Craig Charles discusses new Dwarf

[Carlito]

http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/soaps/blog/scoop/

One interesting quote…

How much are you looking forward to hooking up with your fellow boys from the Dwarf for brand new episodes?
“It’s all been signed off now and has been given the go-ahead. I’m really looking forward to doing it. I can’t really give the storyline away but it’s a fantastic one. It’s really quite weird and sees me playing quite a few characters, some of them I’ve already played on television. That’s all I can say…”

Topic

[Tarka Dal]

The Dibbley family? The return of Captain Butler? Bobby Titan?

A quick look at IMDB reveals Craig was once the voice of Asterix.

[Tarka Dal]

Okay Craig’s IMDB also suggests he was once a contender on American Gladiators…

[Jonathan Capps]

It sounds gimmicky. I don’t want fucking gimmicky.

[pfm]

What if they’re gonna do something like the ultimate split-screen sequence?? So any form of Lister we’ve ever seen, and also new alt-Listers, appearing onscreen at once. Why they would want to do that I don’t know, but it’s possible. How they could dress him up now as all those characters I do NOT know.

The other thing would be the cast playing each other’s characters. But is this referring to the actual episodes or the clip show?

[Somebody]

There’s four, remember – two actual eps, the clip show, and the Other One (which they’re refusing to put a label on).

[Carlito]

the clip show IS the “Other One”. The 4th one is the ‘making of’ doc.

[ChrisM]

When he stated he would be playing several characters I thought it might be a parallel universe thing. I.e. if they’re following on from Only The Good they ended up in the mirror universe. Maybe their attempt to get back involves using a contraption (possibly created by genius-Cat of that universe) to get home… only instead of taking them home it takes them to the wrong universe each time encountering parallel counterparts along the way. Like Sliders.

So, parallel universe characters Lister has played: the slimy officer type from Mirror universe’s deleted scenes… Spanners from Ace-verse… Holo-Lister from Kochanski 2-verse erm…

‘Several’ is usually more than 3, right? I suppose there might be an Evil-verse with a counterpart to the Evil-Hillbilly Lister from Demons and Angels, or a weird universe where Lister actually IS a fascist dictator.

I’m not keen on the amount of coincidence that would engender though, even taking the comedy tone into account. I suppose Prof-Cat’s gizmo could tune in on …. oooo… weird exotic matter or radiation that attaches itself to people as they travel within the vicinity of other universes*. (Although they didn’t travel to all of them, particles could have passed through time fissures when Ace Jumped, time rip happened in Ouroboros etc….)

Anyhow, I’m likely (and possibly hopefully) wrong, but it’s fun speculating.

*That’s probably more of a RTD conceit than something Doug Naylor would come up with.

[ChrisM]

Oh, and there’s the universe where Lister and Rimmer are girls. I doubt they’d get all the actresses back for that one though. Maybe they’ll stick a couple of cushions in the guys jackets and have them play the roles. I wonder if they picked up a female Kryten too? One with the interesting pyramid motif? Phwoar!

[hummingbird]

> only instead of taking them home it takes them to the wrong universe each time encountering parallel counterparts along the way

I know I shouldn’t, but I quite like this.
But I’m not keen on them just recycling old characters – characters like Duane and Ace have well and truly run their course. What would be interesting is to see some new alternative versions of the crew.

[ChrisM]

>But I?m not keen on them just recycling old characters

I agree. It does come across a bit gimicky as Capps said. I was just trying to tie the ending of Series 8 with the new information Craig Charles provided really. I actually hope that stuff is material for the ‘with a difference’ episode rather than the plot for the new adventures, so to speak.

I had mixed feelings when they brought back Ace and Duane for Emohawk. I like both characters, but it did feel a little too ‘self homagey’ if that makes sense. I did enjoy that episode though.

I do hope Ace returns at some point though. Bearing in mind it’s not the original Ace but the the Rimmer we know trying to get to grips with the character. Not necessarily for the specials though, just at some point in future (should the specials prove successful obviously.)

[Ben Paddon]

Chris fell asleep on his keyboard and, quite by chance, this is what appeared on the screen…
When he stated he would be playing several characters I thought it might be a parallel universe thing. I.e. if they?re following on from Only The Good they ended up in the mirror universe. Maybe their attempt to get back involves using a contraption (possibly created by genius-Cat of that universe) to get home? only instead of taking them home it takes them to the wrong universe each time encountering parallel counterparts along the way. Like Sliders.

So, basically, Red Dwarf will be doing Jump Leads, which in turn is more or less doing Red Dwarf. CIRCUITOUS!

[ChrisM]

Chris fell asleep on his keyboard and, quite by chance, this is what appeared on the screen?

Cheeky blighter! ;)

So, basically, Red Dwarf will be doing Jump Leads, which in turn is more or less doing Red Dwarf. CIRCUITOUS!

Indeed. I thought of Jump Leads with the parallel universe thing actually. I’ve only read the first episode so far, but I found it a lot of fun.

(I mentioned Sliders cos that’s where I saw it first. Not as a concept but the main storyline for a show. It got a bit rubbish though although I had a bit of a thing for Maggie.)

[Ben Paddon]

Chris is SPEAKING ON THE INTERNET…
Indeed. I thought of Jump Leads with the parallel universe thing actually. I?ve only read the first episode so far, but I found it a lot of fun.

Cheers.

Chris goes on to say…
(I mentioned Sliders cos that?s where I saw it first. Not as a concept but the main storyline for a show. It got a bit rubbish though although I had a bit of a thing for Maggie.)

Yeah, Sliders is the first show I saw which used the Many Worlds interpretation as an integral part of the plot. I’m sure it’s been done before, though.

[Phil]

>I?m sure it?s been done before, though.

Richaed Linklater’s Slacker deserves special commendation for managing to be a Many Worlds film without also being sci-fi.

Not that I know how to class it. Maybe philoso-fi.

[Ben Paddon]

Philoso-fi might also cover Quantum Leap, which has a sci-fi-ish premise that isn’t strictly speaking sci-fi.

[Author]

Replies