Idea: Red Dwarf - Back To Earth

So the DVD release of the new Red Dwarf series has turned out to be almost as much of a disappointment as the show itself.

It contains 2 different cuts: the TV version and a “Director’s Cut”.

The DC has the advantage of DD5.1 (the TV cut is DD2.0 only), a longer ending credit crawl and a new tacked on “The End” being typed on a typewriter.

Unfortunately, for some reason they thought that cutting some gags here and there and general tightening of scenes would improve things.

I probably liked this more than most (based on comments I’ve read), and to be fair they would have needed to cut half the show if they wanted to remove gags that didn’t work.

So basically your choices are watching an abridged edition in DD5.1, or watch a longer version with all the opening and closing credits and 2.0 sound.

I don’t think a fan edit removing additional content would solve the biggest problems (no Rob Grant, no laugh track, no Holly the computer and in your face CG work).  Still I wouldn’t mind seeing an ubercut as a single film.

I guess I’m just curious if anyone is taking this on or not.  It’d be pretty hard to sync the 5.1 track to the TV cut (lots of small one or two second trims here and there).  I just would like to see a single movie-like cut that has ALL the content… maybe even adding a deleted scene from the second disc.

Just a thought.

I haven't seen all the extras yet.  The first is the same as the one that aired with the show, there is a new second one and then some Smeg Ups (or is it Outs), and deleted content.  The whole second disc is extras.

The Lister sneeze-ironing is only trimmed in that before he starts talking about tomatoes he tosses it in the air only once (instead of twice), and one line of Rimmer's rant afterwards about him planning it is trimmed.

The cuts are subtle and seem pointless.  When Cat goes on about being caught by the giant testicle he original complaint about his clothes and hair being ruined.  In the new cut only his clothes.

I could understand cutting some of the mugging of the camera or really useless jokes, but that's not really how it came out (in my opinion).

Since most people seem to agree it was needed, I don't know why they didn't dub in a laugh track.  Mind you I don't usually like having them tell me when to laugh, it's just that the show feels really sterile and quiet (the CG making that worse).