stuff I learned/thought while watching Red Dwarf: The First Three Million Years part 1
-David Tennant is narrating this! What?! Finally the Doctor Who/Red Dwarf crossover we all were waiting for.
-The show is about “two people trapped in a life together” and the sci-fi was never the most important part. I agree WHOLEHEARTEDLY
-Danny John-Jules is rocking the most AMAZING outfit throughout this doc. He looks like the coolest grandfather that ever existed. Or like a stylish gentleman burglar. (a cat burglar obviously.)
-The same guy who made the music for Red Dwarf made the music for Blackadder! Somehow I’ve gone for years loving both shows and never noticed that.
-At one point the idea of giving Kryten a Swedish accent was floated, which would have been bizarre (though I think they could have made it work.)
-I did actually already know this, but Craig Charles mentions it on the show so… Grant & Naylor sent him the Red Dwarf script because they were worried Cat might be a racist caricature. Charles didn’t think so but he did want to play Lister, and the rest is history. So one of the most popular sitcoms ever created only happened the way it did because of one of those much-derided sensitivity checks.
August 8, 2020 @ 11:54 pm
Interesting tidbits! Nice to know Howard Goodall is responsible for another awesome TV tune, though the Red Dwarf theme is still unmatched. It gives me chills every time, both the instrumental intro and the actual song.
Oh, and sensitivity checks FTW!
August 9, 2020 @ 12:30 am
Yes! I LOVE the Red Dwarf theme. I don’t know what it is about it but it’s like, just the lyrics on their own are *perfect* for the tone of the show (and they give me chills as well.)
Red Dwarf is my go-to example whenever someone starts slamming sensitivity checks, writers have been doing them for YEARS and look at the good that came from them!