Richard Herring enjoys Red Dwarf more than he thought he would

[Warbodog]

In case any Richard Herring fans gave up on obsessively stalking him through his blog at any point, he’s just written about watching and reappraising Red Dwarf:

http://www.richardherring.com/warmingup/5/7/2018/index.html

[GlenTokyo]

Richard Herring knows my pain of wanting Red Dwarf to stick to the rules of its own universe, and place sci-fi equal first with comedy, although I like the references to stuff from the 70s and 80s because I know what they’re referring to and get a strange enjoyment from seeing yoofs not understanding things because I’m old.

Richard Herring, good egg.

[Warbodog]

The only inconsistency that bothers me in the series is changing how time travel works, ditching the can’t-change-it attitude from series 1 & 2 to the willy-nilly mutable timelines of 3-7 and then back to can’t-change-it in 8+. But those episodes in the middle are some of my favourites, so it’s not like it affects my enjoyment. Considering Herring gets hung up on time travel, that might be what’s annoying him.

I get the feeling he hasn’t reached VIII yet. Surely something would have been mentioned?

[Warbodog]

I don’t think Herring’s been too down on Red Dwarf over the years, just not interested. During his Robert Llewellyn interview podcast a few years ago it was a bit awkward that Robert assumed he was a fan and knew what he was talking about.

It was Stewart Lee who stated on one of their 90s TV shows that he didn’t like “Red Dwarf or child pornography” and so didn’t have any interest in surfing the ‘Net. But that might have just been to avoid the obvious Star Trek and X-Files put-downs, since they liked those (but not “rubbish old Star Trek before it was good”).

[Pete Part Three]

>It was Stewart Lee who stated on one of their 90s TV shows that he didn’t like “Red Dwarf or child pornography” and so didn’t have any interest in surfing the ‘Net.

Tbf, they both wrote TMWRNJ, so either could have been responsible for that line.

I think Rich moaned about repeats of the show being scheduled before Fist of Fun Series 2 and, as he’ll tend to do, he’ll bang a drum repeatedly for comic effect. Didn’t he “argue” about the merits of the show with Ray Peacock? I

I can’t think of him specifically seriously slating the show, but I do remember listening to Robert’s RHLSTP and waiting for a Stephen Merchant/Extras bit of awkwardness which never came.

[Dave]

“Also impressively for a show from the 1980s/90s there is a diverse cast, but race is (so far at least) never mentioned”

I look forward to him reaching Series X.

[Dave]

Oh, and I remember seeing Lee & Herring on tour in the ’90s and their programme had a few disparaging lines about anally-retentive nerd types that ended with the sentence “and I probably like Red Dwarf”, which irritated me at the time because I liked both and didn’t like the idea of them being in conflict with each other.

[Warbodog]

It looks like he’s not recording any RHLSTPs until September, which’ll no doubt miss the window for Red Dwarf-based opening stand-up. So we’ll just have to imagine him discussing being bummed by Kryten’s groinal attachment or whether bumming the parallel universe male version of your wife would count as cheating.

[Warbodog]

Disappointingly few updates on Richard Herring’s progression through the series. He’s on VII, so we’ve moved on to complaints now, but only about Netflix’s weird decision to use the Xtended versions which isn’t the series’ fault.

Maybe I’ve been watching too much Jonathan Creek. It starts to get a bit too fantastical in the later series (though it’s not as weird as when Red Dwarf suddenly loses its laughter track, which was a terrible decision which throws all the timing off).

[Pete Part Three]

He told Robert on Twitter the other day that he was really good in the show. (Erm, this feels like stalking). I guess he hadn’t reached the crying Kryten by that point.

[Pete Part Three]

From Warming Up, 31st of July:

“… but maybe the thing that dates comedy the most is contemporary reference, which as noted recently is the stuff that now really jars in Red Dwarf (which I have to say goes on a bit of a rollercoaster ride after series 6).”

Eeep.

[Warbodog]

Rollercoasters are more fun when they’re going downhill though.

I don’t know why he’s so hung up on the dated references that add character, and shame he’s being coy about his post-VI reservations. Maybe he’s waiting to see how bad it gets?

[Pete Part Three]

Well, I think he’s watching on Netflix so it won’t get any better. Nothing on there beyond Series VIII

[bloodteller]

Weird because the Netflix picture for the show is from BTE, yet they don’t have it on there.

[Ben Paddon]

The thumbnail Netflix has is the same one Netflix US used to have when they had the show, which did include everything up to and including BTE (I don’t believe Netflix ever had X). If they’ve just recycled the same thumbnail, that might be why.

[Ben Saunders]

Maybe Richard is of the correct opinion that VII is underrated so doesn’t have much to say yet
VIII is a whole other story

[JamesTC]

In the old Lee and Herring show This Morning With Richard Not Judy they had a brief flash on screen of things you should try.

I’ve just been looking at the old Lee and Herring website and they have the first four episodes of these listed. One such entry is “Why not try being in Red Dwarf but still being a nice person?”.

[Bargain Bin Holly]

Maybe this Red Herring fella will be one of the sane individuals who doesn’t consider Timewave a war crime

[Warbodog]

>“Why not try being in Red Dwarf but still being a nice person?”

Oh dear, I had the feeling there was some major slight that I’d forgotten. The only specific character assassination I remember is one of the weekly aims in TMWRNJ series 2 concerning some not-news about Craig Charles frequenting “stripper pubs of South London” (“Robot Whores”).

[Stephen Abootman]

Was there a pilot show for TMWRNJ that had Craig on as a guest or am I imagining that?

[Pete Part Three]

Stewart Lee guested on Craig’s Funk show a few years back. It’s not like Stewart isn’t picky about what he will and won’t do, either.

[GlenTokyo]

I’d imagine at certain points early in Red Dwarf’s run that some of the cast potentially might have been a reyt load of bellends. But people change and they’re obviously quite lovely now.

[tombow]

I can see Stewart Lee and Chris Barrie having a lot of differences somehow. Chris just seems similar in personality/interests to a lot of people Stewart has friction with.

[clem]

Another double act doing material about Craig and Red Dwarf in this very odd Armstrong and Miller sketch I just found: https://youtu.be/lUEWsYns0yQ

[GlenTokyo]

>Another double act doing material about Craig and Red Dwarf in this very odd Armstrong and Miller sketch I just found

That would have been quite funny if not for the entirely unnecessary blacking up.

[Bargain Bin Holly]

Not my favorite minstrel show, but definitely up there

[Toxteth O-Grady]

>Another double act doing material about Craig and Red Dwarf in this very odd Armstrong and Miller sketch I just found: https://youtu.be/lUEWsYns0yQ

They make a brief reference to Red Dwarf in another one of their sketches. I think they might be fans.

[Lily]

I’m going to be a grumpy old woman here. I didn’t get it. There’s something about turn of the millennium comedy that just kinda passes over me.

[bloodteller]

I didn’t get it either. What was all that about?

[clem]

Armstrong’s character is Siegfried Sassoon, the real life World War 1 poet. The conceit of the sketch is basically Sassoon forming an unlikely friendship with Craig Charles and admiring his poetry. It’s a decent enough idea I suppose, but I don’t think it really works because his poetry isn’t anything like the real Craig’s poetry, and he isn’t anything like the real Craig. As for why Ben Miller almost slips into an Al Jolson impression a couple of times, or why they’re apparently writing Red Dwarf at the end, fuck knows.

[Lily]

>because his poetry isn’t anything like the real Craig’s poetry

That’s the point that really lost me. I was waiting for him to break out in angry intense Liverpudlian poetry and the comedy come from the legit poet’s reaction. To come out with more of the same style fell flat for me.

[Toxteth O-Grady]

Another oddity of the sketch is that I’d estimate 90% of people don’t know Craig Charles is/was a poet.

Most people know him as an actor from Red Dwarf, and a TV Presenter/Personality. He wasn’t even in Coronation Street at the time this sketch was made.

So I’d guess the poetry angle is lost on many (if not most) viewers of Armstrong & Miller, and therefore the sketch makes even less sense overall.
Obviously to Armstrong & Miller themselves it made sense, but again I get the impression they’re fans of Red Dwarf, and therefore know Charles’s background better than most.

[GlenTokyo]

FACT: Doug Naylor cites this sketch as the inspiration for the Twat line in Trojan.

[International Debris]

It really strikes me as an attempt at doing a Big Train-esque sketch (Ming the Merciless watching Teletubbies, Satan playing pranks on Jesus in an office, etc.) – an odd situation that obviously doesn’t remotely resemble reality, but is played straight, from which the humour arises. Unlike Big Train, however, it isn’t funny.

[tombow]

I’m not going to defend that particular sketch, but I really enjoyed their sketch show on the BBC a few years ago. It seemed like a real attempt to bring back that, Smith and Jones, Fry and Laurie, double act with an edge, we used to get in the 80s. I liked them more than Mitchell and Webb

[Taiwan Tony]

I really liked Armstrong & Miller on Channel 4.
“It’s going to piss down!” And “Chuffy, Chuffy, Chuffy” are worth the license fee alone. And there isn’t even a license fee!
Their podcast a few years ago (Time ghost) really underlined their snobbery and prejudice (before countless hours of kids TV, quiz shows and mad singing called them a hypocrite), so I imagine there is also an attack on Charles’s poetry in there. But I’ll let that off. Because “do some cancer research. You fucks!”

[Dollar Pound]

l & h think they are cool and are hating on the show because they think it is the establishment but the a & m skitch is just so gone and funny that it can’t be mean

[Bargain Bin Holly]

I’m guessing spell-check had it out for you with that comment

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