CRAIG CHARLES INTERVIEW:
BACK FROM HELL:
RED DWARF VII:
SEPTEMBER 1996:
EDITED FOR STRONG LANGUAGE
HE likes you, he really does. He appreciates your
time, and he’s grateful, that you’re there. It’s just that you’re a bit... y’know “nerdy”, aren’t you?
“It’s a bit like xxxxin’
Heavy Metal, innit?”, he
says, “I mean, there’s like, millions of kids out there, but they’re all a bit
nerdy. When I was at school, there were all these kids who were into Black
Sabbath and Lead Zeppelin and Rainbow and Deep Purple and they were a bit nerdy
and wore petulia oil on their duffle coat. And they
smelled a bit. I think Red Dwarf’s got the same kind of base as that. But it’s
not a cult; there are so many millions of viewers out there. But there’s a
definite type there, in the fans.
So.
Hoping that’s cleared things up for all of the eight million Red Dwarf viewers.
Unless you’re in America, of course, in which case there are even more of you.
“Most of the Red Dwarf conventions I’ve been to,
have been in the States”, Craig continues. “One time, five thousand people
turned up in Chicago to meet me, and every single one of them looked like
they’d just xxxxed their parents. And some fans were
just so big, the girls are so big. You’ve been there two weeks and you start
fancying any woman who weighs under five hundred
pounds, y’know?”
“But that’s weird, because I’m getting recognised
all the time over there, now. The show’s really taken off in America. I was
walking down Broadway, this time, and I went into this liquor store to get some
tequila, ‘cos I was going to a party. So I went in
and this bloke, behind the counter, with his mouth, like
agape. He grabbed me by the hand, took me round the counter and into a room,
where three of his mates were watching Red Dwarf on PBS. And that was on
Broadway...” So did he pay for the tequila? “Oh yeah, I paid for me xxxxin’ tequila.
The new series of Red Dwarf, then – and this is the
seventh – is about to begin filming, and Craig, is sure, it won’t be the last.
“We’re booked in for an eighth already... but we’re really looking forward to
this series. But it’ll be strange. Very weird. Strange, because we haven’t done it, in so long. I think
it’s about three years, since the last one. It’s like, I’ve let go of the role
of Lister, so much. In a way, you have to completely let go, so you can
concentrate, on the other things, in your career.
“So, it’ll be odd getting back together, with
everyone after we’ve been off and done for so long. It’s like the xxxxing Rolling Stones getting back together... If comedy is the new xxxxin’
rock and roll, you know what I mean? It’s like everyone’s been off on solo
projects, and now this is the first album, you’ve done in three years, and all
the critics are gonna xxxxin’
slate it...”, He’s laughing. “You just know it’s going
to xxxxin’ happen, and then after the eighth series,
they’ll start cuttin’ it up, and saying – ‘ah, now
the seventh series, wasn’t as bad as everyone thought...’. “it’s
like your own life sometimes...”
And Craig himself, is busy
plotting for one of his busiest years of his career... “Yeah, y’know, rumours of death, were greatly exaggerated, and all
that. Like, I’ve been on me own chat show, so there’s ideas knocking about for
that. And then, I’ve been offered me own sitcome to
start filming, as soon as Red Dwarf finishes. “What, like at Home With Craig Charles? Nah. It’s
called Captain Butler. It’s a Pirate thing”. Right.
“And so it’s all coming on top, really. It’s quite nice, considering this time,
last year, things weren’t quite so certain. I think I deserve it. I don’t want
to sound arrogant, but I think I deserve it, after being in the pit and the
pendulum!”. Well, I wasn’t going to bring that up,
but... “Mate, success is the best revenge. And I’m feeling pretty vengefull...”
Written by Canny Wallace For
Comedy Review.
September 1996.