Covered Again

Bunkroom Beige - by Andrew Ellard

19 December, 2003

After some final tweaks and more internet fakes than is entirely healthy, the fourth Red Dwarf DVD cover is now finished. Based on the template established with Series I - created by GNP, with all the hard work done by the BBC's own team - the new background art was revealed on reddwarf.co.uk at the end of August. And here's the final version.

Concerns over how clear the regular foil logo would be on a cream-coloured background were put to rest when testing showed it up clearly - meaning that the options to add red colouring or white outer glow have been shelved. It is worth noting a different icon change, however - from the New Year, the 'BBC DVD' logo (front cover, top-right) will be the standard for all their releases.

With Red Dwarf, Blue Midget and Starbug all used as backgrounds, the bunkroom makes a fittingly iconic image for this season - it's where Kryten first learned to lie, Cat began to thaw 'Barbra Bellini', and Rimmer told his Risk stories for a very long time indeed. The back cover text reads:

Ace Rimmer arrives from an alternate dimension, Kryten falls in love and Lister's curry tries to kill him in six more slices of classic Red Dwarf chaos.

Future cover backgrounds are yet to be fully decided, though concepts are already in place. Series V is likely to take its cue from the SSS Esperanto's hull, a turquoise, underwater-looking cover reflecting the most popular episode of Red Dwarf ever. But that's a story for next year...

As with Series III, the new DVDs will have on-body disc artwork to match the main slip cover, Lister will once again be painting away on the back cover, and the spine logo will line up on the shelf. Bear in mind that - as before - the precise colouring of the cover, in all its elements, will differ slightly from how your browser displays the images here. The only way to get the full impact is to see the real thing - which will be out in UK shops on February 16th.

You can pre-order the DVD from the Red Dwarf Shop.