What is the story behind this promotional picture?

[Jawscvmcdia]

Obviously taken during Series VII, but why is hologram Rimmer present in his ‘soft light’ costume alongside Kochanski? What is the story behind this promotional picture?

Topic

[Pete Tranter’s Sister]

Looks like a very, very early test. Cat looks like he’s the manager of a Spanish wine bar, his costume doesn’t seem fitted and completed. They’re still figuring out Kochanski and rigged her up in a JMC uniform that was later abandoned as her main look throughout the series. It seems the only jacket they had for Chris was the soft-light version which looks very odd, either that they were trying out different colours under the new Series VII mood lighting. In fact, they all look eerily out of kilter, as if some fans won a competition to dress them up.

[(deleted)]

We can work this out, surely…

So, a specially arranged press shot done during VII filming, we can guarantee that for Kryten logistics reasons.

That then will presumably be Chloe Annett’s first day on set, which was the only time she wore that costume and where they’ll have shot amongst other scenes the flashback in Ouroboros, and at least one scene including Kryten obviously. That flashback is of course the only time Chris Barrie and Chloe Annett were in a VII scene together (so as well as ‘first photo of new cast’ reasons they’ll have wanted to capitalise on availability). Rimmer’s dressed like that then because they’ll have quickly changed him from his blue JMC uniform from the flashback and thrown him into something from stock. Why not the blue one? – well, if that costume hadn’t been required for that day’s filming it might not have been on call (or might have been being laundered, mundane as that is).

Now, Danny in yellow. Only three possible reasons as to why the Cat’s wearing a costume that doesn’t appear on TV:

1. Danny wasn’t filming that day and he was brought in specially for the photo and thrown in something out of wardrobe stock (that clearly doesn’t fit him!), for possibly similar reasons as to why Rimmer’s blue uniform wasn’t to hand. The wig, make-up and teeth don’t look 100% right, so that might be a clue. Or just funny lighting/grotty slide developing.

2. Danny *was* filming that day but on a later call time than the others and hadn’t been dressed and made-up yet, so was thrown into something from stock, see above.

3. Danny was filming that day but in an ‘irregular’ costume that would have looked wrong in a photo (in VII this could only have been an ‘alternate crew’ insert for Ouroboros) so was quickly changed. If this is the correct answer then Robert Llewellyn will have had to change from gold to silver as well at some point!

The weirdness of this shot may have been why there was evidently a second go at a five-cast-members press photo session for VII
(see http://thumbs3.picclick.com/d/w1600/pict/391543099210_/RED-DWARF-Official-1998-10th-Anniversary-Calendar.jpg) which looks like it was taken during the Epideme shooting.

Unless Chris Barrie came back later for a photocall (which surely would be more time/money than it was worth?), is it possible that Epideme was Chloe’s first full episode and it shared filming dates with some of the Rimmer flashbacks from Blue (assuming similarly that Chris Barrie’s filming availability was in one consistent run up to a certain point where he departed)? That second VII cast photo raises questions itself – Kryten’s eyes are photoshopped to remove his eyelids and possibly entirely CGI – was Robert in some mid-stage pre/post make-up job when they took that photo? There’s a League Of Gentlemen publicity photo (cover of Live At Drury Lane) of Papa Lazarou with a semi-Photoshopped make-up job, so it wouldn’t be *that* unusual. Failing that, Robert might not even be there and it’s just one of the Spare Head props from Tikka/Beyond A Joke shopped onto a stand-in (or a make-up-less Robert).

That photo above was officially sent out at the time though, I remember seeing it in TV listings.

SO MANY QUESTIONS ABOUT THE FILMING OF VII. ANSWER ME THEM ALL RIGHT NOW.

[(deleted)]

http://thumbs4.picclick.com/d/w1600/pict/171942084587_/Starburst-Magazine-Feb-1997-222-Red.jpg

And here’s a publicity shot with everyone in their Blue costumes…

Was Block 2 Ouroboros flashback/Blue/Epideme then possibly?

If I have to get out a ruler and measure Chloe’s hair in every scene I’ll work this bastard recording order out!!

[si]

I actually have that issue of Starburst sitting on the bookcase in my living room at this very moment.

[Kietorium]

On the subject of promotional pictures, does anyone have a decent version of the ”Back from the dead” photo? With the cast as skeletons. I would love that as a desktop wallpaper.

[MANI506]

How many times? It’s skelINGtons.

[Jo]

Some weird lighting things happening there, Rimmer’s head looks photoshopped on.

[Pete Tranter’s Sister]

The mystery deepens.

They all look so fucking awkward, did Doug drop his trousers behind the camera?

Full-sized link

[Pete Tranter’s Sister]

Cat’s wearing a mustard open collar with Andrea Pennell’s lumpy silvery heart choker. Lister’s get-up is pre-crumpled, pre-curried up and too recently laundered. Chris Barrie is… fucking Christ knows what’s going on there, he looks like a man who has just done a shart. Robert looks decidedly pissed off in both photographs and Chloe is grasping at her model experience and posing into the camera rather than aiming for a Kochanski vibe.

This is where the ruination began, this photograph decided the fate of Red Dwarf.

[si]

Interesting season VII promo shot amongst these old magazine cuttings.

#RedDwarf VII photo, Radio Times, 11-17 January 1997. Interesting biographical captions. pic.twitter.com/Dg4nqSCb5x

— Si (@bromley001) September 25, 2016

A #RedDwarf few bits I saved, 97-99. Annoyingly, I don't know where the other bits that should accompany these are. pic.twitter.com/r8ZLu2VbM7

— Si (@bromley001) September 25, 2016

[International Debris]

I’m assuming that’s just an error and Kochanski was never intended to be a hologram…

[MANI506]

That Radio Times article brought me right back to January 1997. I must’ve read that Kochanski was gonna appear as a hologram and then thought to myself ‘really, that explains everything’. I then probably listened to Kula Shaker and had a wank – not much changes in 20 years.

[(deleted)]

That RT shot is frim the same session as the poster/calendar pic and Robert is fully made up, so his Photoshopped eyes on the poster must have just been someone at Slow Dazzle showing off.

[Pete Tranter’s Sister]

That would make sense. In an alternate dimension, Holly brings back Kochanski instead of Rimmer. You could skip the whole Kochanski stowing the cat away and Lister becoming a hologram angle.

[RickLee84]

Also, Robert’s hand is almost on top of Chloë’s tits in one of those pics, no wonder she almost looks surprised.

[Author]

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