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Have you got your Dimension Jump tickets yet?

10 October, 2014

What plans have you got for next Spring? Do they involve spending a weekend in a hotel in Nottingham with hundreds of other Red Dwarf fans? If not, we're here with a handy reminder that tickets are still available for the next Official Red Dwarf Fan Club convention, Dimension Jump XVIII.

DJXVIII is taking place on the weekend of 1st-3rd May 2015, at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, Nottingham. It's a two-day, two-night (Friday evening through to Sunday afternoon) extravaganza of Q&A sessions, autographs and photographs, video screenings, games, quizzes, discos, karaoke, memorabilia auctions, costume competitions - and above all else, a chance to enjoy the company of like-minded fans and make new friends in a relaxed atmosphere. With a late bar.

At present, confirmed guests include Chris Barrie, Danny John-Jules, Robert Llewellyn and Hattie Hayridge - but if past form is anything to go by, expect that number to significantly increase between now and the event. Dimension Jump, as an official fan club event, is a far more open and intimate affair than many of the usual types of all-purpose celebrity/sci-fi convention, and there are multiple opportunities to meet and chat with your heroes, rather than just waiting to catch five seconds with them at the end of a lengthy autograph queue.

To whet your appetite, here's a look back at some of the DJs of recent years...

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Dimension Jump XV, in 2009, was the first event of the "new" DJ era, with the event moving to a new venue and onto a new biennial schedule to allow for significant retooling, revamping - and regaining of breath! - between conventions. The first convention to take place after the broadcast of new Red Dwarf material in almost a decade, it was a near-unprecedented success, with several hundred fans packing into the Birmingham hotel. All four main cast members Craig, Chris, Danny and Robert - along with Hattie and Chloë Annett - were in attendance for the first time in recent memory, and perhaps the most memorable moment was when Craig spontaneously donned the eerily accurate jacket of a cosplayer - transforming before everyone's eyes into a walking, talking Dave Lister in the flesh.

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The 2011 event, Dimension Jump XVI, was a slightly less intense affair - but the reduced number of fans who again filled out the hotel might have argued that it was an even more enjoyable experience. As well as seeing the debut of the popular "coffee morning" sessions - an optional extra that allows a group of fans to have an informal sit-down chat with several of the star guests at a time - DJXVI saw Doug Naylor making his return to the convention stage for the first time since 1997, bringing with him the first official press release announcement of Red Dwarf X's commission.

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Which brings us to 2013, and Dimension Jump XVII - with the post-RDX event somehow attracting even more visitors than the 2009 one. This was among the biggest that the convention had ever been, and certainly the largest since the famed 1998 event in Liverpool. Attendees were rewarded once again with a full complement of the main four cast members, as well as an array of special Series X guests, and Tony Hawks making his convention debut. DJXVII also saw arguably one of the strongest fields in recent memory in the ever-fabled costume competition, so good that an astonishingly accurate Kryten outfit (one that even startled Robert Llewellyn) only came in second place. It was such a good event that we've needed the two-year gap just to recover from it...

If you want to be a part of this kind of thing in 2015, then head on over to the Dimension Jump website and book your tickets - they're £65 for fan club members, rising to £80 for non-members, and your pass entitles you to full entry to the main hall, merchandise room and autograph sessions - with photograph sessions and the "coffee mornings" available at an additional cost. And don't forget to book yourself a hotel room, as well - there's a special rate for convention attendees, details of which can also be found on the website. And we'll bring you more news on the guest lineup between now and next May, as we get it...

To find out more about DJ past and present, check out the Fan Club section!

While Grant Naylor Productions fully supports the Dimension Jump convention, please note that it is not a GNP event and is organised and run by the official Fan Club.

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