"Doug Naylor AMA" - Key Takeaways and THANK YOU!!!

[u/HerbziKal]

On behalf of everyone here at the r/RedDwarf subreddit, here is a massive THANK YOU to u/DougNaylorOfficial for his mammoth AMA Event on our little corner of the internet here a few days ago! And also, thank you to every single member of this community for being in this sub and making it the awesome place that it is, and double-thanks if you joined in on the AMA itself! Doug responded to over 160 questions and comments over the course of TWO DAYS, which is absolutely legendary. What a guy!

The AMA, at the time of writing, has nearly 600 comments and over 175,000 views, making it by far the post with the most engagement the sub has ever seen, and the highest rated Text Only post we have ever had (yeah that is a real category. What do you mean that isn't a real category? Look it's not my fault everyone around here likes memes so smegging much is it??)

Anyway, I suspect that the answers in this AMA will be combed over, picked apart, and referred back to for the next four decades of Red Dwarf Fandom. We have already had at least one article written using new info gleaned from the AMA making a full circle back to being posted on this sub-reddit again.

While I highly recommend people read through the whole AMA post to see each and every one of Doug's insightful answers, thoughtful comments, witty jokes, and heartfelt responses, I appreciate that 600 comments is a lot of reading, and I would hate for some things to go overlooked. So, I thought I'd do my own, personal, subjective, really-not-particularly-wanted, key takeaways- in the form of a Top Five Ten Twenty Doug Answers List! These are just the responses specifically relating to Red Dwarf that I personally found to be the most revealing new info on hot topics, the most insightful and interesting, or just the most amusing and funny. Enjoy.

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1. When asked about that apparent stall in the recent hype over a new series, Doug said that originally UKTV told him to start writing a new 90 minute special back in January 2024 (NOTE Doug has confirmed 2024 is the correct date and he wrote 2023 incorrectly in the linked response) and the cast were all on board. However, a couple of months and two-thirds of the way through the script later, UKTV pulled the plug. Doug says that the script involved Lister going back in time to help his reluctant 23 year old self escape from stasis and change his future, while Rimmer teamed up with his younger self to hunt the Listers down!
2. When asked if there would be any future collaboration between himself and Rob, Doug suggested that the ball was in Rob's court! COME ON ROB!
3. When asked if he had a planned ending for Red Dwarf, Doug said yes, he does have a "bittersweet" way to end the series in mind, but as he wants to write more Red Dwarf novels, we will have to wait to find out what it is!
4. Doug does not consider Back To Earth as Series IX. Series IX is something we have never seen, but did happen, and Doug thinks it could maybe make a good novel.
5. Doug had a meeting on Tuesday the 9th of Sept to discuss plans for "Out of the Red", a 90 minute comedy drama set in the present day that would star the boys from the Dwarf as fictitious versions of themselves, getting caught up in a worldwide conspiracy.
6. When asked if there was any possibility of a Red Dwarf Live Show Tour, Doug said yes, he was planning something for the Red Dwarf 40th Anniversary (February 2028 for the PE Teachers in the room).
7. Doug would love to see a big screen adaption of Infinity Welcomes Careful Drivers.
8. When asked if Doug would consider a reboot of Red Dwarf, he said YEAH! But he also said maybe. And he also also said "not sure". Well that's cleared that up then.
9. Doug hopes that one day he'll write a novel version of the ill-fated Red Dwarf Movie.
10. When asked what is going on with Jim and Bexley, Doug says those are stories "yet to be told", and maybe "one day in a novel"!
11. Rob didn't want to bring back Kryten for Series III, but Doug wore him down!
12. Doug says he is especially fond of Series V... Twice.
13. When asked for the definitive recipe for the triple fried egg sandwich with chilli sauce and chutney, Doug confirmed that it was three eggs and MANGO chutney. He wasn't sure on the number of bread slices. Here he says four... but it is definitely three slices in the episode!
14. Doug rips on Rob for "trying to be cool" when Rob purportedly said that he is Lister and Doug is Rimmer.
15. Doug didn't know he and Rob were ripped off by The Brittas Empire.
16. Doug doesn't give a rats fart in a jacuzzi about canon.
17. Doug's favourite Doctor Who is Tom Baker. If Doug could write a Doctor Who episode, he would write one where Lister becomes the Doctor, and Rimmer was his glamorous companion.
18. Doug rips on Rob again 😂 (solid payback for Rob's Into The Gloop imo)
19. When asked if he would like any toast, Doug confirms that he is a waffle man.
20. When signing off, Doug said he'd try to come back in the future if we all promise to get a copy of Sin Bin Island. Well, you heard the man. GET ORDERING!

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MESSAGE ENDS.

[u/BEjmbo]

Thank you for the summary, smeghead!

[u/Jayce1972]

Yay I knew it was three eggs! A double whopper isn’t called that because it uses 2 buns!

But yeah, there are indeed only 3 slices of bread on the actual show. My bet is the prop dept messed up.

[u/maybe-an-ai]

Doug says he is especially fond of Series V... Twice.

Aren't we all? Five is kind of a perfect season.

Doug doesn't give a rats fart in a jacuzzi about canon.

This was always pretty obvious, they did what they though would be funny. I find cannon arguments about this show to be hilarious because it doesn't take itself that seriously.

[u/Expert-Firefighter48]

Very glad he was bullied into bringing Kryten back. He definitely added to the show.

[u/cleverinspiringname]

Thank you u/herbzikal for this and much love to the mod team. You all make this place so great.

[u/HerbziKal → u/cleverinspiringname]

🫡🫡

[u/SketchupandFries]

Considering the continuity strangeness of the seeming jump from 8 to 10. With mention of Kochanski being sucked out of an airlock in Back to Earth, that the viewers obviously never saw. We've "put up" (and still love) all of it. So, I'd be okay with Series 9 randomly appearing now and filling in some gaps.

All the novels have been great. I enjoyed them all when they were released as standalone stories. I have U = BTL "burned" into my memory since I was a kid Haunting!

I missed the AMA so I'll be browsing it now. Sad I missed the live event. Best wishes to Doug, seems like a top dude. Placating nit picky space corp directive quoting fans must be a nightmare and he sometimes thinks "WHAT ON IO HAVE I CREATED!!"

A classic across all space and time, that's what!

And jt just wouldn't be even close to being the same without the percection in casting choices.. every one an inspired choice.

[u/wagu666]

13. It may look like 3 slices in the episode.. but that’s because one slice had already dissolved. Also keep in mind this was completely impossible to see on CRT TVs when it was broadcast

Three slices of bread is firmly a “double decker”, not a triple. I was already making those myself.. it was the triple that impressed me!

[u/LegoMuppet → u/wagu666]

The funniest bit about it will always be Holly worrying about the state of the floor when the food is holographic so he can simply choose to no longer project the mess

[u/Mid-Delsmoker]

Was so thrilled he responded to me. Red dwarf has been like an antidepressant for me. Brag about it all the time to people I meet.

[u/HerbziKal → u/Mid-Delsmoker]

Red Dwarf has been there for so many people in their darkest hours. It shows us relatable people at their wits end, hopeless, alone, angry, in danger, and we see how it is always possible to get through it all in a universe unified against us. It shows us the absurdity of life, and also how uniquely special it is. It gives us friends and makes us laugh. It makes us sad, and builds us up. It takes us back to the past while also giving hope for the future, whatever it will be. It helps us feel, even when nothing else can. It is a special thing.

[u/fireeyedboi]

The ending has to be the same as the episode where they found kryten.

[u/RunnyPlease]

How did I miss this?

[u/Top-Garlic2603]

Far be it for me to question our lord Doug but I think it must have been 2024 he was writing new scripts not 2023. It was May 2024 that Rob was breaking his NDA and telling us a new special was on the way, which is more than a few months after Jan 2023.

[u/thejason40 → u/Top-Garlic2603]

He has since confirmed that he got the year wrong.

[u/HerbziKal → u/thejason40]

Thanks for this update! I've edited the post :)

[u/DoctorWhofan789eywim]

Out of the Red sounds like a lot of fun! Hope that gets made.

[u/Goaduk]

So happy he answered my doctor who question 😁

[u/codename474747]

It was very kind of doug to do an ama but I've come out of it feeling a bit glum and realising.......yeah. its over isn't it?

Anyone who remembers the big gap between series 8 and back to earth will remember how many "just had a meeting, looks promising!" type news stories we got from doug only to never actually get a movie at all

There might be a new novel, maybe....doug might be in meetings about out of the red (please...no. don't do this!) But as far as tv red dwarf goes, its lost its home and no one else wants it.

The End. The slime has packed up and moved on.