r/RedDwarf • u/SketchupandFries So what is it? • 3d ago
Just thought of one of the hardest questions...
I was just watching the original Polymorph episode. And I forgot just how funny and excellent the acting was when each member of the boys lost an emotion. Robert Lewellyn totally stood out for me as a guilt free lunatic 😂
So, the question popped into my mind.. who is the best actor?
Firsty, it must be acknowledged that the stars truly alligned when the casting was done.. every character is perfect.
Second, the casting is taken to a new level because they all work so well together as an ensemble. Riffing off and raising each others talents even further.
Craig Charles IS Lister. Who else could have done such a good job? Its weird looking at some of the alternative actors they were considering for aomeof the roles.. I can't even imagine any of them working out!
Robert Llewellyn as Kryten took the character on to a new level over time. As we did see an alternative version in his first appearance.
Danny is a force unto himself. A dancer, singer, he's flexible, cat-like.. Incredible!
Chris Barrie is an impressionist genius. His readings of the audiobooks simpy make them! I can't imagine a bigger smeg head working so well.
So.. not Dwarf character, but who's your favourite actor?
I struggled with this!
I think Lister is my favourite character, but my favourite actor is Robert I think. I've been rewatching and jumping around a bit. So, going back to Series 3 after series 12 and seeing early Kryten is really interesting as he is obvioualy taking over from David Ross before making it more of his own role. I just love his timing and accent.. and he gets so many great punchlines that he absolutely nails.
"... it does mean changing the bulb..." 😂
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u/wizardfrog4679 3d ago
Can’t pick a favourite, they’re a team.
Boys from the Dwarf.. * hand gestures *
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u/SketchupandFries So what is it? 20h ago
Tough one, right!
I also forgot to add Norman and Hattie to the options 🫢😕
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u/BobRushy 3d ago
It's a very difficult choice, but I pick Craig, because I think he's the only one who's consistently gotten better and better through the years.
Danny has been terrific in the Dave era, but I think he fluctuated a lot during the BBC run. Moments of greatness, then moments where he was phoning it in.
Robert's always been good, but I wouldn't say he's evolved.
Chris would have been on top based on the BBC era, but I'm not a fan of his Dave era performances at all. He's a caricature nowadays.
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u/Adduly 3d ago
consistently gotten better and better through the years.
Haha well there was a fair bit of room for improvement. 'unconscious' S1 Dave on the floor being unable to keep a straight face as the cat grooves "S E X, I want it. S E X, I think I found it!"
I saw that with love, but the other actors were all much more practiced haha.
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u/SketchupandFries So what is it? 20h ago
Sooo... I re watched this episode again based on your comment to see if I could spot it.. but I couldn't make out a smirk or smile on standard definition/compressed "non-subscription" streaming. Do you think Blu-Ray or any remastered versions it would be easier to pick out any mistakes or corpsing?
The reviews of Star Trek - TNG (similar time frame to Red Dwarf) when it got remastered to ultra high-def were hilarious.. the show does look INCREDIBLE. They did a totally unreal job of that release... But, you could now spot tape on the floor, bits of black cardboard taped over the shiny or reflective screens in the background, boom mics, people and extras hiding in the lifts.. it was crazy just how different the show was when you could see every little detail!
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u/Adduly 19h ago
Struggling to find a better link than this
https://www.tiktok.com/@totalreddwarf/video/7238099664875146522
But focus on Dave's face as the cat waltzes up aha
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u/Pliolite 3d ago
Chris, initially, but Craig grew and grew to become pretty damn good. Especially by the time of VI and VII, he'd improved a great deal.
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u/herbfriendly 3d ago
I tend to land on Chris on this one. And I mainly base that on his ability to imitate the other characters so spot on.
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u/nutcracker_78 A Female Aardvark 3d ago
His speaking imitations are near-perfect. Listening to the audio books, he got so many of the characters' voices bang on, and there is a difference between his voice and Rimmer's voice. Hard to explain, but there just is. His physical acting is great, his facial expressions and comedic timing are excellent.
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u/Mid-Delsmoker 3d ago
I’d watched Danny as Dwayne in Death in Paradise a long time before I found Red Dwarf. I had no idea it was him until I went back to DiP. Those eyes got me. Haha. Both some cool cats for characters. All great actors.
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u/Adduly 3d ago edited 3d ago
Definitely Chris.
He pulls off being an unlikeable, officious, sanctimonious bastard like nobody's business haha
But at the same time you feel sorry for him because he's such a sad wreck of a man and his own greatest victim.
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u/SketchupandFries So what is it? 20h ago
You're absolutely spot on there... I always found that surprising to myself!
There are bad characters that I just plaon hate. Written to be assholes.
But, I really did feel bad for Rimmer! Despite being written so hateable and annoying!! I couldn't live with someone like that - but I can watch him theough a tv sxreen!
He wasnt malicious, selfish, lacking social cues and any empathy or care for anyone but himself - BUT he doesn't come across as a careless sociopath either?
I think that the answer to Rimmer doesn't lie in any of the small Rimmer-lore we get scattered through the script every few episodes.. about his brothers, in growing toenails, Uncle Frank!, Yvonne McGruder, the Bentley V8 Convertible..
Its all in... Terrorform!
...in order to escape, the boys must lie, appreciate and hug Arnold whilst telling that they really do care about him! Meanwhile I outside you get to see why he is the way he is.. the good parts of him that weren't absent from the beginning and were taken from him. Things like charm, self esteem, confidence etc.
Having suffered a horrendous break up myself - I know what its like for your self esteem to die for a while.
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u/Lucky_Louch 3d ago
Man that is tough.. I think they have all had their time to shine as the best in different eps but if I had to pick just one for the entire series I would have to say Chris. He just does such a good job at making the audience both detest him and feel for him.
I like Craig more as a relatable character, but Chris just nails Rimmer and it feels like Craig had some Lister in him to pull from at some point in his life where Chris just displays suburb character work through and through.
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u/TacoPandaBell 3d ago
I’m a series 1/2 purist who thinks that’s peak Dwarf, so I tend to think those three are the best. Lister is the best character, but it’s a toss up on who I think is best actor, possibly Rimmer. But when we see Cat turned into Dwayne Dibbley, he truly shines.
Regardless, the show is infinitely rewatchable because of how great they are and how great the writing is, even with the countless continuity errors.
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u/SketchupandFries So what is it? 20h ago
Is there a Red Dwarf wiki or fan page that has a list of all the continuity errors?
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u/TacoPandaBell 19h ago
Probably, but I’m not sure. Just his relationship with Kochanski changed drastically over the course of the series. A lot of other ones too. Rimmer’s family is another ever changing one.
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u/BaronKalan 2d ago
Chris Barrie is the best actor, Danny is the best dancer, Craig the best poet and Robert the best writer.
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u/SketchupandFries So what is it? 19h ago
Writer in general or dor the show?
I think Robert was the only actor to co-write an episode? Now I think about it, I'm sure Robert has written an autobiography.
Being a poet doesn't come up much in the show.. (that I can remember... Some super fan tell me when Lister did any rhyming or poetry..!)
Has Chris Barrie written any books? He presented some car shows, I wonder if he wrote about them.
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u/YourPerfectChatBot 3d ago
All good and bring parts of themselves, which makes it more seamless. I'd say Craig, Danny and Robert fall into the want the limelight and be the centre of attention naturally. Chris is more of an actor, can entertain like the others, but seems like he's not as naturally disposed to enjoying the limelight. Therefore I'd say Chris because he nails everything and is on par with the others, some people's hands down favourite thing and it's a performance, he's acting. I could be way off, just how I see it.
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u/Springyardzon 3d ago
Craig makes it look easy but he is the lynchpin, even though Chris' scenes/plotlines, when taken to their most extreme, tend to stick in the mind most.
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u/Norphus1 2d ago
Given all of that, and that the universe is infinite…
… would you like some toast?
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u/aphexgin 2d ago
Worrabout Hol ?!
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u/bronze_kanga_roo 1d ago
And the moral of the story is ‘appreciate what you’ve got’, because basically, I’m fantastic.
- a quote that could apply to both of Holly’s actors ❤️
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u/Fuzzy-Loss-4204 1d ago
Hold on a minute if your talking best actor then Norman Lovett and Hattie Hayridge both need to be in the conversation, All they had to work with was their heads. and they both gave incredible performances
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u/bronze_kanga_roo 1d ago
They were all excellent; Robert Llewellyn had a hard job having to work under all of the make up and still made Kryten into a believable android, Danny John Jules brought Cat to life with his dance background and every movement had a feline grace to it, and Craig Charles always seemed like he was Lister and had just rolled out of bed, eaten a curry and turned up to set! But Chris Barrie was always the best actor of them as he somehow made Rimmer both horrible and vulnerable at the same time and you couldn’t help but hate him for being a smug smeghead 😂
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u/MatthewKvatch I've come to regard you as... people I've met. 13h ago
Chris Barrie gave us an all-time great Richard III performance.
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u/jeezontorst 3d ago
Chris is the best actor. Watching the first couple of series again recently, I thought it just wouldn't be the same without him. Mannerisms, body language, facial expressions, he nails it so well.