You Couldn't Make It Up

The Dwarfers still have a look all of their own.

20 March, 2009

Back in 1987, Craig Charles suggested that Lister might have dreadlocks. Apparently concerned that he might not stick out when his colleagues were floating heads, fanged felines and clearly-marked holograms, it was a canny move to give Davey-boy a distinctive silhouette of his own.

In 2009 the actor might be regretting his suggestion. As our snapshot gallery shows, Andrea Finch and her team are back in the old routine for this all-new series... and Craig is still having dreadlocks sewn into his hair.

Across the room, Chris Barrie's delightfully simple 'H' is the work of moments, elegantly positioned and then fixed for the day. Though it has, apparently, been pretty tough to find the traditional material for the H after all this time... and even tougher to work out if it's on upside-down.

Danny John-Jules - clean-shaven for the first time since he last shot Red Dwarf in 1999 and now complaining of a chilly face - has a wig laid over his own stylish hair and pops in the teeth. His face shows infuriatingly little sign of aging, causing the actor to cite a new mantra: Black don't crack.

And Robert Llewellyn... well, poor Bobby. Another Red Dwarf, another rubber head. A fresh mask is used every day, and the team have got its application down to a record-beating 90 minutes - but it's still nobody's ideal way to spend a day on set. (You can see the start of the mask-making process here, while our picture actually shows the latex being removed at the end of the day.)

This is what the boys go through each day when making this show for you. Yes you. The least you can do in return is tune in to Dave on April 10th and watch the smegging thing.

There are more pictures from Back to Earth available from joindave.co.uk.