GANG OF FOUR
Who’d be the best at flying Starbug? Have they ever eaten gazpacho soup? YOUR Richard Edwards puts the questions to the crew of Jupiter Mining Corporation Red Dwarf... vessel
Leon Oldman HAVE YOU CHANGED YOUR APPROACH TO PLAYING YOUR CHARACTERS IN MIDDLE AGE COMPARED TO THE EARLIER SERIES WHEN YOU WERE IN YOUR 20S?
CHARLES i used to, believe it or not, try and get fit to do Red Dwarf, but on XI and XII i just thought, “you know what i’m going to do? i’m going to drink beer and eat curry for six months.” so that’s what i did. i rather enjoyed it. JOHN-JULES He’s nothing like his
character…
BARRIE rimmer is driven by frustration and stress and just the hellishness that’s going on around him, so day one on Red Dwarf, you’re there.
LLEWELLYN i think the thing is that because we’ve all been doing it for some time, i’ve never actually consciously sat down and thought, “now, how do i do Kryten?”
BARRIE as soon as you slap on the “H” and get the dialogue going, we’re there.
Lucy smith HOW MUCH OF YOUR OWN PERSONALITY COMES OUT IN YOUR CHARACTERS?
CHARLES i think they’re all caricatures of certain aspects of our personalities.
JOHN-JULES the fact that we had a rehearsal period before shooting [series I], allowed doug the time to actually study these guys [charles and Barrie] and then incorporate some of their eccentricities.
LLEWELLYN they used to say they listened to us when we were having lunch together, and there were certainly moments when you’d say something as a joke and it would be in a script three weeks later.
BARRIE i remember on series V or VI walking around shepperton saying, “the least we could do is try and be more professional.” and lo and behold, that week rimmer is on starbug going, “can’t we just be a little bit more professional?” garry clark
HAVE ANY OF THE CAST PUT FORWARD A STORYLINE IDEA THAT HAS COME TO FRUITION IN AN EPISODE?
CHARLES On the new series, there’s the mechanoid intergalatic Liberation front. JOHN-JULES that came out of a joke. CHARLES i wanted us all to become Krytens! also, robert co-wrote an episode [in series
VIII]. well, robert came up with the idea and then doug completely rewrote it and made it funny!
LLEWELLYN that is absolutely the best description. i wrote this thing where they were searching for a spare head for Kryten – ie Kryten’s not in it, i’d still get paid, i didn’t have to wear the rubber, i didn’t have to remember any lines. doug rewrote it so that Kryten discovers his brother, which meant that i had to play two characters. i was in more masks for longer and had more lines!
michael James HAVE ANY OF THE CAST ACTUALLY EVER EATEN
I have eaten gazpacho soup. It should Be warm. I Want MY soup to Be hot!
gazpacho soup? CHARLES i have, yeah. JOHN-JULES i actually did ask them to
warm it up. BARRIE rimmer’s got a point, you know. LLEWELLYN it should be warm. i want my soup to be hot! charlotte thomas what question do you get asked By red dwarf fans more than any other? JOHN-JULES when’s the next series? CHARLES and will there be a film? BARRIE is The Brittas empire coming back? CHARLES what were they thinking about
getting that dara Ó Briain in [to do Robot wars]?
BARRIE people now know that the “H” is put on with double-sided tape, so they don’t need to ask that any more. CHARLES is chris Barrie like rimmer? BARRIE then they find out he is! James Bailey
WOULD YOU LIKE THE CAT PEOPLE TO RETURN?
JOHN-JULES well, funny you should say that… we kind of delve into that topic. i won’t say how far, but we do delve into it in series XII. not in the guise that you’re talking about, but you will see! [laughter]
I LIKE TO THINK THERE’S A HAPPY ENDING FOR LISTER. HE RIDES OFF INTO THE SUNSET
it’s true. what is not true about that? you tell me that what i just told you is rubbish!
BARRIE all you’ve said is true – it’s just the length of time it took you to say it.
JOHN-JULES i was trying not to do spoilers, and i get knocked for it. i just hope doug naylor’s reading this! James Bradley
will Lister ever get to fiji?
CHARLES i don’t know. i’d like to think there’s a happy ending for Lister somewhere. i’d like to think he gets together with Kochanski, he has Jim and Bexley and he rides off into the sunset.
LLEWELLYN we did talk to doug about doing an ending, a last episode, and he doesn’t want to, which i kind of understand.
JOHN-JULES arriving on fiji doesn’t have to be the ending. He could get there and it’s not what he expected.
LLEWELLYN we know that if we read in the script that Lister arrives in fiji, and we’re thinking, “fantastic, where are we filming that?” it’ll be clapton. in february. with very bright lights.
BEN DAWSON DO YOU FEEL THAT RED DWARF HAS A NATURAL END POINT, OR COULD IT GO DOWN THE GRUMPY OLD MEN