title: Jack Davenport

text: In 2008, Davenport was cast in the ABC pilot "FlashForward", which was based on a Robert J. Sawyer novel. In the series, Davenport played the character of Lloyd Simcoe, a physicist allegedly responsible for a worldwide blackout, which causes the whole world to see the future. The series was cancelled after a single season.


title: Jack Davenport

text: In February 2011, Davenport was cast in the NBC musical drama pilot "Smash". It ran for two seasons and is now a cult favorite on streaming services. The first season of the series follows a group of people coming together to put on a Marilyn Monroe musical on Broadway. Davenport plays the musical's director. The second season expands as the various cast members branch out into other productions; Davenport’s character, Derek Wills, quits the Broadway production of Bombshell to pursue a small off-Broadway musical and take it to Broadway with his protégé, Karen Cartwright (Katharine McPhee). The season ends with the two shows competing at the Tonys.


title: Jack Davenport

text: Davenport also starred as the replacement singer in the video for Snow Patrol's single "Called Out in the Dark", released on YouTube on 17 August 2011, alongside Tara Summers and Gary Lightbody.


title: Jack Davenport

text: 2018 saw Davenport's Broadway debut playing the Earl of Warwick in a revival of George Bernard Shaw's "Saint Joan" starring Condola Rashad.


title: Red Dwarf

text: Red Dwarf is a British science fiction comedy franchise created by Rob Grant and Doug Naylor, which primarily consists of a television sitcom that aired on BBC Two between 1988 and 1999, and on Dave since 2009, gaining a cult following. The series follows low-ranking technician Dave Lister, who awakens after being in suspended animation for three million years to find that he is the last living human, and that he is alone on the mining spacecraft "Red Dwarf"—save for a hologram his deceased bunkmate Arnold Rimmer and "Cat", a life form which evolved from Lister's pregnant cat.


title: Red Dwarf

text: As of 2020, the cast includes Chris Barrie as Rimmer, Craig Charles as Lister, Danny John-Jules as Cat, Robert Llewellyn as the sanitation droid Kryten, and Norman Lovett as the ship's computer, Holly.


title: Red Dwarf

text: To date, twelve series of the show have aired, (including one miniseries), in addition to a feature-length special "The Promised Land". Four novels were published from 1989 to 1996. Two pilot episodes of an American version of the show were produced but never aired. The magazine "The Red Dwarf Smegazine" was published from 1992 to 1994.


title: Red Dwarf

text: One of the series' highest accolades came in 1994 when an episode from the sixth series, "Gunmen of the Apocalypse", won an International Emmy Award in the Popular Arts category. In the same year, the series was also awarded "Best BBC Comedy Series" at the British Comedy Awards. The series attracted its highest ratings, of more than eight million viewers, during the eighth series in 1999.


title: Red Dwarf

text: The revived series on Dave has consistently delivered some of the highest ratings for non-Public Service Broadcasting commissions in the UK. Series XI was voted "Best Returning TV Sitcom" and "Comedy of the Year" for 2016 by readers for the British Comedy Guide. In a 2019 ranking by "Empire", "Red Dwarf" came 80th on a list of the 100 best TV shows of all time.


title: Red Dwarf

text: The main setting of the series is the eponymous mining spaceship "Red Dwarf". In the first episode, set sometime in the late 21st century, an on-board radiation leak kills everyone except lowest-ranking technician Dave Lister, who is in suspended animation at the time, as punishment for smuggling a cat aboard the ship. The cat, Frankenstein, who is revealed to be pregnant, is safe in the cargo hold. Following the accident, the ship's computer Holly keeps Lister in stasis until the radiation levels return to normal—a process that takes three million years. Lister therefore emerges as the last human being in the universe—but not alone on board the ship. His former bunkmate and immediate superior Arnold Judas Rimmer (a character plagued by failure) is resurrected by Holly as a hologram to keep Lister sane. They are joined by a creature known only as Cat, the last member of a race of humanoid felines that evolved in the ship's hold from Lister's pregnant cat during the three million years that Lister was in stasis.


title: Red Dwarf

text: The series revolves around Lister being the last human alive, after three million years of travel from Earth, with his companions. The crew encounter phenomena such as time distortions, faster-than-light travel, mutant diseases and strange lifeforms (all evolved from Earth, because the series has no aliens) that had developed in the intervening millions of years. Though it has a science fiction setting, much of the humour comes from the interactions of the characters, particularly the laid-back Lister and the stuck-up Rimmer.


title: Red Dwarf

text: Despite the pastiche of science fiction used as a backdrop, "Red Dwarf" is primarily a character-driven comedy, with science fiction elements used as complementary plot devices. Especially in the early episodes, a recurring source of comedy was the "Odd Couple"-style relationship between the two central characters of the show, who have an intense dislike for each other yet are trapped together deep in space.


title: Red Dwarf

text: In Series III, the computer Holly changes from male (Norman Lovett) to female (Hattie Hayridge), and the mechanoid Kryten (who had appeared in one episode in Series II) joins the crew and becomes a regular character.


title: Red Dwarf

text: In Series VI, a story arc is introduced where "Red Dwarf" has been stolen, and the crew pursue it in the smaller "Starbug" craft, with the side effect that the character Holly disappears.


title: Red Dwarf

text: Series VII is also set in "Starbug". Early in series VII, Rimmer departs (due to actor Chris Barrie's commitments) and is replaced by Kristine Kochanski, Lister's long-term love interest, from an alternate universe. Kochanski becomes a regular character for Series VII and VIII.


title: Red Dwarf

text: At the end of Series VII, we learn that Kryten's service nanobots, which had abandoned him years earlier, were behind the theft of the "Red Dwarf" at the end of series five. At the beginning of the eighth series, Kryten's nanobots reconstruct the "Red Dwarf", which they had broken down into its constituent atoms.


title: Red Dwarf

text: As a consequence, Series VIII features the entire original crew of "Red Dwarf" resurrected (except for the already-alive Lister and Kochanski), including a pre-accident Rimmer and the original male Holly. The series ends with a metal-eating virus loose on "Red Dwarf". The entire crew evacuate save the main cast (Lister, Rimmer, Cat, Kryten, and Kochanski), whose fates are unresolved in a cliffhanger ending.


title: Red Dwarf

text: Series IX onwards revert to the same four main characters of Series 3–6 (Lister, Rimmer, Cat and Kryten), on "Red Dwarf" and without Kochanski or Holly; Rimmer reappears as a hologram once again. While it was left unmentioned whether the Rimmer on board ship is the one who originally left, the revived version, or a third incarnation entirely (episodes have alluded to him remembering events from both previous incarnations' lives); with the release of "The Promised Land", series-creator Doug Naylor confirmed in 2020 that the Rimmer from onwards is the original Rimmer having returned from his time being Ace Rimmer.


title: Red Dwarf

text: The first series aired on BBC2 in 1988. Eleven full series and one miniseries have so far been produced, and a feature length special was released in 2020.


title: Red Dwarf

text: The concept for the show was originally developed from the sketch series "" on the BBC Radio 4 show "Son of Cliché" in the mid-1980s, written by Rob Grant and Doug Naylor. Their influences came from films and television programmes such as "" (1966), "Silent Running" (1972), "Alien" (1979), "Dark Star" (1974) and "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" (1981), but also had a large element of British-style comedy and satire thrown into the mix, ultimately moulded into the form of a sitcom. Having written the pilot script in 1983, the former "Spitting Image" writers pitched their unique concept to the BBC, but it was rejected on fears that a science fiction sitcom would not be popular.


title: Red Dwarf

text: It was finally accepted by BBC North in 1986, a result of a spare budget being assigned for a second series of "Happy Families" that would never arise and producer Paul Jackson's insistence that "Red Dwarf" should be filmed instead. The show was lucky to be remounted after an electricians' strike partway through rehearsals in early 1987 shut the entire production down (the title sequence was filmed in January 1987). The filming was rescheduled for September, and the pilot episode finally made it onto television screens on 15 February 1988.


title: Red Dwarf

text: Despite the commission of further series, the cast felt like "outsiders" at the BBC. Co-creator Doug Naylor attributed this to the show getting commissioned by BBC Manchester, but filming at Shepperton Studios near where the cast lived in London. When the show won an International Emmy Award in 1994, Naylor's attempts to have the cast invited to a party thrown by the BBC proved futile when they objected to Craig Charles and Danny John-Jules's inclusion, claiming they were "fire risks".


title: Red Dwarf

text: Alan Rickman and Alfred Molina auditioned for roles in the series, with Molina being cast as Rimmer. However, after Molina had difficulties with the concept of the series, and of his role in particular, the role was recast and filled by Chris Barrie, a professional voice-actor and impressionist who had previously worked with both the writers on "Spitting Image" and with the producers on "Happy Families" and Jasper Carrott productions. Craig Charles, a Liverpudlian "punk poet", was given the role of Dave Lister. He was approached by the production team for his opinion about the "Cat" character, as they were concerned it may be considered by people as racist. Charles described "Cat" as 'pretty cool' and after reading the script he decided he wanted to audition for the part of Dave Lister. Laconic stand-up comedian Norman Lovett, who had originally tried out for the role of Rimmer, was kept in the show as Holly, the senile computer of the titular ship. A professional dancer and singer, Danny John-Jules, arriving half an hour late for his appointment, stood out as the Cat immediately. This was partly due to his "cool" exterior, dedicated research (reading Desmond Morris's book "Catwatching"), and his showing up in character, wearing his father's 1950s-style zoot suit.


title: Red Dwarf

text: Grant and Naylor wrote the first six series together (using the pseudonym Grant Naylor on the first two novels and later as the name of their production company, although never on the episodes themselves). Grant left in 1995, to pursue other projects, leaving Naylor to write series VII and VIII with a group of new writers, including Paul Alexander and actor Robert Llewellyn (who portrayed the character Kryten).


title: Red Dwarf

text: For the most part, Ed Bye produced and directed the series. He left before series V due to a scheduling clash (he ended up directing a show starring his wife, Ruby Wax) so Juliet May took over as director. May parted ways with the show halfway through the series for personal and professional reasons and Grant and Naylor took over direction of the series, in addition to writing and producing. Series VI was directed by Andy de Emmony, and Ed Bye returned to direct series VII and VIII. Series I, II and III were made by Paul Jackson Productions, with subsequent series produced by the writers' own company Grant Naylor Productions for BBC North. All eight series were broadcast on BBC Two. At the beginning of series IV, production moved from BBC North's New Broadcasting House in Manchester to Shepperton.


title: Red Dwarf

text: The opening theme tune, closing theme tune, and incidental music were written and performed by Howard Goodall, with the vocals on the closing theme tune by Jenna Russell. The first two series used a relatively sombre instrumental version of the closing theme for the opening titles; from series III onwards this switched to a more upbeat version, with Goodall singing on vocoder, the line "Red Dwarf" four times in the second half of the song. Goodall also wrote music for the show's various songs, including "Tongue Tied", with lyrics written by Grant and Naylor. Danny John-Jules (credited as 'The Cat') re-orchestrated and released "Tongue Tied" on 11 October 1993; it reached number 17 on the UK charts. Goodall himself sang "The Rimmer Song" heard during the series VII episode "Blue", to which Chris Barrie mimed.


title: Red Dwarf

text: In 1998, on the tenth anniversary of the show's first airing (and between the broadcast of series VII and VIII), the first three series of "Red Dwarf" were remastered and released on VHS. The remastering included replacing model shots with computer graphics, cutting certain dialogue and scenes, re-filming Norman Lovett's Holly footage, creating a consistent set of opening titles, replacing music and creating ambient sound effects with a digital master. The remastered series were released in a 4-disc DVD box set "The Bodysnatcher Collection" in 2007.


title: Red Dwarf

text: Four years elapsed between series VI and VII, partly due to the dissolving of the Grant and Naylor partnership, but also due to cast and crew working on other projects. When the series eventually returned, it was filmised and no longer shot in front of a live audience, allowing for greater use of four-walled sets, location shooting, and single-camera techniques. When the show returned for its eighth series two years later, however, it had dropped use of the filmising process and returned to using a live audience.


title: Red Dwarf

text: The show received a setback when the BBC rejected proposals for a series IX. Doug Naylor confirmed in 2007 that the BBC decided not to renew the series as they preferred to work on other projects. A short animated Christmas special was, however, made available to mobile phone subscribers the same year. Ultimately, however, fans had to wait a decade before the series finally returned to television.


title: Red Dwarf

text: In 2008, a three-episode production was commissioned by the digital channel Dave. "Red Dwarf: Back to Earth" was broadcast over the Easter weekend of 2009, along with a "making of" documentary. The episode was set nine years after the events of "Only the Good..." (with the cliffhanger ending of that episode left unresolved, a situation that would continue with series X). The storyline involves the characters arriving back on Earth, circa 2009, only to find that they are characters in a TV show called "Red Dwarf". Kochanski is supposedly dead and Holly is offline due to water damage caused by Lister leaving a tap running. Actress Sophie Winkleman played a character called Katerina, a resurrected hologram of a "Red Dwarf" science officer intent on replacing Rimmer.


title: Red Dwarf

text: To achieve a more cinematic atmosphere, "Back to Earth" was not filmed in front of a studio audience. Some previous "Red Dwarf" episodes had been shot in that way ("Bodyswap" and all of the seventh series), but "Back to Earth" represented the first time that a laughter track was not added before broadcast. It was also the first episode of "Red Dwarf" to be filmed in high definition.


title: Red Dwarf

text: The specials were televised over three nights, starting on Friday 10 April 2009. The broadcasts received record ratings for Dave; the first of the three episodes represented the UK's highest-ever viewing figures for a commissioned programme on a digital network. "Back to Earth" was released on DVD on 15 June 2009, and on Blu-ray on 31 August 2009. "Back to Earth" was subsequently described on the series' official website as "for all intents and purposes, the 'ninth series' of "Red Dwarf"". This placement was confirmed when Series X was commissioned and branded as the tenth series, although "Back to Earth" continues not to be referred to as "Series IX" on home media or digital releases.


title: Red Dwarf

text: On 10 April 2011, Dave announced that it had commissioned a six-episode series X to be broadcast on Dave in late 2012. Filming dates for the new series Red Dwarf X were announced on 11 November 2011, along with confirmation that the series would be shot at Shepperton Studios in front of an audience. Principal filming began on 16 December 2011 and ended on 27 January 2012, and the cast and crew subsequently returned for six days filming pick-ups. Discounting guest stars, only the core cast of Charles, Barrie, Llewellyn and John-Jules returned for Series X, with Annett and Lovett absent, though the scripts include references to Kochanski and Holly.


title: Red Dwarf

text: On 20 July 2012, a 55-second trailer for series X was released on Facebook, followed by a new "teaser" every Friday. The new series debuted on Thursday 4 October 2012.


title: Red Dwarf

text: Following series X, which attracted high viewing figures, Dave, Doug Naylor and the cast showed strong interest in making another series. During the Dimension Jump fan convention in May 2013, Doug Naylor stated that discussions were ongoing with all involved parties and while arrangements had not been finalised, he hoped shooting could begin in February 2014. In October 2013, Robert Llewellyn posted on his blog, stating that "an eleventh series would happen" and that it would be "sometime in 2014". Llewellyn later removed the post from his blog and Doug Naylor issued a statement on Twitter, saying: "Getting tweets claiming Red Dwarf XI is commissioned. Not true. Not yet." However, in January 2014, Danny John-Jules stated that the eleventh series of "Red Dwarf" was in the process of being written.


title: Red Dwarf

text: At the April 2014 Sci-Fi Scarborough Festival, during the "Red Dwarf" cast panel, Danny John-Jules stated that filming of the eleventh series would commence in October 2014, with an expected release of Autumn 2015 on Dave.


title: Red Dwarf

text: On 2 May 2015, at the Dimension Jump XVIII convention, Naylor announced that an eleventh and a twelfth series had been commissioned. The two series would be shot back-to-back towards the end of 2015 for broadcast on Dave in 2016 and 2017, respectively, and would be co-produced by Baby Cow Productions, with company CEO, Henry Normal, executive producing the new episodes.


title: Red Dwarf

text: Series XI and XII were filmed back-to-back at Pinewood Studios between November 2015 and March 2016. The eleventh series premiered on UKTV's video on demand service UKTV Play on 15 September 2016, a week ahead of its broadcast transmission on 22 September.


title: Red Dwarf

text: On 8 September 2017, it was announced that "Red Dwarf XII" would begin broadcasting on Dave on 12 October 2017, and on 15 September 2017 it was further announced that each episode would preview a week earlier via the UKTV Play video on demand service, effectively meaning that series 12 would be starting on 5 October 2017.


title: Red Dwarf

text: In late May 2019, in a radio interview, Robert Llewellyn stated that a thirteenth series was happening and in June of that year, Danny John-Jules stated that it was expected to be wrapped up by the end of 2019. However, in October 2019, UKTV announced that a 90-minute feature-length special would be produced instead, to be filmed from December 2019 to January 2020, with location filming scheduled for November. Three 60-minute documentaries were also announced to accompany it, intended to act as a retrospective of all previous 12 series.


title: Red Dwarf

text: In January 2020, the first publicity photos of the special were released, with Ray Fearon revealed as the first confirmed guest actor portraying Rodon, the "leader of the feral cats". In February 2020, the day before the 32nd anniversary of when "Red Dwarf" first aired, a synopsis was given by the official "Red Dwarf" website: "The special will see the posse meet three cat clerics (Tom Bennett, Mandeep Dhillon, Lucy Pearman) who worship Lister as their God. Lister vows to help them as they're being hunted by Rodon, the ruthless feral cat leader (Ray Fearon) who has vowed to wipe out all cats who worship anyone but him." Al Roberts was also added to the cast in an undisclosed role and Norman Lovett officially announced to be returning as Holly following his one-off guest spot in Series XII.


title: Red Dwarf

text: On 10 March 2020, in an exclusive with "Radio Times", a teaser trailer was released. A rough release date of sometime in April was given and, a day later on 11 March 2020, the official Twitter account for Dave revealed the title of the television film: "Red Dwarf: The Promised Land".


title: Red Dwarf

text: "Red Dwarf" was founded on the standard sitcom focus of a disparate and frequently dysfunctional group of individuals living together in a restricted setting. With the main characters routinely displaying their cowardice, incompetence and laziness, while exchanging insulting and sarcastic dialogue, the series provided a humorous antidote to the fearless and morally upright space explorers typically found in science-fiction series, with its main characters acting bravely only when there was no other possible alternative. The increasing science-fiction elements of the series were treated seriously by creators Rob Grant and Doug Naylor. Satire, parody and drama were alternately woven into the episodes, referencing other television series, films and books. These have included references to the likes of "" (1968), "Top Gun" (1986), "RoboCop" (1987), "Star Wars" (1977), "Citizen Kane" (1942), "The Wild One" (1953), "High Noon" (1952), "Rebel Without a Cause" (1955), "Casablanca" (1942), "Easy Rider" (1969), "The Terminator" (1984), "Pride and Prejudice" (1813), Isaac Asimov's "Robot" series (1939–85) and the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.


title: Red Dwarf

text: The writers based the whole theme of some episodes on the plots of feature films. The series III episode "Polymorph" references and parodies key moments from "Alien" (1979); from series IV, "Camille" echoes key scenes from "Casablanca" (1942), while "Meltdown" borrows the main plot from "Westworld" (1973). For series IX, "" was partially inspired by "Blade Runner" (1982). The series' themes are not limited to films or television, having also incorporated historical events and figures. Religion also plays a part in the series, as a significant factor in the ultimate fate of the Cat race, and the perception of Lister as their 'God', both in the episode "Waiting for God" (whose title makes a literary reference to the Samuel Beckett play "Waiting for Godot"), as well as the crew meeting a man whom they believe to be Jesus Christ in series X episode "Lemons". The series VII episode "Ouroboros" derives its name and theme from the ancient mythological snake of the same name. The third episode of series VI, "Gunmen of the Apocalypse", was based on the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.


title: Red Dwarf

text: The series explores many science-fiction staples such as time-travel paradoxes (including the grandfather paradox), the question of determinism and free will (in several episodes), the pursuit of happiness in virtual reality and, crucially to the show's premise of Lister being the last human, the near-certainty of the human species' extinction some time in the far future.


title: Red Dwarf

text: Aliens do not feature in the series, as Grant and Naylor decided very early in the process that they did not want aliens involved. This is usually addressed with Rimmer's belief in extraterrestrial life being shot down, such as a vessel he believes to be an alien ship turning out to be a garbage pod. However, there are non-human life forms such as evolutions of Earth species (e.g. the Cat race), robotic or holo-life forms created by humans, and a kind of "genetically engineered life form" (GELF), an artificially created creature. Simulants and GELFs frequently serve as antagonists during the later series of the show.


title: Red Dwarf

text: The series developed its own distinct vocabulary. Words and phrases such as hologrammatic, dollarpound, "Felis sapiens", Simulants, GELF, space weevil, and Zero Gee Football appear throughout the series, highlighting a development in language, political climate, technology, evolution and culture in the future. The creators also employed a vocabulary of fictional expletives to avoid using potentially offensive words in the show and to give nuance to futuristic colloquial language; in particular, "smeg" (and variants such as "smegging", "smegger", and "smeg-head") features prominently, alongside the terms "gimboid", "goit" and "Gwenlan".


title: Red Dwarf

text: The changes that were made to the series' cast, setting, creative teams and even production values from series to series have meant that opinions differ greatly between fans and critics as to the quality of certain series. In the "Great Red Dwarf Debate", published in volume 2 issue 3 of the "Red Dwarf Smegazine", science-fiction writers Steve Lyons and Joe Nazzaro both argued on the pros and cons of the early series against the later series. Lyons stated that what the show "once had was a unique balance of sci-fi comedy, which worked magnificently." Nazarro agreed that "the first two series are very original and very funny", but went on to say that "it wasn't until series III that the show hit its stride." Series VI is regarded as a continuation of the "monster of the week" philosophy of series V, which was nevertheless considered to be visually impressive. Discussions revolve around the quality of series VI, seen by one reviewer as just as good as the earlier series', but criticised by another reviewer as a descent into formulaic comedy with an unwelcome change of setting.


title: Red Dwarf

text: The changes seen in series VII were seen by some as a disappointment; while much slicker and higher-budget in appearance, the shift away from outright sitcom and into something approaching comedy drama was seen by one reviewer as a move in the wrong direction. Furthermore, the attempt to shift back into traditional sitcom format for series VIII was greeted with a response that was similarly lukewarm. There was criticism aimed at the decision to resurrect the entire crew of "Red Dwarf", as it was felt this detracted from the series' central premise of Lister being the last human being alive. There are other critics who feel that series VII and VIII are no weaker than the earlier series, however, and the topic is the subject of constant fervent debate among the show's fanbase. The return of the series on Dave has been met with a mostly positive reception.


title: Red Dwarf

text: Although the pilot episode of the show gathered over four million viewers, viewing figures dipped in successive episodes and the first series had generally poor ratings. Through to series VI the ratings steadily increased and peaked at over six million viewers, achieved with the episode "Gunmen of the Apocalypse". When the series returned in 1999 it gained the highest audience figures yet—over eight million viewers tuned in for series VIII's opening episode "". The series has won numerous awards including the Royal Television Society Award for special effects, the British Science Fiction award for Best Dramatic Presentation, as well as an International Emmy Award for series VI episode "Gunmen of the Apocalypse", which tied with an "Absolutely Fabulous" episode, "Hospital", in the Popular Arts category. The show had also been nominated for the International Emmy Award in 1987, 1989 and 1992. Series VI won a British Comedy Award for 'Best BBC Comedy Series'. The video sales have won eight Gold Awards from the British Video Association, and the series still holds the record for being BBC Two's longest-running, highest-rated sitcom. In 2007 the series was voted 'Best Sci-Fi Show Of All Time' by the readers of "Radio Times" magazine. Editor Gill Hudson stated that this result had surprised them as 'the series had not given any new episodes this century'. In January 2017, series XI was voted "Best Returning TV Sitcom" and "Comedy of the Year" for 2016 by readers for the British Comedy Guide.


title: Red Dwarf

text: A year later "Red Dwarf" once again was voted "Best Returning TV Sitcom" for series XII retaining the title from British Comedy Guide.


title: Red Dwarf

text: The show's logo and characters have appeared on a wide range of merchandise. "Red Dwarf" has also been spun off in a variety of different media formats. For instance, the song "Tongue Tied", featured in the "Parallel Universe" episode of the show, was released in 1993 as a single and became a top 20 UK hit for Danny John-Jules (under the name 'The Cat'). Stage plays of the show have been produced through Blak Yak, a theatre group in Perth, Western Australia, who were given permission by Grant Naylor Productions to mount stage versions of certain episodes in 2002, 2004 and 2006. In October 2006 an Interactive Quiz DVD entitled "Red Dwarf: Beat The Geek" was released, hosted by Norman Lovett and Hattie Hayridge, both reprising their roles as Holly. In 2005, Grant Naylor Productions and Studio Hubris, in conjunction with Across the Pond Comics collaborated to produce the spin-off webcomic "Red Dwarf: Prelude to Nanarchy".


title: Red Dwarf

text: Working together under the name "Grant Naylor", the creators of the series collaboratively wrote two novels. The first, "Infinity Welcomes Careful Drivers", was published in November 1989, and it incorporates plot lines from several episodes of the show's first two series. The second novel, "Better Than Life", followed in October 1990, and it is largely based on the second-series episode of the same name. Together, the two novels provide expanded backstory and development of the series' principal characters and themes.


title: Red Dwarf

text: The authors began work on a sequel to "Better than Life", called "The Last Human", but Rob Grant was drawn away from "Red Dwarf" by an interest in other projects. Still owing Penguin Publishing two more "Red Dwarf" novels, Grant and Naylor decided to each write an alternative sequel to "Better than Life". Two completely different sequels were made as a result, each presenting a possible version of the story's continuation. "Last Human", by Doug Naylor, adds Kochanski to the crew and places more emphasis on the science-fiction and plot elements, while Rob Grant's novel "Backwards", is more in keeping with the previous two novels, and it borrows more extensively from established television stories.


title: Red Dwarf

text: An omnibus edition of the first two novels was released in 1992, including edits to the original text and extra material such as the original pilot script of the TV series. All four novels have been released in audiobook format, the first two read by Chris Barrie, "Last Human" read by Craig Charles, and "Backwards" read by author Rob Grant.


title: Red Dwarf

text: In December 2009, "Infinity Welcomes Careful Drivers" was released in Germany with the title "Roter Zwerg" ("Red Dwarf" in German).


title: Red Dwarf

text: The first eight series of "Red Dwarf" were released on VHS but not in the order of the series as broadcast. Series III (1989) was released on home video in 1991, followed by series II (1988) and series IV (1991) in 1992. Series I was released on VHS in 1993; at the time, that series had not been repeated on television since its original broadcast in 1988. Series V (1992) was released on video in 1994, followed by series VI (1993) in 1995, series VII (1997) in 1997, and series VIII (1999) in 1999.


title: Red Dwarf

text: For the initial release of the VHS editions, episodes of "Red Dwarf" were separated and two volumes released for each series (except series VII and VIII, which were released on three separate tapes), labelled 'Byte One' and 'Byte Two' (plus 'Byte Three' for series VII and VIII, although in Australia, series VII and VIII were released in two volumes each, with four episodes per tape). These videos were named after the first episode of the three presented on the tape, as was typical with other BBC video releases at the time. However, on occasions the BBC decided to ignore the original running order and use the most popular episodes from the series to maximise sales of the videos: for series III (the first-ever release), "Bodyswap" and "Timeslides" were swapped round, so that the latter could receive top billing on the second VHS volume; for the second VHS volume of series I, "Confidence and Paranoia" was given top billing, even though the original broadcast order was retained; this was due to the leading episode being "Waiting for God" which shared its name with the title of another comedy series (set in a retirement home); and for series V, "Back to Reality" and "Quarantine" were given top billing on their respective video release, which completely re-organised the order of episodes from that in which they were originally broadcast. Future releases would increasingly observe authenticity with the 'original broadcast' context, although Byte Two of "Red Dwarf VI" was titled "Polymorph II: Emohawk" despite the lead-off episode's actual title of "Emowhawk: Polymorph II."


title: Red Dwarf

text: Three episodes of series VII were also released as special "Xtended" ["sic"] versions with extra scenes (including an original, unbroadcast ending for the episode "Tikka To Ride") and no laugh track; the remastered versions of series I–III were also released individually and in a complete box-set. Finally, two outtake videos were released, both hosted by Robert Llewellyn in character as Kryten: "Smeg Ups" in 1994, and its sequel, "Smeg Outs", in 1995.


title: Red Dwarf

text: The first eight series have been released on DVD in Regions 1, 2 and 4, each with a bonus disc of extra material. Each release from series III onwards also features an original documentary about the making of each respective series. Regions 2 and 4 have also seen the release of two "Just the Shows", digipack box sets containing the episodes from series I–IV (Volume 1) and V–VIII (Volume 2) with static menus and no extras. "Red Dwarf: The Bodysnatcher Collection", containing the 1998 remastered episodes, as well as new documentaries for series I and II, was released in 2007. This release showcased a storyboard construction of "Bodysnatcher", an unfinished script from 1987, which was finally completed in 2007 by Rob Grant and Doug Naylor who were working together for the first time since 1993. In December 2008 an anniversary DVD set entitled "Red Dwarf: All the Shows" was released, reworking the vanilla disc content of the two "Just the Shows" sets within A4 packaging resembling a photo album, which omitted information that no extras were included. This box set was re-released in a smaller slipcase-sized box, reverting to the "Just the Shows" title, in November 2009. The series is also available for download on iTunes.


title: Red Dwarf

text: In 2016, BBC Worldwide began creating an 'up-resed' version of the first five series for release on Blu-ray, due to demand from Japan. When asked about the project in 2017, Naylor confirmed he had stopped it due to lacklustre picture quality. By 2018, the project, now encompassing the entire original run, had been restarted, and a series 1–8 Blu-ray set release was confirmed in August.


title: Red Dwarf

text: The "Red Dwarf Magazine"—the magazine part of the title changed to "Smegazine" from issue 3—was launched in 1992 by Fleetway Editions. It ran for 23 issues, (Volume 1 from 1 - 14, Volume 2 from 1 - 9) It comprised a mix of news, reviews, interviews, comic strips and competitions. The comic strips featured episode adaptations and original material, including further stories of popular characters like Mr. Flibble, the Polymorph and Ace Rimmer.


title: Red Dwarf

text: Notably, the comic strip stories' holographic characters, predominately Rimmer, were drawn in greyscale. This was at the request of Grant and Naylor, who had wanted to use the technique for the television series, but the process was deemed too expensive to produce. (Rimmer did appear in greyscale in "low power mode" in "The Promised Land".)


title: Red Dwarf

text: Despite achieving circulation figures of over 40,000 per month, the magazine's publisher decided to close the title down to concentrate on their other publications. A farewell issue was published, cover dated January 1994, featuring the remaining interviews, features and comic strips that had been planned for the following issues.


title: Red Dwarf

text: The Official Red Dwarf Fan Club produces a periodical magazine for members titled "Back to Reality". The previous volume of this magazine, dating back to the 1990s, was known as "Better Than Life."


title: Red Dwarf

text: Despite the original version having been broadcast on PBS, a pilot episode for an American version (known as "Red Dwarf USA") was produced through Universal Studios with the intention of broadcasting on NBC in 1992. The show essentially followed the same story as the first episode of the original series, using American actors for most of the main roles: Craig Bierko as Lister, Chris Eigeman as Rimmer, and Hinton Battle as Cat. Exceptions to this were Llewellyn, who reprised his role as Kryten, and the British actress Jane Leeves, who played Holly. It was written by Linwood Boomer and directed by Jeffrey Melman, with Grant and Naylor on board as creators and executive producers. Llewellyn, Grant and Naylor travelled to America for the filming of the American pilot after production of the fifth series of the UK series. According to Llewellyn and Naylor, the cast were not satisfied with Linwood Boomer's script. Grant and Naylor rewrote the script, but although the cast preferred the re-write, the script as filmed was closer to Boomer's version. The pilot episode includes footage from the UK series in its title sequence, although it did not retain the logo or the theme music of the UK series. During filming of the pilot, the audience reaction was good and it was felt that the story had been well received.


title: Red Dwarf

text: The studio executives were not entirely happy with the pilot, especially the casting, but decided to give the project another chance with Grant and Naylor in charge. The intention was to shoot a "promo video" for the show in a small studio described by the writers as "a garage". New cast members were hired for the roles of Cat (now depicted as female) and Rimmer, Terry Farrell and Anthony Fusco, respectively. This meant that, unlike the original British series, the cast were all Caucasian, which Charles referred to as "White Dwarf". Chris Barrie was asked to play Rimmer in the second pilot, but he declined. With a small budget and deadline, new scenes were quickly shot and mixed in with existing footage of the pilot and UK series V episodes, to give an idea of the basic plot and character dynamics, alongside proposed future episodes, remakes of episodes from the original show. Llewellyn did not participate in the re-shoot, though clips from the British version were used to show the character. Despite the re-shoots and re-casting, the option on the pilot was not picked up.


title: Red Dwarf

text: The cast of both the British and American versions criticised the casting of "Red Dwarf USA", particularly the part of Lister, who is portrayed in the British version as a likeable slob, but in the U.S. version as somewhat clean-cut. In the 2004 documentary "Dwarfing USA", Danny John-Jules said the only actor who could have successfully portrayed an American Lister was John Belushi. In a 2009 interview on "Kevin Pollak's Chat Show", Bierko said that casting him as Lister was a "huge mistake," and also said a "John Belushi-type" would have been better suited to the role.


title: Red Dwarf

text: The American pilot has been heavily bootlegged, but it has never been broadcast on TV in any country. Excerpts from the first pilot are included in "Dwarfing USA", a featurette on the making of the pilots included on the DVD release of "Red Dwarf" fifth series. Because of rights-clearance issues, no footage from the second pilot is included in the featurette.


title: Red Dwarf

text: Since the beginning of the seventh series in 1997, Doug Naylor had been attempting to make a feature-length version of the show. A final draft of the script was written, by Naylor, and flyers began circulating around certain websites. The flyer was genuine and had been distributed by Winchester Films to market the film overseas. Plot details were included as part of the teaser. It was set in the distant future where "Homo sapienoids"—a race of cyborgs—had taken over the solar system and were wiping out the human race. Spaceships that tried to escape Earth were hunted down "until only one remained... "Red Dwarf"".


title: Red Dwarf

text: Naylor had scouted Australia to get an idea of locations and finance costs, with pre-production beginning in 2004 and filming planned for 2005. Costumes were made, including Kryten's, and A-list celebrity cameos, including Madonna, were rumoured. However, finding sufficient funding had been difficult. Naylor explained at a "Red Dwarf" Dimension Jump convention that the film had been rejected by the BBC and the British Film Council.


title: Red Dwarf

text: In 2012, material from early drafts of the film was incorporated into the series X finale "The Beginning".


title: Red Dwarf

text: In 2018, Naylor suggested production of the movie was still under consideration, "The order will probably be another TV series, a stage show and possibly a movie, and I think the guys agree on that. The film is a long shot at this point just because it can take so long to get funding."


title: Red Dwarf

text: Deep7 Press (formerly Deep7 LLC) released "Red Dwarf – The Roleplaying Game" in February 2003 (although the printed copyright is 2002). Based on the series, the game allows its players to portray original characters within the "Red Dwarf" universe. Player characters can be human survivors, holograms, "evolved" house pets (cats, dogs, iguanas, rabbits, rats and mice), various types of mechanoid (Series 4000, Hudzen 10 and Waxdroids in the corebook, Series 3000 in the Extra Bits Book) or GELFs (Kinatawowi and Pleasure GELF in the corebook, "Vindaloovians" in the Extra Bits Book).


title: Red Dwarf

text: A total of three products were released for the game: the core 176-page rulebook, the "AI Screen" (analogous to the "Game Master's Screen" used in other role-playing games, also featuring the "Extra Bits Book" booklet) and the "Series Sourcebook". The "Series Sourcebook" contains plot summaries of each episode from series I to VIII as well as game rules for all major and minor characters from each series.


title: Red Dwarf

text: The game has been praised for staying true to the comedic nature of the series, for its entertaining writing and for the detail to which the background material is explained. However, some reviewers found the game mechanics to be simplistic and uninspiring compared to other science-fiction role-playing games on the market.


title: Red Dwarf

text: In promotion of the upcoming release of series XI, a mobile game titled "Red Dwarf XI - The Game" was released to coincide with the release of "Twentica" on 22 September 2016. Developed by GameDigits, it was intended to release episodically with new releases being based on all the episodes of XI. However, it ceased development following the end of its adaptation of "Officer Rimmer" to instead focus on developing "Red Dwarf XII - The Game", which dropped the episodic format and instead featured minigames such as running through the corridors of spaceships featured in XII, similar to "Temple Run", and free-roaming space on board "Starbug". Fan reception to the games were mixed and, by late 2019, both games were no longer available to download from Google Play; however, Red Dwarf XII - The Game can still be downloaded from Amazon App Store as well as Google Play when linked to via the URL.


title: Red Dwarf

text: "Red Dwarf" was featured as a hidden area in the Lego video game, "Lego Dimensions". The area was featured in the game's "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" expansion pack released on 18 November 2016, where the player was able to explore a small section of the titular ship including the sleeping quarters. References to the most recent series of the show were also included such as Snacky from "Give & Take" making a non-speaking appearance and the bio-printer from "Officer Rimmer" being an interactable object.


title: Red Dwarf

text: On 14 February 1998, the night before the tenth anniversary of the show's first episode broadcast, BBC Two devoted an evening of programmes to the series, under the banner of "Red Dwarf Night". The evening consisted of a mixture of new and existing material, and it was introduced and linked by actor and fan Patrick Stewart. In addition, a series of special take-offs on BBC Two's idents, featuring the "2" logo falling in love with a skutter, were used. The night began with "Can't Smeg, Won't Smeg", a spoof of the cookery programme "Can't Cook, Won't Cook", presented by that show's host Ainsley Harriott who had himself appeared as a GELF in the series VI episode "". Taking place outside the continuity of the series, two teams (Kryten and Lister versus Rimmer and Cat, although Cat quickly departs to be replaced by alter ego Duane Dibbley) were challenged to make the best chicken vindaloo.


title: Red Dwarf

text: After a compilation bloopers show, featuring out-takes, the next programme was "Universe Challenge", a spoof of "University Challenge". Hosted by original "University Challenge" presenter Bamber Gascoigne, the show had a team of knowledgeable "Dwarf" fans compete against a team consisting of Chris Barrie, Craig Charles, Robert Llewellyn, Chloë Annett and Danny John-Jules. This was followed by "The Red Dwarf A–Z", a half-hour documentary that chose a different aspect of the show to focus on for each letter of the alphabet. Talking heads on the episode included Stephen Hawking, Terry Pratchett, original producer Paul Jackson, Mr Blobby, Patrick Stewart and a Dalek. Finally, the night ended with a showing of the episode "Gunmen of the Apocalypse".


title: Red Dwarf

text: In August 2013, YouTube held a campaign to promote user-generated content concerning science fiction, comics, gaming, and science. Robert Llewellyn in-character as Kryten hosted the event's daily videoes, making references to Lister, Rimmer, and the Cat whilst presenting featured uploads.


title: Red Dwarf

text: On 1 July 2019, an advert for the AA called "Stellar Rescue" featuring the core "Red Dwarf" crew premiered on ITV. The advert has "Starbug" break down on an inhospitable planet with Lister using the AA app to call a mechanic and successfully escape. On 2 March 2020, a second advert called "Stellar Rescue - Smart Breakdown" was uploaded to the AA official YouTube channel featuring "Starbug" stranded without power on an ice planet but with Lister again calling a mechanic and saving the day. An alternate 30-second one accompanied it, with this one serving as the broadcast version.


title: Red Dwarf

text: In August 2020, a three-part documentary series entitled 'The First Three Million Years' was aired on Dave and narrated by Doctor Who actor David Tennant. The retrospective contained deleted scenes, behind-the-scenes footage and new interviews, as the cast and crew reflected upon 30 years of the show. A conversation between the four key cast members was filmed on the set of "The Promised Land", as the actors shared memories and anecdotes from their decades of working together


title: Red Dwarf

text: On 7 February 2021, a script entitled 'Into The Gloop' was read at the Official Red Dwarf Fan Club Holly Hop Convention by a cast of fans. Written by Rob Grant, directed by Ed Bye and produced by Paul Jackson, the one-off performance was broadcast live to Holly Hop attendees on Zoom. The mini-episode, a self-contained story, was set at the end of Series VI. The cast was Harmony Hewlett and Loïc Baucherel as Rimmer, Raph Clarkson as Lister, Nikola Skalova as the Cat, and Ellie Griffiths as Kryten.


title: Red Dwarf

text: "Red Dwarf" was originally based on "Dave Hollins: Space Cadet", a series of five sketches that aired in the BBC Radio 4 series "Son of Cliché", produced by Rob Grant and Doug Naylor in 1984.


title: Red Dwarf

text: The sketches recounted the adventures of Dave Hollins (voiced by Nick Wilton), a hapless space traveller who is marooned in space far from Earth. His only steady companion is the computer Hab (voiced by Chris Barrie).


title: Red Dwarf

text: Grant and Naylor chose to use the "Dave Hollins: Space Cadet" sketches as a base for a television show after watching the 1974 film "Dark Star". They changed some elements from the sketches:


title: Red Dwarf

text: The 7-trillion-year figure was first changed to 7 billion years and then to 3 million and the characters of Arnold Rimmer and the Cat were created. The name Dave Hollins was changed to Dave Lister when a football player called Dave Hollins became well known, and Hab was replaced by Holly. One of the voice actors from "Son of Cliché", Chris Barrie went on to portray Arnold Rimmer in the "Red Dwarf" TV series.


title: Red Dwarf

text: Episodes of "Dave Hollins" can be found on the 2-disc "Red Dwarf" DVD sets starting with series V and ending with series VIII.


title: The Book of Eli

text: The Book of Eli is a 2010 American post-apocalyptic neo-Western action film directed by the Hughes Brothers, written by Gary Whitta, and starring Denzel Washington, Gary Oldman, Mila Kunis, Ray Stevenson, and Jennifer Beals. The story revolves around Eli, a nomad in a post-apocalyptic world who seeks to deliver his copy of a mysterious book to a safe location on the West Coast of the United States. Filming began in February 2009 and took place in New Mexico.


title: The Book of Eli

text: "The Book of Eli" was released in theaters on January 15, 2010, by Warner Bros. Pictures. It received mixed reviews from critics, but earned $157.1 million in the worldwide box office on a budget of $80 million.


title: The Book of Eli

text: Thirty years after a nuclear holocaust, Eli travels on foot across the wasteland of the former United States. He demonstrates uncanny survival and fighting skills, such as hunting wildlife and defeating a group of highwaymen. Searching for water, he arrives in a ramshackle town ruled by a warlord named Carnegie, who seeks to control the people through the power of a certain book, which his henchmen have been unable to find.


title: The Book of Eli

text: Eli barters with a store owner, the Engineer, to recharge the battery of his portable music player. At the town bar, he is attacked by a gang of bikers but swiftly kills them all. Impressed, Carnegie invites Eli to join his employ, but Eli declines. Realizing Eli is a literate man like himself, Carnegie forces him to stay the night under guard. After Carnegie's blind mistress Claudia brings Eli food and water, Carnegie orders her daughter Solara to seduce Eli, but he rebuffs her. Solara sees Eli has a book, and he offers to share his food, saying grace before they eat. In the morning, Carnegie overhears Solara repeating the prayer to her mother and realizes Eli has the book he has been seeking: a Bible.


title: The Book of Eli

text: Eli sneaks away, but Carnegie and his henchmen confront him in the street. When Eli refuses to give up the book, Carnegie orders him killed; the ensuing battle leaves Eli untouched, but many henchmen dead and Carnegie shot in the leg. Solara catches up to Eli and leads him to the town's water supply, hoping to accompany him on his travels, but he traps her inside and continues alone. Solara escapes and is ambushed by two bandits who attempt to rape her, but Eli reappears and kills them. Continuing toward the West Coast, Eli explains his mission: His book is the last remaining copy of the Bible since all other copies were intentionally destroyed following the nuclear war. He says that he was led to the book by a voice in his head, directing him to travel westward to a place it would be safe, and assuring that he would be protected and guided on his journey.


title: The Book of Eli

text: At an isolated house, Eli and Solara fall into a trap but manage to allay the suspicions of the residents, George and Martha, who invite them in for tea. Realizing that George and Martha are cannibals, Eli and Solara attempt to leave just as Carnegie and his men arrive. In the ensuing shootout, George, Martha, and many of Carnegie's men are killed, and Eli and Solara are captured. Threatening to kill Solara, Carnegie forces Eli to surrender the Bible before shooting him and leaving him for dead, departing with his caravan. Solara escapes, destroying one truck with a hand grenade and driving back in another to find Eli. With his remaining vehicle low on fuel, Carnegie returns to town.


title: The Book of Eli

text: Solara finds Eli, and they drive until they reach the Golden Gate Bridge and row to Alcatraz Island, where they find a group intent on preserving what remains of literature and music. Eli tells the guards that he has a copy of the Bible. Taken inside, Eli dictates the New King James Version of the Bible from memory to Lombardi, the sanctuary's leader.


title: The Book of Eli

text: In the town, the Engineer opens Eli's locked Bible, which Carnegie discovers is in Braille, revealing Eli to be blind. Claudia, feigning ignorance of Braille, tells Carnegie that his leg wound has become infected and the loss of his enforcers has led the people to run amok. At the sanctuary, Eli has died, but not before reciting the entire book. A printing press begins producing copies of the Bible, and Lombardi places one on a bookshelf between the Tanakh and the Quran. Offered sanctuary on Alcatraz, Solara chooses instead to return home, taking up Eli's machete and other possessions.


title: The Book of Eli

text: In May 2007, Columbia Pictures and Warner Bros. signed the Hughes brothers to direct "The Book of Eli", based on a script by Gary Whitta. (The brothers had last directed the 2001 film "From Hell".) Subsequently, Anthony Peckham rewrote the script, and in September 2008 Denzel Washington won the lead role. The following October, Gary Oldman was cast to star alongside Washington. Principal photography began in February 2009 and took place in New Mexico. Alcon Entertainment financed the film and co-produced with Silver Pictures.


title: The Book of Eli

text: Jeff Imada choreographed the complex fight scenes, which feature the Filipino martial art of Kali. Washington trained for months with Dan Inosanto and Imada for his role.


title: The Book of Eli

text: "The Book of Eli" was released in theaters in January 15, 2010, by Warner Bros. Pictures in the United States; international sales were handled by Summit Entertainment, with Sony Pictures Releasing International distributing in a large number of international territories.


title: The Book of Eli

text: The film was released on home media (DVD and Blu-ray Disc) in the United States on June 15, 2010, by Warner Bros. Home Entertainment.


title: The Book of Eli

text: The film was released in North America on January 15, 2010, in 3,111 theaters. It took in $11,672,970—$3,752 per theater, its opening day. By the end of its opening four-day holiday weekend it grossed $38,437,553—$12,355 per theater. It ranked number two, behind "Avatar". On its second weekend, it placed third with "Legion" taking its number two place and grossed $15,732,493—$5,057 per theater. By its third weekend it dropped down to number five and made $8,908,286—$2,897 per theater. The film has come to gross $94,835,059 in the United States and Canada, and $62,256,659 in other markets, with an estimated worldwide total of $157,091,718, over an estimated budget of $80 million.


title: The Book of Eli

text: Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reports that 47% of 208 critics have given the film a positive review, with an average rating of 5.50/10. The site's consensus is that "It's certainly uneven, and many viewers will find that its reach exceeds its grasp, but "The Book of Eli" finds the Hughes brothers injecting some fresh stylish fun into the kind of post-apocalyptic wasteland filmgoers have seen more than enough of lately." Based on 33 critic reviews, Metacritic (another review aggregator) has assigned the film a weighted average score of 53 out of 100, indicating "mixed or average reviews".


title: The Book of Eli

text: Todd McCarthy of "Variety" predicted "this will not be one of ... Denzel Washington's bigger grossers." "Chicago Sun-Times" critic Roger Ebert gave the film three out of four stars, stating: "You won't be sorry you went. It grips your attention, and then at the end throws in several WTF! moments, which are a bonus." Reviewing the film for "The A.V. Club", Scott Tobias graded the film a B, and wrote "At a time when theaters are experiencing a glut of doomsday scenarios, the Hughes' ashen, bombed-out future world looks a little too familiar, no matter how crisply they present it. But the showdown between Washington and a deliciously hammy Oldman complicates the film's overt religiosity...". Owen Gleiberman of "Entertainment Weekly" gave the film a D, calling it "a ponderous dystopian bummer that might be described as "The Road Warrior" without car chases, or "The Road" without humanity.


title: The Book of Eli

text: The film was released on DVD and Blu-ray Disc on May 31, 2010, in the UK and on June 15, 2010, in the United States and Canada. The DVD took the top spot on all three national home video market charts in its first week. It premiered No. 1 on "Home Media Magazine"'s Rental Chart, the Nielsen VideoScan Blu-ray chart, and the Nielsen VideoScan First Alert Sales Chart, where it outdistanced its nearest competitor in sales by a 3 to 1 margin.


title: Ford Focus

text: The Ford Focus is a compact car (C-segment in Europe) manufactured by Ford Motor Company since 1998. It was created under Alexander Trotman's Ford 2000 plan, which aimed to globalize model development and sell one compact vehicle worldwide. The original Focus was primarily designed by Ford of Europe's German and British teams.


title: Ford Focus

text: Ford of Europe introduced the Focus in 1998 to the European market as a replacement for the Ford Escort. The decision to name the new car the "Ford Focus" was made in early 1998, as Ford's senior management had been planning to keep the "Escort" nameplate for its new generation of small family cars. A last-minute problem arose in July 1998 when a Cologne court, responding to a case brought by the publisher Burda, ordered Ford to avoid the name "Focus" for the cars in the German market since the name was already taken by one of its magazines ("Focus"). This eleventh-hour dispute was resolved, however, and the car was launched with the name "Focus". The Focus MK1 was awarded the 1999 European Car of the Year award. The project manager for the Ford Focus at Dunton was Rose Mary Farenden.


title: Ford Focus

text: Ford of North America began marketing the Focus in September 1999 for the 2000 model year, with some changes from the European version. The car was launched as a three-door hatchback, four-door sedan, and five-door wagon; a five-door hatchback debuted in 2001.


title: Ford Focus

text: In 2002, Ford launched its highest performance version of the Focus, called the Focus RS. It came with a 2.0-litre turbocharged "Duratec RS" engine, a Quaife ATB limited-slip differential, Brembo brakes, and a host of other performance changes, combined with a much more aggressive appearance, and was available only in Ford's Imperial blue. 70% of the components found on the Focus RS were unique, revised or uprated. This original Focus RS was only available in Europe with a limited run of 4501 cars being built; just under half (2147) of these were sold in the UK.


title: Ford Focus

text: For decades, in the U.S., small cars like the Focus were seen as a tool to draw in younger buyers looking for a cheap basic transportation and to increase auto makers' fleet average fuel economies to meet U.S. federal standards. Ford was said not to be concerned about losing money on the Focus so the company could sell gas guzzlers for big profits. However, recent sales of new Focuses have been able to maintain lower or overall discounting incentive rates than many competing vehicles in its class. Many industry insiders view cars like the Focus as 'compliance cars' because of their role in helping to bring up the corporate fleet average fuel economy to meet current fuel-economy standards.


title: Ford Focus

text: The second generation Focus was launched at the Paris Motor Show on September 25, 2004, as a three and five-door hatchback and an estate, although the new car was previewed, in 4-door sedan form, as the "Focus Concept" developed by Ford Europe at the Beijing Motor Show in mid-2004.


title: Ford Focus

text: The basic suspension design, which contributed much to the Mk 1's success, was carried over largely unchanged from its predecessor. Along with a 10 percent stiffer bodyshell, according to Ford this offers a better ride, but critics claimed the car lacked the precise and poised handling of the Mk 1. The same body styles as the Mk 1 Focus were offered, though the sedan did not appear until mid-2005. A two-door coupé-cabriolet with a retractable hardtop was added to the line-up in 2007.


title: Ford Focus

text: The Focus Mk 2 is larger and considerably heavier than its predecessor: it has a increase in wheelbase, and is longer, taller, and wider. As a result, the interior and boot space have increased. New technologies include a KeyFree system, a solar-reflect windshield, adaptive front lighting, Bluetooth hands-free phones and voice control for audio, telephone, and climate control systems.


title: Ford Focus

text: Stylistically, the Mk 2 features the same design language found in the Mondeo and Fiesta. Although still recognisable as a Focus, the new car uses styling features from the abandoned B-Proposal for the "original" Focus which never reached production.


title: Ford Focus

text: In 2005, Ford released a MK.II version of Ford's sports division of Focus, the Focus ST. This one produced and could achieve a time of 6.4 seconds, and a top speed, using a 2.5-litre, five-cylinder turbocharged engine originating from Volvo.


title: Ford Focus

text: 2007–2008 saw a minor facelifted version introduced, featuring Ford's Kinetic Design philosophy. Major changes included a new bonnet with more creases, the removal of all mouldings along the doors and sides, new sculpted pull back headlights, and the big trapezoidal lower grille.


title: Ford Focus

text: In 2009, the new Focus RS was launched, with a modified version of the 2.5-litre engine found in the ST.


title: Ford Focus

text: For the North American market, development followed a separate path. Since debuting at the 2007 North American International Auto Show, the restyled 2008–2011 generation was available as a two-door coupe and four-door sedan; the hatchbacks and wagon were discontinued. The interior was redesigned, including new seats, a new dashboard design with message center on top of the dashboard, ambient lighting, dashboard panels that simulate brushed aluminum, and Ford's voice-controlled Sync audio/Bluetooth system. Also included in the redesign was a support beam behind the dashboard for extra structural rigidity.


title: Ford Focus

text: Though informally considered as the second generation, it was never officially referred to as such by Ford since its platform was the same as the first generation.


title: Ford Focus

text: For the third generation, Ford reunited both international and North American models by releasing the international Mk3 worldwide. The previous North American version was discontinued, and the new model was launched simultaneously in North America and Europe in early 2011, both having started production late in 2010.


title: Ford Focus

text: Ford unveiled the Ford Focus at the 2010 North American International Auto Show. The car shown was a five-door hatchback model, also debuting a new 2.0-litre direct injection inline-four engine. A five-door station wagon was also made available at launch. The new generation launched simultaneously in North America and Europe in early 2011, with production having started in late 2010. Production in Asia, Africa, Australia and South America was scheduled to follow later but the plan for Australian production was later dropped and that market and New Zealand were supplied, along with Asia, from a new factory in Thailand where output began in June 2012.


title: Ford Focus

text: Ford previewed the third generation facelifted model at the 2014 Geneva Motor Show. The updated version features a new redesigned front end design, incorporating Ford's new family grille and slimline headlights. The Focus RS was updated to include all-wheel drive.


title: Ford Focus

text: On April 10, 2018, Ford unveiled the European and Asian-market versions of the fourth-generation Focus, to mark the brand's 20th anniversary. As in the previous generation, the model is available with sedan, hatchback and estate body styles. A crossover-inspired trim level known as the "Active" is available with the hatchback and estate body styles. The car also has a "Vignale" luxury trim level.


title: Ford Focus

text: The exterior features a sportier design, while Ford described its interior as being simpler. The company also emphasized technology featured in the new model, including the Sync 3 infotainment system, FordPass Connect, and the CoPilot360 driver assistance suite.


title: Ford Focus

text: In April 2018, Ford announced that all passenger vehicles but the Mustang would be discontinued in the North American market, in order to focus on trucks and SUVs. The Focus Active was intended to be the only version of the model available in the market, but Ford cancelled these plans in August 2018 over tariffs imposed by the U.S. government on exports from China, as the model would be manufactured in the country.


title: Ford Focus

text: Ford limited sales of fourth generation Focus in its 4-door saloon form in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Serbia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Albania, Bulgaria, Romania, Moldova, Turkey, Cyprus as well as many Asian and African countries. Ford no longer offers the Focus in Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan due to a broader reorganization of their European branch.


title: Ford Focus

text: In April 2020, Ford confirmed there are no plans for a fourth-generation Focus RS model due to pan-European emissions standards and high development costs.


title: Ford Focus

text: The first Focus World Rally Car made its debut in rallying and the World Rally Championship on the 1999 Monte Carlo Rally with Colin McRae and Simon Jean-Joseph at the wheels of the two cars, replacing the Escort. It was immediately on the pace, setting many fastest stage times, but an illegal water pump meant that the two cars were excluded from that event. McRae went on to give the Focus WRC its maiden victory on the Safari Rally in February of the same year, and took victory again in the following rally, the Rally Portugal.


title: Ford Focus

text: The MkI Focus WRC went on to achieve further victories over the years for McRae, Carlos Sainz, and Markko Märtin from then until it was phased out in favour of the MkII offering in late 2005. This car, a winner in both Marcus Grönholm's and Mikko Hirvonen's hands in the two-car factory BP-Ford World Rally Team that contested the 2006 World Rally Championship, duly racked up the manufacturers' title, spelling the end of a formidable twenty-seven-year wait for such an honour in this series for the Blue Oval. The team successfully defended the manufacturers' title in the 2007 season. The Focus WRC was used until the 2010 season, when it was announced that the new Fiesta will replace the Focus from 2011 and onwards.


title: Ford Focus

text: All the rally cars are built, prepared, and run for Ford by M-Sport, the motorsport team based in Cockermouth, Cumbria in Northern England. The team is managed by Malcolm Wilson, a well known British former rally driver.


title: Ford Focus

text: Besides rallies, the Focus has also been used in the SCCA Speed World Challenge Touring Car Series, the TC 2000, resulting champion in 2003, 2005, 2010, and 2012.


title: Ford Focus

text: The Ford Focus ST made its debut in the 2009 British Touring Car Championship season, with Arena Motorsport. During its second season, the car ran on liquefied petroleum gas, taking the first BTCC win for a car powered by this fuel at Brands Hatch. In 2011, Arena (also known as Team AON) shifted to the newer Focus Mk3, while Motorbase Performance drove the ST version. Both cars had engines built to the Next Generation Touring Car engine rules. Motorbase continues to compete with the Ford Focus ST.


title: Ford Focus

text: This car won four drivers' championships of the Argentine TC 2000/Súper TC 2000 championship (2003, 2005, 2010 and 2012). The first three of the Oreste Berta Ford YPF team with official support from Ford Argentina.


title: Ford Focus

text: Arena Motorsport entered two Ford Focus Mk3s in the 2012 World Touring Car Championship season for Tom Chilton and James Nash. The best result was a sixth place by Nash in the Race of Morocco.


title: Ford Focus

text: In 2008 Ford South Africa entered two modified Focus ST models into Class T (reserved for turbocharged production vehicles) of the local Bridgestone Production Car Championship (essentially a Touring Car formula). They secured the Class T driver's titles in 2009 and 2011.


title: Ford Focus

text: The car had success in the 2013 China Touring Car Championship, and won its class in the 2014 Liqui Moly Bathurst 12 Hour. The Focus that raced in the 2014 Bathurst 12 Hour was powered by a 5.0 L Ford Coyote V8 engine.


title: Ford Focus

text: Stuart Rowley, chair and former president of Ford of Europe, told journalists in June 2022 that Ford plans to end production of the Focus at the Saarlouis plant in Germany around 2025. There was no indication of when production would end in China.


title: Over-the-top media service

text: An over-the-top (OTT) media service is a media service offered directly to viewers via the Internet. OTT bypasses cable, broadcast, and satellite television platforms: the types of companies that traditionally act as controllers or distributors of such content. It has also been used to describe no-carrier cellphones, for which all communications are charged as data, avoiding monopolistic competition, or apps for phones that transmit data in this manner, including both those that replace other call methods and those that update software.


title: Over-the-top media service

text: The term is most synonymous with subscription-based video on demand (SVoD) services that offer access to film and television content (including existing shows and movies for which rights have been acquired from the content owner, as well as original content produced specifically for the service).


title: Over-the-top media service

text: OTT also encompasses a wave of "skinny" television services that offer access to live streams of linear specialty channels, similar to a traditional satellite or cable TV provider, but streamed over the public Internet, rather than a closed, private network with proprietary equipment such as set-top boxes.


title: Over-the-top media service

text: Over-the-top services are typically accessed via websites on personal computers, as well as via apps on mobile devices (such as smartphones and tablets), digital media players (including video game consoles), or televisions with integrated Smart TV platforms.


title: Over-the-top media service

text: In 2011, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC), Canada's telecom regulator, stated that it "considers that Internet access to programming independent of a facility or network dedicated to its delivery (via, for example, cable or satellite) is the defining feature of what has been termed 'over-the-top' services".


title: Over-the-top media service

text: In contrast to video on demand video-delivery systems offered by cable and IPTV, which are tightly managed networks where channels can be changed instantly, some OTT services such as iTunes require that the video be downloaded first and then played, while other OTT players such as Netflix, Hulu, Peacock, Disney+, HBO Max, Discovery+, Paramount+, and Amazon Prime Video, offer movie downloads that start playing before the download completes (streaming).


title: Over-the-top media service

text: The United States Federal Communications Commission (FCC) categorizes the OTT services into two groups: multichannel video programming distributors (MVPDs); and online video distributors (OVDs).


title: Over-the-top media service

text: Virtual MVPDs include such varied services as DirecTV Stream, FuboTV, Sling TV, Hulu + Live TV, and YouTube TV.


title: Over-the-top media service

text: In broadcasting, "over-the-top (OTT) content" is the audio, video, and other media content delivered over the Internet, without the involvement of a multiple-system operator (MSO) in the control or distribution of the content. The Internet provider may be aware of the contents of the Internet Protocol (IP) packets but is not responsible for, nor able to control, the viewing abilities, copyrights, and/or other redistribution of the content. This model contrasts with the purchasing or rental of video or audio content from an Internet service provider (ISP), such as pay television, video on demand, and from internet protocol television (IPTV). OTT refers to content from a third party that is delivered to an end-user, with the ISP simply transporting IP packets.


title: Over-the-top media service

text: OTT television, usually called online television, Internet television or streaming television, remains the most popular OTT content. This signal is received over the Internet or through a cell phone network, as opposed to receiving the television signal from a terrestrial broadcast or satellite. The video distributor controls access through an app, a separate OTT dongle, or a box connected to a phone, PC, or smart television set. By mid-2017, 58 percent of US households would access one in a given month, and advertising revenues from OTT channels exceeded those from web browser plug-ins.


title: Over-the-top media service

text: The record of simultaneous users watching an OTT event was set at 18.6 million by Disney's Indian video streaming platform Hotstar.


title: Over-the-top media service

text: OTT messaging is defined as instant messaging services or online chat provided by third parties, as an alternative to text messaging services provided by a mobile network operator. An example is the Facebook-owned mobile application WhatsApp, that serves to replace text messaging on Internet connected smartphones. Other providers of OTT messaging include Viber, WeChat, iMessage, Skype, Telegram and the now defunct Google Allo.


title: Over-the-top media service

text: OTT voice calling, usually called VoIP, capabilities, for instance, as provided by FaceTime, Skype, Viber, WhatsApp, WeChat, and Zoom use open internet communication protocols to replace and sometimes enhance existing operator controlled services offered by mobile phone operators.


title: Over-the-top media service

text: Consumers can access OTT content through Internet-connected devices such as phones (including Android and iOS mobile devices), smart TVs (such as Google TV, Roku TV, and LG Electronics' Channel Plus), set-top boxes (such as Apple TV, Nvidia Shield, Fire TV, and Roku), gaming consoles (such as the PlayStation 4, Wii U, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S), tablets, and desktop and laptop computers. As of 2019, Android and iOS users make up more than 45% of the total OTT content streaming audience, while 39% of users use the web to access OTT content.


title: Warrior Nun (TV series)

text: Warrior Nun is an American fantasy drama streaming television series created by Simon Barry based on the comic book character Warrior Nun Areala by Ben Dunn.


title: Warrior Nun (TV series)

text: Developed as a feature film adaptation, the idea was re-imagined as a television series for Netflix when the service had given the production a series order for a first season. Filming takes place in multiple locations in Andalusia, Spain, such as Antequera, where the headquarters of the fictional Order of the Cruciform Sword was filmed.


title: Warrior Nun (TV series)

text: The series is narrated and led by Portuguese actress Alba Baptista in the role of Ava Silva, a quadriplegic orphan who discovers she now has supernatural powers which force her to join an ancient order of warrior nuns. The series marks Baptista's English-language debut. The cast also features Toya Turner, Thekla Reuten, Lorena Andrea, Kristina Tonteri-Young, Sylvia De Fanti and Tristán Ulloa.


title: Warrior Nun (TV series)

text: The series debuted on July 2, 2020, to generally positive reviews. In August 2020, the series was renewed for a second season, which was released on November 10, 2022. In December 2022, the series was canceled after two seasons.


title: Warrior Nun (TV series)

text: "Warrior Nun" revolves around the story of a 19-year-old woman who wakes up in a morgue with a new lease of life and a divine artifact embedded in her back. She discovers she is now part of the ancient Order of the Cruciform Sword that has been tasked with fighting demons on Earth, and powerful forces representing both heaven and hell want to find and control her.


title: Warrior Nun (TV series)

text: On September 28, 2018, it was announced that Netflix had given the production a series order for a first season consisting of ten episodes. Simon Barry was set to serve as showrunner for the series. Barry is also credited as an executive producer alongside Stephen Hegyes with Terri Hughes Burton serving as a co-executive producer for the series. Production companies involved with the series are Barry's Reality Distortion Field and Fresco Film Services. The series premiered on July 2, 2020. On August 19, 2020, Netflix renewed the series for a second season. On December 13, 2022, it has been announced that the series has been canceled after two seasons.


title: Warrior Nun (TV series)

text: Sometime after the series order announcement, it was confirmed that Alba Baptista, Toya Turner, Tristan Ulloa, Thekla Reuten, Kristina Tonteri-Young, Lorena Andrea, and Emilio Sakraya would star in the series. On April 1, 2019, it was announced that Sylvia De Fanti had joined the cast as a series regular. On October 18, 2021, Meena Rayann, Jack Mullarkey and Richard Clothier joined the cast as recurring roles for the second season.


title: Warrior Nun (TV series)

text: Filming for the first season took place on location of Andalusia (Spain), in the town of Antequera (where the headquarters of the Order of the Cruciform Sword is located) Marbella, Ronda, Málaga, and Sevilla, from March 11, 2019 to July 5, 2019. The El Tajo Gorge was featured in one of the scenes. Pre-production for the second season began in late May 2021 and filming began in late July 2021 in Madrid, Spain. Production for the second season wrapped up on November 4 in Spain.


title: Warrior Nun (TV series)

text: On June 17, 2020, Netflix released the official trailer for the series, and the first season was released on July 2, 2020. The second season was released on November 10, 2022.


title: Warrior Nun (TV series)

text: On Rotten Tomatoes, the season 1 has an approval rating of 68% based on 34 critic reviews, with an average rating of 6.5/10. The website's critics consensus reads, "Though "Warrior Nun" heavy handed set-up weighs it down, committed performances and excellent fight choreography may be enough for those looking for more pulp with their pulpit." On Rotten Tomatoes, season 2 has an approval rating of 100% based on reviews from 10 critics. On Metacritic, the show has a weighted average score of 62 out of 100, based on reviews from 7 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".


title: Warrior Nun (TV series)

text: Roxana Hadadi of The A.V. Club wrote: "The script can sometimes lean too much on mythological and religious exposition... but the actors have such good chemistry that their various pairings work, and the smartly choreographed fight scenes are well-placed." Hadadi said that "Warrior Nun is undoubtedly familiar" influenced by the likes of "Veronica Mars", "Buffy the Vampire Slayer", and Alex Garland's "Devs", but that when the show really clicks it becomes "its own distinct experience rather than simply a derivative facsimile of those inspirations." She praised the performances, particularly Toya Turner as Shotgun Mary, and gives the show a grade B−. Nicole Drum of ComicBook.com gave the review 3 out of 5, and wrote: "Warrior Nun is a truly wild journey that manages to ask some tough questions while equally embracing its silliness, its action, and the absolute absurdity of it all. The show may not be everyone's cup of tea, but it is one hell of a fun ride."


title: Warrior Nun (TV series)

text: While the majority of critics praised the choreography of the series, some took issue with the pacing of the plot and the extensive exposition of the plot. Robyn Bahr, of "The Hollywood Reporter" notes, "Thematically, Warrior Nun is nothing you haven't seen before, and aesthetically, nothing you ever want to see again... Bleak, dour and trudging, the series contains none of the kitschy, blasphemous fun of its title." Critic Steve Murray notes that "Warrior Nun" has "both potential and problems in equal measure"; supposing that the series is trying to recreate the feel of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" but with less witty dialogue and creativity.


title: Warrior Nun (TV series)

text: Reviewing season 2, Paul Tassi of Forbes wrote: "The series has brutal, surprisingly great action, a meaningful central romance and unexpectedly biting commentary on religion."


title: Degrassi: The Next Generation

text: Degrassi: The Next Generation (also known as Degrassi for seasons 10 to 14) is a Canadian teen drama television series and the fourth series in the "Degrassi" franchise, which was created by Linda Schuyler and Kit Hood in 1979. As a direct follow-up to "Degrassi Junior High" and "Degrassi High," the series centred around a new ensemble cast of students at the fictional Degrassi Community School who faced challenges such as sex, teen pregnancy, bullying, date rape, drug abuse, body image, homosexuality, domestic violence, gang violence, self-injury, suicide, abortion, and mental disorders. Various characters from the previous two series also returned as adults in recurring or guest roles.


title: Degrassi: The Next Generation

text: The series was initially created by Linda Schuyler and Yan Moore, the latter of who was the head writer of "Degrassi Junior High" and "Degrassi High". It was produced by Epitome Pictures (a subsidiary of DHX Media) in association with Bell Media. The series premiered on CTV on October 14, 2001, to mixed reviews, with some critics expressing doubts about whether the show would make the same impact as its predecessors, but would ultimately garner similar critical and commercial success. It received favourable reviews from critics of "Entertainment Weekly", "The New York Times", and AfterElton.


title: Degrassi: The Next Generation

text: In its initial years, it was frequently the most watched domestic drama series in Canada. In the United States, it became the highest-rated show on Noggin's teen block The N. By 2004, the series had averaged nearly a million viewers in Canada, and half a million in the United States. In Canada, the series received awards from the Geminis, Writers Guild of Canada, and Directors Guild of Canada. Internationally, it also won several Teen Choice Awards, Young Artist Awards, and Prix Jeunesse. The episode "My Body Is a Cage", in which a character is outed as transgender, won a Peabody Award in 2011.


title: Degrassi: The Next Generation

text: During its later seasons, the show's format underwent several changes after the involvement of Viacom. The tenth season's airing schedule switched to a telenovela format during the summer months, before returning to its standard schedule for the fall and spring. The series was also moved to MuchMusic in Canada. The thirteenth season reverted to a weekly schedule and part way through, it had moved to MTV Canada, where it aired until its final episode on August 2, 2015, after fourteen seasons. It was followed by "", which followed the remaining underclassmen characters from the show's later seasons as well as introduced newer ones, in 2016.


title: Degrassi: The Next Generation

text: The "Degrassi" universe was created in 1979 by Playing With Time, a production company owned by former schoolteacher Linda Schuyler and her partner Kit Hood. The franchise began with "The Kids of Degrassi Street", which was spawned out of three half-hour short films, and came to prominence with the critical and commercial successes of "Degrassi Junior High", which debuted in 1987, and "Degrassi High," which premiered in 1989. The two series followed an ensemble cast of students attending the titular schools as they confronted various issues. It became an international sensation, with the shows experiencing upwards of a million viewers on average in Canada, and received numerous accolades. The telemovie "School's Out," which concluded the franchise, aired in 1992.


title: Degrassi: The Next Generation

text: Schuyler and original "Degrassi" series head writer Yan Moore began developing a new television drama in 1999, following a reunion of the original "Degrassi" cast on the CBC series "Jonovision". As the months progressed, they began to think about what had happened to the original characters to develop a school-reunion theme. However, they decided that a series would not work effectively if based around adults instead of children. Moore realized that the character Emma Nelson, born to character Christine "Spike" Nelson at the end of "Degrassi Junior High"s second season, would soon be entering junior high school, and development for the series took a new direction by focusing on Emma and her school experiences.


title: Degrassi: The Next Generation

text: Schuyler's husband Stephen Stohn suggested "Degrassi: The Next Generation" as the name for the new sequel series, which borrowed from "". The project was pitched to CTV in May 2000, with the originally planned reunion episode serving as the pilot to the new series.


title: Degrassi: The Next Generation

text: Produced by Epitome Pictures Inc, in association with CTVglobemedia, "Degrassi: The Next Generation" received funding from the Canadian Television Fund, BCE, the Shaw Rocket Fund, Mountain Cable Program and the Royal Bank of Canada, the Bell Broadcast and New Media Fund, and the Cogeco Program Development Fund.


title: Degrassi: The Next Generation

text: Linda Schuyler and Stephen Stohn served as executive producers throughout its run. Other Epitome Pictures employees and series crew members were also been credited as executive producers, including Sara Snow, Brendon Yorke, James Hurst, Aaron Martin, and Sarah Glinski.


title: Degrassi: The Next Generation

text: Story editors included Sarah Glinski and Matt Huether, Shelley Scarrow, James Hurst, Aaron Martin, and Sean Reycraft. Frequent directors included Phil Earnshaw, Stefan Scaini and Bruce McDonald. When production of season three began, a user on the official "Degrassi: The Next Generation" website with the alias "ExecProducer" began a forum thread titled "Shooting Season 3", revealing production details, guest actors, scheduling information and DVD release details. He referred to himself as "Stephen Stohn" in one post, although it was not until the release of "Degrassi: Generations – The Official 411" in 2005, that Stohn confirmed he was the poster and it was not an imposter.


title: Degrassi: The Next Generation

text: The episodes are written following the same formula with two or three storylines (Plot A, Plot B and Plot C). The main storyline, A, opened and closed the episode, and was usually driven by a single character. Plot B was usually more comedic in tone and sometimes slightly intertwined with the other stories, often moving story arcs forward. Plot C was usually used sporadically in a season-long arc, but would eventually settle as comedic relief. The problems presented in the episode were not always resolved by the end of the episode, and were carried over to the next, or created a mini-arc over several episodes. The majority of the episodes were named after songs from the 1980s, and since the tenth season, the episodes were named after songs from the 1990s to the present, which represented the entering of a new decade and a completely different cast from the earlier seasons. For the first nine seasons, "Degrassi: The Next Generation" had been produced as a weekly half-hour teen comedy-drama series, with each season consisting of between fifteen and twenty-four episodes.


title: Degrassi: The Next Generation

text: Due to falling viewing figures between seasons six and nine, the series developed a daily soap opera format for the summer run of the tenth season, and increased the number of episodes to forty-four. The tenth season also dropped the tagline "The Next Generation", with only one original cast member remaining, and due to the young audience unfamiliar with the past generation, referring to the series as ""Degrassi"". Season 13 reverted to airing episodes weekly, but still produced more episodes than prior to the soap opera format, airing a block in the summer of 2013 to the summer of 2014.


title: Degrassi: The Next Generation

text: The "Degrassi" opening sequence followed a two- to three-minute cold open. During the first five seasons these credits showed the characters on the school premises and followed a mini storyline. Seasons six and seven featured titles with the actors breaking the fourth wall and facing the camera, over a montage of character videos from past seasons, saturated with blue colour and gold outlines. The montages behind the characters depicting a major event in that character's storyline. For the eighth season, the show abandoned the style of titles used for the previous two seasons and returned to the original form of showing the characters at school while participating in school-related activities. Season thirteen dropped the opening credits, replacing it with an eleven-second montage. This continued into season fourteen. Instead of listing every ensemble actor, after the montage, season thirteen and fourteen episodes credit only the regular actors appearing in that episode.


title: Degrassi: The Next Generation

text: The theme music, "Whatever It Takes", was composed by Jim McGrath, with lyrics written by Jody Colero and Stephen Stohn. The song include lines such as, "Whatever it takes, I know I can make it through/Be the best, the best I can be", to convey what Colero calls, "a sense of joy and optimism." Lisa Dalbello performed the lyrics with a children's choir over a 1980s pop music style tune during the first three seasons. Dave Ogilvie and Anthony Valcic of Canadian industrial-pop group Jakalope reworked and performed the song with a heavier sound to reflect the growing maturity of the characters in season four. For seasons six and seven, the theme—still performed by Jakalope—was remixed and stripped of vocals. A fourth version of the theme song, with lyrics sung by Damhnait Doyle, was introduced for the eighth season, and a fifth version of the theme, performed by the in-show band "" was used for the ninth and tenth seasons. For seasons eleven and twelve, a sixth version of the theme song was used, performed by Alexz Johnson. Seasons thirteen and fourteen featured a truncated version of the Alexz Johnson theme.


title: Degrassi: The Next Generation

text: Jim McGrath created the musical score for each episode using an instrumental version of the theme music. He also worked with actors such as Jake Epstein, Melissa McIntyre and Jamie Johnston, when writing music for their characters Craig Manning, Ashley Kerwin, and Peter Stone to perform in the bands , , , and . In addition to being scored, "Degrassi" featured a mix of original emo, alternative rock and pop music. Popular songs were used sparingly in the series, mainly because of budget constraints. Usually, music supervisor Jody Colero selected songs from little-known, unsigned Canadian artists. When these songs were included, they originated from a diegetic source. Examples of this could be seen in the first-season episode "Jagged Little Pill", when well-known songs were played during Ashley's house party, at the wedding reception in the fifth-season episode "Weddings, Parties, Anything", and during the party scene in the seventh-season episode "Everything She Wants".


title: Degrassi: The Next Generation

text: The "Degrassi" universe was set on De Grassi Street in Toronto, Ontario. The three previous series were filmed on and near the street. However, "The Next Generation" was filmed at Epitome Pictures' four soundstages and backlot located at the company's production studios in Toronto. The facade of Degrassi Community School was the exterior of Studio C, and used the same colours and glass pattern as Centennial College, which was used to depict the school in "Degrassi High". The area in front of this facade featured a "hoarding area" where students gathered, and a street and a bus stop across the road. The studio's backlot was used for exterior shots of the characters' houses, where each unit was dressed differently for each house, and The Dot Grill. The building for The Dot was the only one on the backlot that was large enough to allow filming inside, while scenes that took place inside the school and house interiors were filmed on one of four sound stages.


title: Degrassi: The Next Generation

text: Studio A contained sets for the school's hallways, washrooms, cafeteria and classrooms. The hallways were stenciled with phrases such as "the perfect human being is all human", which were found at the Etobicoke School for the Arts, one of the many schools that set designers used during their original research. The washroom set had graffiti on the walls to look authentic, and the urinals are installed and removed as needed. The set used for the cafeteria was designed to be "purposefully bland to take the edge off the rest of the school looking so beautiful." It was also used as the studio's cafeteria where the cast and crew eat.


title: Degrassi: The Next Generation

text: In addition to being used as the exterior of the school, Studio C held sets for the school's entrance foyer, the gymnasium, the media lab and a hallway with lockers. As the series progressed and the budget increased, a stairway and balcony were installed in the foyer in an attempt to get characters off the floor and not all appear in the same geometric plane. For the first few seasons, the gym floor was made of real wooden floorboards; due to warping, it was replaced by concrete painted to look like wood.


title: Degrassi: The Next Generation

text: Studio B contained the sets for the characters' houses and "The Core" newspaper office which was introduced in season six. The fourth studio, Studio D, housed all of the production offices, dressing rooms, and make-up and hair departments. The pool hall and university campus club sets were built in Studio D for the seventh season.


title: Degrassi: The Next Generation

text: York University's Keele Campus in Toronto served as the location for various sites at Smithdale University.


title: Degrassi: The Next Generation

text: For the new generation of students, producers auditioned over six hundred school-aged children in an attempt to provide characters to which the teenaged target-audience could relate. The decision to cast age-similar actors was purposeful to contrast the series from other shows of the same period such as "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "Dawson's Creek", which had cast actors in their twenties as teenagers.


title: Degrassi: The Next Generation

text: Eleven children were given star billing in the . Sarah Barrable-Tishauer portrayed the lonely high-achiever Liberty Van Zandt. Daniel Clark played bad-boy Sean Cameron. Lauren Collins was cast as Paige Michalchuk, the school's head cheerleader and queen bee. Ryan Cooley portrayed class clown James Tiberius "J.T." Yorke, with Jake Goldsbie cast as J.T.'s best friend, Toby Isaacs, a computer geek. Drake Graham portrayed basketball star Jimmy Brooks, who came from a wealthy family. Shane Kippel played school bully Gavin "Spinner" Mason. Miriam McDonald was cast as Emma Nelson, an environmental rights activist, with Cassie Steele cast in the role of Emma's best friend, promiscuous high school cheerleader . Melissa McIntyre portrayed Ashley Kerwin, the perfect girl who attracted the popular boys, and who the other girls are jealous of. Christina Schmidt portrayed the overweight and insecure Terri McGreggor.


title: Degrassi: The Next Generation

text: Providing ties to the previous series in the "Degrassi" universe, Stefan Brogren was approached to play his old character Archie "Snake" Simpson, now working at the school as the media immersion teacher. Dan Woods reprised his role as English teacher Mr. Raditch, who was promoted to school principal, and Pat Mastroianni returned to his role as Joey Jeremiah. Amanda Stepto also returned to the franchise to play her character Christine "Spike" Nelson as a recurring role.


title: Degrassi: The Next Generation

text: In the pilot episode, former "Degrassi Junior High" and "Degrassi High" actors Danah Jean Brown (Trish Skye), Darrin Brown (Dwayne Myers), Michael Carry (Simon Dexter), Irene Courakos (Alexa Pappadopoulos), Chrissa Erodotou (Diana Economopoulos), Anais Granofsky (Lucy Fernandez), Rebecca Haines (Kathleen Mead), Sarah Holmes (Alison Hunter), Neil Hope (Derek "Wheels" Wheeler), Kyra Levy (Maya Goldberg), Cathy Keenan (Liz O'Rourke), Stacie Mistysyn (Caitlin Ryan), and Siluck Saysanasy (Yick Yu) reprised their roles for the class reunion storyline.