An Adventure In Time And BBC Manchester

[Pete Tranter’s Sister]

With the BBC in recent years making a number of historical programmes charting the behind the scenes of their most popular and well-known shows, notably An Adventure In Space And Time and The Curse Of Steptoe, I feel that Red Dwarf would be a good inclusion for becoming a hastily researched and acutely embellished docu-drama that charts the myriad of difficulties, personalities and determined brows it took to get a sci-fi sit-com off the notepads of Rob Grant and Doug Naylor and onto the screens of a bewildered BBC 2 audience nearly thirty years ago.

A few of the more interesting aspects of Red Dwarf is that the rushes have not only survived but been glimpsed at in the making-of documentaries and each series has been explored in depth by virtually the entire main crew and cast over the years which not only allows for a more accurate rendition of what actually went on but in turn, limits the amount of exaggeration which could be taken with characterisation and the timeline of events, especially when more obsessive eyes run across it (namely ours).

I think the 25th Anniversary DwarfCast highlighted that there are definitely a number of fans of the show who would happily pay for a box-set of rushes as they provide very insightful looks into not only the making of the show but the personalities and working methods of those employed to do so. Who doesn’t wanna see Paul Jackson berating the cast for a full hour all for not remembering their lines or watch Chris Barrie direct professionally middle-class dirty looks towards a hungover and ciggie smoke engulfed Craig Charles?

I forgot where I was going with this, oh yes, the ‘historical drama’.

How do you feel it could work? I imagine the conflicts between Chris Barrie and Craig Charles would make for an interesting sub-plot, charting their differing professional paths and lives before and after auditioning for Red Dwarf and in addition, showing how much Rob Grant and Doug Naylor wanted to be a part of the show past simply writing the scripts and handing them in. Paul Jackson would be an interesting role as he would have to delegate and deal with cast, crew and the BBC commissioning editors alike and it would be a great chance for the original sets, or at least the bunkroom, to be faithfully recreated.

So, that’s my dream once Series XII wraps, a 30th Anniversary 90 minute drama about some non-legit actors pretending to be onboard a tramp steamer in deep space.

Oh, and Norman Lovett, I guess…

Topic

[si]

That’d certainly be interesting. Casting?

Norman Lovett as Norman Lovett’s football.

[srmcd1]

And then they meet themselves from the future, who guide them to becoming friends after Chris’s home planet is destroyed.

[Phobos And Deimos]

I still love this idea.

How about a fan-derived edition of it?

John Hoare as Paul Jackson.

Ian Symes as Rob Grant.

Jo as Dona DiStefano.

Myself as Paul Montague.

[Quinn: Clochebusters World Champion]

I want to see this, but it’s a 30min meta live special where everyone plays themselves in an over the top, caricature, panto-esque kinda way.

Norman is in it, but he is just a disembodied voice that keeps demanding, from off stage, to be allowed to be seen by the audience. At the very end as he starts to walk out, fade to black, curtains down.

[Plastic Percy]

An Adventure in Space and Norm.

Norman Lovett sulks for thirty minutes, then Dona DiStefano gives him his ball back.

[Nick R]

I think you’ll find that the tale of Norm and his ball would work best as a book:

[(deleted)]

That is brilliant.

Also, tangentially, everyone should own the Hat books, kids or not.

[Seb Patrick]

It is legitimately one of the funniest things ever created, yes.

[RickLee84]

<quote>I want to see this, but it’s a 30min meta live special where everyone plays themselves in an over the top, caricature, panto-esque kinda way.</quote>

Aren’t they doing this already?

[RickLee84]

I can’t edit the post for some reason, but just to make it clear, that was a JOKE before it starts an argument!

[flanl3]

Eh? What’s this? Are you trying to imply that WE wouldnt understand a JOKE? Furthermore, have you just said that you think we’d argue about said JOKE? This is sickening! Everybody, attack him all at once!

[RickLee84]

<puts cloche on head and awaits the onslaught>

[Author]

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