News Roundup II
All the stories you may have missed from the last few weeks.
29 January, 2021
Keeping up with all the Red Dwarf news can be a little overwhelming, and if our review of everything that happened in 2020 is anything to go by, you can be forgiven for missing a thing or two. But fear not, because this week we thought we'd do our best to bring you up to speed and round-up some of the items you might have missed over the last few weeks.
Danny John-Jules
First up, it was revealed on Twitter that production has just wrapped on Sound Asleep, an upcoming short comedy film starring our very own Danny John-Jules.
With Danny's film credits including roles in Blade II, Little Shop of Horrors and Labyrinth, we were naturally intrigued by where this latest project might lead us. To find out, we caught up with the film's writer, producer and director, Nadaav Soudry:
It's a quirky, unusual film in that it has only one actor, and no dialogue. It's a silent film all about sound. Danny plays a washed-up self-help writer who can't help himself. He's an insomniac and a control freak, and over the course of one night, he must do battle with all the noises that keep him awake. Tonight, one way or another, he will rest in peace.
Danny was a joy to work with and a true professional. He brought so much more to the role than I could have imagined, from his big physical movements, to his amazing expressive eyes. He really threw himself into the character in every single take, with huge passion, from the first shot to the last one.
The film is almost finished, and you can follow Nadaav on Twitter and Facebook to hear about any upcoming screenings and festival appearances later in the year.
Chris Barrie
Next up, Chris Barrie has recorded an audiobook for Stephen Llewellyn's epic sci-fi novel, Dinosaur. Speaking to reddwarf.co.uk, Chris described the book as follows:
It is lots of spaceship stuff, loads of dinos you don't want to mess with, a range of interesting characters, a great story and some 'Bond style' villains you also... don't want to mess with. Perfect lockdown listening really!
If you're of a certain vintage and grew up listening to the Laughing Stock audiobooks, chances are that to this day you can't read Infinity Welcomes Careful Drivers or Better Than Life without hearing Chris's voice in your head, so this is excellent news. As an accomplished impressionist and public speaker, Chris is an ideal narrator for any work of fiction, let alone one as exciting as this sounds. Dinosaur, read by Chris Barrie, is published by Fossil Rock and available on CD or download now.
In yet more Chris news, this month also marks 30 years since the broadcast of the first episode of The Brittas Empire, and last night Chris joined the cast for an online reunion featuring Harriet Thorpe, Tim Marriot, Russell Porter, Jill Greenacre, Mike Burns, Andrée Bernard, Julia St. John and John Carrigan. The show was organised by EM-Con and featured scene readings, cast reminiscences and a live Q&A. EM-Con have been very generous with sharing their show recordings on their social media channels over the last few months, so if you missed this we'd recommend keeping an eye on their Facebook and Twitter pages, and crossing your fingers that this trend continues.
Viewing Figures
The penultimate piece of news won't come as much of a surprise to many of you, but it's none the less impressive to see it all confirmed. UKTV have announced their audience data for the year and it's good news for Red Dwarf, with both The Promised Land and The First Three Million Years making it into their top five most watched programmes of 2020, with The Promised Land pulling in the largest audience on Dave for the last seven years.
Thanks to you, our network share grew in 2020. Here are some of UKTV's successes from the last 12 months...https://t.co/c2QwyshRVMpic.twitter.com/mPqKD3ykjH
— Official UKTV (@UKTV) January 13, 2021
This is obviously fantastic news, and we want to say a big thank you to each and every one of you who watched. You really are the best fanbase in the world. If you feel like bolstering those figures even more, you can of course still watch The First Three Million Years and The Promised Land on UKTV Play, with the latter also available to buy on Blu-ray and DVD.
More Holly Hop Guests
And lastly, with the Official Red Dwarf Fan Club's Holly Hop event taking place next week, we are delighted to let you know that the team have revealed two more guests, with Captain Hollister actor Mac McDonald and Series XII and The Promised Land's graphic designer Matt Clark joining the line-up.
Mac and Matt will of course join Chris Barrie, Robert Llewellyn, Hattie Hayridge, Norman Lovett and Mark Dexter for the online extravaganza, and with tickets at just £9, well, what are you waiting for? You can get yours here.
Come back next time for more Red Dwarf news and updates from the cast and crew.
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