A CAPTAIN BUTLER
REVIEW
BY MARIE
BIRCH
I would thoroughly
recommend the new series of Captain Butler, played by Craig Charles, as a must
to watch for every Red Dwarf Fan. Captain Butler is very loosely based on
Captain Pugwash, which I did watch in the late
1970's. Captain Pugwash, was an animated cartoon series, which I was surprised to
discover, was actually made, in the nineteen fifties. And, I had also been,
quite surprised, to discover, that Craig Charles, had never, actually seen, an
episode, of: Captain Pugwash, which he had admitted
to, in an interview, which he had conducted, via The Wolverhampton
Express and Star, at the time, during January 1997. And, I would, thoroughly
recommend Captain Pugwash to Craig, if he ever does
happen to read this, and I did think that, when I saw the animation on the
series, that it didn't look, nineteen fifties style, really, and it did seem,
rather ahead of it's time, and when I watched it in
the nineteen seventies, I had never been aware, that it had been made, in the
nineteen fifties, in a million years! The episode of Captain Pugwash, that really sticks in my mind, and which you can
now get on video, is when they all decided to decorate the ship, which caused
it to collapse, because the ever-so-know it all mate, Master Bates (I think?),
decided to chop down a pillar in Captain Pugwash's
quarters, which just happened to be the main mast of the ship! It was painted
white, and it had purple stripes on it, and I think they rather overlooked,
where the pillar led up to!
And Craig, had also stated,
in the same interview, which he had conducted, via The Wolverhampton
Express and Star, at the time, during January 1997, that he could not, get
into, the humour, of The Magic Roundabout, no matter,
how hard, he tried, which he had used, to watch, during the nineteen seventies,
at the time! Or, as Craig, had referred, to it, via the same interview, which
he had conducted, via The Wolverhampton Express and
Star, at the time, during January 1997, as: “The Magic Mushroom Roundabout!”. But that said, however, I really do feel, in all honesty,
that Craig, has definitely, not missed, all that much,
where the humour, of: The Magic Roundabout, had been
concerned, at the time, anyway, when all is said and done! And, I had used to
watch: The Magic Roundabout, myself, during the nineteen seventies, as well, at
the time! But that said, however, I could never understand, for the life of me,
just exactly, what: The Magic Roundabout, had been, all about, at the time,
anyway, when all had been said and done! But that said, however, I had
eventually gathered, that the sole purpose, of: The Magic Roundabout, had been:
French Humour, at its best, at the time, over the
years, anyhow!
To my mind, Captain Butler,
is like a cross between Captain Pugwash, Blackadder, and naturally, Treasure Island, which is one of
the best books, of all time!
Craig plays a rather
cowardly Liverpudlian (not Scouse,
he's actually from Tranmere), who is in charge of
quite a motley assorted bunch of Pirates. I was a bit disappointed when I
discovered that he was keeping his Liverpudlian
accent, and I did think at first, that he would be like Dave Lister, in a
Pirate costume. But being Liverpudlian is the only
thing he really has in common with Dave Lister, and if you look at his
character more closely, I reasoned, that most sailors hail from Liverpool,
anyway. Admittedly there is a little bit of Lister in him, one cannot deny
that, but here is also a very crafty and cunning way about him, which Lister
lacks, and cowardliness is never a thing that Lister would admit to, no matter
how scared he does get, when he gets into trouble! Not only that, Butler, also
had, Lister's Cherubicness and Seraphicness,
which I really, do love! Not only that, I prefer Butler's dress sense to Dave
Lister's! A deceitful liar, makes Butler, quite close to Long John Silver of
Treasure Island, Captain Bligh of Mutiny of The Bounty fame, Captain Hook from
Peter Pan, and he has also got the craftiness of Blackadder,
naturally Captain Pugwash himself, and not only that,
there is also a similarity to Captain Redbeard Rum
(played by Tom Baker) in Blackadder, and there may
also be a bit of Blackbeard, in him, as well.
Craig Charles, in my
opinion, is a very versatile actor, and a few years ago, he played the Porter
in Stephen Berkoff's Macbeth, which I have got on
audio cassette, and again, he kept his Liverpudlian
or Scouse accent, if you prefer, which worked well
for the part, as it was a working class-hero part, which was very ahead of it's time, and as I am a part-time Drama student myself, I
was very impressed with his Shakespeare, and I really love Shakespeare, and I
personally think that Craig should do more of it, and if he ever does appear at
Stratford, I will definitely go and see him!
I liked the first episode,
Death Is Just Another Word, when Craig had to pretend,
to be a Spaniard, so he could get on this ship, which he thought had black
slaves on it, only to discover, that it was just a Spanish Wine Merchant and
his family!
Craig also did a very good
Frenchman, designed to scare Nelson off, in the second episode, Kiss Me Harder,
and it was particuarly good, when they all had French
berets on their heads, complete with strings of onions round their necks and
don't forget the bicycles! Craig did use some French words, as well, and my
instincts tell me that he knows some French. I've taught myself some French out
of a book, and learning a language helps you relate to people who can speak
French. Perhaps I might be wrong, but his command of the language, even though
it was a send-up, seemed pretty good! It is also reminded me of Blackadder once more, the Frenchman bit, when Chris Barrie,
played 'Mr Ambassadeur' in
the Blackadder The Third episode: Nob and Nobility:
Episode III, which is very loosely based on: A Tale Of Two Cities The Scarlet
Pimpernel, and Carry On, Don't Lose Your Head.
My favourite
characters are the Bosun, played by Shaun Curry (whom
I've vaguely heard of, over the years, and I've recently found out that he was
Corporal Hawkins, in the Film: A Bridge Too Far), who is quite an old chap, and
he has a West Country kind of accent, which is rather irritating and quite
witty as well! For example: "I remember the days Cap'ain!"
Cliff the Black Pirate
(Roger Griffiths of Chef fame), who wants to rescue black slaves from Pirate
ships, to make up for all the hardships and suffering, that they have had to go
through, because he keeps on reminiscing, about his days, when he was a Slave,
which is really quite amusing.
I also like the naive young
Lord Roger Crumsby (Lewis Rae), who is like a little
Lord Fauntleroy kind of character, who thinks of himself as a swashbuckling pirate,
the moment, that he is onboard, even though they
deprive him of all his savings, just so that he can sign up! And just as a
matter of interest, I have since discovered, that Lord Roger Crumsby,
was originally cast, as Lord Roger Boothsby. I just
thought, that I would mention it, anyhow!
Adeel Kumar, the Mad Indian
Chef (played by Sanjeev Bhaskar),
supports the Cast, quite well. And therefore, it is quite, an interesting mix,
of Pirates, because, they are, as alike, as Chalk and Cheese, and you know, only
too well, that means: Hoil, Boil, and Trouble, as the
Chief Witch: Hecate, would say, in William Shakespeare’s: Macbeth!
And, I thought, that The
Captain Butler Ships Set, was very well-designed, indeed, and that, it blended
in, very well, against the backdrop of the Sky, which makes one, actually
believe, that you are, really all at sea, with the characters! And, it reminded
me, of the Ships Set, when I played Alice Fitzwarren,
in my former: Amateur Dramatic Societies Production of Dick Whittington, during
January 1990. And, we actually won, an Award, for the best designed set, of
that Dramatic Award Year: 1990, and therefore, I really do feel, that the
Captain Butler Ships Set, brought it all back, to me, once again!
Through various reviews,
I've heard that there could have been more sets like a Harbour
Village, complete with a Pub. Actually I was rather disappointed myself, when I
saw the first episode, that you never saw the actual mutiny, that Butler and
his mates had, when they were all in the Navy, but then again, the plot is very
easy to follow, and when they do another series, they could always have an
episode, which flashes back to Butler's pre-Pirate days. In my opinion, I don't
think it needs that many sets, and as I have worked on productions myself, I do
understand full-well, what working to a budget means!
I didn't like the sea
shanty theme first, because to my mind, it was more like a football chant than
a sea shanty, but after you listen to it quite a few times, it grows on you,
and it does blend in with the series and I really do like the Cherubs and
Seraphs, and I think that the shark on the animation sequence, chasing the ship
is really sweet!
I didn't like the swearing
very much at first, but then again, it is on at quite a late time at night, and
it is Channel Four! It isn't too bad, after a while, and I found that it does
tend to blend in after a while, and I really like the way that the Parrot has
been taught to swear! I thought that was really sweet!
My favourite
supporting character, had got, to be: Nelson, played by Robert Llewellyn, and I
was very surprised, to discover, that there was, none of Kryten
in him, and he played the part, of a Public School kind of Nancy Type Boy, of a
Nelson, very well indeed, when it actually came down to it, at the end of the
day! And Craig and Robert still maintained a brilliant double act, just like
they do on Red Dwarf, even though it was rather different! When I went to the
Red Dwarf Dimension Jump 1995 Convention, I got the chance to tell Craig and
Robert, that I really loved their double act, and how sweet I think it is!
Robert is a very good actor, and I thought that he was very versatile, and I
was rather taken aback, where that was concerned! And I really think he should
devote more of his time to acting, rather than just his writing, even though I
have great respect for him as a writer, because I am writing a Science-Fiction
novel myself (it is about time-travel, set on earth, and it is nothing like Red
Dwarf!)! And even though I do love my acting, I love my writing just like
Robert enjoys his writing! And when it actually comes down to it, at the end of
the day, I enjoy my writing more, because once a production is over and done
with, that is it, when it actually comes down to it, at the end of the day!
With writing, you can go on and on forever, with new ideas!
Tracy the Mermaid, Butler's
love interest, in Desert Island Dick, is played by Elizabeth Anson (she was
Temptress Two in Psirens: Episode I, Red Dwarf VI,
and for some years, she was a dancer on - The Two Ronnies.
She was Alice in Wonderland, one Christmas edition, and Anna Carteret, of
Juliet Bravo fame, played the Cheshire Pussy Cat). That particular episode is
quite reminiscent of Splash, especially when she informs Butler,
that her name is quite hard for him to say, but it isn't really! On
Splash, from what I recall, when Daryl Hannah (Madison) told Tom Hanks her real
name, she said it with such a really high-pitched scream, that she smashed all
of the television sets, in Bloomingdales!
The episode of the Tale Of
The Ancient Mariner, based on the famous Poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge's very
long rhyme, was one of my Favourite episodes, and I
thought that it was very cleverly done, especially, when Butler was scared in
the night, by a voice, which was very reminiscent of the main Witch Hecate, in
Shakespeare's Macbeth! And I thought that Craig looked really cute, when he was tied up to the main mast, with nothing on
to protect his modesty, but a Ladies bonnet, and masses of rope!
I liked the Little Girl:
Lucy, in Kidnapped, who reminded me, of Edmund's young Bride, in the Medieval: The Black Adder Episode: Born To Be King: Episode II, and as, the episode, was centred, around a Harbour, which was
set, against the ships background, as apposed, to the usual Sky/Night
background. And to my mind, it was quite a refreshing change, which made it
look, as if, it was on quite a high budget, especially, when Butler, and the
Lads, hang around the shops, to seek out Lucy's Father, who is known around the
town, as Blackbeard The Milliner! But he is just as violent as Blackbeard the
Pirate, as it eventually transpires! I liked the script that Butler did to get
his crew, to rehearse, over the “Persuasion”
bit, so that, they would get, Blackbeard. to give them
the money. It seemed faintly reminiscent of a short sketch, written by Peter
Cook, and Dudley Moore, which had been done at my Drama Class, especially the
hand over, the Girl/Money/Sword bit, but it was really funny, and it shows that
their humour, will never die, where new writers are concerned. I thought
that the lullaby which Butler and his crew, sang to Lucy, was really sweet, and
even though it was a send-up, I could tell it was based on the songs that the
slaves used to sing in the deep South, and it proves to me, once and for all,
that Craig Charles is a very good singer and musician, when it comes down to
it. I also liked them, rehearsing, being a black band of Pirates, with the
worst Pirate gear, I have ever seen in my life! And it was the a-aaahs, which really made me giggle, where that episode was
concerned, which reminded, me very much of Captain Redbeard
Rum, Blackadder, Baldrick
and Lord Percy's, a-aaahhs, in that particular Blackadder episode! And I really loved it, when they were
all beaten up by Lucy's Daddy, in the end, especially, when Butler announced
that it was time to pin the tail on the Donkey, because he was really fed up!
Jailhouse Crock, the final
episode, in my opinion, is probably the best episode, overall, as there are
more sets, with the Courtroom, the Jail and the Square, where the public
hangings of the day, take place. The character Perkiss
was very good, because at first, Butler and the crew, think that he is a
dangerous psychopath, but as it actually turns out, Perkiss,
isn't a psychopath, at all! He's just a pen pusher, at his local Tax Office!
And he proved to be very useful, where Butler's escape, was concerned, via
knocking him out, and pinching his clothes off him! It's very clever that
Butler comes back disguised as a Lawyer, later on, to defend his crew! And even
I was fairly convinced that he was another actor, at first sight, until you
looked at him, that little bit more closely! Craig did
a very good job of the pretend Lawyer: Mr Collins, in
my opinion! And I really loved the indubitably heartless way, that he tried to
make out to the Court, that the wimpish
Mr Perkiss, was the evil
Captain Butler, even though it all turned against him, in the end of course!
Even though I found it all highly amusing fun, nevertheless! Jailhouse Crock
reminded me very much of Carry On Jack, especially the Lawyer bit, where Juliet
Mills, took over from Bernard Cribbins (Midshipman:
Albert Poop-Decker), and the bit in the Square, where Butler, was going to be
hanged, where the Hangman, was made to look like a modern day Game Show Host,
which reminded me very much of Carry On Cleo, where Roy Hudd,
was the Slave Master, working for Marcus et Spencius,
and with a little bit of the Slave Auction thrown in, from Up Pompeii, as well!
I really love that kind of farcical humour!
Admittedly, there are some
similarities, between Red Dwarf and Captain Butler, but it is VERY much it's own thing, and for anybody
who wants to see, Craig, doing something else, I would personally, recommend
it!
Additional: (Update this at
a later date!)
But during the very last
episode of Captain Butler: Jailhouse Crock, when Butler and his cronies landed
up in jail. It seemed that Butler was anxious to avoid having a shower with his
mates, because he was worried about all those slippery hands and slippery
fingers! And his cronies didn't enjoy their showers either, when it actually
came down to it, at the end of the day! Even though Butler had given them
plenty of warnings! But that joke had originally been established, via Craig's:
Live on Earth! Show, and it originally went thus: "I had soap on a rope,
mate, and I didn't bend down, once!". And I did
feel, that Red Dwarf VIII, was very loosely based, on Craig's experiences, in
jail, to a certain extent, but that is only a theory, anyway.
I also asked Craig about
Captain Butler, which I really loved, when it was first broadcast, earlier this
year, and I still love Captain Butler, but more on that, later! But to my
surprise, and complete and utter dismay, he informed everybody, that even
though he had had really had great fun working on it, last year, and that he
had got on great with everybody, at the time, that there wasn't going to be
another series of Captain Butler! Apparently, if a comedy isn't an instant hit,
on the independent channels, they won't re-commission another series of it,
which could have happened, if Red Dwarf, or Blackadder,
had been shown on ITV, which had of course, at the time, actually turned them
down! And I do believe, that the first series of both Blackadder
and Red Dwarf, weren't as popular, when they were both shown at the time, but
they developed more, over the years, and I have to admit, that I was quite
disappointed, with the first series of Blackadder, at
the time, but I did think, that it had got some potential at the time, which
certainly came to the fore, especially where the second series was concerned!
But in all honesty, I still think that the first series of Red Dwarf, was a lot better, than the first series of Blackadder! And Captain Butler,
was definitely a lot better, than the first series of Blackadder!
I know that Captain Butler, was criticised
quite badly, by various newspapers, and via the Internet, and that it had only
had, three million viewers, and I must admit, that I was slightly disappointed
with the first two episodes. But even then, I had thought, that they had got GREAT
potential, when it actually came down to it, at the end of the day! And a lot
of people, myself included, thought that it had developed, as it went along,
which was a comment, off somebody, via the alt.comedy.british
newsgroup! I will list my Favourite episodes of
Captain Butler in order: Desert Island Dick, The Tale Of The
Ancient Mariner, Jailhouse Crock, Kidnapped, Death Is Just Another Word and
Kiss Me Harder. I really loved little Lord Roger Crumsby
(Lewis Rae). He was so sweet! And, I had really, liked: The Episode: Jailhouse
Crock, when Butler, had warned, the Crew, about taking, a Shower, with their:
Fellow: Jail Inmates, which had been, very similar, to a Session, on: Craig's:
Live on Earth! Show: "I had soap on a rope, mate, and I didn't bend down,
once!". But on a more serious note, I was amazed,
at all the well-known actors on the programme! I had
heard of Shaun Curry (Bosun), over the years, who I
believed had played Corporal Robbins, in the Film: A Bridge Too Far, and
Lewis Rae (Lord Roger Crumsby), had appeared as Euan, in the Film: Chasing The Deer, and where Sanjeev Bhaskar (Adeel Kumar), was concerned, I had certainly heard of the
name, but I just could not, place him, and there were the guest stars, Robert
Llewellyn as Nelson, who is very well-known as Kryten
the Mechanoid, in Red Dwarf, obviously! And, Vincent
Wong (Tracy the Mermaid's Father), who has appeared, in a lot of International
Films, over the years, and Arturo Venegas (Don
Gonzales), and Michael Fenton Stevens (The Executioner). Now, I can't actually
place, those two actors, to hand, but I have certainly seen them, in things,
over the years! And, I also believe, that Roger Geeves
(Blackbeard), had also appeared, as Blackbeard, in the
Muppet's most recent film: Muppet's Treasure Island? And, of course, not to
mention, the lovely Elizabeth Anson (Tracy the Mermaid) who has appeared, as a Psiren in Psirens: Episode I, Red
Dwarf VI, and she was also, fairly well-known, for her dance appearances, on
The Two Ronnies! And, Paul and I,
had really appreciated her talents, when she had played Alice In Wonderland,
and Anna Carteret (Juliet Bravo), had appeared as The Cheshire Pussy Cat, on
The Two Ronnies 1989 Christmas Special! I had also,
asked some, of the Red Dwarf Dimension Jump 1997 Convention Attendees, about
whether, they had liked: Captain Butler, or not. And they had thought, that it was brilliant! I had heard, that they were
definitely going to re-commission another series of Captain Butler, before
Craig broke the news, that Channel Four wasn't going to re-commission another
series of Captain Butler, at the Red Dwarf Dimension Jump 1997 Convention,
which came to me and everybody concerned, who had supported Captain Butler, as
a total shock! And Craig, if you do come across, my Red Dwarf Dimension Jump
1997 Convention Review, I am truly sorry, that there isn't going to be another
series of Captain Butler, and I really mean that! Because I had thought, that
it had got GREAT potential, at the time! And I did think,
that the second series, would have been even better, than the first series! And
that the storylines would develop, even more, as they went along, and that it
would become even more successful, than Blackadder,
and in time, even Red Dwarf! One never knows! But that was just not to be,
unfortunately. But Captain Butler did have a cult following to a certain
extent, and Craig, if you do come across, my Red Dwarf Dimension Jump 1997
Convention Review, I will certainly not let the memory of Captain Butler, die,
ever! I have also done reviews of the show, for The Official Red Dwarf Fan
Club's Fanzine: Better Than Life, and The Inquisitor
Red Dwarf Fanzine (which is also, on: Puzlebox: The
Unofficial Red Dwarf Website!), and I have, even sent, a Letter, to your:
Official Craig Charles Fan Club's: Fanzine: Smeghead,
praising Captain Butler, to the skies! But I know,
that it is not enough! I have also created the Internet's very first Captain
Butler Website! It has also been linked to The Internet Movie Database, and
even though there isn't very much on it, at the moment, the important fact of
the matter is: The page is there! And in time, along with my own Captain Butler
story, and the history of Pirates in general, I do intend to transcribe the
scripts, but it is a very slow process, but I will get it done, even if it
takes me a lifetime!
I have also, found out,
that the Captain Butler Ships Set, had been moved, by
hydraulics, according to an interview, by Shend
(Warden Knott – Red Dwarf VIII), and that, it had been, very noisy, indeed!
Marie Birch
March 1997
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