Norm’s post-Dwarf tell-all

[clem]

A lack of professionalism’s one thing, but some of the comments Norm’s come out with are really unpleasant and a few seem downright nasty, and none of it seems justified. I just get the impression he’s a horrible bloke tbh. What was he actually like in person Ian? And how did your set go?

[Jonsmad]

“I’m willing to forgive and forget” and that’s the admirable quality, that I hope it was ok to make a joke about. Cus If im being serious instead then I agree that feuds going on forever are pointless. I’m more than at the point, where I can forgive Norman. He’s missed another series, as a result of his actions surely, and he didn’t
yet write a dummy spitting book, so id welcome a return to his better qualities being the focus, such as his
comedic brilliance and dry take on things.

Didn’t know you were doing standup at the gig, did you do 20 minutes on running a red dwarf site and
what a tit the guy who played Holly was in the past? How did that go down?

Sorry Danny. Frothable isn’t in the English language. I think the correct term there is just froth. But I wanted
more comedy sounds in what I was saying in jestyness.

[Ian Symes]

I did a little section on Dwarf – asking if there were any fans in. Perhaps the bald gentleman at the back? He responded that he preferred the Big Bang Theory.

[Tarka Dal]

This is excellent. Although it did amuse me that after reading this “I explained to Norman the difference between G&T’s editorial comment and what the community says on the forum” I scrolled up and the first comment I saw was Ian simply saying “What a tit!”

[Alex]

It was certainly apparent last night, if it hadn’t been already, that however all of this started Norman has felt quite hurt by some of it and God knows I’m responsible for the lions share of that it seems. While I don’t think anyone on here would have gone to the length of trolling Norm by sending messages directly him saying why we disagreed with the comments etc he was making about 4 years ago, we were quite happy to come and post them on here. In my case, my posts were certainly tailored to the tone of the site and without a thought that Norm would then go through them. In hindsight, that’s regrettable.

Was it an overreaction? Well very possibly. I’d remove the pictures from this thread if I could and if any of the admins can, then please do so as imageshack don’t allow me to. For the record, I don’t hold a grudge on any of this and never did, even if I joked at the time about my disappointment in the comments he was making. The review of his DVD for Gazpacho Soup even tries to address this in it’s opening paragraph to try and reinforce this point incase anyone got the wrong impression. Sadly, it seemed last night that such sentiments might not amount to enough, but if Norm *is* checking this thread then it seems worth making my position clear. Like Ian I can’t help but think that regrettable things were said on both sides, for which I happily apologise for my part therein.

[Pete Part Three]

I was going to comment that Norman acted like a twat so we called him out on it. But it seems he only acted like a twat between Jan-April 2009 and we kinda dragged it on for a lot longer than was necessary.

>And incidentally – he likes Series X!

This is why, if he’s genuinely contrite, I’d like him to tell us where he is now. We’ve been ripping on him for comments he made back in 2009 when he was talking about lawyers and questioning the talents of his co-stars. I appreciate he was hurt at not being included in Back to Earth and maybe his perspective on it has altered.

If he’d update his website or give an interview, it would put things into perspective for 2013. It’s his prerogative to feel exactly how he wants to about the state of Red Dwarf and its fandom, but we’re only dredging up the past because that’s all we’ve got to go on.

[clem]

I can forgive Norm if he’s genuinely sorry but if we’re talking about a potential return to RD, I think it’s worth remembering that Hattie hasn’t acted like a twat at all, and is surely more deserving than Norm of the opportunity to play Holly again, should the character appear ever again.

[Slainmonkey]

Way I see it, Norm has acted unprofessional and even petty but has already been taken to task over it. Unless the man says or does something else that warrants such harsh criticism then maybe it should be put to rest now. I mean it’s not like he murdered anyone so 4 years of trashing just seems a bit much to me.

[MANI506]

I find the Father Ted picture hilarious Alex.

[anniescribe]

I’d watch either of them play Holly again, though FWIW, I have liked Hattie a little better in the role since I first saw her doing it anyway. Norman hasn’t nearly pulled a Polanski or Chris Brown, something that renders his art less to the point I want no part of it (just IMO on those two), but from a boss’s POV, if he’s harder to work with than Hattie, I could see why he wouldn’t be hired again, if he isn’t and she is. If I have a story to assign and two talented writers, and one gives me a lot more grief, guess who gets the story?

[Ben Paddon]

I’m always willing to give people the benefit of the doubt, and I believe everyone deserves a second chance, so in the spirit of fair play I’m going to stop calling Norm a twat and see what happens next.

[pfm]

The only real issue was between Norman and GNP (also the cast, though who knows if any of them later got in touch with him). What Norman shouldn’t have done – and I hope he can see this – is talk about it, publically. Regardless of the details, what he did was way out of line, and the comments made on this thread are nothing compared with what could have been said.

What I believe is that he thought most fans would get behind him over the ‘get Grant back’ and ‘it’s not funny anymore’ etc. comments. Frankly, to say all that was far more childish and petty than anything posted above.

[Slainmonkey]

I have not defended his past actions but it does get to be a time where the things we say grows to be petty in of itself, I think 4 years later kinda crosses that line.

[genericnerdyusername]

If we need someone new to bitch about, let me be the first to volunteer as the target.

[si]

Cheers.

That genericnerdyusername…what a cunt.

Ah, that’s better.

[Phil]

Genericnerdyusername walks into a bar. He’s pretty quiet but overall a nice guy so everyone’s glad to have him.

[genericnerdyusername]

I feel hurt and a warmth in my heart at the same.

I….I have heartburn?

[locusceruleus]

The thing is I don’t think anyone is as publicly venomous in the way that Norm was in 2009 without hoping for some sort of a reaction. The reaction he got, perhaps not the one he was expecting, was that the majority stood up for the rest of the cast and wrote Norm off as a bitter and mean-spirited person.

Perhaps Norm might think it’s because he is valued less than his co-stars by the fanbase. I don’t think that’s the case at all, and in fact all that it amounts to is that the fan love for the show and the cast as a whole generally trumps the love for any individual member. If Danny had decided to post bitter comments about Craig hogging the limelight, Norm being past it, complaining that the rest of them weren’t funny without him etc., I’m fairly sure that we’d have all rallied around Norm, Craig and the rest of the cast while tutting at and being disappointed in Danny.

The nasty ‘Talk about laughs take a holiday’ comment after the BBC Breakfast interview, public Tweets to Bobby berating his car video links for being boring, the MySpace posts….all of these were public. Perhaps they were born out of legitimate professional gripes, but then they should have been handled privately. I hope Norm can see that from our point of view, all we got to witness was one man slinging fairly unpleasant and seemingly unsolicited insults at a group of people we very much like. The rest of the casts lack of public response to this baiting only served to make him look worse. That’s just the way it is – in most cases if you’re the one who loses your temper, you’re the one who people think of as a fool.

That said, I’m sure if Norman was to publicly say something as simple as ‘I regret a couple of things I said in the heat of the moment, the rest of the cast & crew aren’t wholly irredeemable bastards, Series X was quite good’, I think the laughs and good fun he’s given us over the years would soon take precedent in all our memories again & this whole sorry business will be looked at as nothing more than one more minor blip/controversy in the history of Red Dwarf that everyone’s got past and largely forgotten.

[Author]

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