#11

That was the holy grail of red dwarf merch

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#13

might re-read those first two novels, remember them being genuinely good and wonder if I was mistaken

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#14

I used to look at them in the Virgin megastore and wonder who on earth bought them.

#15

Smeghead!!!

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#16

Smee…hee…

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#17

When I was a kid I got an abcess behind my eye, and had to spend about a week in hospital. One of the only things I had to entertain me was a whole bunch of audiobooks on tape, two of which were Red Dwarf books for some reason. When I got out I devoured the others I could find.

What I remember most clearly about them was that there was a really sharp difference in tone depending on whether Naylor or Grant was the main author - Grant was the more knockabout smeghead foul-mouthed metaphor guy, Naylor obviously wanted to go for a more serious sci-fi angle. Think the best one was Better Than Life - managed to marry the incredibly bleak setting with the working class humour successfully, which was also the show at its peak.

#18

My da taped them all off the telly except for the polymorph episode because my ma thought it would be too scary for me to watch. Backfired when I used to watch short circuit cos my dad had taped alien before it. Good double bill to be honest.

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#19

The two they collaborated on the first two then fell out and both continued the story for their own versions of the third, think I started to lose interest around them but went to a signing of the last human at WHSmith. I genuinely think those first two would be quite respected cult books if it wasn’t for the to show

#20

I heard the latest season was pretty good I remembered thinking the comeback season was okay but never felt the urge to return
I really disliked season 7, 8 had it’s moments and Back To Earth was ridicuously awful.

#21

Yeah, I’m in this boat. Don’t understand people who think seasons 10 to 12 have been awful. They’re not tight up there with the classic seasons, but they’re still very good at times.

#22

Better than 7 and 8 imho 10 was. I’ve heard 11 and 12 were better than 10. Hell might watch them and use the 30th birthday as an excuse

#23

I think I may be the only person alive who really liked series 8. I used to think it was a common opinion but everybody I’ve met since, including big fans and casuals, just has a complete hatred of it.

I agree on series 7 though, the lowest point of the whole thing for me.

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#24

I didn’t dislike 8. I liked that they changed the formula bit it wasn’t very memorable outside of the setting.

#25

Huge fan. For me the first season is absolutely miles better than any other (and any other sitcom for that matter). After that they got progressively worse, except 6 was better than 4 or 5. Everything after 6 is just rubbish.

Bumped into Craig Charles in The Winchester in Highgate about 10 years ago. Remember drinking shots with him at the bar and singing Dirty Ol Town, and him making a bit of a dodgy reference to Richard Gere when my ex told him her childhood hamster was called Lister.

#26

What’s the one where they went to Coronation Street? Turgid.

#27

I used to do the accounts for Doug Naylor back in 2002. Never met him though. That’s about all i’ve got for this thread.

#28

I read the omnibus to death too, was drawn into reading through these and the Hitchhiker / Dirk Gently books. Hadn’t seen Its a Wonderful Life at that point (would have been about 12) so Craig Charles is now strangely associated in my mind with Jimmy Stewart.

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#29

Reckon Dave Lister is one of the all-time great TV slobs along with Homer Simpson and Onslow off Keeping Up Appearances.

#30

Back To Earth

and yes that was dreadful, easily the low point.

#31

Ray Grice off latter years Crossroads would also qualify. A master creation.