The Lonely, Desolate Magic of Red Dwarf
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- Опубліковано 5 жов 2024
- A brief retrospective chronicling my slightly unhealthy fixation on Sci-Fi sitcom Red Dwarf.
If you enjoyed this video, please take a look at my retro-infused sci-fi novels here:
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Call me twisted then, too. I made MP3s of most of the Red Dwarf episodes, and I go to sleep listening to them nearly every night. There's something oddly reassuring and relaxing about it.
Red Dwarf is one of the greatest shows ever made. Not just British shows, not just comedies, not just sci-fis. One of the best shows, period.
recommend the audio book versions in that case
I did too
Agreed
Definitely try the audiobook, read by Arnold Rimmer so genuinely better than the episodes for falling asleep
Books are better than the show every single day.
Growing up in America, my brother and I were in a sort of club. A friend-of-a-friend in the UK would record Red Dwarf off the telly, then mail the tapes to our friend who had the right machine. We would get our parents to drive us two hours to a pizza restaurant in another town, where twenty or thirty of us would watch the latest episodes on a little tv somebody brought in on a cart. We used to ask each other Red Dwarf trivia in the car during the drive. Seriously nostalgic comfort-food-for-the-soul, that show 🥰
@@allisonbergh4429 the local PBS station aired red dwarf in the 90s
@@ephtue I know, and I supported the pledge drives (and got a shirt signed by Danny and Craig when my mom and brother went to a Con without me 😭), but it was way more fun watching with a medium-sized group of fellow nerds on a tiny screen while eating mediocre pizza! 😆
Honorary boys from the Dwarf 👋
I love your dedication to the dwarf 😊
@@allisonbergh4429 your parents are winderful, how amazing
lets move to red alert... are you really sure sir? it does mean changing the bulb.
@@BHALT0S purple alert
@@curtyb88 you dont get it
Forget red, we need to go all the way to brown; and don't say I didn't alert you
The funniest line of the show imo
@@aventarix Far funnier lines but there are too many to claim which is the best
I loved the first two series. They were so beautifully bleak. I loved the idea that it was just the 3 core cast; and it was interesting how they managed to bring in other characters.
Actually 4 if you include Holly
Series 1 is average at best
@@critchblackpoolful Nah, it's deeper than you think... especially when you've read the books and know what the back stories of each episode relates to.
@@critchblackpoolful disagree. Show is still clearly finding it's feet but theres not a bad episode.
Series 1 and 2 were peak but i do still love the later seasons. But my heart is very fond of the cold, desolate, open loneliness of those first two.
I do like how as the Dwarfers headed back to earth they kept coming across all the remains and leftovers of humanity's expansion into space.
You've no idea how refreshing it is to hear someone say series instead of season.
One of the things that is often overlooked in Red Dwarf is the fact that unlike every other Sci-Fi show I could name, it is set in a universe with no aliens. Space is big and empty (if they meet any characters, they came from Earth. Even the GELF came from Earth...)
@@retrogiftsuk4812 that’s true. Probably the most realistic of all sci fi in that sense
What about the ship in DNA? When the computer comes online thats sure not an earthly language its using
@@retrogiftsuk4812 At one point Lister laughs at Rimmer for believing in UFO’s and thinking they were being interfered with by them “You blame everything on aliens… the toilet roll’s run out, you think it’s aliens”.
In any other sci-fi, he’s would have been vindicated when the unknown object they were tracking turned out to be an alien device. In Red Dwarf, it was a human trash capsule.
The first two series aren't really sci-fi - it's a character-driven show that just happens to be set on a spaceship.
@@PippetWhippet "Innnnncredible! The perfectly preserved remains of a Quagaar warrior.... They must have looked something like.. a roast, chicken." Poor Rimmer
I discovered this show when I was doing work in Manhattan, New York in the early 2000’s. Part of my job allowed me to stay rent free in various apartments. I discovered my love for chopped chicken liver salad and tequila. One apartment had two cats, so I just had to hang, do nothing with a couple cats sitting on me while I watched Red Dwarf and eat chicken liver salad on black bread while drinking tequila. I was living the dream.
I am genuinely impressed.
God speed, sir.
Sounds wonderful - and at the same time, just like how I imagine a serial killer would exist. 😅
@@ozzyg82 My lawyer has advised me not to answer questions like this.
It actually sounds alot like Dave's existence on Red Dwarf + one cat 😁
@@pseudonayme7717 I never made that connection, but you’re not wrong. I just needed a Rimmer.
I felt like the books really captured this feeling of desperation and sadness. You could really feel Lister's loneliness and descent into depression in various scenes from the books.
They used to broadcast this on our PBS station during their pledge drives at least once a year in the 90's. They would marathon it, the whole thing, in between asking for money. One year I managed to videotape the whole series, they were up to series 6 by then and I spent quite a while camped out in front of the TV with the VCR remote in hand. One year, if you pledged you could get tickets to meet Craig Charles (Lister) and Robert Llewellyn (Kryten) at the University of Washington in Seattle, where I was living at the time. I totally took that plunge and got to meet them.
@@Ravuun That, my friend, is awesome.
I remember it being on PBS at midnight on Saturday nights. Most weeks SNL had to be pretty funny to not turn the dial... remember having to get up, change the channel and adjust the antenna? Good times!
@@nedweeks6964 some of my earliest memories are BEING the channel changer for my parents. You could cut the cigarette smoke with a knife in our house back then.
@@Flint-Dibble-the-Don Hehe. That's atmosphere😛
@@Flint-Dibble-the-Don I did my best not to be the channel changer, one of my siblings would grab my chair. Sometimes we would end up watching something boring because the one with the worst seat refused to change the channel and no one else wanted to lose their seat.
The opening titles of those first two series are an absolute classic; they subvert expectations and are a magnificent example of practical effects.
Yeah, I agree. Haunting. Should have kept it.
What I loved about it was just how it felt colloquial. Most TV and Movies feel like they're in a language I learnt at school, and red dwarf felt like it spoke what we spoke.
There is something very comforting about the premise of Red Dwarf. Yes they are stuck in middle of nothing with potentially nothing to look forward to. But they are safe and cared for by the ship. It’s like when you take a long distance flight. You can’t do anything so you just have to relax. They are on the ultimate long distance flight.
I feel this
I feel like it's also they have nothing to live for but do it anyway and have a hilarious time along the way. I rewatched the show when I was quite depressed and it helped out quite a lot because for me I felt at the time I had no future. Yet look at these guys even less yet they go on and have a great time and still have hope.
@@Alex-cw3rz Glad you are feeling more positive about things mate.
The show is very insightful about how humans tick along, especially I think the first two seasons.
I never understood why Lister didn't just move into the captain's quarters and continued to share a tiny bunk bed with a guy he hated.
Nothing weird about scifi ambience and sleep. I fall asleep to Star Trek lore.
Absolutely agree with everything, here. Red Dwarf, especially early on, really captures the feeling of loneliness in a unique way. I think it has something to do with the main characters - both Lister and Rimmer experience loneliness very differently, but both are still extremely relatable. I genuinely think they're one of the best sitcom duos ever!
Fond memories of skateboarding home down the hill to catch Red Dwarf at 9pm on a Friday night..
It’s aged well, solid comfort comedy.
Red Dwarf is another show that just encapulsates how amazing British entertainment was in the 1990s
I don't know how the algorithm got me here, but i'm so glad it did! Great video! Cant wait to start working through your others!
To add to your algorithm-blessings, you should try the Better Than Life podcast.
I'm 41 and grew up in America, watching this with my mom as a kid. I marathon this show here and there lately and often put this on in the background as I head towards dreamland. I highly recommend getting the Red Dwarf Audiobooks which are masterfully narrated by Chris Barrie who played Rimmer and is actually a master impressionist. I also recommend checking out a comic called Soap which came on in the late 70's and is utterly hilarious.
Also, really enjoying the "Tongue Tied" light jazz background musaak. ❤
ua-cam.com/video/FK8LfW5bRww/v-deo.html
I’ve met Danny John jules (cat) and got a picture with him, most down to earth and happy person I’ve ever met
He's a pretty cool cat irl (pun intended)😁
I'm an American with an appreciation of British humour (I misspelled it in your honour). I also love science fiction. Red Dwarf was the best of both worlds for me. I'm surprised it was ever produced and doubly surprised that it lasted as long as it did. It's so quirky, but that made it all the better. It's time to pull out my Red Dwarf DVDs and watch them again.
Excellent video. I was lucky enough to have a channel that ran Red Dwarf when it came out in the U.S. I think 1989. It was then, is now and will always be my favorite show. I own them all and watch them all throughout the year. Every year.
50 yo old dude from Australia, Red Dwarf is my favourite show ever!
I re-watch the entire seasons every year or two. And I don't do this with any other show.
Me too. Still loads of good laughs in them, never gets old.
Glad I'm not the only one who puts the boys from the dwarf on to sleep. I too grew up in the early 90s and it reminds me of simpler times
Red Dwarf without Grant/Naylor together is just not Red Dwarf.
Yep, was never the same after the split.
The comparison to Waiting for Godot is one I made way back. Obviously that episode's name makes it easier to notice, but also the show is very clearly absurdist theatre, just like Waiting for Godot. Theatre of the absurd is all about meaninglessness and purposelessness, and wandering through the empty void of space is almost the perfect version of it.
A friend of mine in drama class liked to say that absurdism was all about incompetent characters in hopeless situations, which this show is.
Also I never knew it had such a connection to Manchester, especially the parallel of the defunct mining operation, and the empty void of space would be a parallel for I guess neoliberal Thatcherism lol.
It still boggles me that Red Dwarf was a sitcom, a situation comedy, even though the situation is quite unusual.
Elder Canadian GenX fan here. I saw RD on a cable feed from the USA, and was blown away by it right from the start. RD does point out that while we are insignificant against the vastness of space, and what matters is what you bring to the table a human being. Thanks for posting.
I remember when it started airing on PBS here in the States back in the early 90s. I was immediately hooked. I got my friends to start watching it, and we had our own little clique referencing and quoting it constantly. Such a brilliant show.
From across the pond, it makes me realise one thing: everything now is so CLEAN and SAFE. Some of that is for the better, but the human soul has definitely influenced less.
Have you watched any Young Ones? It's... different
After listening to this I feel a shared bond. You have hit the nail on the head. The melancholy the desperation, the loneliness. All aspects of the show i love and miss from the later versions (with the odd exception). the early part of BTL really gets me, before they go into the game. it shares that desperation of those first 2 series. Great appraisal, enjoyed the vid and had the class to finish with the piano variations from Howard Goodall. You deserve a full Rimmer salute.
I love bleak, black humour and the first two series are so, SO good for this. Thank you for making this. You've said what I've struggled to find the words for.
Boys from the Dwarf. *shakes hands*
One of my favorite comedy series of all time. When I was single, I used to fall asleep to this as well. Wife can't sleep with any noise or light, so had to change that once I got married. Still sneak away for a night or two every couple of months to fall asleep to it in our guest room, though.
Yeah to be honest that's pretty much my story too. Red Dwarf's reserved for the odd night on the couch these days. Thanks for watching.
@@retromuel love your breakdown of the actors vs the current trend of what comes from the UK. Something I never thought about when watching the UKs current exports.
@@RicoRaynn Thank you very much. Yeah you could spend a lifetime in Britain and never actually meet anyone who talks like Benedict Cumberbatch, and yet that's kind of what many people picture when they think of an Englishman. Statistically speaking you're far more likely to meet a Dave Lister.
I’m glad the UA-cam algorithm directed me here. I really needed something like this today. You’ve got yourself a new subscriber.
The first two series were by far the best.
Thanks For The Memory is absolutely haunting. Perfect name drop for the end of this video.
Man, thats a fine present. He was probbably only expecting a tie...
Been a fan of the Dwarf since about series 5 first aired in 1992, I was about 6. In the 30+ years since, I've made it my mission to fly the flag for this show. I've foisted it up people countless times, and made some new fans. It's great to see this show isn't being forgotten outside of the people I (metaphorically) tie to chairs A Clockwork Orange style and play episodes at random at. :) Great video!
Red Dwarf is in the Dune Universe.
@@zaprese now _that_ is an awesome canon
I have done the same, on and off for decades, fallen to sleep to red dwarf. Over the years of watching, the crew begin to feel like friends. So it becomes a comfort thing i suspect. Got me through some tough times for which i will be forever gratefull. Boys from the dwarf! 🤘
Thanks for a terrific video. Glad to see I'm not the only one who treasures the existential terror of the first two series. It is just so full of ideas and hits the ball out of the park when it comes to intelligent comedy. I've also been thinking a lot recently about how my life is reflected in the popular culture I grew up with. Incidentally, I saw Craig Charles doing live stand-up in my adopted home of Manchester in about 1996... he was awesome. The highlight for me when he started a segment with, "in Liverpool, if you want to make it out of poverty you have to be successful either in comedy or football". He then proceeded to do head-ups with a football, unerringly, for the best part of five minutes, cracking one-liners throughout.
I found this show while I was working nights at a factory. The rest of the family was on normal daylight hours, while even on weekends I was up all night because it was just too hard to switch back n forth. The first two series perfectly reflected the loneliness and melancholy I was feeling at the time and I just couldn’t stop watching it. It was great to hear someone else gets the feel of this classic.
I liked the radio show version, as well as the TV show. I taped it off a friend, who had the official BBC Red Dwarf and the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy radio show boxsets. I used to often put it on to go to sleep, usually with headphones on, because I shared a room with my younger brother.
I did listen to some via UA-cam fairly recently and really enjoyed it. Had the Hitchhiker's guide radio play on CD (still got it somewhere). Awesome stuff. Thanks for watching.
@@retromuel I wish that I still had the complete HGTTG. I enjoyed the TV series, and loved the fact that they kept the radio cast. That would never happen today. The fact that the TV version existed, really fleshed out my imagination when listening to the radio show. I also loved the fact that Chris Barrie did the Red Dwarf radio series, putting his impersonation skills to good use.
Take a look at the books, they are great. It's easy to see how they got the show commissioned on the basis of that excellent writing.
@@pseudonayme7717 Thanks for the recommendation!
The three novels that were produced using the scripts from the first few series are among my favourite books.
They add so much more comedy and an awful lot of heart too the saga of "the boys from the dwarf".
Red Dwarf was an absolute pleasure growing up with,
I've heard the original opening song (just like you falling asleep) countless times.... and it never stops giving me that deep down, grounded and familiar, yet desolate feeling comfort.
Truly never fails to make me smile.
Red dwarf is just one of those shows that can’t go bad
The crushing loneliness of series one and two made me remember that I wasn't alone.
I was born the year Red Dwarf came out and i'm still coming back to it , such a great show. I share many of your thoughts and sentiments in the video, it captured something beautiful, hilarious and bleak, that will never be replicated. You have a new sub, cheers.
I don't think I've ever connected to a youtube video as much as this one. Every few months I rewatch all series falling asleep to them. I've watched them so many times I can just listen to it with my eyes closed and still visualise it. I also find the idea of space relaxing and peaceful where as people I've spoken to find it terrifying lol.
I agree with you, Red Dwarf is a lot like the comforting feeling of a good cuppa with milk and sugar. I like how it’s using a lot of these really interesting science fiction ideas, but still adds the element of human warmth and friendship that so many other bits of media lack.
I found Red Dwarf in the late 90's on a local station here in the American Northeast. I immediately fell in love with the quirky show and still think it one of the best shows in it's genre.
From Last of the Summer Wine to Red Dwarf (Have You Been Served, Porridge, Fools and Horses, etc), this era of BBC TV has a special place in my heart. I endlessly try to explain why I'm drawn to them so much but I can't put my finger on what it is.
I would love to discover another series that I can add to my list but I'm afraid I've found them all.
I remember watching Red Dwarf with my brothers when I was younger every year on PBS in the states. It was a big deal for us because the internet was years off getting into people's homes so we couldn't just stream it whenever we liked. The local PBS affiliate would put on a grand telethon running all available episodes and even as a younger kid I loved the weird comedy. Growing up the deeper themes stuck with me, one of them being the one-off "Gazpacho Soup" line that Rimmer spouts out as he's dying. Now I can't speak to the writer's intentions with this, it may have truly been just a silly gag meant to fill time and show Rimmer as a try-hard weirdo, but all these years it stuck with me in a way to show that the stupidest, embarrassing mistakes we make in life are what truly make us human in the end. Rimmer's explanation truly connected with me, even as a young kid trying to understand my anxiety issues, that everyone deals with tense, embarrassing moments that can be brought back at any time to shame us. It also showed a vulnerable side to him that I related to instantly. Again, just my take and art is subjective. The show always made me think and I appreciate that to this day. ❤
So happy to realise I'm not the only one that puts this on to go to sleep to.
Best TV show ever made in my opinion
I clicked on this at fairly close to random following the despair pit that is Where the Wind Blows at 3 in the morning, and the weird feeling of comforting, friendly loneliness you describe has genuinely perked me back up a bit. You've managed to capture what I love about this show beyond just it being a good sitcom; there's a feeling of home in a lot of the early-middle seasons in spite of (and maybe because of) the bleakness of the ship's surroundings. Brilliantly put my feelings into words.
Also, bonus points for mentioning the Danny John-Jules Labyrinth connection, that always entertains me a bit. (But minus points for the presence of Mr Blobby, that cursed hellspawn)
I stumbled across this quite appropriately as I was winding down for the night and looking for a short, good natured video before turning in. What superbly put together video essay. Good writing, well delivered at just the right tone. And very relatable too😉
Red Dwarf was a brilliant futuristic sitcom. Such a classic show.
Wow. I thought it was just me. I used to fall asleep listening to VHS recordings of the series and even to this day Red Dwarf is one of the few series I listen to on my phone to help me sleep at night. I am so gratified to hear/see I am not the only one who does this. 😃
Boss vid mate, I used to go to sleep to this, bottom, game on, telly used to be good 😢
I Was Born in 1986. And Grow up with all of the Above and miss it.🏴🇬🇧
The 80s/90s UK comparison is so accurate. Love this show and spent a good few years falling asleep to it
Thanks for bringing some more context for the beginning of Red Dwarf. It's definitely in my all-time top 10 shows.
When I was a kid, our local PBS station would play Red Dwarf like 10pm-ish, and sometimes do marathons of it even, for pledge drives. I always looked forward to it.
I do EXACTLY the same when going to sleep. When I sleep I get Transported 3 million years into deep space. Bliss!
Excellent explanation of that extra dimension S1 and S2 have that the later seasons, great as they (mostly) are, just do not have. Alone in the big empty. The bleakness. The permanent isolation. The (superior, IMO) forlorn opening theme, playing over Lister futilely painting the side of ship. Even the window in the bunk room is coffin shaped.
Red Dwarf is my good place. The Good Place has become my new Red Dwarf. Crazy
When I was at school “smeg head” was the ultimate insult
I watched Red dwarf endlessly on old VHS tapes through the 90s. It was the only way we were exposed to it here in the USA.
When I was struggling to sleep back in the day due to Stress I used to Watch Red Dwarf and Space Dandy - two great Space comedies to get me get to sleep - its nice to know that im not the only one who did this - good video!
I also fell into the same ritual of playing an episode from series 1 or 2 while falling asleep. There was something so soothing about it. I thought I was the only one. Thanks for the memories 😴
Just to put this out there, I love these guys, even when they are not on Red Dwarf. Craig I loved as the narrator on Robot Wars. Robert I loved on Junkyard wars. Chris I loved on Chris Barry's massive Engines, as well as on Tomb Raider, and Danny on the Robin Hood spoof where he was the guy selling questionable good out of his coat. Why? IDK, I just like them okay?
Can't beat that intro tune
I also spent a lot of time nights falling asleep to the early seasons on repeat. Good times! Also. Manchester isn’t Manchester without the rain.
I would also point out on the terms of the actors backgrounds this was the first show on british TV to have the majority of the main cast from a minority background (Norman Lovett was not considered part of the main cast and is the reason he left the show over pay).
I DO EXACTLY THIS. It's comfortable. Feels like I'm with old friends. Helps me sleep.
My ex gf is an architect and her company managed the moving of coronation street set to media city in Mcr. Met Craig Charles on the set a couple of times that I'd tag along on a weekend.
That perpetual rain line hit hard.
This is my fave show. I spent so many sunday nights on the floor, finger on the record button of the vcr, hopeing that PBS was gonna air the new season. I can still feel the thrill every time it happened. In the early 90s, one of the first websites I found was about Red Dwarf. They maintained something called The Plot Inconsistencies Project or PIP. It was over 20 pages long, before season 7! My ex and I bonded when we met in 1993, talking about this show. He was my best friend, he passed in April. It hurt watching this video, I cried, just hearing the theme song. Everyone dies. You're born and you die. The bit in the middle is called life and that's still to come! Yeah, those words cut deep right now. It may be some time before I can visit the boys from the Dwarf.
In 1988 on a Tuesday evening me and my Dad were watching BBC2 at my grandads house, the previous program finished and it was announced there was now a new show starting, a comedy set in space called Red Dwarf. So we watched it and the 11 year old me became completely hooked on it. Series two is easily the best series, the funniest by a long way, they didn’t have as big a budget so the writing had to be funnier, while series 3-6 was still excellent and I’ve watched it all many times the only series I really go back to watch is Series 2 it really was Steptoe and Son in Space on acid. I also read the books on many many occasions as a teenager.
This is a great video it really kind of captures my own thoughts on the show, it really was what it was like to grow up in 1980s Britain. When I hear the title music from the first two seasons the nostalgic feeling I get is amazing, a yearning to return to that crappy time.
Anyway apologies for droning on but just thought I’d share that others shared a similar experience with the show that you did. 👍
I love all red dwarf. Even the new stuff is funnier than you think and great on rewatch.
an animation would be great. I hope they'll do that someday.
PURPLE ALERT!
What's purple alert?
It's not as bad as a red alert, but worse than a blue alert!
Listen very carefully in that scene.
After Kryten's space corp directive, it's
Blow alert, not blue😂
I’m Canadian and I loved this show it was on some American pbs channel late at night along with doctor who. Good times
While I never saw Red Dwarf I at least can hear a bit of what has inspired Final Space
Treat yourself, go watch Red Dwarf. No pressure but if you like funny shows in space this is it.
I love the show, still watch it now and then. I never found it depressing although there were moments and I agree the first 2 seasons were the best. Great video, thank you!
When you mentioned only middle class+ making the requirements my genuine instant thought was what about actors like Comer so respect for that. She is incredible 😍
I was 12 and just starting high school when Red Dwarf first aired. Fittingly, when the let-down that was series 7 aired it coincided with me leaving school, getting a job and having to pay bills.
Also the music is so good, I love both the atmospheric title music and the emotional scene music from the earlier series'
My goodness, the bleakness of Manchester... I feel it a lot in this video. My parents moved from outside Sheffield to Bury in 1990. It was a struggle as I had no childhood friends and I had to start almost anew.... I then had to do it again when I left for London in 2008 and again when I left the UK completely.
This is something I have watched since finding 2 vhs in a flat I moved into when I was 20, back in the 00's.
This show is unique, nostalgic and genuinely a part of my life.
I always wanted them to just keep making episodes as the cast continues to grow older, flying threw space until the ultimate end of their lives.
You are awesome, I remember 1996 Florida PBS playing the marathon of Red Dwarf. This got me hooked, smoke me a kipper and I will be back for breakfast!
Season's 3 to 6 were perfect and cant be beaten.
It's all about the first 3 series for me, just dies after.
Glad to see others have the same fondness for those early series
#Funfact I was actually born the very week Red Dwarf debuted on the BBC. Probably one of the many reasons why I have such an affinity for the show 😀😄
The show is a hard sale outside the UK. Like many british shows, actually. League Of Gentlemen, the old classics (Fools and Horses, Black Adder, Porridge), I guess you had to be there.
Still, one of my favorite long standing comedy, if not the favorite. Some great episodes, Marooned, Dimension Jump, Inquisitor, Back To Reality, Justice, Queeg, Better Than Life, Polymorph. Season 1 to 6, good memories.
I totally agree! red dwarf is like a security blanket, so comforting to watch. I fall asleep to it as well. I don't watch past season 6 though.
Thank you, great video. All the best nerds we loved the show. Growing up in Tasmania in the 80s and 90s. Suitably dystopian. I’m very happy for the cast and creators that it still lives on in many ways. Robert has a big future shoe in the electric vehicle world of media and futurism. 🎉
Whenever I can't sleep at night, I just start reading the "FIRE EXIT" sign opposite my bed.