 09:15 You know the drill by now. It’s Friday, which means it’s time for another teaser video for Red Dwarf: Titan. This week, it’s called Incoming Message, and it premieres as usual at 11am British Ridiculously-Hot-Summer-But-Climate-Change-Is-Definitely-Just-A-Myth Time. Less than three weeks to go, by the way. Ridiculous.
Beautiful. I’ve got the hardback coming, will definitely get the audiobook and aiming to get it read/listened to the day before I go to Nottingham for my fourth Red Dwarf convention (previous years 97, 98 and 09).
That was very pretty. Definitely going back to have a look with a slowed down speed and a pause button. Putting a hell of a lot of work into book teasers where most novels would just shove a (possibly AI created) press release out.
That may not answer the recent forum question about what a drive plate is. But at least now we know what a diagram of one looks like.
“Powered by Tucker Instruments, Shepperton Orbital Systems” The text that flashes up on these screens is wonderful.
Doug in Krysis: Lister’s time in stasis wasn’t 3 million years exactly, it was tens of thousands of years less than that. The 3 million number was just rounding. Rob and Andrew:
I like that there’s also in-jokes in the bits you can’t fully see. As it zooms into the drive plate diagram, you can see that one of the diagnostic bits on the left includes the phrase “14F nozzle cleaner”.
Video title to be read in Lister in Out of Time voice. I like all the graphic recreations, but would have been nice to get a more retro soundtrack than epic 2010s trailer sting #43.
It’s weird seeing the very original ship design again. I was almost kinda surprised to see it just given how long we’ve spent with some version of the pencil.
I love the minute details. The INCOMING MESSAGE text being animated in the awkward jumpy way that MALFUNCTION is in the Hologram simulation suite in Queeg. Nerd after my own heart there, ha.
Yeah, I echo all of the positive comments. These videos just get better and better and only increase anticipation for the book.
If I was being critical I’d suggest the fan service isn’t going to attract new readers, but I don’t think it’s especially likely to get many anyway.
i mean it doesn’t need to attract “new” readers, does it? if half the number of people who bought the original books buy this then Gollancz will be (a) very happy and (b) having serious conversations about the possibility of hiring a medium.
Can guarantee the amount of people who’ll be reading Titan who aren’t already familiar with Red Dwarf would be like <1%.
Can guarantee the amount of people who’ll be reading Titan who aren’t already familiar with Red Dwarf would be like <1%.
I can imagine some people buying it who are casually familiar with the show but haven’t read a Dwarf book before, or maybe haven’t even seen series 1? I dunno, would that be a possible audience? Or even people who just buy every new sci fi novel?
It’s not more conspicuously a TV tie-in than the older novels were, but the word “prequel” will make newcomers less likely to go for it.
I actually gave Infinity Welcomes Careful Drivers to my cooperating teacher before I left that assignment as a parting gift when they hadn’t seen the show, I think that novel works really well for people who have never seen the show (for obvious reasons I don’t apply this to the other novels). Time will tell if Titan can take that mantle too although by itself I doubt hardly any of its readers are going in unfamiliar.
I will note that in the 90s my dad, a fan of all books sci-fi, discovered Red Dwarf through the novels without initially realizing it was a TV show. It’s a possible avenue.
I suspect that for Infinity Welcomes Careful Drivers that there might have been quite a few people who read the book before even watching the Show. While now days, id say the odds of that happening are much lower.
I suspect that for Infinity Welcomes Careful Drivers that there might have been quite a few people who read the book before even watching the Show. While now days, id say the odds of that happening are much lower. Yeah the internet age means the kind of clientele who would be interested in comedy sci-fi novels have probably been exposed to Red Dwarf at some point versus the 90s where you probably only knew about the show if you caught it on PBS in the States.
Given that Rob hoped for a Titan spinoff, it’s reasonable to assume that the story would’ve been written with a new audience in mind, rather than just the die-hards.
I imagine trying to sell Red Dwarf: Titan to a new audience would be the equivalent of trying to sell the novel Last Human to a new audience. Sure, it is its own story that doesn’t try that hard to connect itself to the previous books, and it’s very easy to buy the book not realising it’s part 3 of a book series already. But the people who will get it most are still the people who know what it is. If it had been a TV show. it would have much bigger reach, but books… hmm, maybe a little less than it used to in this age.
I will note that in the 90s my dad, a fan of all books sci-fi, discovered Red Dwarf through the novels without initially realizing it was a TV show. It’s a possible avenue.
That was delightful. Definitely needs a rewatch for all the gags I’ve undoubtedly missed there. Wonder how much Rob and Andrew had to do with those scripts and graphics? Because whoever did deserves a bonus. Some good chuckles from me.
