Dave pleased with Red Dwarf…

[SkyAndSun]

http://dave.uktv.co.uk/library/red-dwarf/red-dwarf-ratings-success/

They’re obviously happy… question is, do they have the funds for more? I read somewhere BTE was made on £600,000, which strikes my ignorant mind as very little.

Topic

[Mnoooah]

I don’t believe this part:

http://inoperanteonline.com/2009/04/official-red-dwarf-bigger-than-jesus/

:D

[Jonathan Capps]

> I read somewhere BTE was made on ?600,000, which strikes my ignorant mind as very little.

Somewhere?

[SkyAndSun]

http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=989531&page=62

Not that it’s much help: ‘Apparently the story cost ?600,000 to make’…

Guess you could PM him if you wanted.

[Steve Harris]

Despite personally loving it all to bits, it’s probably a tad too early to count our chickens with regards to more.

Ratings wise, they seem to have cracked it and they’re certainly getting coverage of this fact. It would seem that ‘DAVE’ are delighted with events and those not interested in the kind of audience that Dwarf once attracted must have watched on in retrospective horror.

Clearly GNP and Dave have laid down the path for more and I see it as the first battle won.

Apart from the mixed reactions and certain critical doom mongering, I’m confident that everythings moving in the right direction despite a couple of slight reservations about format.

[Mnoooah]

and even if that’s all we get, it’s a pretty solid win.

[Somebody]

The basic problem with any new series, even if everyone’s keen, is Craig Charles’ soap contract. They arranged stuff this once to let him do a 14-day RD shoot, but that’s highly unusual (note how Simon Gregson said in the Making Of that CS had been his only acting job ever before his RD cameo, after nearly 20 years on the show – based on his age at Wikipedia vs starting at 15). I doubt they would let Craig have 4-6 weeks off every year to shoot a 6 episode series.

Also, there’s the question of crew remuneration – a lot of people apparently worked on BtE for less than their usual rates (including the guy who did the CGI skutter doing it for a signed script, again from the Making Of). One presumes that that couldn’t and wouldn’t continue indefinitely…

[Carlito]

I’d imagine that after this water-tester, Dave would be more willing to put a bigger budget behind any future episodes. Dwarf has proven a ratings draw, which will attract advertisers, making Dave more money. It’s a smarter, better investment now than it was when they first commissioned Back to Earth. Also, I’m sure this would open up possibilities for Dwarf to go elsewhere, to other channels which may be able to meet their budgetary needs.

Can you imagine ITV salivating at the thought of a rival to BBC’s Doctor Who (by which I mean a rival which isn’t shit… I’m looking at you Primeval)… and could you imagine Doug turning down the chance to take Dwarf to ITV for a prime time, 1 hour (with ads) slot, maybe even on a Saturday evening, and a decent budget for the first time ever?

Plus, if it did go to ITV, gaining access to Craig Charles will become a lot easier. Corrie are not likely to defy the network if they deem Red Dwarf an important part of their schedule.

[Jonathan Capps]

> after nearly 20 years on the show – based on his age at Wikipedia vs starting at 15). I doubt they would let Craig have 4-6 weeks off every year to shoot a 6 episode series.

Are you suggesting that Simon Gregson hasn’t done any other shows because Corrie didn’t let him?

[Richey]

> Are you suggesting that Simon Gregson hasn?t done any other shows because Corrie didn?t let him?

It’s true. They keep him locked in a shed behind Dev’s shop between shoots.

[Carlito]

Absolute pure speculation, I know, but the more I think about it, the more I’m excited at the mere idea of Dwarf going to ITV, which I would NEVER have been in the past due to ITV’s reputation for making shit comedy.

But a 1 hour prime time format could really exploit Doug’s talent for producing inventive comedy-drama Dwarf, and due to the complete change in structure people will (hopefully, but probably not) stop getting pissy about how it is no longer a sitcom. ITV would have the budget for it (I know they’re fucked at the moment but to give Dwarf a bigger budget than they’ve ever had before would still be cheap TV for them), and they also have the coverage – and benefit of being a ‘Big Four’ channel – to produce the impressive ratings that Dwarf is capable of achieving.

I think Dave has been really really good to Dwarf, but if the show is to have a future, it’s possible Dave would just drag them down. It’s almost been TOO good to Dwarf… like the over-compensating eager ugly motherfucker who somehow is inexplicably dating the most beautiful girl in town… eventually she will outgrow him and rise to her level, but for now, right now, he is clinging to everything he can, DESPERATE to please in the hopes she won’t (inevitably) slip through his grasp.

[Dessie]

Carl, i like the way you think.

[Carlito]

They could always throw them a bone… ensure that Dave still gets the repeat rights to the show.

And as I say, what more perfect scenario than Red Dwarf going to ITV to ensure Craig Charles’ involvement?

[Richey]

> like the over-compensating eager ugly motherfucker who somehow is inexplicably dating the most beautiful girl in town? eventually she will outgrow him and rise to her level, but for now, right now, he is clinging to everything he can, DESPERATE to please in the hopes she won?t (inevitably) slip through his grasp.

You’ve been reading my diary again haven’t you?

[Somebody]

Carl> Can you imagine ITV salivating at the thought of a rival to BBC?s Doctor Who (by which I mean a rival which isn?t shit? I?m looking at you Primeval)? and could you imagine Doug turning down the chance to take Dwarf to ITV for a prime time, 1 hour (with ads) slot, maybe even on a Saturday evening, and a decent budget for the first time ever?

Have you seen ITV recently? They’ve been cutting budgets left, right & centre; to the point that they’re cutting shows that are getting decent ratings because they can’t afford to shoot them, like Wild at Heart, and Primeval was rumoured (though not confirmed) to fall into the same group.

Capps> Are you suggesting that Simon Gregson hasn?t done any other shows because Corrie didn?t let him?

If you mean “does he have a contract saying he can’t do other shows”, then obviously not. But soap actors work more of the year than almost any other TV actors – certainly in the UK, where the 22-26 “hour-long” episode series has been virtually extinct since ITC’s efforts in the late-60s or so – so almost none actually do anything else of substance until they quit/are fired from the soap in question.

Didn’t Craig & Doug publically thank CS for arranging his CS shooting schedule around Dwarf, saying that they didn’t have to do that?

[hummingbird]

Doesn’t it depend when Craig’s contract is up for renewal? He could easily have so many weeks off a year written into his contract, and as he’s not a major character (so I understand, I don’t watch Corrie myself) they may be ok about that.

[TheLeen]

I’ve never seen Coronation Street (at least I don’t remember watching it) but on German daily soaps, characters often disappear for several weeks (or even months) in order to allow for the actors to do other stuff, or sometimes when the character just has nothing interesting to do for a while, as side characters are often used just to support some development for a major character. Even major characters “take turns” in providing the current story arc, while other major characters step back and aren’t really mentioned for a while. In character, they travel or something, or sometimes their absense isn’t even explicitely mentioned. It is so very, very common. Here.

[Tarka Dal]

Corrie were more than happy to give Craig months off… after his crack habit landed him all over the red tops.

[Zombie Jim Undead]

And it also provided us with a couple of the best gags in BtE.

Good old crack.

[Danny Stephenson]

Not that I didn’t respect Craig before, but these specials have made me respect Craig so much more, as an actor and as a comedian. It takes a lot for someone to be able to make a joke at something that were essentially the darkest hours of his life. Good on him.

[Zombie Jim Undead]

I bet we get a few good behind-the-scenes bits on those particular jokes. If they were his / Doug’s idea.

[Danny Stephenson]

It sounds like Craig could have suggested it, and Doug decided it to be a good idea.

[Zombie Jim Undead]

My thoughts exunctly.

[SkyAndSun]

I asked Robert Llew on twitter and he said it was in the script, Craig read it and they all laughed. Suggesting Doug wrote it initially.

[Mnoooah]

trust, there.

[Carlito]

> Have you seen ITV recently? They?ve been cutting budgets left, right & centre; to the point that they?re cutting shows that are getting decent ratings because they can?t afford to shoot them

I realise that, but at the end of the day they are a TV channel and they still need to produce TV shows. Commissioning a show with an in-built audience that just broke the record for ratings on Dave by a large margin, which was a huge hit when last aired on a popular TV channel, which will sell advertising and make them money… its a perfect scenario. And as I said:

> I know they?re fucked at the moment but to give Dwarf a bigger budget than they?ve ever had before would still be cheap TV for them.

[Author]

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