Arnold Brittas

[Dave]

Watching IV-V era episodes I often get the sense of the Gordon Brittas performance starting to bleed through into Rimmer occasionally.

Any more for any more?

[Jonsmad]

Yes. Good spot. 

But also it’s a bit like when people see steve coogan do other characters and accuse him of still being Partridge while doing the other characters. Something he defended by saying it’s “Me” doing both, there is inevitably bits of “Me” put into characters you are seeing.

[clem]

[Dave]

More good examples Clem.

Yes. Good spot. 
But also it’s a bit like when people see steve coogan do other characters and accuse him of still being Partridge while doing the other characters. Something he defended by saying it’s “Me” doing both, there is inevitably bits of “Me” put into characters you are seeing.

Yeah definitely.

There are inevitably going to be some similarities, but given that Chris was filming two hit shows at the same time I wonder if there was more bleed-through than usual as he switched between the two performances.

I watched Brittas at the time but I don’t know it well enough to think of examples where the reverse was true, and you got a bit of Rimmer in the Brittas performance. I’m sure it must have happened though.

[International Debris]

This is a really good summary of how I think this era of Rimmer is a different character to the series 1-2 Rimmer. There are obviously a lot of through lines between the two eras, but Chris is definitely playing them differently, this era is broader and playing more into a character who’s an irritating presence rather than the more ‘straight’ performance of the earlier series.

[Dave]

[Dave]

For a bit of balance, I think Holoship is one of the best Rimmer performances of all, and really feels like the same character from the early series.

And it’s not just the stuff with Nirvanah, but also little moments like the scene where he stumbles in on them interviewing other candidates, or the simple “I won. I leave tonight” which are nicely underplayed.

[Warbodog]

This is a really good summary of how I think this era of Rimmer is a different character to the series 1-2 Rimmer. There are obviously a lot of through lines between the two eras, but Chris is definitely playing them differently, this era is broader and playing more into a character who’s an irritating presence rather than the more ‘straight’ performance of the earlier series.

Yeah, the series 1-2 Rimmer / book 1 Rimmer is what I really think of as Rimmer. It looks like Brittas started around series IV time, and I already find him very different in III, so it’s also the writing and the changed dynamics and style that all contribute.

[Dave]

I was looking at filming dates and I think series IV And V would have been filmed around the same time as series 1 and 2 of Brittas, so the bleed-through definitely makes sense.

But I agree there’s maybe already a slight shift there from III onwards, although I think it becomes a lot more pronounced in IV and V.

[cwickham]

I did try and research Brittas recording dates a while ago, but all I found was that the fourth series was scheduled to be recorded weekly between 25/09/93 and 13/11/93

[clem]

This is a really good summary of how I think this era of Rimmer is a different character to the series 1-2 Rimmer. There are obviously a lot of through lines between the two eras, but Chris is definitely playing them differently, this era is broader and playing more into a character who’s an irritating presence rather than the more ‘straight’ performance of the earlier series.

Yeah, the series 1-2 Rimmer / book 1 Rimmer is what I really think of as Rimmer. It looks like Brittas started around series IV time, and I already find him very different in III, so it’s also the writing and the changed dynamics and style that all contribute.

I’d definitely argue that Chris’s broader performance is informed by the writing to a large extent. From III onwards Rimmer’s characterised as more straightforwardly geeky rather than nakedly ambitious and spiteful, allowing for things like Brittas-esque facial expressions, and that seems like pretty natural character development – even in II we see a less hostile Rimmer-Lister relationship compared with Series 1. Of course there are moments where Chris is hamming it up a bit but it’s only really in VIII and the Dave era that he’s sometimes on the wrong side of broad imo.

[RunawayTrain]

I watched Brittas at the time but I don’t know it well enough to think of examples where the reverse was true, and you got a bit of Rimmer in the Brittas performance. I’m sure it must have happened though.

For me the different voice helps keep the two separate.  But mainly Brittas’ fundamental motivation is that he wants what he thinks is best for everyone – he’s at heart a decent bloke but with blinkers on, unable to see anything beyond his perspective.  I’m not entirely sure what Rimmer’s fundamental motivation is but it’s not that.

I don’t recall ever thinking that Rimmer comes through in Brittas in any of the several times I’ve watched it already, but I’ll look out for it next time.

[clem]

I don’t recall ever thinking that Rimmer comes through in Brittas in any of the several times I’ve watched it already, but I’ll look out for it next time.

Brittas is condescending and kind of horrible to Colin sometimes, vaguely reminiscent of Rimmer and Kryten. And of course Colin gets all the shitty jobs and relishes them, just like Kryten does. I’m not talking performance-wise here though. 

[Nick R]

Going a bit further into series VI, Rimmer introducing the morale meeting is a very Brittassy sort of idea. But in these lines’ delivery, I don’t think the Brittas performance comes through as much as in the examples posted above:

[Technopeasant]

So… if he smiles or moves his head he’s Gordon Brittas?

[Warbodog]

[Quinn: Clochebusters World Champion]

This is 100% Brittas 

[Unrumble]

[clem]

Going a bit further into series VI, Rimmer introducing the morale meeting is a very Brittassy sort of idea. But in these lines’ delivery, I don’t think the Brittas performance comes through as much as in the examples posted above: 

The clasped hands is very Brittas though. 

https://tinyurl.com/5n952c44

[Dave]

This is 100% Brittas 

I can’t tell whether this is a quote or a repost, but I agree either way.

[Dave]

One that I missed from Quarantine earlier:

[Quinn: Clochebusters World Champion]

This is 100% Brittas 

I can’t tell whether this is a quote or a repost, but I agree either way.

Ah sorry. It is a repost. I’d been trying to remember exactly which scene it was for a couple if days. Hadn’t realised you’d posted it 

[Dave]

No worries. It is very Brittas. It’s that face. I don’t remember much of that kind of thing pre-IV.

[Jenuall]

I don’t remember any pleasure GELFs pre-IV that would have elicited such a response from him either…

I think whilst there is undoubtedly some cross-pollination between the roles, both in the way Chris might find how he performs one influencing how he approaches the other, and also in the writers potentially seeing how aspects of the Brittas character have highlighted aspects of Chris’ range that they might not have taken advantage of.

But I do think there’s also a fair amount of reaching in some of these comparisons. The longer you play a character the more varied the situations you are going to see them placed into therefore leading to you exploring new facets of them and broadening their range. Of course Series IV Rimmer does things differently, he’s finding himself in entirely new situations!

[Dave]

I don’t remember any pleasure GELFs pre-IV that would have elicited such a response from him either…

I don’t know, I just feel like if Series 2 Rimmer had met someone he fancied then he probably would have reacted less smarmily and more like this:

[Jenuall]

Possibly, I always read it as McGruder being a purely sexual fantasy, whereas Camille is supposed to be an actual relationship partner – she embodies everything that Rimmer would want to be with in more than just a physical sense which I would argue makes sense to give a different reaction like we see.

[Starbugger]

I forget which episode but Chris himself points it out in one of the DVD commentaries. “I think that look was a Brittas 1-A.”

[Author]

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