If you haven't guessed it. The title of the blog is the end of the theme tune to Red Dwarf and the new Series X is starting tonight on Dave. As homage to the series, I decided that today's blog would be about my love for this cult series.
Let's go back to the mid-90s. I was about 12-13 yrs old and a good middle class girl who spent time watching TV after participating in one of my hobbies and doing my homework. Red Dwarf, like may 90s comedy programmes, was on around 9pm, which was perfect timing for me having nothing to do (and I always found it hard getting to sleep). Thanks to my dad being a massive comedy fan, we would watch all kinds of british comedy before bed and I loved it! One of the programmes my dad liked watching was Red Dwarf.
Now I'll admit, when I was younger, although I was clever, I don't think I really ever got a lot of the jokes. However, I liked the vibrant characters, the adventures they went on and I felt that watching it made me more grownup - yes, I was delusional.
Skip forward to being 15. I was still a massive fan and part of the fan club (but not quite like those really crazy fans - when you read the next bit, remember this sentence). However, I had become a keen fan of meeting people that I admired - not a stalker, just a fan! My friend and I then decided that we wanted to meet the different cast members of Red Dwarf. Funny enough, barring Hatty Hayridge, we did actually interact with them all in some way. So here it is:
- Two of my friends and I had a joint email account called Girls On Chat (we didn't have computers at home and we always went online in the library - that's how old we are,lol) and we had read Robert Llwellyn's book The Man on Platform 5. It said on the cover or back page email me and let me know what you think and so we did. And unbelievably we got a reply (we assume it was him but I suppose it could have been the publicist/assistant) and it was really cool.
- A few of my mates came with me to see the Soul Train tour with Danny John Jules in. We loved the show, thought he was fab and decided to try and meet him on another day. Like the crazy teens we were, we waited near Stage Door for AT LEAST 6 hours (and met another group of girls waiting to meet him - one who was my pen friend for years after) and finally saw the man himself. Unfortunately he was heading into a rehearsal but said if we wrote down our address he would get back to us. We wrote down one address and all our names and then just went home, happy that we had met him. Anyway, within a few weeks, my friend called me up and said she had received an envelope. Inside was signed pictures of him for all of us and a hand written letter - we couldn't believe it! What a nice guy : ) I get ribbed more for the fact, that the theatre I stood outside of for so long, was the venue I then worked in for years - embarrassing, LOL
- My mate Sam and I went to Catford Theatre to see the stand up tour that Chris Barrie and Norman Lovett were doing. It was great going because I can't even remember if we were old enough to go, but it was really good. Unbelievably, they were doing a signing in the foyer, so we made sure we were right near the front of the queue. It still makes me laugh how red faced and embarrassed we were when we went up to the table (there is a funny pic somewhere, when I find it, it's going up) but they were both really nice (I especially liked the fact that Chris Barrie had a beer with him - casual, laid back signing, lol)
- Shortly after this, my mate found out that Craig Charles was performing a stand up act at Fairfield Halls in Croydon. Unfortunately, we were all broke (my friend had managed to see him at another venue already) but really wanted to meet him. Like teenagers do, we thought, stuff it, we'll wait out near stage door and try and catch him at the end of the show. We waited for a bit, but no one came out, so we decided to ask the person on duty. They told us, if we were quick, he was still in the bar at the moment. We literally ran all the way round (if you know the venue, it's quite big) and dashed to the bar. Low and behold, there he was having a drink. It was really cool actually because we chatted to him for a bit and he was REALLY nice (he even hung up on a call to speak to us) - one of those trips where you were glad you had made the effort.
Now fast forward to now. I'm turning 30 in less than a month (oh christ, lol) and still a massive fan. What's even better is my boyfriend is a big fan too - he's coming to mine to watch the first episode tonight : )
Red Dwarf is like that thing in your life you can't live without, the Alan Partridge and BlackAdder of sci-fi comedy and the episodes never get old. It is part of my growing up process, assisted in the love I have for the industry I now work in and it is something that will always sit on my shelf ready to be watched.
Everyone has their own views about favourite seasons and episodes, but I find it hard to pick. The whole collection makes me smile and shows a great process of change through the cast, technical equipment and the writing. Nothing can and will stay the same, but that's why this show has been going so long.
I am so excited about the new season and wish everyone involved with it a happy debut tonight. Oh yeah and so glad that Dave has assisted in bringing it back - your channel ROCKS! It's weird to think that in 10 years time I could have kids of my own and I could unknowingly be shaping their TV future. I better make sure I keep Red Dwarf to hand : )
As I thank you to this great programme, I also hand drew this picture today, I hope you all like it.
Blog title comes from a fan's metal version of the title music: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LWcA2qOv9Ww&feature=related
Two other great Red Dwarf song links
Rimmer's Munchkin Song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9-CG6gCrPYM
Tongue Tied: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a3t3IKlXqFU (I actually have this on record, thanks to someone I know who gave it to me)
Let's go back to the mid-90s. I was about 12-13 yrs old and a good middle class girl who spent time watching TV after participating in one of my hobbies and doing my homework. Red Dwarf, like may 90s comedy programmes, was on around 9pm, which was perfect timing for me having nothing to do (and I always found it hard getting to sleep). Thanks to my dad being a massive comedy fan, we would watch all kinds of british comedy before bed and I loved it! One of the programmes my dad liked watching was Red Dwarf.
Now I'll admit, when I was younger, although I was clever, I don't think I really ever got a lot of the jokes. However, I liked the vibrant characters, the adventures they went on and I felt that watching it made me more grownup - yes, I was delusional.
Skip forward to being 15. I was still a massive fan and part of the fan club (but not quite like those really crazy fans - when you read the next bit, remember this sentence). However, I had become a keen fan of meeting people that I admired - not a stalker, just a fan! My friend and I then decided that we wanted to meet the different cast members of Red Dwarf. Funny enough, barring Hatty Hayridge, we did actually interact with them all in some way. So here it is:
- Two of my friends and I had a joint email account called Girls On Chat (we didn't have computers at home and we always went online in the library - that's how old we are,lol) and we had read Robert Llwellyn's book The Man on Platform 5. It said on the cover or back page email me and let me know what you think and so we did. And unbelievably we got a reply (we assume it was him but I suppose it could have been the publicist/assistant) and it was really cool.
- A few of my mates came with me to see the Soul Train tour with Danny John Jules in. We loved the show, thought he was fab and decided to try and meet him on another day. Like the crazy teens we were, we waited near Stage Door for AT LEAST 6 hours (and met another group of girls waiting to meet him - one who was my pen friend for years after) and finally saw the man himself. Unfortunately he was heading into a rehearsal but said if we wrote down our address he would get back to us. We wrote down one address and all our names and then just went home, happy that we had met him. Anyway, within a few weeks, my friend called me up and said she had received an envelope. Inside was signed pictures of him for all of us and a hand written letter - we couldn't believe it! What a nice guy : ) I get ribbed more for the fact, that the theatre I stood outside of for so long, was the venue I then worked in for years - embarrassing, LOL
- My mate Sam and I went to Catford Theatre to see the stand up tour that Chris Barrie and Norman Lovett were doing. It was great going because I can't even remember if we were old enough to go, but it was really good. Unbelievably, they were doing a signing in the foyer, so we made sure we were right near the front of the queue. It still makes me laugh how red faced and embarrassed we were when we went up to the table (there is a funny pic somewhere, when I find it, it's going up) but they were both really nice (I especially liked the fact that Chris Barrie had a beer with him - casual, laid back signing, lol)
- Shortly after this, my mate found out that Craig Charles was performing a stand up act at Fairfield Halls in Croydon. Unfortunately, we were all broke (my friend had managed to see him at another venue already) but really wanted to meet him. Like teenagers do, we thought, stuff it, we'll wait out near stage door and try and catch him at the end of the show. We waited for a bit, but no one came out, so we decided to ask the person on duty. They told us, if we were quick, he was still in the bar at the moment. We literally ran all the way round (if you know the venue, it's quite big) and dashed to the bar. Low and behold, there he was having a drink. It was really cool actually because we chatted to him for a bit and he was REALLY nice (he even hung up on a call to speak to us) - one of those trips where you were glad you had made the effort.
Now fast forward to now. I'm turning 30 in less than a month (oh christ, lol) and still a massive fan. What's even better is my boyfriend is a big fan too - he's coming to mine to watch the first episode tonight : )
Red Dwarf is like that thing in your life you can't live without, the Alan Partridge and BlackAdder of sci-fi comedy and the episodes never get old. It is part of my growing up process, assisted in the love I have for the industry I now work in and it is something that will always sit on my shelf ready to be watched.
Everyone has their own views about favourite seasons and episodes, but I find it hard to pick. The whole collection makes me smile and shows a great process of change through the cast, technical equipment and the writing. Nothing can and will stay the same, but that's why this show has been going so long.
I am so excited about the new season and wish everyone involved with it a happy debut tonight. Oh yeah and so glad that Dave has assisted in bringing it back - your channel ROCKS! It's weird to think that in 10 years time I could have kids of my own and I could unknowingly be shaping their TV future. I better make sure I keep Red Dwarf to hand : )
As I thank you to this great programme, I also hand drew this picture today, I hope you all like it.
Blog title comes from a fan's metal version of the title music: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LWcA2qOv9Ww&feature=related
Two other great Red Dwarf song links
Rimmer's Munchkin Song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9-CG6gCrPYM
Tongue Tied: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a3t3IKlXqFU (I actually have this on record, thanks to someone I know who gave it to me)
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