Demons & Angels

Last updated

"Demons & Angels"
Red Dwarf episode
Episode no.Series 5
Episode 5
Directed by Juliet May & Grant Naylor
Written by Rob Grant & Doug Naylor
Original air date19 March 1992 (1992-03-19)
Episode chronology
← Previous
"Quarantine"		Next →
"Back to Reality"
List of episodes

"Demons & Angels" is the fifth episode of science fiction sit-com Red Dwarf Series V [1] and the twenty ninth in the series run. [2] It was first broadcast on the British television channel BBC2 on 19 March 1992. [3] Written by Rob Grant and Doug Naylor, [4] the episode was the first to be filmed with new director Juliet May. [5] The episode has the regular Red Dwarf crew meeting angelic and demonic versions of themselves.

Contents

Plot

Kryten creates a device derived from the Matter Paddle called the Triplicator, hoping it will solve any future supply problems that might arise on Red Dwarf. Testing it on a strawberry, Dave Lister opts to test the two copies it makes, finding that one is divinely succulent while the other is filled with maggots. Kryten deduces that the device creates copies that appear identical but are different – one retains the best elements while the other retains the worst. When Lister opts to test the device in reversal mode, he inadvertently destroys the ship's science lab, damages Holly's voice unit and sets the ship's engine core into meltdown. As a result, he, Kryten, Arnold Rimmer and the Cat are forced to escape in a Starbug moments before Red Dwarf explodes. When they discover they are low on essential supplies including oxygen for Lister and Cat and battery power for Rimmer, the group's attempt to scan for more leads them to discovering that there are two identical copies of Red Dwarf. Kryten realises that the triplicator created them when put into reverse, destroying the original in the process.

Discovering they must rebuild the triplicator to restore the original Red Dwarf, the group are forced to find the components for it on both copies before they both cease to exist. While they discover one of these is an idyllic version of Red Dwarf, with virtuous copies of themselves that embody the best of their personalities, the second copy is a demonic version of Red Dwarf, with versions of themselves that embody the worst of their personalities. Their demonic counterparts opt to fight them in order to take control of a new ship as their own is decaying, destroying their angelic counterparts, while capturing Lister and implanting a remote control device to make him kill the others. However, Lister manages to warn the others, allowing Kryten to subdue their demonic counterparts, rebuild the triplicator, and reverse its effects on Red Dwarf. However, Lister accidentally re-implants the control device he had had removed from his body. Cat uses it to punish him for putting the group through considerable danger.

Production

"Demons & Angels", which had the working title "High & Low", [6] was the first episode from Series V to be filmed. Following the departure of Ed Bye, who had directed all the previous four series' episodes, Juliet May was brought in as the new director. [5]

Grant and Naylor commented that the script was a tricky episode to shoot. Several scenes had to be re-shot and going back to re-shoot caused no end of stress as they re-wrote and directed the episode with limited studio time. Scenes were re-written there and then and given to the cast to block out in one take. [7]

For this series the Red Dwarf model was rebuilt from the original version which had fallen apart over the years. The ship explosion was filmed using pyrotechnics and shooting the cameras at three thousand frames a second. From a few seconds of explosions the crew got around 20 seconds' worth of film footage. [8]

To achieve the High and Low versions interacting with the regular Red Dwarf crew, traditional split screen techniques were used with a locked-off camera. Doubles were employed for other scenes. Craig Charles performed bluescreen scenes to roll on the floor in front of himself; the video effects crew added a holowhip. [9]

At one point, the Doctor's TARDIS from Doctor Who can be seen parked in the Red Dwarf's landing bay. The shot was originally filmed for "Marooned", but was cut from that episode. [10]

Reception

The episode was originally broadcast on the British television channel BBC2 on 19 March 1992 in the 9:00pm evening time slot, [3] and received a mixed response from viewers. [11]

Fans have pointed to a noticeable continuity error in the episode when Lister refers to events from the series 4 episode White Hole , even though he should have no memory of them.

Related Research Articles

"Future Echoes" is the second episode of the science fiction sitcom Red Dwarf series one, and was first broadcast on the British television channel BBC2 on 22 February 1988. It was written by co-creators Rob Grant and Doug Naylor, and directed by Ed Bye.

The End (<i>Red Dwarf</i>) 1st episode of the 1st series of Red Dwarf

"The End" is the first episode of science fiction sitcom Red Dwarf, which was first broadcast on the British television channel BBC2 on 15 February 1988. The episode introduces the main characters and sets up the story backbone of the series. On the mining ship Red Dwarf, Dave Lister is placed in stasis for refusing to give up the whereabouts of his forbidden pet cat. When he emerges from stasis, three million years later, he discovers that everybody has died from a radiation leak.

"Waiting For God" is the fourth episode from science fiction sitcom Red Dwarf series one. It was first broadcast on the British television channel BBC2 on 7 March 1988. The episode's theme is religion: atheist Rimmer succumbs to a passionate belief in a superrace of aliens with the technology to give him a new body, while Lister reflects on his role as god of the Cat people.

"Kryten" is the seventh episode from science fiction sitcom Red Dwarf, the first from series two, and was first broadcast on BBC2 on 6 September 1988. Written by Rob Grant and Doug Naylor, and directed by Ed Bye, this episode introduced the mechanoid character Kryten. The episode was re-mastered, along with the rest of the first three series, in 1998.

"Parallel Universe" is the sixth episode of science fiction sitcom Red Dwarf series two, and the twelfth in the show's run. It premiered on the British television channel BBC2 on 11 October 1988. Written by Rob Grant and Doug Naylor, and directed by Ed Bye, the plot involves the Red Dwarf crew travelling to a parallel universe where they meet alternative versions of themselves. This marked the final appearance of Norman Lovett as Holly, although he would return years later at the end of Series VII and then for the whole of Series VIII. The episode was remastered, along with the rest of the first three series, in 1998.

Polymorph (<i>Red Dwarf</i>) 3rd episode of the 3rd series of Red Dwarf

"Polymorph" is the third episode of science fiction sitcom Red Dwarf Series III, and the fifteenth in the series run. It premiered on the British television channel BBC2 on 28 November 1989. It is considered by some to be the series' best. Written by Rob Grant and Doug Naylor, and directed by Ed Bye, the episode has the crew fighting a shapeshifting, emotion-stealing creature. It is the only Red Dwarf episode to feature a pre-credits warning about the content. The episode was re-mastered, along with the rest of the first three series, in 1998.

"The Last Day" is the sixth, and last, episode of science fiction sit-com Red Dwarf Series III, and the eighteenth in the series run. It premiered on the British television channel BBC2 on 19 December 1989. Written by Rob Grant and Doug Naylor, and directed by Ed Bye, the story is about Kryten's expiry date and how Lister decides to give him a last day to remember. The episode was re-mastered, along with the rest of the first three series, in 1998.

"Justice" is the third episode of science fiction sitcom Red Dwarf Series IV and the twenty-first episode in the series run. It was first broadcast on the British television channel BBC2 on 28 February 1991; although it was planned to be broadcast as the second episode, it was moved back in the schedule by the BBC. Written by Rob Grant and Doug Naylor, and directed by Ed Bye, the episode features the crew's visit to a high-tech prison where Rimmer is charged with the death of the Red Dwarf crew.

"White Hole" is the fourth episode of science fiction sitcom Red Dwarf Series IV and the twenty-second episode in the series run. It was first broadcast on the British television channel BBC2 on 7 March 1991. Written by Rob Grant and Doug Naylor, and directed by Ed Bye and Paul Jackson, the episode features the crew's attempt to escape the influence of a white hole.

"Dimension Jump" is the fifth episode of science fiction sit-com Red Dwarf Series IV and the twenty-third episode in the series run. It was first broadcast on the British television channel BBC2 on 14 March 1991, written by Rob Grant and Doug Naylor, and directed by Ed Bye. The episode, featuring the first appearance of Ace Rimmer, was intended to end the series; but Meltdown was rescheduled and broadcast last due to the Gulf War.

"Meltdown" is the sixth, and final, episode of science fiction sitcom Red Dwarf Series IV and the twenty-fourth episode in the series run. It was first broadcast on the British television channel BBC2 on 21 March 1991. Written by Rob Grant and Doug Naylor, and directed by Ed Bye, the episode, featuring Wax-Droids of famous historical figures involved in a war of good versus evil, was originally supposed to open the series but was postponed due to the Gulf War conflict.

"Holoship" is the first episode of Series V of the science fiction sitcom Red Dwarf and the twenty-fifth in the series run. It was first broadcast on the British television channel BBC2 on 20 February 1992 in the 9:00 PM evening time slot. It was written by Rob Grant and Doug Naylor, and directed by Juliet May.

"The Inquisitor" is the second episode of science fiction sitcom Red Dwarf Series V and the twenty sixth in the series run. It was first broadcast on the British television channel BBC2 on 27 February 1992. It was written by Rob Grant and Doug Naylor, and directed by Juliet May and Grant Naylor. The episode's plot deals with a time travelling simulant who visits Red Dwarf to assess if they are worthy of their existence.

"Terrorform" is the third episode of science fiction sit-com Red Dwarf Series V and the twenty seventh in the series run. It was first broadcast on the British television channel BBC2 on 5 March 1992. It was written by Rob Grant and Doug Naylor, and was directed by Juliet May. The episode's plot has the Red Dwarf crew rescuing Rimmer from a terraformed moon based on his own psyche.

Quarantine (<i>Red Dwarf</i>) 4th episode of the 5th series of Red Dwarf

"Quarantine" is the fourth episode of science fiction sitcom Red Dwarf Series V and the twenty eighth in the series run. It was first broadcast on the British television channel BBC2 on 12 March 1992. The episode, fifth to be filmed, was the first one to be solely directed by Rob Grant and Doug Naylor. The episode has Rimmer contracting a holo-virus and turning against the rest of the crew.

"Back to Reality" is the sixth and final episode of the fifth series of science fiction sitcom Red Dwarf, and the 30th in the series' run. It was first broadcast on the British television channel BBC2 on 26 March 1992, written by Rob Grant and Doug Naylor and directed by Juliet May and Grant Naylor. The plot features the crew waking up after a crash to discover that the last four years of their lives has been spent in a "Total Immersion Video Game" called Red Dwarf. This episode marks the final appearance of Hattie Hayridge as Holly. The episode often tops polls and surveys as the best episode in the entire series.

"Legion" is the second episode of science fiction sit-com Red Dwarf Series VI and the 32nd in the series run. It was first broadcast on British television on 14 October 1993, was written by Rob Grant and Doug Naylor and was directed by Andy de Emmony.

"Out of Time" is the sixth episode of science fiction sitcom Red Dwarf Series VI and the 36th in the programmes run. It was first broadcast on the British television channel BBC2 on 11 November 1993. Written by Rob Grant & Doug Naylor and directed by Andy de Emmony, it was the first Red Dwarf series finale to end on a cliffhanger. It is the final episode with contributions from Rob Grant.

"Backwards" is the first episode of science fiction sitcom Red Dwarf Series III, and the thirteenth in the series run. It premiered on the British television channel BBC2 on 14 November 1989. Written by Rob Grant and Doug Naylor, and directed by Ed Bye, the episode has the crew travel to an alternate Earth where time runs backwards.

References

  1. ↑ "British Sitcom Guide – Red Dwarf – Series 5". sitcom.co.uk. Retrieved 29 January 2008.
  2. ↑ "TV.com – Demons and Angels summary". tv.com. Retrieved 29 January 2008.
  3. 1 2 "BBC – Programme Catalogue – RED DWARF V – DEMONS AND ANGELS". BBC. Retrieved 12 December 2007.[ permanent dead link ]
  4. ↑ "Demons and Angels cast and crew". IMDb. Retrieved 29 January 2008.
  5. 1 2 Series V Preview, Red Dwarf Smegazine, issue 1, March 1992, Fleetway Editions Ltd, issn 0965-5603
  6. ↑ Howarths, Chris; Steve Lyons (1993). "Section 1: The History". Red Dwarf Programme Guide . Virgin Books. ISBN   0-86369-682-1.
  7. ↑ Grant and Naylor Look Back, Red Dwarf Smegazine, issue 11, January 1993, Fleetway Editions Ltd, issn 0965-5603
  8. ↑ Interview: Peter Wragg, Red Dwarf Smegazine, issue 8, October 1992, Fleetway Editions Ltd, issn 0965-5603
  9. ↑ "Red Dwarf Series V Effects". reddwarf.co.uk. Archived from the original on 30 October 2007. Retrieved 7 January 2008.
  10. ↑ Farnell, Chris (22 June 2015). "Doctor Who: The Brief Cameos That Are Definitely Canon". Den of Geek . Retrieved 18 June 2016.
  11. ↑ Red Dwarf Smegazine: Survey Results, issue 10, December 1992, Fleetway Editions Ltd, ISSN 0965-5603
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.