We know every man and his dog are doing it, but we feel like we’ve actually got something to offer. For example, ori-Studfarm and Jake Bullet (2 forum members and avid Facebook users actually went to a live recording of Red Dwarf X)

Please feel free to join the group, and we’ll get our butts in gear and record the 5 episodes we’ve been promising you since we ‘took a short break’ in April 2011

The group URL is http://www.facebook.com/groups/scuttercast/, see you there

Doug has been teasing for a while now of his “big announcement” which he has been saving for this very moment.

Just as his promised, he  tweeted the announcement just before going on stage, for all of us unable to make it to the convention this year.

The tweet simply reads “GNP have signed a contract with Dave for Red Dwarf X Now in contact with 4 principals. No probs anticipated”

If you want to follow Doug on twitter for further updates, his twitter account is http://twitter.com/DougRDNaylor

The original post can be found here

So, the thing is, the whole point was that I was told not to say anything. Doug told me, face to face, ‘don’t tweet this bobby. Not yet.’

So I didn’t. I was really good. I said nothing.

Then I spend a day in my voice over cell and know nothing of the interview Craig had done on the radio, which was, it appears, picked up by the Daily Mail, which, as you know is my fave all time newspaper. Ahem.

http://bit.ly/hFd11E

So then I get back to my trusty lappy and there’s a great slew of tweets telling me that Craig has once again spilt the beans. You’ve got to love him, he knows how to spin the scoop.

I’ve just spoken to Craig, he was as usual gloriously funny about it. He said, and I quote.

‘I did a radio interview and it just sort of slipped out.’

So yes, we are making a new series, commissioned by Dave, not a special or a movie or a one of dooberry. A full 6 half hour episodes of a brand new series.

The previous Red Dwarf Back to Earth Dave specials were incredibly successful. For a Channel like Dave to get viewing figures which beat BBC 2 and Channel 4 combined was an unprecedented achievement which has never happened before or since.

The plan at the moment, and this could change, the plan is that we record the new series in front of an audience.

Now, this is a complicated issue. The last time we recorded a show in front of an audience was in 1998. Anyone remember 1998?

No YouTube, no Facebook, no Twitter, no broadband, no HD video cameras in mobile phones. Okay, a few people had e-mail. I had a crude web page already, but it really was basic.

So when the audience came in the producers would ask them politely not to reveal any spoilers ‘on the world wide web’ as we referred to it then. I’m sure some people did, but so few people would have seen anything it really didn’t matter.

The fear among the producers now is that it’s impossible to imagine an audience of around 400 people at the recording of a TV show like Red Dwarf, where nobody does a bit of a hint on Twitter, or sneaks a picture on Facebook or posts a bit of badly shot video on YouTube.

It’s just too tempting, it’s too easy.

As far as the cast are concerned,we don’t give a stuff one way of the other, but the producers are very worried and I can see why. The gap between recording a show and it’s eventual broadcast is quite long, especially on Red Dwarf. It’s a show which uses a lot of post production time. Special effects, tweaking shots, CGI, even, dare I hope for it, model shots, all take time.

By the time the shows are released on Dave in 2012, half the potential bloody viewers could know an enormous amount about it.

So, here’s what I want to know, because the cast and Doug Naylor all really want to record the show in front of an audience, it makes it much better, we perform to a higher standard, we all come from a live performing background. We raise our game.

If we do record in front of an audience, what clever piece of social media manipulation can we create which will minimize the spoiler spread, What, or how, can we threaten/cajole/convince members of the audience to keep quiet for a few months until the shows are aired.

And just for the record, the laughter track on Red Dwarf was never ‘canned’ as so many people assume. Only on series 7 did we play the tapes to an audience after we shot the shows and recorded the laughter. Every other show was shot in front of an audience and it was great.

We start shooting this in November this year, that is all I know, I haven’t seen scripts, I don’t know anything about plot, I don’t know who else will be in it other than Craig, Chris, Danny and myself. I don’t know how you get tickets yet if there is going to be an audience, I just want to once again repeat Craig’s quote to me.

‘I did a radio interview and it just sort of slipped out.’

To hear for yourself, goto the BBC iPlayer, forward to 1hour and 21minutes

The transcript is below

“…the Smegheads are a thing from… em…, it’s from the Red Dwarf days, isn’t it? Which I can now announce – we’re going to be doing two more series of it. Starting in January next year.”

[Production guy, muffled since he clearly doesn’t have a mic, asks something like “Is that like a proper exclusive?”]

“That is an exclusive mate! What d’y’think?”

[Production guy: “That’s pretty impressive.”]

“Gone a bit nervous.”

[Pg: “Were you meant… are you allowed to say that?]

“Emmm… no. But I got the call today and it said ‘Craig, can you do it in January?’ I said ‘Yeah, I’ll sort it out.’ So I will be able to do it in January and… emm… I’m a bit nervous though – I don’t know if I’ll be able to fit into leather trousers anymore.”

After much deliberation the Fan Club team has decided that Dimension Jump XVI will be postponed until April 8^th, 9^th and 10^th 2011. Unfortunately the number of registrations we have received up until this point is too low for us to be able to go ahead with this year’s event. Any registrations made so far will be valid for the new date. However, we appreciate that the new date may not be suitable for everyone, so if you wish to cancel your registration you may do so for a full refund until Saturday 31^st July 2010. Please email red___dwarf@hotmail.co.uk to request your refund. Any cancellation requests received between the 1^stAugust 2010- 28^th February 2011 will be entitled to the standard 50% refund. If you cancel a current registration now and decide to repurchase later you will be liable to pay the current registration rate. The venue will be the same but any hotel bookings will need to be amended. Please call the hotel directly on: +44 (0)121 6346202 or +44 (0)121 6346223. They are aware of the postponement and will help you to change your booking if you wish to do so. The Holiday Inn, Birmingham have advised us of a forthcoming price change, so rooms for April 2011 will be £70 for a single and £84 for a twin/double, both prices include breakfast.  Please note: If you wish to cancel completely you still need to contact the hotel to cancel your room booking. Thank you for your patience – we’re just as disappointed as you that we’re unable to hold a convention this year, but we hope to see you all in April for the best DJ yet!

Best wishes

The Fan Club team

Following a tweet from @TORDFC, you can now book your tickets for next years Dimension Jump.

The location Birmingham City Centre Holiday Inn.

The dates 23rd, 24th and 25th of July 2010

Prices as follows

Registrations until 31st October 2009:
Members £45, Non Members £50

Registrations until 31st March 2010:
Members £55, Non Members £60

Registrations between 1st April to the event:
Members £60, Non Members £65

For more info and booking, please check the official site at the link below.

http://dimensionjump.info/dimension-jump-xvi/registration

The photos are in the forum in this thread.

I posted them in the forum, so you can add your own if you like.

Regards

Darren

Although it wasn’t confirmed by Andrew Ellard when he announced more Red Dwarf, he did however make a point of saying that the new series  referred to in “Back to Earth”, where in fact fictional (an hallucination), and shouldn’t stop them from creating an actual series 9.

The burning question of who’s in it ?

Again, nothing was confirming, however based on the reactions from the team, Danny, Craig, Chris and Robert were more that aware of the new series, however Chloe seemed genuinely surprised by the news in this this mornings Q & A session, which would suggest that she’s not as yet been approached.

Will they be a holly, and if so which one ?

Andrew did ask if we’d like to see Holly back, and if so which one. Based on the show of hands, Hatty seems to be the favourite for the role

Will there be a laughter track ?

Again, this was something asked to the audience to show their hands to, I believe all but 1 person suggested they bring back the laughter track. Craig, when asked in this mornings Q&A, said he prefers to perform infront of an audience, however understands that you can’t really have an audience stood around a green screen. He hopes that they can somehow do both.

Where will this new series be in the Red Dwarf timeline ?

Andrew suggested this would pick up straight after Back to Earth, so essentially 10 years after series 8

When will they be aired?

The planned air dates are towards the end of 2010, so over a year to wait to see more Red Dwarf on our TV’s

Any other information ?

The only things that spring to mind at the moment, the words that Andrew used were “Dave TV have commissioned 6 scripts for Red Dwarf”, meaning that officially there will be more Dwarf, but who’s in it, etc, etc is all up in the air. Andrew also hinted that they have commissioned “at least 1 series..”, suggesting there maybe more to follow.

That’s all the news we have for the time being, however keep an eye on the forum, and we’ll update you as soon as there is any more news.