Is Red Dwarf coming to DVD

[carcher]

Just wondering if anyone knows if Red Dwarf if / when RD will be released on DVD ?

[Bex]

From the FAQ on http://www.reddwarf.co.uk

Will Red Dwarf be released on DVD, and what will be on the discs?

We know that fans are incredibly keen to get hold of Red Dwarf on DVD. All we can say is - be patient. While no release is imminent, plans are definitely afoot. DVDs are often released with out-takes and missing scenes, both of which Red Dwarf has already done on video! Grant Naylor - keen to produce high-quality DVDs complete with additional features, rather than rush-release the episodes - are planning to film new material, record commentary tracks, etc., as well as dig out unseen footage from the archives. In order to bring you smegging spectacular DVDs, GNP must wait until the team are assembled for the making of Red Dwarf - The Movie.

[carcher]

Thanks!

[Shakey21]

After watching some repeats recently (well this year) on various digital channels I've come to the conclusion that series 1 was cr@p and so was the last series - 7? but the others were all pure geinus, anyone else of the same mind?

[carcher]

Well the last series was not too good, but the 1st was excellent!

[David Allum]

As long as they release the original versions and not just the (IMHO) awful remastered ones, I'll happily buy them all.

[carcher]

hope so !!

[Ridcully]

Personally thought S8 was quite good with S7 being the poorest. Crity TV was excellent and the bit when Rimmer finds out why Lister kills him had me laughing for ages

[Davester]

it went down hill when naylor or grant (can't remember which) left. He is also not involved in the movie which doesn't bode well :(

[Nimak]

Yep my ratings really come to:-

1) Series 2-6
2) Series 8
3) Series 1
4) Series 7 (why did they only have Rimmer in half of Episodes?)

[FightForTheRight]

Big, big Red Dwarf fan - well, isn't everyone?

Best guess would be that the DVDs will come out just after the film - bit long to wait mind you, considering the film has slipped til the end of 2002! :(

[thomasc1982]

I think series 1 is fantastic and that 7 and 8 were diabolically bad. Incidentally it was Rob Grant who left the writing after season 6.

[McMikey]

I liked the early series there was nothing wrong with series one. I thought it started all going wrong when it stopped looking tacky. The remastered versions of the early series just really annoyed me. Series 7 was pathetic and series 8 was a bit better because of the return of Norman Lovett (sp?) as Holly but it still wasn't that clever.

I'll still be buying all of it on dvd tho ;)

[gazman999]

I can't remember where I read it, but they apparently want to include both the original and remastered (ie butchered IMHO) versions on the DVD releases using seamless branching or something similar.
I certainly hope this is the case, and I don't mind waiting for however long it takes for them to get it right the first time, complete with loads of extras.
I wonder if they'll include any footage from any of the Dimension Jump events? Some of that stuff is very funny.
:D

[SqueakyG]

I'm a huge Red Dwarf fan.

I think series 1 and 2 look terribly poor and cheap, but they have the best scripting, and I prefer the simple sit-com formula of Lister and Rimmer standing around talking ot each other.

Series 3, 4, 5 and 6 were very funny and they looked better, but as the emphasis moved to sci-fi stories and ideas, the Lister/Rimmer focus of the show dwindled.

Series 7 was just a big pile of *****. No Rob Grant. No Chris Barrie (for half). The experiment of filming without an audience was a disaster because the actors and writers had no way to judge which jokes failed (and most jokes failed...).

Series 8 was much funnier and livelier, fixing the mistakes of series 7. But I think it was too Americanised... too disposable and empty, going for laugh-a-minute punchlines rather than proper characteriseation.

As for the remastered episodes... huge mistake. The ship is a stupid long shape, but that's not the bad thing... the bad thing was removing great dialogue in order to show more ship shots.

I'll still buy series 1, remastered or not. I kinda have to. DVD replaces VHS, and that's all there is to it.

[sbooth]

I can't for Red Dwarf on DVD. Hopefully they'll have the original as well as the remastered versions on the same disc.

As for series 1 being bad, i disagree. Series 7 was the worse but i did enjoy series 8. Had me and my mates laughing our heads off. :D

[gertrude]

Originally posted by Nimak
4) Series 7 (why did they only have Rimmer in half of Episodes?)

i seem to remember reading that he previous engagements, and that to wait for him would have held it back for 6 months, so that was the best they could do.

also, if they had to re-do some of the shows at the last minute because of this, i might explain why it was so damn poor.

g

[samuelowens]

Red Dwarf definitely ranks alongside BTTF, Indy and the trilogy whose name does not need to be mentioned again at the top of my pre-order list.

I must offer my $A0.04 on the great series debate by saying that I really liked the spartan feel of the first couple of series, with series 7 representing the nadir (funny how fancier graphics = crappier show).

[SqueakyG]

About Chris Barrie and series 7:

Chris Barrie basically didn't want to do Red Dwarf anymore. He felt that his character wasn't being used properly and it had reached a dead-end (I kinda agree). It is also understood that Chris Barrie is terrified of performing in front of a live audience... it is something he never liked about the series. So for series 7, Doug Naylor tried desperately to persuade Chris to do it, and he even decided to film the series without a studio audience as an incentive for Chris to stay. The best Chris was prepared to do was agree to appear in 4 out of 8 episodes.

I'm not sure what persuaded Chris to come back full-time for series 8, with a studio audience. Perhaps because the direction of the show was completely different, and Rimmer was a different kind of character (back to the living human Rimmer of the very first episode).