Radio Times: Rob and Doug’s Favourite Episodes

[Jenuall]

Radio times apparently talked to Rob and Doug (presumably separately) to get them to name their favourite episodes:

https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/sci-fi/red-dwarf-creators-favourite-episodes-exclusive-newsupdate/

Decent choices to be fair, think this pair know a thing or two 

Topic

[Dave]

So good they couldn’t wait until the end of Series V to watch it.

[Quinn: Clochebusters World Champion]

The copy editor was clearly referring to a VHS tape when writing the caption. 

[Flap Jack]

Weird how Rob just straightforwardly lists his 3 choices with a paragraph about each of them, while Doug does tons of hedging: first saying he loves whatever’s most current for him, then saying he loves all 74 episodes equally (Marooned and Krytie TV on the same level?), then giving 7 runners up, and then not even committing to just 3 choices, instead choosing 3 from Series 1-6 and 3 from Series 7+.

I would have been interested to hear Doug either say that he thinks the partnered era had the overall best episodes, or that he thinks the solo era did, or even a mixture, but 3 from each is a bit of a cop out. I understand though.

By the way Radio Times, they’re called “series”, and the episode is called “Timeslides”.

[Spaceworm Jim]

I was only interested in knowing what Paul Alexander episode was Rob’s favourite, to be honest. Nice to see the show being in the news though.

[Ben Saunders]

I would have been interested to hear Doug either say that he thinks the partnered era had the overall best episodes….

“Yeah, everything I’ve done since 1992 has been shit, really. The stuff I’m writing right now is crap, as well. I should have quit twenty years ago. Sorry, what was the question?”

[Formica]

Maybe it’s just me, but it does seem to read as though he calls his Grant Naylor favorites his overall top three.

[Captain Bollocks]

But what are Rob’s favourite Doug-era episodes? 

[Flap Jack]

“Yeah, everything I’ve done since 1992 has been shit, really. The stuff I’m writing right now is crap, as well. I should have quit twenty years ago. Sorry, what was the question?”

Hey, if we can communicate that the Grant/Naylor era episodes are overall better than the solo Naylor era episodes without saying that the solo Naylor era is outright bad, then so can Doug.

And he’s only declaring his top 3 anyway, not his top 36.

[Ridley]

So it’s not Red Christmas then?

[Ian Symes]

Rob’s Top 3:

Into The Gloop
Dad
Red Dwarf: Titan pilot script

Doug’s Top 3:

Red Christmas
Out of the Red
Smart Breakdown

[Dave]

Paul Alexander’s Top 3:

Krytie TV

Pete Part Two

Phwoaarr

[Ridley]

Kim Fuller’s Top 3:

Blue

Red Dwarf A-Z

and

… Blue

[Moonlight]

John McKay’s Top 3:

Identity Within

What the fuck do you mean it didn’t air?

and

God dammit, I needed those royalty checks.

[clem]

Robert Llewellyn’s Top 3: 

Beyond a Joke 

DNA

The one where they get zapped by the ‘gay ray’

[clem]

Terry Pratchett’s Top 3:

Queeg

White Hole 

Skipper 

[Nick R]

Danny John-Jules’s top 3 Red Dwarf USA episodes:

* The Blues Brothers
* National Lampoon’s Animal House
* 1941

[Dave]

G&T’s top four top episodes surveys:

– The Coral Canvass

– The Silver Survey

– This Radio Times Article

– The Pearl Poll

[Future Producer of Series IX – aaaaany day now]

You guys have been in deep space desperate for something to talk about for too long.

[Ridley]

Many Ampersand Symbols wuz robbed

[Jenuall]

Terry Pratchett’s Top 3:
Queeg
White Hole 
Skipper 

[clem]

I did consider putting Nanarchy instead for that reason but then thought nah, fuck it, Skipper is the better Holly comeback episode and better episode in general. 

[Dave]

Patrick Stewart’s Top 3:

Twentica

Thanks for the Memory

Gunmen of the Apocalypse 

[Ridley]

Holly’s comeback Top 3:

Demons & Angels
Queeg
The Promised Land
(Skipper is lower than Nanarchy so there)

[Formica]

Marlon Brando’s Bottom 1:

Marlon Brando

[Dave]

Marlon Brando’s Bottom 1:
Marlon Brando

I thought this was a football score for a minute.

[Formica]

That’s the score from when Marlon Brando farted so badly he passed out, I think.

[Rushy]

To this day, I will never understand their obsession with Future Echoes. You’d think they’d written an Isaac Asimov novel from the way they bang on about it. 

Nothing of substance even happens until the last five minutes or so, when Lister worries about dying. The rest of it’s just 

[Flap Jack]

Because the scripting, performance and direction of the echoes was a really impressive piece of work that folks were sceptical would work in front of an audience, but it did. It was early proof that they could make the high concept sci-fi stuff and not just character squabbles. Plus Red Dwarf is a comedy, and it’s a funny episode.

[Nick R]

[Rushy]

Because the scripting, performance and direction of the echoes was a really impressive piece of work that folks were sceptical would work in front of an audience, but it did. It was early proof that they could make the high concept sci-fi stuff and not just character squabbles. 

I guess as a personal achievement for sitcom writers, it makes sense. I just wish I got anything out of it. 

It’s like if the camera department celebrated Destiny of the Daleks, because they got to use the Steadicam. I’m glad, but it’s still a middling episode. 

[Rushy]

I personally prefer it when the sci-fi smeg ties into the characterisation more. To me, Confidence and Paranoia is when Grant Naylor really started to get going. And from Me2 to Queeg, they’re all bangers. Even Parallel Universe, if I’m in a great mood. 

[Unrumble]

[Rushy]

I don’t dislike it, it’s just very middle-tier for me. Some weird time shenanigans happen. The crew react to it. The end. It’s not bad, but it’s the weakest series 1 episode. 

[Warbodog]

It has got some early odd performance/characterisation going on from basically everyone that keeps it from being a favourite, but I found it one of the stand-out sections of the first novel when I hadn‘t seen the early series (one of the most disposable bits now I can just watch it).

[Quinn: Clochebusters World Champion]

[Dave]

[Flap Jack]

(Attention Smega-Drive caption error carers – the “I” at the beginning of “I’ll thertainly try” is a lower case L instead of an upper case i. Thneaky!)

[Rushy]

I was going to use this image for a counter-joke, only to get distracted by the realisation that they might have been taking the piss out of Norman Lovett here


Norm kept saying “that’s horrible” when the cast was making digs about his physical appearance in the series 8 commentaries. 

The baldness and eye injury also broadly match what they were talking about. 

[Technopeasant]

Well Rushy, you can take my prize from the minor tizzy I caused giving Demon & Angels some grief.

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