Red Dwarf: Back to Earth Review

[ThePaudybyrne]

Maybe it would ve been better if Craig Charles had still been on crack

[pamalutracamchannel]

i imagine it is to maintain interest....if you resolve something then their is no story to tell....if you have questions then you crave answers!

[ZionKraze]

There was some kind of explanation why Holly left. He said bye in a clip before it started... Yeah...

[DaibloDBZ]

Yo DCE, They just confirmed a new series of Red Dwarf for 2010 :D

[RandomDCE]

So, would this be series 9.

Or series 11, going on from Back to Earth's logic?

[DaibloDBZ]

Actually the New Series is Series 10, set before Back to Earth, No idea why they've skipped 9, as according to Back to Earth, that was the so-called "Best Series Ever"

[AlabastyrGlyttr]

They said the reasons for a lack of 9 would become clear later on.

[CharlieTeague]

@RandomDCE

This is chronologically series 11 but is actually series 9, next year they will be making series 10 which might be set before BTE and series 11 will come out later on and will be set after BTE.

[TheJoshage]

@RandomDCE dont u mean series 10?

[mikesgirl8304]

It was the smeggiest smegging peice of smeg I've ever seen!

[russell19831983]

what would be good is if a new film was just like the novels infinity welcomes careful drivers and better than life, it would explain why lister joined up with red dwarf and the reason he went into status, there is so much more to the red dwarf series than is shown

[badhead]

Do you really like series 7

[Willt41]

I think the reason there are no answers is because which ever of the writers are still here said that he hated the 8th series so much he wanted a fresh sheet to work off without half of the mini series being him sorting out the mess he left back in 99 .

Also he said if he was to continue Red dwarf it would be series 10 not 9 so i guess he must really hate what he did with 8

[Shifterred]

I was also disappointed. I'm grateful to the actors and the writers for doing SOMETHING. And it was pretty funny.

It just...didnt' really tie up anything at all. And that's sad.

[PurpleFunnyChocolate]

FINALLY someone else who fins corination street shit!

great review - it makes mine just shit and long.

[vorpalspaz]

the writing is much sharper than old? what!!! Red dwarf lost it when Rob Grant left. I thought it was shit, as was series 7 and 8. The directing was feeble and the acting over the top. Put the show out of its misery. Naylor is ruining its once great legacy.

[RandomDCE]

I did mean the gags rather than the plot.

[vorpalspaz]

I think it's all bad. After series 6 ended the quality of the comedy got much broader. Compare the dialogue of series 1-5 with the latter stuff- big difference. (And the books: the first two were brilliant. Backwards was great but slightly inferior and last human was pretty good if the worst of the bunch). Good e.g: the viagra and basketball joke in series 7- just farcical and cheap. That wouldn't have happened in the early days. Don't get me wrong Red Dwarf 1-6 best show ever been on the T.V.

[MonaLodgeProductions]

but it isn't the end!

[mellowNdark]

Really poor story telling? You saw the total lack of explanation between series 2 and 3 right? For god's sake!!!

[superhedgehog137]

i wonder how rimmer died

[c0nzo12]

watch only the good

[bobo577]

I loved this special. Even though it doesn't say HOW the microbe was combated and HOW the crew Lister and the others got back from the mirror universe but at least we know they survive (Except for Rimmer due to his hologramtic statis and Kochanski being apprently flushed out of an airlock by Kryten). Still it did say in an earlier that Lister would die at the age 181. All in all, the special was funny to watch

[PercyandDuckfan94]

I like this review,even though I don't watch the show.Can you do a Doctor Who review about the 4 specials once they're over?

[RandomDCE]

Sorry, not really a fan of Doctor Who.

[Omegahazard]

im going to assume that you will also not going to do something on torchwood anytime soon right? just curious

[silentbob36]

The reason they didn't explain anything is so that if it was well recieved they'd make new seasons, which is why they hinted at kochanski (or however its spelt) dying in season 10.

I loved kryten's response to rimmer killing the russian hologram lady.

[E123Ultima]

Red Dwarf/Coronation Street crossover? WTF!? I hate that show! If they wanted to cross Red Dwarf with something, why not with Doctor Who?

[c0nzo12]

they only crossed it over with coronation street because craig charles is in it.

still, they could have done robot wars

[Enshidia]

I also wanted some closure from this. Thanks for reminding me It was on. I just watched it. I think it was a very good special to be honest, a special. It had a heap of references to the show, it even made fun of itself with the whole "I hate 3 parters" (Back in the Red anyone?) Yet, we still don't know why there's no Holly, why the ship is still there and why Rimmer's dead. Still, it was a bizarre, hilarious special which fans I think will find hilarious, with all the references.

[Hookman1000]

I also have to say I believe that Doug Naylor is smart enough to tell when the Red Dwarf Crew is past it and if that ever happens then he will stop.

In the words of the Immortal Arnie J:

"Better dead than smeg!"

[Hookman1000]

I liked it. It was a different style of comedy but I still thought it was funny as hell. The first episode wasnt that good but it got way better. The 'real life' aspect was done well. I especially loved how they did something just because the blurb of their own DVD said they would. I also liked the part where Rimmer hates the creator because of all the inflatable sex doll jokes.

[tensago]

i think the Hologram Woman Was a hallucination

[AbsolutelyCrackers]

I like back to earth it was good

[EscapeFromPenzance]

red dwarf is shite now. series 6 was the death of the characters not these episodes. i can't believe this review says it is as sharp as ever!

[RandomDCE]

I do admit the one liners and the jabs at Rimmer were really funny. It's the overal plot I hated.

[tensago]

your shit

[FindTheComputerRoom]

I agree, Back to Earth was extremly poor in terms of tieing up lose ends, and I hated the "real life" aspect.

However, I actually found the 3 parter painfully unfunny, apart from Rimmer "killing" the hologram in part 2. If future shows would be this quality, I'd rather it finish here to be honest.

[RandomDCE]

Same, I was hoping for answers too.

I kinda got the same reaction when I found out Megaman 9 wouldn't tie up the loose ends and go straight into the Megaman X storyline.

[FindTheComputerRoom]

Their joke of "Season 9", I felt was so lazy. While it's true Red Dwarf never really took it's continuity seriosuly (Lister/Krissy.......Krtyen, the Hollys etc) for Doug Naylor to just joke that we've missed an entire season and thats why we don't know anything was extremly annoying.

Why was Rimmer a Hologram?!?!? At season 8, he was a human, and while it's true the ending ended with him meeting Death, he runs away....

Rob Grant NEEDS to come back, Dwarf was never the same after season 6.

[vorpalspaz]

Regarding Red Dwarf: agree completely Rob Grant was obviously in charge of quality control. series 1-6 best show ever. After that it went straight downhill

[ProphetTenebrae]

I think it was really the fact Grant and Naylor were a writing team. When you lost one, the show got thrown off kilter and they went "Oh, we've got special effects now, who cares about a well written funny story."

Of course, I felt that Back To Earth was pretty much a car crash that made even the mess of 7 and 8 look good by a comparison.

Jokes were thin on the ground, the story was stupid... I'm hard pressed to think of anything good to say about it.

[vorpalspaz]

it was pretty feeble stuff wasn't it?

[ProphetTenebrae]

I honestly thought that it was possibly one of the most hack scripts I've ever seen produced. Hell, I've read fanfic that is award winning by comparison.

If you want to do 4th wall humour, you need to do it WELL - or you're just fucking everything up for the sake of a few cheap jokes.

You'd really have thought that with ALL the time they had, they'd put together a better story. Season 8 didn't give them a GREAT point to jump from but I find it hard to identify this with the real Red Dwarf.

[E123Ultima]

Aren't NES Megaman and X Megaman two completely different universes?

[GamerWho]

Holly is offline because of Lister's bath incident. Kochanski is dead because this episode is set 9 years later.

[GamerWho]

Also, Friends is smeg. :-P

[VengaboysRbackINtown]

Red Dwarf has always glossed over its cliffhangers, it's part of the show. The joke here was that we were supposed to have missed two series where these changes took place. I thought that was funny personally. Series 7 and 8 were bad anyway in my view, better to just quickly forget about them.

[Primus1101]

dce, will you be reviewing revenge of the fallen when it comes out?

[AaronTheGamingGeek]

so what

[TSadler666]

ahhh! FFS! the reason why red dwarf is back, the full crew is gone, holly is offline would definatly be explained in the possible coming 2 series (9 & 10). If ALL was explained, whats the point in having series 9 and 10?

[8lackRo5e]

I think you're supposed to read the books before this...

But it still doesn't explain how the Dwarf is fixed.

[apocalypseprime2000]

please for the love of god, bring back the old starscream blogs. i miss them so ...

[purplehaze007]

stop bitching i thought it was ok

[Aracmia]

Thats your opinion, the first episode was ok, its the second one I have issues with and the storyline of them not being real.

[Aracmia]

I was rather disappointed with the story, the first episode was ok (shame there was no laugh track, I think it could have benefited from one), the second episode was awful, and then to find out it was all to do with a dispair squid seemed a bit of a cop out, they have already done that with Back To Realty, which was a million times better than this storyline.

[sanjuro4]

Agree with you about Episode 2: absolutely dreadful.

I was pissed off because I was pleasantly surprised by episode 1. The third part was okay, fairly nice conclusion.

[TSadler666]

how? not argueing with you, but just: how? "Back To Realty, which was a million times better than this storyline."

[BygPhattyPlus]

I used to love watching this show, after that last one in '99, I didn't see any more. It was like the show had vanished around here. Never even HEARD that there was a new special. Now I'm gonna have to looks for it!

[guy55997]

great review man, i saw this a few days ago and i liked it alot. the special does leave one with many questions about where the series ends and all. but when they ended up in on the street of corri i was well surprised and was laughin at the same time

[mackamanny]

it didnt explain anything because they are making a series 9 and 10...

[HayamoProductions]

After listening to this I looked red dwarf on netflix and they have it available to watch instantly, as well as the original Office so I plan on trying to watch both of those.

[spawnisawsome]

I havnt seen any red darwf episodes at all...

[theguycalledchris]

Up up up the ziggerul, lickety split! *spinny hand salute*

[lowvoice]

If you actually thought they were going to solve the cliffhanger then your a bit niave.

You thought they were going to cure the virus, then kill off kochanski, then kill rimmer off and make him into a hologram then find a way back to earth in three episodes? C'mon. Anyone who saw the production photos knows thats not going to happen. And yes there may be another series which will continue from the cliffhanger if these episodes go down well

[cybersaur]

did you notice the dog from future echoes, and the video 'die screaming with sharp things in you're head' from demons&angels?

[Typhoon6666]

I found it enjoyable. Fingers crossed for a new season

[Drakodan]

pifras, he still is in Coronation Street.

And Back to Earth was piss poor. I barely endured the first episode.

[Omeganui]

Well Red Dwarf always had a continuity problem. Remember Series 4?

[VengaboysRbackINtown]

I remember series 4 and have no idea what you're referencing. :-/

[ecto123]

Love the reference to Sonic SatAM

[butchdeadlift10]

this is the most optimistic you have ever been

[giddeo]

Friends didn't end on a good note, it dragged out for three series too many and ended just about as predictably as you could imagine.

As for tying up loose ends, I flat LOVE the fact they left it ambiguous and implied they had done another two series in which all this crazy stuff had happened.

It let them set the scene the way they wanted.

It accounted for why they had aged by a decade and it let them do a complete off shoot from the series. Be fair! Loved it, thought it was awesome

[pifras]

the actor who played lister had a very short role in coronation street a few years ago

[VengaboysRbackINtown]

Erm...He's still in it as a main character.

[pifras]

i don't watch crap, so i wouldn't know.

[VengaboysRbackINtown]

12 million viewers can't be wrong.

[pifras]

yes, they can.

Mass belief does not equal correct.

So many people believe that the melting point of ice is 0 degrees it isn't its 0.04.

[VengaboysRbackINtown]

Ena Sharples must be turning in her grave.

[Ninjou346]

yeah it was great, I hope they come back.

[BigAlzo]

i hope they end it with a movie

[trainchugger53]

ALPHABETTI SPAGHETTI!

[heavybassX]

This was a 9/10 from me as this was one of the red dwarfs in nearly 10 years... I say the last good episode was the conclusion of series 6.

All the gags, references, 4th wall breaking is so typical of Red Dwarf and it resolves a few storylines AND it'll hint hopefully to seasons 9 and 10.

Sides Kochanski was kept secret throughout the whole show, the russian scientist chick was a distraction and possibly a side effect from the Joy Squid.

[tnpan]

That "It's fine because we say so" thing reminds me of the ending of Titanic the Animated Movie. NO movie about the titanic should end in "Happily ever after."

Never heard of this. I'll check this out.

[BRAWLMASTERXD]

It referenced Coronation Street?

I just got back from watching that...well I was ACUALLY playing Sonic Advance 3 but that was on in the background

[Dzillaa]

Yay for Red Dwarf

[ShirgoAshida]

I liked it but I couldn't get over there not being any laughter from an audience.

[buzzjunked]

yeah theres alot unanswered but i mean look at dwarf 2 into 3 wtf happened there kryton lost his gay chip and holly had a sex change and the ship but who cares is a comedy spoof and never came across as being consistant anyway , i enoyed the extended episode its silly too see it as 3 episodes its just 1 episode i hope its done its job and leads to a new series would be better on bbc though hate ads plus whats the point paying tv licence else

[silenceofthehills]

I watch that show alot, mostly because we only had the 3 channels. Today not much of the better shows come on this channel at night on the channel.

Oh, and remember that american version they where going to come out with. It featured the original guy who played Kryton, but not much of it was as edgy.

[FrobmanAKATillman]

I too loved the special myself. It got better as it progressed.

And I think the non-explaination of plot points would be how they roll, so to speak. If that makes sense. Just teasing us.

[pmbyer]

Yeah I can see where you are coming from

[pmbyer]

I would have to agree with your opinion, I would of enjoyed an explination (ala series 7's 1st episode) of how they got to that point. Even just a quick "hey this is whats been going on" but apart from that I thought it was completly spot on and would love to see a new series (or just further specials)

[supervillan]

The reverse Dispair squid :) XD. I want a new season :'( or a movie too !.

Kryten: Space corps directive 34124 - No officer with false teeth shall attempt oral sex while in zero gravity.

[mummra4ever]

Yeah it was really disappointing that they didn't really explain anything. But you thought it was as good as the old series and was much sharper? I honestly don't know how you can see that because this special was really devoid of the wit, charm and timing of the classic red dwarf series. But if you liked it then fine I'll respect that I just didn't think it was what red dwarf should be.

[MartinusPrime]

I loved it.  Sadly I heard that one of the reasons Holly wasn't there is cause Norman Lovett is no longer on good terms with everyone else who works on RD, though I'm not 100% sure on that (and let's be honest, it'd be kinda silly to recast Hattie Hayridge in terms of continuity).

I quite liked the references to the non existant series 9 and 10, kinda like how Space Quest 4 took place in non-existant sequels with it's funny time travel story.

[heavybassX]

We might get the series 9 and 10 if people buy the DVD

[MartinusPrime]

Hhell Yeah =D

[UltimateUKFFFan]

Meh, I thought it was only okay. Like I said, without the canned laughter something feels missing. Though, I suppose it does kind of work better without it, and it means they can do more with the camera work. You're right about the continuity though, I felt extreamly disappointed with the lack of explination. It was funny sure, but personally I don't think it was as funny as it could have been, but maybe I was expecting too much, I donno I'll watch it again (thank you Sky+).

Good review :)

[joesreviews]

i enjoyed it but one of the things i missed was the crowd laughs lol

[BLUEFLARETHEBAND]

wait, wasnt it just the one episode on friday, or was there more?

[pmbyer]

It was on friday,saturday & sunday with a behind the scenes on sunday.

[heavybassX]

AND the smeg ups from 1-7

[VendavalEste]

I didn't like the first ep too much, and I was constantly hoping that Lister would be dreaming or under some hallucination and that they weren't in the real world, but I like what they did with it. It was very funny and very satisfying, and leaves a good message that they don't want to milk the show but people are always going to enjoy it. I would love to see more though, just a final conclusion, especially for series 8.

[pilli10]

they are left wide open to a sequal

[heavybassX]

Which they might do as Season 9

[smartboy201]

I should check this out... it piqued my curiosity since heavybassx mentioned it in the past... Hmm...

[heavybassX]

If you like Red Dwarf this is a good special

[Mynameisfartypants]

Red dwarf wasnt realy a very funny showe to me.

[Deckof51]

I thought the dialogue was dull.

Though that was because there was no canned laughter - I'm getting lazy in terms of comedy viewing.

[heavybassX]

The special worked without the canned laughter... sides Lister had emotion

[CaptainOlimar231]

I remember watching Red Dwarf years ago, I haven't seen it in years.

[Omegahazard]

hmmm i might check this out, sounds interesting and yes i would like to see Satam return with all the same actors, of course not all will return for several reasons but a series 3 and i will just go mad with joy

[GalacticPenguin]

The characters for the pic is perfect.

I was expecting a massively epic conclusion. But it was still great, just not quite what I was hoping for.

[RandomDCE]

Same with me. I felt "They go into the real world..you shittin me?"

[GalacticPenguin]

We've already seen that in the League of Gentlemen movie

[heavybassX]

Ahhh now there is a rumor of a possible season 9 Ive heard well at least it is good enough for me.

[lillylivers]

Why am I not getting into this show? :P

[heavybassX]

Because YOU never saw an awesome show like this :D

[linkvspit]

I do realy like back to earth, found it very unfunny apart for rimer and cat.

[Dragonatrix]

Don't know if you have already heard, but a while ago (sometime last month) I read that a Red Dwarf IX is already being made.

[ryrythedwarf]

Good review DCE. :D

[Mangaka1990]

I would like to see another series or movie of Red Dwarf, I loved Red Dwarf since I was a kid :D

[Hewylewis]

Nice review.

[boomstick545]

NOBODY LOVES YOU EITHER

[GalacticPenguin]

CRY SOME MORE!!!! AHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!

[smartboy201]

GalacticHeavy? Damn... Well you DO have a shotgun... Heh...

[CaptainOlimar231]

You fail.