Slightly alarmingly, it seems I have been writing for Red Dwarf fansite Ganymede & Titan for a full 16 years now. My oldest contributions there can now technically have sex with articles from a Doctor Who fansite, to produce the most unpleasant offspring you can imagine.
Still, over the years, my contributions – while definitely increasing in quality – have certainly decreased in quantity.1 So this year, I set myself the challenge of updating the site at least once a month, a feat I haven’t managed since 2007. Slightly unexpectedly, I actually managed to achieve this.
Which means over the last year, I have provided answers to the following questions:
- Which failed US TV show provided a set used in Red Dwarf VI?
- Is the fifth episode in a six part series always the worst?
- How on earth can you see the hull of Red Dwarf in the final moments of Filthy, Rich & Catflap?
- Where can you see the first series of Rob Grant and Doug Naylor’s other audience sitcom?
- Which member of Red Dwarf‘s cast used to have a human jukebox act?
- What reshoots were needed to the first series of Red Dwarf because of Norman Lovett’s whinging?
- What did a bunch of schoolkids think of the first series of the show?
- Which article on the site did I get entirely bored of writing, to the point where you can detect weariness from the very first paragraph?
- Likewise, how did I manage to get 907 words out of a particularly stupid topic, and not even reach any kind of conclusion?
- What did Red Dwarf look like on public television in Iowa?
- When was Red Dwarf first repeated on UK Gold?
- If you had a time machine, how could you make shitloads of money out of Red Dwarf fans in the mid-nineties?
- At exactly what point does Robert Llewellyn doing a Douglas Bader impression become highly uncomfortable?
- Which show did Chris Barrie and Craig Charles appear on in-between the recording and broadcast of Series 1?
And to round everything off, I also wrote the G&T Christmas Message for this year; our traditional address to the nation rounding up all the Red Dwarf news over the last 12 months. Until fairly recently, I could have probably just written “that silly AA advert” and had done with it, but this month saw the first of two audience recordings for a new special to be broadcast next year. Meaning there will be a whole new spate of people saying “What, I thought Red Dwarf finished years ago with that dodgy one set in prison, I didn’t know there had been new episodes since then”, despite there being literally 21 brand new episodes made and broadcast since 2009.2
Away from the wacky world of Red Dwarf3, don’t forget that the 1st January sees the 10th anniversary of a particularly stupid website called Dirty Feed. So pop over here in the New Year for a celebration of the fact that very, very occasionally, I write something which doesn’t deserve immediately throwing into a large bin.
And not just because of an extended sulk in 2009 after Back to Earth. ↩
It’s no secret I’m not crazy about most of the new episodes, but if you haven’t seen any of the Dave-era shows and want to dip your toe in: my personal opinion is that Lemons, The Beginning, Officer Rimmer, M-Corp and Skipper are your best bets. ↩
Or “whacky”, if you really have to. ↩