Bonus Package
Find out what's on the Red Dwarf XII home release!
17 November, 2017
You've only got a handful of days to wait until the Red Dwarf XII DVD and Blu-ray sets land in shops - in, as we told you last week, what is the fastest ever turnaround from the end of a production run to its disc release. But if you can't wait that long to find out what's going to be on the discs in addition to the six episodes themselves - well, we're here with our customary roundup of all the features to fill you in and give you a tantalising tease.
This time around, as well as another new 55-minute long "Making of" documentary, and the usual batches of deleted scenes and Smeg Ups, we've got a wide range of additional featurettes. Taking you back to the hardcore geeky days of the original series releases, these features go into a bit of extra depth on several behind-the-scenes elements of the Series XI and XII twin production block - from model shots, to lighting, to CGI... and even background signage!
THE 28-YEARS-LATER AFFAIR - THE MAKING OF RED DWARF XII
With so much of the behind-the-scenes technical stuff being covered by the featurettes, and with last year's documentary having covered the process of actually bringing the show back and getting it into production, this time around things are focused more heavily on the scripts and actors.
As such, a wide range of Series XII's guest cast are featured and interviewed - including Norman Lovett, Mac McDonald, Helen George, Ryan Gage, Richard Glover, Ian Boldsworth (Ray Peacock) and Marcus Garvey. And especially excitingly, David Ross returns to Red Dwarf documentaries once again, discussing his reprise of the role of Talkie Toaster.
Along the way, you'll learn how easy it is to become a mechanoid these days, how social media can get you a part in Red Dwarf, and the effect that a returning computer can have on the structural integrity of a studio...
DELETED SCENES
With Series XI and XII both having been so tightly packed with material, there wasn't a huge amount left on the cutting room floor - but we've gathered together some notable highlights of things that were trimmed for time, including an entire alternative ending to one of the episodes! Here's a run-down:
CURED
- The storyboard - with Chris Barrie narration - that was shown to the audience on the recording night of Starbug stuck turning left.
- The crew look for a way in to the base.
- More dialogue between Cat and Vlad the Impaler.
- Rimmer suspects Professor Telford might be evil for a completely superficial reason.
SILICONIA
- Another storyboard narration, this time by Robert Llewellyn, of the crew tracking down Lister's guitar and Starbug being captured by the SS Vespasian.
- The original ending to the episode, as Lister forces a not-fully-de-meched Rimmer and Cat to join him in a rendition of "Baby Don't Be Ovulating Tonight".
TIMEWAVE
- Additional dialogue with the crew and the Crit Cop.
- The crew are ushered into a jail cell with a pair of criticism junkies.
MECHOCRACY
- Lister frantically packs up his quarters as the crew prepare to abandon ship.
M-CORP
- Rimmer and Lister argue over which of the two of them is worse off.
SKIPPER
- An alternative introduction to The Rat.
SMEG-UPS
It's a Red Dwarf DVD, it's a Smeg Ups compilation. You know the score by now. Expect laughs, swearing and general inappropriateness aplenty.
THE SPEED OF DARK - LIGHTING RED DWARF
Everybody's favourite nerdy director of photography Ed Moore gives a tour around the Red Dwarf set, focusing not only on his own work lighting the set but also on some of the general changes and developments that have taken place to create the Series XI and XII versions of the ship.
LIGHTING RED DWARF - THEN AND NOW
Red Dwarf's original lighting designer John Pomphrey visited the set during production of Series XII - and sat down for a chat with Ed Moore about the different approaches taken to lighting the show in the 1980s/1990s and today.
A FONT TO THE SENSES
Graphic designer Matthew Clark talks through some of his work on Series XII, with particular focus on signage and typography designed to give the set a feeling of depth - along with several in-jokes that you probably won't ever spot on screen!
A NEW MODEL ARMY
Model shoot DoP Nigel Stone, The Model Unit's Mike Tucker and The Magic Camera Company's Andy Rolfe and Peter Seymour Howell discuss the techniques for shooting brand new Red Dwarf and Starbug footage for Series XI and XII - and how design elements going all the way back to Series III have informed the new material.
FLYING BY WIREFRAME
Ever wondered just how they did that bit? And that bit? Howard Jones (no relation to the keyboard player!) of AXIS VFX talks through some of the VFX techniques required to pull off some of the series' more striking visuals.
IN SPACE THEY CAN HEAR YOU SCREAM
Sound engineer Rikki Hanson talks about picking up the sounds of Red Dwarf during recording - both on the set and among the audience!
THE SANDS OF STUNTBUG
Voxeljet's Phil O'Connell goes into the detail of how the 3D-printed "Stuntbug" model is made - and destroyed!
And there we have it - over 140 minutes in total of smegging in-depth bonus material. All of this is available on both the DVD and Blu-ray - with the DVD also featuring a classic-style reversible cover. And it hits shops on Monday 20th November!
Buy the Series XII DVD and Blu-ray sets now!