Subject: What is RED DWARF?
RED DWARF is a British science fiction comedy series that has been on the air in the U.K. since 1988. It is the brainchild of "Grant Naylor", a creative team consisting of Rob Grant and Doug Naylor, who write and produce the show. The premise of the show is best summed up by the opening narration used in the first series: "This is an S.O.S. distress call from the mining ship Red Dwarf. The crew are dead, killed by a radiation leak. The only survivors are Dave Lister, who was in suspended animation during the disaster, and his pregnant cat, who was safely sealed in the hold. Revived three million years later, Lister's only companions are a life-form who evolved from his cat, and Arnold Rimmer, a hologram simulation of one of the dead crew." --- Holly, the ship's computer.
The regular cast of the series is:
Dave Lister...............................Craig Charles
Arnold Rimmer..............................Chris Barrie Holly.....................................Norman Lovett (series 1-2) Hattie Hayridge (series 3-5)
The Cat................................Danny John-Jules Kryten.................................Robert Llewellyn
RED DWARF is also a series of novels based on the TV show. The novels greatly expand on, and are greatly different from, the show. Many of the same ideas appear in the novels, but these ideas are put together in new and interesting ways. Three novels have been published so far: RED DWARF: INFINITY WELCOMES CAREFUL DRIVERS by Grant Naylor ISBN 0-14-012437-3 Penguin, 1989 RED DWARF: BETTER THAN LIFE by Grant Naylor ISBN 0-14-012438-1 Penguin, 1990 RED DWARF: THE LAST HUMAN by Doug Naylor ISBN 0-67-085255-4 Viking, 1995 To everyone's surprise, THE LAST HUMAN was written by Doug Naylor only. The paperback edition will be published in October 1995. Rob Grant has expressed interest in writing a book based on RED DWARF, but it's not known whether he will do so. The first two novels have also been published in one volume: RED DWARF OMNIBUS by Grant Naylor ISBN 0-14-017466-4 Penguin, 1991 This combined rerelease also contains the script for "Dave Hollins, Space Cadet" (one of the SON OF CLICHE sketches that started it all --a reproduction of the beer mat on which the idea for Red Dwarf was allegedly first written, and the original script for "The End" (the first episode of the series).
Subject: Where can I see RED DWARF in the United States? RED DWARF is seen on public television stations across the country. If your local PBS station doesn't show it, write to them, and convince your friends to write to them, until they do! All six series are available for purchase by PBS member stations. If you don't know when (or if) your local PBS station shows RED DWARF, check your local listings or call the station and ask.
Subject: Where can I get videotapes of RED DWARF?
Videotapes of Series 1 through 6 are available at video stores in the throughout the British Commonwealth and in the U.S. In Australia, all episodes are available from ABC stores (along with books, T-shirts, and other RD merchandise). In the Netherlands, you can get them from W.H. Smith stores. In Sweden, Series 1-5 and the Smeg-Ups tape are available from: SF-Bokhandeln Stora Nygatan 45 111 27 Stockholm. Telephone: 08/21 50 52. Fax: 08/24 77 30. E-mail: order@sfbok.se WWW:
http://www.sfbok.se/sfbok/sfbok.html.
chhers! (have converted asmile, the world will soon follow...
