Andrew talks RDX

Nothing new on it as such. Just a restating of the quality of Doug’s writting this time around and a suggestion that he has decided after VII & VIII that it’s best to just ignore what the fans want and to make what he thinks is right for the show. I’d say it paid off.

So which one of you was responsible for “ellardent”?

I don’t want to go picking any fights (seen as I’ve never actually posted anything before) but I’m not sure I agree with the fact the after VII & VIII Doug has now decided “that it’s best to just ignore what the fans want and to make what he thinks is right for the show.” From what I’ve read on reports about the new series, it seems Doug is doing exaclty what the fans want i.e. it’s just the 4 guys are back on the ship.

I remember reading a comment ages ago (it may have been on the offical site) that said something along the lines of what the fans want isn’t necessarily what’s best for the show. Although that may be true, in Red Dwarf’s case I’d say that’s completely wrong. After seres VI I think the majority of fans wanted the guys to get back to Red Dwarf for series VII. They certainly didn’t want Kochanski as a ragular, getting rid of the studio audience, bringing back the whole crew and making Red Dwarf into a prison ship. Weren’t all of these ideas Doug Naylor’s?

I think by taking the series back to it’s original premise Doug has finally started to listen to the fans – it’s just a pity it’s taken him 15 years and 2 (so far) very disapointing series.

Or maybe I’m just getting things completely wrong.

I don’t think its completely accurate to say Doug isn’t bowing to the fans at least a little, how many polls has he conducted via Twitter since the series was announced?

I don’t think its completely accurate to say Doug isn’t bowing to the fans at least a little, how many polls has he conducted via Twitter since the series was announced?

I still find it hard to believe that Doug is basing any important decisions on those. It seems more likely to me that he is using them as a way of backing up what he has already decided upon when going to Dave.

>I remember reading a comment ages ago (it may have been on the offical site) that said something along the lines of what the fans want isn’t necessarily what’s best for the show. Although that may be true, in Red Dwarf’s case I’d say that’s completely wrong. After seres VI I think the majority of fans wanted the guys to get back to Red Dwarf for series VII. They certainly didn’t want Kochanski as a ragular, getting rid of the studio audience, bringing back the whole crew and making Red Dwarf into a prison ship.

Well, firstly you’re lumping VII and VIII together. This is done often because they’re both disappointing – but they’re both disappointing in completely different ways. VII didn’t feel like Doug was compromised by what the fans wanted one iota. He just went and did his own thing – and that’s why it’s stylistically different to what came before. The fact that it didn’t really work was unfortunate but it’s a noble failure…Unlike VIII which is ABSOLUTELY a result of fan-reaction to VII.

Read the list that Alex linked to and it’s like it was written in 1998. It’s a check-list of stuff that was in VIII. The return of Duane, the return of “a Rimmer we know”, recycling old ideas, lots of Holly, a studio audience.

I can’t actually recall any negative reaction to the news that the crew would be back for VIII pre-broadcast. It was only after 4 shite episodes, that I was starting to wish they’d do one. I think the setting could have worked – but if you strongly dislike something, it’s easy to list all the reasons why it sucks. I could reel off a list of aesthetic reasons I hate VIII (the crappy costumes, the nasty lighting, the dodgy CGI, that stupid Blue Midget cockpit) but they’re all pretty much incidental compared to the fact that the scripts just aren’t Red Dwarf to me.

Yes, Doug has asked for “guidance” but, from what I’m aware, none of it’s been in the writing stages. I’m sure most of us prefer models to CGI, and Howard Goodall to library music, but those aspects are not actually going to make us laugh any more and judge it more favourably. If Red Dwarf X is shit, the things Doug has asked for fan opinions on aren’t going to be the reason.