Jason Weisberger is Boing Boing's publisher. He often does what he ought, instead of what he should. On instagram and twitter he is @jlw

  • http://www.facebook.com/daen.de.leon Daen de Leon

    “I’d completely forgotten ‘Red Dwarf’”?  That’s like saying “I’d completely forgotten to breathe/metabolize/pump blood”.

    • Comrade7

       I agree… this show was so influential in my formative years.

      I’d never forget you, old friend.

      • http://www.facebook.com/daen.de.leon Daen de Leon

        When it was first broadcast on the Beeb way back in ’88, I’d sit in my crappy mobile home with a six pack of cheapo Kestrel lager and a takeaway curry, and pretend I was Dave Lister.  Those were the days.

    • http://plagmada.org Tim H

      When you cut me do I not bleed Red Dwarf?

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_OAUXAA362EXWLYVMPJOKLFB5JQ Incipient Madness

    Favorite Cat lines from the first few seasons:

    “ATTENTION ALL LADY CATS!”

    “This is mine. These are mine. Don’t want that.”

    Best episode was when Lister found out Cat religion was loosely based on facts from his own life.

    • eldritch

      “Fish.”
      “Today’s fish is trout a la creme. Enjoy your meal.”
      “Fish.”
      “Today’s fish is trout a la creme. Enjoy your meal.”
      “Fish.”
      “Today’s fish is trout a la creme. Enjoy your meal.”
      “Fish.”
      “Today’s fish is trout a la creme. Enjoy your meal.”
      *beat*
      “Fish.”
      “Today’s fish is trout a la creme. Enjoy your meal.”
      “Fish.”
      “Today’s fish is trout a la creme. Enjoy your meal.”
      “I will!”

      • Paul Renault

         I used to say this to my cats when I fed them their little treats.

    • http://plagmada.org Tim H

      The “This is mine” thing made me laugh aloud.

    • Felton / Moderator

      “If you weren’t my friend, I’d steal your shoes.”

    • http://devojane.blogspot.com devophill

      “Too slow, Chicken Marengo!” I say this all the time.

      • DevinC

        I found my way to Red Dwarf through this sketch.  I was channel surfing and there was this guy in a tuxedo doing weird and strange things to his food.  I had no idea what was going on, only that his manic energy was mesmerizing.  I figured that if he had the talent to command my attention without context using only a plate of chicken and spuds, the show deserved further attention.

  • PhosPhorious

    My cat looks at me like he’s waiting for me to evolve.

    • http://plagmada.org Tim H

       Would you describe it as a “come hither” look?  Resist, it’s probably illegal in your state.

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1515015318 Missy Pants

    Oh, it’s cold outside there’s no sign of atmosphere I’m all alone more or less
    Let me fly far away from here, fun fun fun, in the sun sun sun.

    I want to lay shipwrecked and comatose drinking fresh mango juice.
    Goldfishes nibbling at my toes, fun fun fun, in the sun sun sun.

    • NateXT

       Goldfish shoals !

  • Jeffrey Bell

    Fans of Danny John-Joules may be interested in searching out the show “Death in Paradise”.  Our local PBS station has started showing it recently.

    He plays a police officer in the Caribbean.

    • http://plagmada.org Tim H

       I want to see a show about Dwayne Dibbley.

    • http://nelc.livejournal.com/ NelC

      OMG! I watched all the way through the first series, and I’m three shows into the second and I did not realise where I knew the old cop from. How did he get so old? …How did I get so old?

      • Daneel

        He was also one of the vampire leaders in Blade 2, if you remember that. 

        • http://nelc.livejournal.com/ NelC

          Never watched it. I’ll make a mental note to catch it next time it shows up on TV.

  • http://twitter.com/TheRedMonk01 Red Monk

    Don’t forget his music video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a3t3IKlXqFU

    • http://www.youtube.com/user/PipLagenta Pip_R_Lagenta

      Yes, the original “Tongue Tied” song!  I always think of this tune whenever I hear the “Grouplove” version on the radio.

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Rad-Hall/1202960742 Rad Hall

    I thought Tongue-Tied was the Cat’s coup but his version of things in the Better Than Life book was the bee’s knees.

  • carlogesualdodivenosa

    Even now, when I’m trying to grab something just out of reach, I find myself humming

    “I’m gonna getchoo little fishie… I’m gonna getchoo little fishie…”

  • Jon

    So I’m guessing then that you may not know that it is back on the air.  The 10th Series just ended in November.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Red_Dwarf_episodes#Red_Dwarf_X_.282012.29

    • Ambiguity

       But it is good?

      I really liked the first few seasons, but it seemed like the more money they had/higher the production values, the less good the show was. Early on they had to rely on the writing to make it good. Seems like later on they got lazy…

  • http://plagmada.org Tim H

    I’m working my way through the series on Netflix right now, having never watched them consistently as a kid.  I’ve never seen the 1997+ material, and am a little shocked at how different the show feels.  I think it’s the first time that I ever missed having a laugh track.  In the Red Dwarf show I think a laugh track is necessary because they cut it to leave time for a laugh track, it feels wonky without.

    Please no spoilers though, 1997+ is virgin territory for me.  So to speak. 

    • Tomgliv

      Tim, there was no laugh track on Red Dwarf it was filmed in front of a live audience (the BBC allows you to book free tickets for recordings and the studio was 30 miles from my home, but I never managed to score one).  The later series had higher production values and contained more CGI, so they recorded it without an audience.  The last series was commissioned by another company, so it’s not a BBC production anymore.

  • Preston Sturges

    I liked the scene where he transported into a shower stall with some guy, looked down and said “Better work on your personality.” 

  • http://twitter.com/incarnedine_v Dan Hibiki
  • BillStewart2012

    You know how many cats are polydactyl, with various numbers of extra toes?  That’s because they’re working on opposable thumbs, and once they succeed we’ll be in big, big trouble…

    • alissa mower clough

      I had a polydactyl that used its “extra paw” as a thumb. No lie. It was a cute clam-shell like move.
      He also had a thing about goose liver.

  • itsgene

    I am so happy to discover that the new continuation of the series is just as good as the original – better, in fact, because they dialed it back to the middle years of the original before it got too avant garde and bizarre.

    • http://twitter.com/incarnedine_v Dan Hibiki

      So many good things in the new series. Like Lister acting as his own father and The call waiting gag… so few series can come back and manage to pick up where they left off.

      Also Cat has not aged a bit. it’s eery.

    • Daneel

      Indeed. Felt a bit like series 3 or 4 to me. Of course, they’ll never top Series 2, especially Queeg.

      The moral of the story? Appreciate what you’ve got, because basically, I’m fantastic.

      • jerwin

        We are talking jape of the decade. We are talking April, lMay June July and August Fool.

  • pjcamp

    Best scene: sashaying down the corridor in a gold suit with a bottle of perfume in each hand, spraying everything and saying “this is mine, and this is mine, and this is mine . . .”

  • Senor Schaffer

    I read the novels before the show. I had an Omnibus that had the first two books, the radio script, a scan of the bar napkin they came up with the idea on, and other stuff.  They described Lister as more of a young Rev. Jim. I never accepted the BBC David.

    I guess I should give it another go. Either way, those books really shaped me.

  • http://borborygmist.influxofdust.com/ Wayne Dyer

    When I was but a junior developer, the managers thought it’d be good to repurpose one of the TVs for some “fun time” and show videos.  A recurring meeting was set up, a large CRT and VCR were appropriated.  The idea was nerd-friendly shows.  Red Dwarf was tried, but the managers thought it edged too close to be “HR compliant”, and I think it was Cat that the guy running the show couldn’t handle.

    I regretted this because I KNEW I’d be the only one in the office that knew the lyrics to the theme song.

  • http://twitter.com/dermotheaney dermot heaney

    how …could you forget one of the greatest comedies to come out of the UK?

  • smut clyde

    Why would cats bother to evolve? They have evolved the house-apes and nothing further is needed.

  • http://twitter.com/dexitroboper dexitroboper

    Mr Flibble says: “Game over, boys” funniest line in the show. 

  • Preston Sturges

    “IT’S A BANANA”

    http://youtu.be/oB-NnVpvQ78

  • DarthBlingBling

    He apparently got the role of the Cat after he turned up late for the audition wearing a Zoot suite. He pretty much created the character

  • http://singedrac.livejournal.com Singe

    FISH

  • Tynam

    Danny John-Jules performing “Tongue-Tied” may simultaneously be the funniest and most gratuitous musical number in the history of television.

  • http://twitter.com/jessikate Jess

    We’ve just started watching Red Dwarf with the kids, and my son’s face when he figured out The Cat’s origin was just *priceless*. The Cat’s been a favorite of mine forever – so much personality and charisma!

  • Paul Giachetti

    I’ll just drop my plug off here =) : http://hassleinbooks.com/pages/book_redDwarf.php