Red Dwarf Series 3

Details:

Red Dwarf III is possibly the most significant series in the show's history, with the writers taking full control of the show and revolutionising its look. "We were producers on Series III," recalls co-creator Doug Naylor. "[Director] Ed Bye had tried to get [set designer] Mel Bibby on Series I and he wasn't free, but he was for Series III, so Mel came on board and [costume designer] Howard [Burden] came in too. So the look of the show improved immeasurably very quickly - not that that's everything."

Maybe not, but the series also won the Royal Television Society Award for its special effects. Lest the scripts be forgotten, however, it also won the British Science Fiction award for Best Dramatic Presentation that same year.

Red Dwarf III features returning stars Chris Barrie, Craig Charles and Danny John-Jules, and introduces two newcomers - Hattie Hayridge takes over the role of Holly from Norman Lovett, and Robert Llewellyn tugs on the rubber head to play the mechanoid Kryten.

All six half-hour episodes of Red Dwarf III appear in their 1989 original, non-remastered form, but have been specially cleaned up for the release. This ambitious two-disc DVD set released by BBC Worldwide, in collaboration with Grant Naylor Productions, will also be accompanied by over three hours of bonus material designed to satisfy the demand of die-hard fans as well as newcomers.

All five main cast, each one a popular comedy performer or entertainer in their own right, have been gathered together for a hilarious full-length commentary. A total of eleven cast and crew members also contributed to the in-depth, 80-minute documentary All Change.

"Over 180 minutes of goodies, not counting commentaries, galleries or moving menus," says BBC Worldwide senior DVD producer Ross McGinley. "Take that Hollywood!" The menus are animated CGI recreations of the famous sets and are just another reason why Red Dwarf has become such a high-quality DVD product.

Review:

Red Dwarf III Episode Guide

Backwards
The Red Dwarf crew return to Earth to find Time is running backwards. Brilliant trick photography and ingenious stunts feature in this now-classic episode.

Marooned
The crew is forced to abandon ship. Lister finds himself marooned on an arctic moon with Rimmer, and only a pot noodle and a tin of dog food stand between him and starvation.

Polymorph
A chameleonic genetic mutant which salivates unspeakable slobber gets loose, and the nightmare begins. The crew are subjected to a twenty-four hour comedy blood-feast.

Bodyswap
When Lister orders a chocolate bar from one of the snack dispensers, he accidentally triggers off the ship's self-destruct sequence. There is only one way to diffuse the bomb, but it involves Lister lending his body to a female officer. This gets Rimmer thinking...

Timeslides
When Kryten discovers some mutated developing fluid which prints photographs the crew can walk into, the crew find they are able to change their pasts, blithely ignoring the consequences of causality.

The Last Day
Kryten discovers his built-in expiry date is almost up. The crew are determined to give the mechanoid the best night of his life. For the first time, he experiences true pleasure and wants to delay his ascent into Silicon Heaven. Then his replacement shows up...

Special Features:

• Cast Commentary: Featuring Chris Barrie, Craig Charles, Danny John-Jules, Robert Llewellyn and Hattie Hayridge.
• All Change: A brand new, episode-by-episode documentary charting in-depth the making of Red Dwarf III.
• Deleted Scenes: Over 20 minutes of cut footage from Series III.
• Smeg Ups: A compilation of outtakes and fluffs.
• Hattie's DJ Diary: Hattie Hayridge's personal journey through the weirdness of 2003's Red Dwarf Fan Club Weekend.
• Building a Better Universe: A tribute to the late Mel Bibby, Red Dwarf's genius production designer.
• "Food" Featurette: Killer kebabs and curry monsters - it's a wonder Lister ever dares to open the fridge.
• Backwards - Forwards: The entire episode played in reverse - complete with chapter points for those key sdrawkcab moments.
• Trailers: Two trailers for the show, now only archived by dedicated fans on VHS and retrieved for this DVD.
• Special Effects Footage: A compilation of raw effects footage.
• Isolated Music Cues: Instant access to the various elements of Red Dwarf III's music score.
• Talking Book Chapters: Selected sections of the books, read by Chris Barrie, which delve even deeper into ideas from the series.
• Photo Gallery: A mighty collection of rarely-seen production, effects and behind-the-scenes images.
• Weblink: Link to the official website - updating every week with news, interviews and articles.
• Subtitles: English subtitles for the six episodes, as well as all the extras.
• Easter Eggs: Several bonus extras are hidden within the DVD menus

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