What's the most you've laughed at Red Dwarf?

[Pete Part Three]

He also made me giggle at “Oh that it is mine”. Fantastic casting. He elevates pretty much every gag with his performance.

[Bargain Bin Holly]

I liked that deleted scene in Cured where Rimmer and Kryten are discussing fictional characters with beards and suddenly out of nowhere Rimmer’s atheism is reestablished. I thought it was funny.

[Ben Saunders]

Speaking of reactions to classic comedy, my mate recently made me watch Fawlty Towers and Mr Bean. I found Fawlty Towers loud and ridiculous and boring, but holy hell, Mr Bean is some of the most finely crafted comedy I have ever seen. As a child you just think “lol what a silly man”, but as an adult you can appreciate just how well set-up and well-developed every single shot of that show is. A lot of the gags you see coming from a mile away, but the anticipation of it makes the payoff that much more rewarding.

[Pete Part Three]

>I found Fawlty Towers loud and ridiculous and boring

Wow.

[Bargain Bin Holly]

Legion is the funniest episode.

Goes without saying, if I was ever to show any of my fellow Yank friends Red Dwarf for the first time, it’d be that episode cause all the jokes land and are hilarious.

The End is funny cause it subverts expectations, but it isn’t the funniest episode by miles. Back to Reality, while good, would make for terrible first viewing cause the jokes are better when you are already familiar with the characters especially for the bit in the Recuperation Lounge. Gunmen of the Apocalypse would probably give them the wrong idea about Red Dwarf, as it did to Patrick Stewart (“Star Trek-parody”).

Legion and maybe Trojan would be my first choices to get someone into Red Dwarf.

I found Fawlty Towers loud and ridiculous and boring

I think its funnier if you have had experience with incompetent management and/or management that doesn’t give a shit about you prior to watching it.

[Ben Saunders]

Trojan as a first, yikes. I know a girl who decided to try out Red Dwarf after me banging on about it for years, and sat down to watch the first episode of Series X as it first aired. She switched it off at the ad break. I like the episode but I don’t think it’s the best, or a great “welcome to Red Dwarf”, despite the moose gag. It’s another one where that gag is funnier because you already know Cat is an idiot, and the stuff with Rimmer’s brother is obviously more affecting if you’re familiar with the backstory.

It’s a genuine problem, what episode to show somebody first, because all of the best ones, like Holoship etcetera, are most effective if you’re familiar with the characters, Series 1 might be a bit slow/dated looking for some people, etc. Legion does seem a good choice, though. The hard light thing won’t have much of any impact, however, since I’m not sure if the fact that he is soft light is even brought up earlier in the episode.

And Fawlty Towers is just a bunch of wacky shit happening and people screaming about it, innit? The specific episode we watched was the infamous “don’t mention the war” one; perhaps it’s a similar issue of that one not being a great starter.

[Ben Saunders]

I also put on the first episode of The IT Crowd after Bean and Fawlty, and was shocked by how unfunny it was. IT Crowd was my favourite show a few years ago so it must get better, but man, the only thing we laughed at in the pilot was Moss putting on bigger and bigger pairs of glasses

[Bargain Bin Holly]

Trojan as a first, yikes. I know a girl who decided to try out Red Dwarf after me banging on about it for years, and sat down to watch the first episode of Series X as it first aired. She switched it off at the ad break. I like the episode but I don’t think it’s the best, or a great “welcome to Red Dwarf”, despite the moose gag. It’s another one where that gag is funnier because you already know Cat is an idiot, and the stuff with Rimmer’s brother is obviously more affecting if you’re familiar with the backstory.

Granted, first time I got into Red Dwarf was watching Series I to Series X from beginning to end back in 2012. So I can’t really say what would make a good first episode since I watched it all in-order (Only time I haven’t watched a Red Dwarf episode in sequence was Officer Rimmer when I got out of RD a few years back and just heard Series XI got released, and watched that cause the episode description sparked my curiosity).

But yeah, thinking about it again Trojan doesn’t quite set up all the elements of Red Dwarf too well I suppose.

Rimmer is set up well for a first impression, I believe, the scene with him getting the exam results with Kryten is basically a summary of his neuroses, incompetence, and prone-to-fail character for any new viewer watching for the first time to get familiar with. Though I suppose everyone else kinda takes a backseat and their trademarks aren’t highlighted, since Trojan is a Rimmer-centric episode to begin with.

And Fawlty Towers is just a bunch of wacky shit happening and people screaming about it, innit? The specific episode we watched was the infamous “don’t mention the war” one; perhaps it’s a similar issue of that one not being a great starter.

Might’ve been funnier at the time, since most Germans nowadays probably have no personal connection to WW2, so Basil’s insensitivity is lessened. I watched all Fawlty Towers episodes, and I think the one about the door getting replaced by a wall by the renovators was the funniest, but that was only cause I have experience in ordering something that turns out to be complete opposite of want I wanted.

[Pete Part Three]

The Germans isn’t an ideal place to start, as Basil suffers a head-injury and hits 11 on the manic scale, whereas he’s normally at an 8 or 9. Meanwhile, Sybil barely features and when she does appear, her scenes are the most dated of the series. I’d actually say it’s one of the weakest, I’d call it a day if you didn’t find anything in it to enjoy, especially “Yes, you did, you invaded Poland”.

The IT Crowd peaks in Series 2, but I’m fond of the first few episodes.

[Bargain Bin Holly]

Never seen the IT Crowd and incredibly little of Back Books to comment, but another Linehan show, Father Ted, I’ve seen all the way through and I enjoyed parts here and there of it.

Best bit that stuck out to me is when Ted is talking with Dougal and he starts cursing at him, and Ted is in disbelief and asks him to repeat himself. Always made me laugh.

[Dave]

I like Fawlty Towers a lot, but I agree that it’s a shame that The Germans became its best-known episode. The show is usually such a perfectly-executed farce, firmly rooted in the characters, whereas The Germans feels a bit more extreme and a bit crude and clunky. ‘Turned up to 11’ is a fair description.

I’m trying to think what would have been the first episode I saw – possibly Communication Problems, as it was the first episode on the first VHS we had. I think they’re all pretty accessible though.

[Dave]

As for Black Books, I liked it a lot but I haven’t gone back to it that often (unlike some of the other great Channel 4 sitcoms of a similar era like Spaced and Father Ted).

I feel similarly about the IT Crowd – I watched (and enjoyed) them all when they first broadcast, but have only rewatched them maybe once since. Some bits are good enough that they still stick in my memory though.

[bloodteller]

>Legion and maybe Trojan would be my first choices to get someone into Red Dwarf.

If I were to show somebody Red Dwarf for the first time, the episode I’d show them first is Cassandra. It’s got a little bit of everything-A Holly/Lister scene, some bunkroom banter, a sci-fi plotline about exploring a derelict ship, and lots and lots of funny jokes. It’s not the best episode ever, no, but it’s like all the different elements of Red Dwarf combined into one episode and you don’t really need to have knowledge of prior episodes to understand what’s going on

[Dave]

That’s quite a good choice, although obviously one issue with series VIII in general is the rest of the crew being alive. Part of the appeal of the show is the ‘all alone in deep space’ aspect, which wouldn’t come across quite so much.

I think The Inquisitor is a pretty good one to introduce the premise and the characters, as well as a fun sci-fi idea. Or maybe Future Echoes.

[Taiwan Tony]

Fawlty Towers. The best episode is probably the first one, for me. But they are all great.
Aside from the casual racism they’re pretty much perfect.
Rimmer had a lot of Basil in him. The chip on his shoulder. Desperation for higher status and laughing at people he sees as being beneath him. The snobbery. The barely suppressed rage at those who actually have higher status. Trapped by circumstance. Guided by avarice. Tortured by misfortune and destroyed by himself.
Surrounded by people he hates, alone in space / Torquay.
Lister has a touch of Manuel in him.
Is Cat… Polly?

[clem]

The Germans is overrated I agree. Obviously the stuff with the German guests is what everyone remembers but I think John Cleese is right about the first part of the episode with the fire drill etc being stronger. Communication Problems might be my favourite of all. That or Basil the Rat. Some great stuff with the Major in both of those. Or Waldorf Salad. Or The Psychiatrist. Series 2 > Series 1, definitely.

[Bargain Bin Holly]

If I were to show somebody Red Dwarf for the first time, the episode I’d show them first is Cassandra. It’s got a little bit of everything-A Holly/Lister scene, some bunkroom banter, a sci-fi plotline about exploring a derelict ship, and lots and lots of funny jokes. It’s not the best episode ever, no, but it’s like all the different elements of Red Dwarf combined into one episode and you don’t really need to have knowledge of prior episodes to understand what’s going on

Understandable, but I don’t want the person to have to say their first series was Series VIII lol. Tho there is the problem of them being surrounded by other humans, which is a rarity most of the time in the rest of the show.

I think The Inquisitor is a pretty good one to introduce the premise and the characters, as well as a fun sci-fi idea. Or maybe Future Echoes.

I can see Future Echoes, but The Inquisitor is better if you’re already familiar with how much the crew have been wasting their lives getting no further in their goals than two series previous.

[Bargain Bin Holly]

Basically a lot of Red Dwarf episodes are better if you’re familiar with the show

[bloodteller]

>I think The Inquisitor is a pretty good one to introduce the premise and the characters, as well as a fun sci-fi idea.

The Inquisitor is great, but it’s maybe too great. If you introduced the show to someone with it, they’d go in expecting the entire show to have intense battles with time-travelling rogues and a general horror-movie vibe. They’d then turn on The End and see two blokes wandering down a grey plywood corridor talking about beating the shit out of each other with welding mallets. It sets the expectations too high, I think. Although you do learn a lot about each character from their inquisition, so I suppose it does work as an introduction.

[Bargain Bin Holly]

Same reason I think Gunmen of the Apocalypse isn’t a good episode to start with, they’re think they fight in giant space battles every week.

[Bargain Bin Holly]

Even then, if you just want your friends to see a random episode of Red Dwarf and not one to hopefully get them into the show; the episodes where the crew either deal with a specific threat or go on an adventure to a new place like Gunmen, Legion, Twentica, Polymorph, etc.

Work well.

[Lily]

Fawlty Towers is on UK Netflix. I went through them in order, but got to The Germans (last of the first series) and gave up on that halfway through. Hadn’t really enjoyed them up to that point and had enough by then. Not watched the second series at all.

[International Debris]

The Germans is maybe the only Fawlty Towers episode that falls into the ‘you have to have seen the others for it to make sense’ category, I think. For me a lot of the humour comes from Basil being MORE erratic than ever. Pretty much every other episode is an absolutely beautifully crafted farce, escalating at just the right pace. The Germans sort of starts at that pace and goes even further with it.

I just looked at a list of the episodes for a good first one, but I’d say almost all of the others are. Probably not the final two of the second series, but otherwise you can’t go wrong. I suppose The Hotel Inspectors and Communication Problems would be my recommendations. I’m a huge fan of farce and it just does it better than any other show (although Allo Allo at its peak comes close). I suppose if you find shouting difficult then it’s going to be a problem.

Speaking of lots of shouting, the first series of The IT Crowd is an odd one, as to me it feels like a totally different show to the rest of it (something Linehan admits himself in the DVD commentaries). I really like the ‘stuck in the IT department’ structure, which disappears very quickly in season 2 and never really comes back. The slightly cut-off weirdos in the basement, with the rest of the building as the main ‘other’ setting works really well for me; once they start doing Dragons’ Den and dinner parties and basically leaving the office every episode it really loses its focus and the characters and humour fall apart. That said, my favourite episode is The Work Outing at the start of series 2. If I was to watch it all again I’d probably just do the first series, the first two episodes of the second and then the finale and leave it at that.

[Warbodog]

My foreign, unimpressed-by-Red-Dwarf wife watched Fawlty Towers recently and LOVED it. Often does a Sybil impression, which does the trick for me. So it doesn’t have to rely on familiarity with the era/culture.

Fawlty Towers fans should watch the Cleese/Booth/brief-Sachs short film ‘Romance with a Double Bass’ on YouTube for a surreal and surprising experience. I had to check I wasn’t dreaming.

[Warbodog]

As for introducing Red Dwarf, series 3 seems like the best place to me. Those episodes do everything in an accessible way and I think it keeps getting better for the next couple of years at least, so it’s not a downhill experience. Only problem is that series 1 & 2 may look worse and not-there-yet when going back.

I like how Legion is being recommended as the jumping-on point when the previous episode was consciously crafted for that function, to a time-wasting and slightly patronising extent.

[tombow]

Yeah I started at series 3 (although I did see Queeg first) and then read the novels/programme guide as I went through 4-6. I didn’t actually see series I until 1997 or so

[tombow]

I agree that mr Bean looks so well crafted now. That sandwich on the bench one where the hot water bottle stopper pops out of his ear right on cue.

[Ben Saunders]

Oh, Psirens is probably quite a good starter. But it’s one of those episodes I completely forget about until I’m reminded of it. But after that I can remember almost everything about it. “I’m almost annoyed” is just stellar

[NoFro]

In terms of great laugh lines, “I’m almost annoyed” is right up there. Any joke that ONLY Red Dwarf can do tends to get a big laugh from me so Kryten as a cube is great – the line takes it to another level.

[tombow]

I just re watched Kryten for the first time in years and did a big genuine laugh at Cat being stuck at the mirror. I dunno, I feel now like Cat was more genuine and cute in Series 1-2…because I always think of myself as not really being into Cat, (with the same old fashion jokes and cruel jabs) but I’m really liking him now. Even his voice seems less stereotypically screechy in the early series.

[si]

I’ve done plenty of rewatches over the years, but can’t remember ever rolling around gasping for breath. Although that’s probably as much to do with my crap memory and the amount of prescribed medication I’ve taken over the past thirty years.

The first ‘Byte’ of series III is probably the most I’ve laughed at RD. The boxer shorts scene in Polymorph is probably up there, I imagine.
I fell about at Mr Rat, too. Although I watched Skipper last night*, and I don’t think it’s *quite* as hysterical as I remember.

[Dave]

The boxers scene in Polymorph is one of those that benefits from the audience reaction, I think.

[si]

*I know every episode of series one to VIII off by heart. I used to write lists (as all good SF fans and general geeks should) of titles in chronological and alphabetical order, with transmission dates and allsorts. But series X-XII – not so much. Should do some last minute revision before leaving for Nottingham on Friday.

[NoFro]

I’ve never found the shrinking boxer shorts scene THAT funny. III Byte One was my first exposure to Dwarf though and a lot of it had me rolling. Me and my friend used to always recreate Cat being chased by the bazookoid round to make each other laugh. Was about 9 at the time.

[Bargain Bin Holly]

I used to write lists (as all good SF fans and general geeks should) of titles in chronological and alphabetical order, with transmission dates and allsorts

Fuck, I’ve been doing that several times over the past few months with Red Dwarf now, I need to go to rehab

[si]

I do still do the lists, by the way, but I have to check details for series X-XII, and I feel that I’ve let myself down.
There are also more Doctor Who lists than there used to be.

[tombow]

I think there was a time in the 90s when I could have recited the episode names of series 3-6 in order.

[Plastic Percy]

Quite a subtle one, but I do like Rimmer’s talk about dying in ‘Kryten’. He tells Lister to back up his Captain Rimmer: Space Adventurer charade by getting him to tell the women how brave he is. And instead of saying he died a hero’s death or in valiant combat, his go to is he died and took the news well.

[Warbodog]

I think there was a time in the 90s when I could have recited the episode names of series 3-6 in order.

This is as underachieving as when I saw Walter “Chekov” Koenig say on a documentary that there are actually some Star Trek fans out there who’ve watched every episode.

[MANI506]

I watched Fawlty Towers in the 90s and the only episode I properly laughed at was The Germans – specifically the silly walk moment.

My favourite IT Crowd episodes are Are We Not Men and The Final Countdown. ‘He has spirit this one!’

[Dave]

I reckon I could name all four of the main characters, maybe even the computer at a push.

[tombow]

I can still remember all the episodes. I just struggle getting them in order if I haven’t watched classic RD for a while.

[Warbodog]

I’ve gone through episode lists of things sometimes when trying to get to sleep and stuck for other alternatives to counting sheep, I think it works.

Not Red Dwarf though, that’s too easy because they’re too distinctive and broken up into manageable chunks. Long-running shows with 22+ episodes per year including loads of forgettable filler are better, and I’ve usually bored myself unconscious before getting out of season one so I don’t have to admit defeat.

[Warbodog]

Sometimes I think of an Idea for an episode when going to sleep and am convinced it’s funny, then post it in the harsh light of day out of bewildered duty.

[Ben Saunders]

I could maybe write down every Dwarf episode in order and get it 90% right, seems like a fun exercise. I couldn’t do it with any other show – either I just don’t refer to the episodes by name, more as “the one where”, or it’s a serialised show with 24 episodes a season which I’ve only seen once or twice

[Ian Symes]

Standards are slipping around here. I miss the days when we’d be called elitist gatekeepers.

[Paul Muller]

I’ve never actually bothered to watch the show, but I’ve been hanging around this website for quite a few years now and I think I’ve more or less got the gist of it.

[Pete Part Three]

I don’t even visit this site.

[Dave]

I reckon I could name the main ship in the series, and maybe the little blue and green ones too.

[Bargain Bin Holly]

tombow gets his balls busted: the thread

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