Red Dwarf: Melt Down [1991]

Country of Origin: UK
Date(s) of Broadcast: 21 March 1991
Running Time: 25 mins
Format: colour
Sound:

PRODUCTION
Production Company: BBC / Grant Naylor Production
Producer: Rob Grant, Doug Naylor, Ed Bye
Associate Producer: Candida Julian-Jones
Production Manager: Julian Scott

SCRIPT
Script: Rob Grant, Doug Naylor

DIRECTION
Director: Ed Bye

PHOTOGRAPHY
Lighting Director: John Pomphrey
Camera Supervisor: Rocket
Vision Supervisor: Mike Spencer

EDITING AND POST PRODUCTION
Vision Mixer: Simon Sanders
Videotape Editor: Graham Hutchings

MUSIC
Music: Howard Goodall

SOUND
Sound Supervisor: Keith Mayes

MAKE UP AND COSTUMES
Make Up Designer: Andria Pennell
Costume Designer: Howard Burden

SPECIAL EFFECTS
Visual Effects Designer: Peter Wragg

DESIGN AND SET CONSTRUCTION
Production Designer: Mel Bibby
Properties: Peter Blackall
Prop Buyer: Don Cave
Graphic Designer: Paul D'Auria

MISCELLANEOUS
Production Team: Celia Bargh, Malread Carfah
Production Assistant: Christine Moses
Production Accountant: Joanna Birkenshaw
Stage Manager: Kerry Waddell

CASTING
Casting: Judy Davis

CAST
Craig Charles [Dave Lister]
Chris Barrie [Arnold Rimmer]
Danny John Jules [Cat]
Robert Llewellyn [Kryten]
Hatty Hayridge [Holly]
Clayton Mark [Elvis]
Kenneth Hadley [Hitler]
Martin Friend [Einstein]
Stephen Tiller [Pythagoras]
Jack Klaff [Abraham Lincoln]
Tony Hawkes [Caligula]
Micheal Barrel [Pope Gregory]
Forbes Masson [Stan Laurel]
Roger Blake [Noel Coward]
Pauline Bailey [Marilyn Monroe]

Kryten discovers a revolutionary matter transporting paddle on the science deck and the crew try it out. They arrive on Waxworld, a theme park the size of a planet that has been beset by war. The wax droids, robot recreations of famous historical figures, have been battling for years and the armies of Villain World are about to wipe out the remaining forces of Hero World. Into the breach steps Arnold J. Rimmer who prepares the surviving heroes for one last offensive - but as his army consists of pacifists, beatniks and Elvis Presley, his ambitions may be about to be thwarted.

All good things must come to an end and a remarkable string of hits was stopped in its tracks by this disappointing misfire. The idea is good, but the execution lets it down badly - only Lister and Cat's encounters with Caligula and the leaders of the Third Reich raise a laugh, but it's muted compared to the belly laughs of the rest of the season.

UK
Television Distributor: BBC
Video Distributor: BBC

CENSORSHIP HISTORY

UK
Rating: PG

1991
March
21: UK - television broadcast [on BBC2]

BOOKS

Red Dwarf Programme Guide [3rd edition]
review, synopsis

OTHER SOURCES

screen
credits

KEYWORDS

spaceships; cryogenics; cats; holograms; computers; theme parks; elvis presley; nazis; romans; einstein; laurel and hardy