Red Dwarf: Back To Earth
 Written by: Doug Naylor Directed by: Doug Naylor Rating: In the enforced absence of a Beatles reunion, we’ll have to make do with a comeback for SF comedy’s own Fab Four. Somewhat predictably the Dwarfers aren’t quite as funny as they were in their early‘90s heyday, but even so, their return after ten years is considerably better than the last two series of the show. The best thing about Dave’s three-episode resurrection is that the principal quartet still fit their characters like gloves. They may have spent the last decade cropping up in places like scrapyards and Weatherfield rather than outer space, but – aside from time adding a wrinkle or a pound here and there – you could easily believe it was only a couple of years since we last saw them bickering on Starbug. The script doesn’t fare quite so well. Red Dwarf always worked best as standalone half-hours, and here the story strains over 90 minutes. It’s decent enough when it’s in proper science fiction territory, particularly the arrival of ultra-efficient hologram Katerina (Sophie Winkleman), and the impressive CG sets. But when the crew makes its much vaunted return to 2009 Earth, the attempts at “Hey, we’re really just characters in a TV show” postmodern humour feel like a lazy money-saving exercise, wheeling out crowd-pleasing gags so blatantly there might as well be crib cards popping up reminding you to cheer. Still, Dave has proved that there’s life in the old dog (and Cat) yet, and the scene is set, both fictionally and in real life, for a new series. Richard Edwards |
What a shocker lol
Posted by Shaun Watters (127.0.0.1) on April 15, 2009 at 11:36 AM BST #
Oh well, at least I've still got the first 6 series to enjoy and those novels which Rob Grant was involved with.
Posted by Bob (127.0.0.1) on April 15, 2009 at 11:47 AM BST #
Posted by Darthshellers (127.0.0.1) on April 15, 2009 at 11:54 AM BST #
Posted by Andrew Oakley (127.0.0.1) on April 15, 2009 at 12:29 PM BST #
a desent set of eps showing how good fx could have been...
bye bye rd. we truly loved you
Posted by Tin Dog Bloke (127.0.0.1) on April 15, 2009 at 01:23 PM BST
Website: http://www.tin-dog.co.uk #
It's just a shame the script was worthless. A lazy rerun of 'Back to Reality'. Series 7 wasn't as good without Rob Grant, Series 8 was awful most of the time, without Rob Grant, and Back To Earth was the same, without Rob Grant.
Rob Grant probably isn't coming back, but this show could do well in the future IF it had new writers. Doug Naylor on his own isn't delivering classic Dwarf.
Posted by David P (127.0.0.1) on April 15, 2009 at 01:26 PM BST #
This was dismal in the extreme and only served to dig the Red Dwarf hole into even blacker territory, sucking every last scrap of humour into its core.
There was barely a smile, let alone a laugh. Originality was thrown out of the airlock as they fell back on the premise of an all-time hit episode and then compounded the situation by just running endless Blade Runner pastiches. Having thought of the idea of referencing it scene after scene was given over to forced BR gags intead of trying to devise some fresh humour that worked.
I also thought the direction was poor with some scenes being ruined by poor set-ups and timing.
Why can't they just leave these things alone?
Posted by David K (127.0.0.1) on April 15, 2009 at 02:40 PM BST #
Back to Earth was disappointing but I think it demonstrated Red Dwarf's potential in terms of audience, look, and the ability of the cast to get back into character. Considering the budget and time constraints I think they did well.
I hope it did enough to guarantee us more Dwarf in the future, and that Doug Naylor can be talked into taking a step back and getting some new writers working for him.
I do wish people would stop saying 'Get Rob Grant back!' He doesn't want to come back to Red Dwarf, so I doubt it would help if he did. It's Naylor's (obsessional) passion for Red Dwarf that brought it back to our televisions. His role needs to be as a showrunner, not a one man band.
Go on Doug, I'm sure lots of scriptwriters would sell their Grandmothers to have a go at writing 'Red Dwarf' for you!
Posted by Rob (127.0.0.1) on April 15, 2009 at 03:29 PM BST #
It wasn't brilliant but it was OK. I always felt Rob Grant provided the quality gags in Red Dwarf but Doug Naylor was the story man. I guess there were a few too many call backs to old jokes, too many reused ideas, like the squid and the similarities with the end of the first Dwarf novel. But it was great seeing one of the best British shows ever return and perhaps if they had a full series and Naylor took on a good comedy writer to assist him it could be great again.
How weird did Kochanski look?
Posted by Ben Hazuki (127.0.0.1) on April 15, 2009 at 04:26 PM BST #
1. Although the first episode is more in style with the original Red Dwarf the Rimmer scene and no laughter track definently ruined it for fans.
2. In the original series they would have simply scanned the tentacle in the Red Dwarf science bay but instead they waste about a minute on having someone disect it.
3. Episode 2 is a complete load of bull****. The plot of them bieng charecters in a TV show is really lacking as i cant see how a Joy squid causes you to become upset upon finding out you are not real.
4. Whats worse is that they find out they are going to die by reading a plot synopsis on a DVD.
5. The only good point of episode 2 was where Rimmer killed the other Hollygram.
6. The carbug scene is a bit useless and the bus scene is entirely unrelated to the film. By the end of the second episode i found myself praying to god it was all an illusion and that they could someway wipe the episodes from RD history.
7. The Writer was done good but Cats squid making was a bit weired and they never explained he was creating an antibody to fight the virus.
8. Kristine Kochanski should have not appeared as it convinced Dave to go back to his reality.
9. Having missed out series 9 and 10 does that mean that if we do have a new series we will start on series 11 or 12 (Depending on whether Red Dwarf Back To Earth is counted as a series)
10. The only good thing out of this is that RD is back and hopefully they will now get the film they always wanted. Which is something like this . . .
The Red Dwarf crew find themselves returning to earth in the years 6,000,000 or somewhere close to that. The Red Dwarf ship has been traveling through space for nearly 3,000,000 heading back to earth however they find they have been heading in the wrong direction due to Holly`s CPU being upside down. However as the original Rimmer returns and the crew use his vessel to gain a new revolutionary engine system deeper matters are at hold. As the crew find out that listers popadom supply has returned in the shape of a strange morphing creature and Ace leaves them in a rather unexpected way.
As they use the drive a strange Portal in time appears and the crews lives are split in two. The crew continue to earth but when the reach there there is a sudden electrical short out and the crew are transported straight to earth. Arriving on earth the crew find there is no life however soon they discover a race of Homosapienoids who evolved after humanity was wiped out in the nuclear holocaust after that version of Red Dwarf crashed into earth. These part human part robot creatures intent on destroying humanity begin to chase the crew. Lister relises that he has a responsibility and is forced on a round the universe chase eventually ending in a fight in a lab on earth where Kochanski is trying to clone her cells to start a new race of humans.
The episode would end with that timeline bieng destroyed and reverting back to the original timeline set in the original way in which the Red Dwarf ship is destined to crash into earth destroying all life on earth. Lister and the crew including Kochanski escape this time though and the timeline changes making humanity be destroyed but stoping the creations of the Homo Sapienoids and leaving the Red dwarf crew time to escape in Star bug. This would set the way for a new series involving the after effects of the timelines disruption.
I guess this would be too complicated but i would love it if Lister somehow destroyed humanity and his words emmidiately after were "Smeg" :)
Posted by Scorpio (127.0.0.1) on April 15, 2009 at 04:58 PM BST #
I quite enjoyed BTE. It wasn't hilariously funny, but it wasn't terrible either. There were a couple of good lines and, on the whole, I thought it was much better than season seven. It had some of the slightly melancholic feel of the first two seasons, which was nice. A flawed but worthwhile effort.
Posted by 127.0.0.1 on April 15, 2009 at 06:47 PM BST #
A Couple of re-heated episodes and a laboured pastiche of a classic Sci-Fi Film.
I'm giving it ** and only because the First Episode was good.
Posted by S.D. Hester (127.0.0.1) on April 15, 2009 at 07:31 PM BST #
Anyone think Red Dwarf "Jumped out of the TV"?
Posted by Ranting Man (127.0.0.1) on April 15, 2009 at 07:43 PM BST
Website: http://www.4outof10.com #
Some ideas...
- have Rimmer return to being a soft light hologram.
- no Kochanski.
- you don't need to dazzle people with amazing effects if you have a great script. Spend the money hiring good writers.
- bring back Holly.
- don't go over old ideas like the despair squid.
I think SFX gave 3 stars due to the advert...sorry, special guest appearance.
Posted by A Clockwork Orange (127.0.0.1) on April 15, 2009 at 08:11 PM BST #
I imagine the same review will run in the next issue of SFX in a slot about 252 words long, so it had to be this length. Use your brain, eh?
Posted by dougmaclure (127.0.0.1) on April 15, 2009 at 08:51 PM BST #
I agree with the above comment - the problem wasn't the production values (when in the ship), nor the actors (who still know their characters well). It was the writing. And the plot. They just didn't work.
As the above comment suggested, Doug Naylor (and lawd luv'im for being part responsible for this fine creation itself) needs to back away from duties and be the showrunner, not the show writer. Also, compare his directing style with, say, Ed Bye's early work on the show, and there's a world of difference in quality, not to mention talent.
I would LOVE the show to come back. I really, truly would. But why not let other writers have a hack at it, eh? Any one of the clever comedy-writing chaps on Charlie Brooker's show a while back would have a fair and good stab at it, so why not some specials from a few writing teams?
Naylor knew his onions, but most writers move on to different things. It's good he's still passionate about his bastard child, but I think it's time to bite the bullet and let some other writers at the reins.
And for goodness sake, shove it back in a studio with an audience. Actors like Llewellyn, Barrie, Charles and John-Jules NEED to feed from a crowd for comedy.
That is my bit.
Posted by kittenweeks (127.0.0.1) on April 15, 2009 at 10:35 PM BST #
Posted by Big Orange (127.0.0.1) on April 16, 2009 at 01:44 AM BST #
Why ruin a good format? RD at its best was based on character interaction and good jokes, not long and tedious bus sections or trips to coronation street! (which begs the question do fans of RD and coronation street have many things in common?)
I could have happily sat and watched three episodes entirely set in the bunk set with good writing and it would have worked.
In total, the cast were great, the effects were great, productions and set design all brilliant. Doug Naylor, you let everyone else down with very poor writing.
Posted by Martycc (127.0.0.1) on April 16, 2009 at 07:35 AM BST #
Eh. I didn't think it had changed one bit. Wasn't funny then, isn't funny now. Sorry, guys.
Posted by Alison (127.0.0.1) on April 16, 2009 at 08:02 AM BST #
I think I'd ** this, don't care about canned laughter but I still want jokes and the only laugh out loud moment for me was Lister's description of using the gents in the "real world". Dropping Holly removed the opportunity for the usual classic RD 1 liners/setups.
Spoofing Bladerunner was Ok but they didn't really mine it for jokes; i'd have liked to have seen the crew taking voight-comp tests, plenty of scope for one-liners there.
But, on the positive side, it looked great (kudos to the production team), the entire cast did their best with the material and I genuinely think there is more legs in this series if they go back to the basics of 4 guys stuck together who still don't get along.
Posted by sanx72 (127.0.0.1) on April 16, 2009 at 08:19 AM BST #
The problem, as I've said before, was the script, it just wasn't funny enough, or even trying to be funny enough. Doug Naylor as showrunner is fine, but he shouldn't be directing and writing as well. The show needs new blood.
Posted by David P (127.0.0.1) on April 16, 2009 at 11:17 AM BST #
'Satirical' digs at X-factor/Britains got talent
Characters that appear only as a plot device then disappear completely (aside from a 30 second appearance in episode 2)
Referring to Craig Charles being in Coronation Street.
'Homages' to classic movies (unless they directly relate to one, and only one, joke as in Kryten, Camille, etc.)
Kochanski (She's dead, it's four guys in space with no women. That's the joke)
Fourth wall 'breaking'
Setting something nine years later purely so as not to have to explain why they're alone on Red Dwarf again.
Endless reruns of old jokes and/or monsters (Even Emohawk was quite lazy).
Things that should be in Red Dwarf:
Jokes
Holly
Posted by Boys from the Dwarf (127.0.0.1) on April 16, 2009 at 03:03 PM BST #
Why was Rimmer a hologram..again?
How could the ship support TWO holograms (if this was explained I must've missed it).
Very disappointed with it to be honest. Still I've got the DVD's so I'll go back and watch them.
Posted by Pete (127.0.0.1) on April 16, 2009 at 04:07 PM BST #
It might have been bad it might have been good, but it would've been nice to be able to judge it for ourselves. Seeing as Dave is not a channel you can get in Europe, we'll have to wait for a DVD release to see if was any good.
Posted by Khuratokh (127.0.0.1) on April 16, 2009 at 04:24 PM BST #
Posted by davidpanik (127.0.0.1) on April 16, 2009 at 05:13 PM BST #
right I remembered a thing that happened in Back To Reality & Better Than Life( Both TV and Novel Forms), that makes Back to Earths plot even more clunky,
WHY does The Female Squid's ink only give Lister his Desire, Why Doesn't Kyten get what he wants, Rimmer and Cat too. Makes no sense, all the other times this Type of Thing has Happened Each Character has either been Rewarded in their Dream state or as in Back To Reality Depressed to Death.
Also Why would an Illussion tell you it was an Illussiom, pleasse ignore my Spelling coz this point is revelant.
Aside from a cracking first episode and a pathos soaked finale, BTE was lazy and where was Rimmers, Krytens, Cats Dreams come true, thet were all Sprayed, so what happened? Lazy plotting that'what!!!!
Good Gags Though
Posted by Just Noticed (127.0.0.1) on April 16, 2009 at 06:00 PM BST #
I liked the fourth wall breaking stuff. Whenever did anything in RD make sense? As a big Blade Runner fan, I found myself laughing at the BR gags more than anything else.
What is with people?! Indy 4 last year was never going to reach the standards set by Raiders and no new Dwarf was ever going to reach the heights of seasons 2/3/4. It was just nice to see the Boys from the Dwarf back on the screen.
Posted by Hugh Jass (127.0.0.1) on April 16, 2009 at 10:09 PM BST #
Posted by RDBTEOK (127.0.0.1) on April 17, 2009 at 11:41 AM BST #
Posted by avoidz (127.0.0.1) on April 17, 2009 at 02:42 PM BST #
Posted by WE WANT MORE!!!! (127.0.0.1) on April 18, 2009 at 09:56 AM BST #
With Doctor Who's "Planet of the Dead" still fresh in my mind, I found "Back to Earth" refreshing.
The decision to shove the story forward nine years and skipping 2-3 seasons is brilliant: more than enough time to explain all the niggles: What's happened to the convicts, why the ship's gotten another redesign, etc.
OKay, they overcooked the Blade Runner stuff, but as the concepts brought up in the final act really made me sit up and think. And that's what I want sci-fi to do.
I want more, but not a full season, not just yet. a few more specials in the same style would do nicely.
Posted by Bobcat (127.0.0.1) on April 19, 2009 at 10:45 AM BST #
I don't have a problem with the concept of episode 2, let's be honest its no less silly or illogical than backwards world. The problem was the execution, which was largely without decent gags. Rimmer killing the other hologram was a classic moment, but all the rest was so busy ramming the concept down our throat that they forgot to put in jokes. The whole thing came over as laboured.
Then the third epp with its Blade Runner fixation just lost the plot completely. I actually enjoy sideways references like that in shows, but not when they are made so damn obvious (they actualy told us what they were doing when they read the DVD blurb) and take the place of jokes. The only part of the third epp that I at all enjoyed was when Dave took control of the others with the typewriter, which like Rimmer killing the hologram was a classic style RD gag, the rest of it was secondary school drama class level stuff, where someone has a 'great idea' then follows it to absurdity forgetting to be entertaining along the way.
A shame, the first episide demonstrated that they can still make it and make it funny, two more episodes like that and this would have been a decent, but not outstanding, little addition. But by wandering up thier own geekdom backsides in two and three they've left a sour taste in a lot of mouths, and I can't see this helping to sell any potential film in the future.
Posted by Ian D (127.0.0.1) on April 22, 2009 at 08:34 AM BST #
Posted by thomas (127.0.0.1) on April 28, 2009 at 06:13 PM BST #
Posted by Neil (127.0.0.1) on May 01, 2009 at 01:59 PM BST #
Posted by Sue (127.0.0.1) on May 12, 2009 at 12:59 PM BST #
Not worth the wait
Posted by OMG!!! (127.0.0.1) on June 05, 2009 at 12:58 PM BST #