Posted by Paul Gannon aka Paul (TRD) on December 7, 2007, 13:43:09, in reply to "Research on fans of Red Dwarf, Please help me if you can!!"
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Can you explain briefly how you became a fan of the Red Dwarf series and how it continues to interest you now?
I became a fan of the show in about 1997, but had liked the show since it started. I taped every epsiide as it was aired in 1994, but was gutted when the BBC missed rimmerworld out as it messed up my tapes. I’m now a collector of Red Dwarf and own the original tapes and re-mastered tapes/DVD both UK and Japanese/UMD/Audiobooks. It continues to interest me now, becsue I love the show, the vibe of the Red Dwarf fan community. I supposed it has to continue to interest me, as I am part of The Official Red Dwarf Tan Club Team
2) What do you think makes you as a person identify with the sitcom so well?
Don’t have an answer to this question, as I don’t link myself to the show other than that I’m a fan of it.
3) Do you as a fan pride yourself on being well informed about the show?
Yes, indeed. I wouldn’t be a fan if I wasn’t.
4) Do you think that as a fan of Red Dwarf you are empowered or liberated by the show?
Definitely! I feel the show has given me fame, of infamy LOL. Being well known in the Red Dwarf community makes me feel fantastic. I feel like I have achieved something quite important, to me, in my life. Talking part in one of the Red Dwarf DVD bonus feature has given me the
5) Is there any way that you can relate the shows themes and topics to your everyday life?
I relate everything in Red Dwarf to my daily life. If I’m watching a television programme, for instance, and there is a quote from Red Dwarf used in another programme it (or words used in the same order) I say ‘they copied that from Red Dwarf. Both Neighbours (BBC) and The Bill (ITV1) have done this in 2007.
I relate things people say to Red Dwarf – and because the people aren’t fans of the show, they get a bit fed up sometimes lol
6) Do you think that knowing more about Red Dwarf influences the way that you watch Red Dwarf?
Yes. Because I have seen all episodes and extras and related programmes so much, I do find myself just talking the script along with the characters and don’t laugh as much. However if I leave it a while, say a few months, and then watch an episode here and there I find them funny again. I watch Back in the Red (Extended) as I hadn’t had chance to watch the full extended episode, and I found it funny.
7) Would you look at another fan differently if they showed a lack of knowledge of Red Dwarf?
No. Every fan, of anything, has to start somewhere. When I started to become a fan of Red Dwarf 10 years ago I started with only limited knowledge of Red Dwarf but if anybody wants to be called a ‘fan’ it’s up to them to learn more about the show.
8) Do you ever go to the conventions organised for Red Dwarf fans? If so, did it consolidate your interest of Red Dwarf? If not, did you ever attend anything other than conventions?
Yeah, Since 2001 I’ve been to a few of them, I even helped organise and run the last two of them. I’ve been to Red Dwarf Meets and cast signings too. Yes I think it helps you to understand the general love of Red dwarf by the sheer effort and enthusiasm shown by other fans.
9) Do you think that Red Dwarf is popular because of its television screening time or do you think that there is a more cult popularity associated with it?
Red Dwarf in it’s heyday was made popular by it’s television screening, yes. However I don’t think it’s a cult thing which made it popular. People call it cult, but I don’t think that we as fans should be categorised as such. Red Dwarf fans aren’t just one type of people. We aren’t just sci-fi geeks. Red Dwarf is, at the end of the day just a television programme which all types of different people love to watch.
Many fans of Red Dwarf use the internet as a way of communication and a means of relating to other fans of the show.
10) How much do you use the internet for interacting with other fans and what significance do you think that the internet has on the show today?
I use the Internet daily, to interact with ‘Red Dwarf fans’ I don’t know and with ‘Red Dwarf friends’ that I’ve made through meeting them online over the past 7 years.
The internet plays a huge significance on the show today. Almost 10 years ago when I launched this site (TOTAL RED DWARF) I didn’t see the impact my site would have on the online Red Dwarf fan community. It was once one of the most popular fan sites out there, although I don’t claim it to be the best. However, it has stood it’s ground over the years and is still popular. There are many web sites that I’ve seen come and go over the years, and there are still some very good Red Dwarf fan web sites out there in cyberspace (Ganymede & Titan, Back in the Red, White Hole, PlanetSmeg, and Sadgeezer to name a few). The official site at reddwarf.co.uk is updated each Friday with Official information and reddwarffanclub.com is a great place for fans to join the fan club and meet other fans.
11) What do you think are the best websites for you as a Red Dwarf fan?
TOTAL RED DWARF – http://www.totalreddwarf.co.uk
Red Dwarf – http://www.reddwarf.co.uk
The Official Red Dwarf Fan Club – http://www.reddwarffanclub.com
Ganymede & Titan – http://www.ganymede.tv
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