Better than Life

Better than Life (BTL) is a gen Red Dwarf newsletter that includes fanfiction. 
It was the club magazine of The Official Red Dwarf Fan Club, a UK-based international fanclub for the show. 
Founded in 1990, it ran to 52 issues, and was still being advertised in December 2007.The Official Red Dwarf Fan Club web site: Welcome (18 December 2007; via Wayback Machine) It was officially published quarterly, though early and later issues were less frequent.
The earlier issues were fanzine like; later issues had a more of a professional magazine appearance, with colour covers. Contents in the 2000s included interviews with cast/crew ("The Red Interview"), news, opinion, reviews of episodes, books, videos and other merchandise, competitions, fanfiction, fan art/cartoons & readers' letters ("Post Pod"). There were several regular features including "Gazpacho Soup Day", where readers recounted embarrassing experiences; "Marooned", a Red Dwarf Desert Island Discs; "Bay 47", for most-disliked features; and "Pen Pals".The Official Red Dwarf Fan Club web site: What is BTL? (6 January 2007; via Wayback Machine)See, for example, the cover of issue 49 shown in The Official Red Dwarf Fan Club web site: Welcome (7 February 2006; via Wayback Machine)The Official Red Dwarf Fan Club web site: Better than Life (2 November 2000; via Wayback Machine
==History==
In 2011, the zine's second editor Maxine Lehmann described the early days of producing the zine:
==Issue 1==
Better than Life 1 was published in autumn 1990; it contains 23 pages with a black-and-white cover. Contents include:Ganymede & Titan: The Beginning: Contents page of BTL #1 (accessed 5 September 2014)
* Editorial
* Groovy Channel 27 News
* Better than Life: the press release
* Grant Naylor Speaks! (Rob & Doug interviewed)
* I-Spy
* Season 1 Episode Guide
* Bob the Skutter
* Ask Uncle Arnie
* Competition
* Reviews
* Post Pod
* Pen Pals
* Birthdays
* Diva Droid International (Red Dwarf merchandise)
==Issue 2/3==
Better than Life 2/3 was published in Winter 1990/Spring 1991 and contains 42 pages.
Image:betterthanlife2-3.jpg|cover of issue #2/3
==Issue 4==
Better than Life 4 was published in Summer 1991 and contains 27 pages.
Image:betterthanlife4.jpg|cover of issue #4
==Issue 5==
Better than Life 5 was published in Autumn 1991 and contains 24 pages.
Image:betterthanlife5.jpg|cover of issue #5
==Issue 6==
Better than Life 6 was published in Winter 1991 and contains 31 pages.
Image:betterthanlife6.jpg|cover of issue #6
==Issue 7==
Better than Life 7 was published in Spring/Summer 1992 and contains 62 pages.
Image:betterthanlife7.jpg|cover of issue #7
==Issue 8==
Better than Life 8 was published in Autumn 1992 and contains 68 pages.
Image:betterthanlife8.jpg|cover of issue #8
==Issue 9==
Better than Life 9 was published in 1993 and contains 66 pages.
* Special Delivery by Theodore (reprinted in The Small Rouge One #1)
* other unknown content
Image:betterthanlife9.jpg|cover of issue #9
==Issue 10==
Better than Life 10 was published in November/December 1994 (was planned for August) and contains 64 pages.
Image:betterthanlife10.jpg|cover of issue #10
==Issue 11==
Better than Life 11 was published in February 1994 and contains 60 pages.
The editors are listed as CMA and Rory Daniel, the editorials are CMA and Steev.
 
* Contents & Other Boring Bits (2)
* Editorials by CMA and Steev (3)
* a reprinted letter from Helen Norman, who was Rob Grant and Doug Naylor's P.A. ("grant naylor productions ltd" letterhead, dated January 17, 1994, it includes what looks like fanart by K.M. on the second page)
* "A Message to All Red Dwarf Fans All Over the Galaxy" ("Thank you for six and half years of faithful following. I have great respect for you all. The help with my single, the lifts, the gifts, the compliments, and of course the six and a half million viewers. I’ve met most of you somewhere, and you know you can ask me anything, any time. (One must never bite the hand that feeds him.) You guys have been part of keeping us guys in clothes, so if no one has thanked you before, I have now done so - OFFICIAL! -- Danny J-J")
* Special Feature: Grant Naylor (4)
* Groovy Channel 27 News (6)
* Special Feature: Danny J-J (8)
* A Smeggy's Guide to the Galaxy by Matthew Parry (10)
* All About Us (11)
* A Step by Step Guide to Biting Your Toenails by Les (13)
* Red Dwarf Poll: Centre Pull-Out
* Reviews (episode reviews, book reviews) (17)
 
* Local Group Reports (Lister's Monopoly Board Pub Crawl II by Pat Lennon, August 7, 1994) (24)
* Editorial (27)
* Post Pod: Letters of Comment (28)
* Competition (trivia about Quantum Leap, winner would get a copy of "Quantum Leap: The Wall" by Ashley McConnell) (39)
* Yum, fiction by Catherine Hodges (40)
* The Android, fiction by Daniel Smith (45)
* Listings (56)
Image:betterthanlife11-1.jpg|cover of issue #11, second page of the letter by Helen Norman
Image:betterthanlife11-2.jpg|cover of issue #11, art, not credited
Image:betterthanlife11-3.jpg|cover of issue #11, "All About Us"
Image:betterthanlife11-4.jpg|cover of issue #11, "All About Us"
Image:betterthanlife11-5.jpg|cover of issue #11, a page from the fan poll
==Issue 12==
==Issue 13==
Better Than Life 13 was published in 1994 and contains 65 pages.
None of the artists are specifically credited so these names are taken from their signatures. There are also many small illos whose artists cannot be deciphered: Andrew Ellard, Marianne Harper, Andrew Waugh, Sarah Farmer, Emma Dollimore, Andrea Machay, and Alex Collier. 
From the zine: 
* Boring Bits (2)
* Balance of Power, editorial by CMA (3)
* Balance of Power, editorial by Steev (4)
* Queen of Spain, editorial by Dave (5)
* News (6)
* Lucky Dip, contest (7)
* Recipe Corner, recipes for Triple Fried Egg, Chilli Sauce and Chutney Sandwich, and Sheek Kabab (8)
* The American Way, about Red Dwarf in the U.S. (8)
* Robert Llewellyn on The Emma Freud Show, transcription of an interview on Radio 1, Kim Stephenson was the fan who transcribed it (11)
* Reviews (13)
** The Net and Red Dwarf by David Fraser
** Trek/Dwarf, a con report by "The Crew"
** Booksigning
** Dimension Jump, con reports by several fans
* Competition, write a drabble ("For those of you not in the know, a drabble is a short story which comprises 100 words exactly. This does not include the title. The theme is Red Dwarf (obviously) and you can explore any aspect of it.") (19)
* Paper Dolls by Matthew Parry (20)
* Featured Episode (21)
* Poll Results (22)
* Post Pod, letters of comment (25)
* Dimension Jump Photos (32)
* four pages from a fan-made calendar (33)
* Damage Reports (40)
* Comic/Graphic story by Alex Collier (42)
* Aftermath, fiction by Trent Reznor (47)
*The Android, part 3, fiction by Daniel Smith (49)
* Listings (57)
 
Image:betterthanlife13-1.jpg|from issue #13, Andrew Ellard
Image:betterthanlife13-2.jpg|from issue #13, Andrew Ellard
Image:betterthanlife13-4.jpg|from issue #13, Andrew Waugh
Image:betterthanlife13-5.jpg|from issue #13, Sarah Farmer
Image:betterthanlife13-6.jpg|from issue #13, Emma Dollimore
Image:betterthanlife13-7.jpg|from issue #13, Andrea Machay
Image:betterthanlife13-9.jpg|from issue #13, Alex Collier
 Image:betterthanlife13-10.jpg|from issue #13, paper dolls by Matthew Parry
==Issue 14==
==Issue 15==
==Issue 16==
==Issue 17==
==Issue 18==
==Issue 19==
==Issue 20==
==Issue 21==
Better than Life 21 was published in summer 1997
==Issue 22==
Better than Life 22 was published in autumn 1997
==Issue 23==
Better than Life 23 was published in christmas 1997.
==Issue 24==
==Issue 25==
==Issue 26==
==Issue 27==
==Issue 28==
==Issue 29==
==Issue 30==
==Issue 31==
==Issue 32==
==Issue 33==
==Issue 34==
==Issue 35==
==Issue 36==
==Issue 37==
==Issue 38==
==Issue 39==
==Issue 40==
==Issue 42==
==Issue 43==
Better than Life 43 was published in spring 2003. It has a colour cover depicting the series II DVD. Contents include:Red Dwarf.co.uk: News: Fabulous Fanzine (accessed 5 September 2014)
* review of the series II DVD (Andrew Ellard)
* the history of Smegazine (Chris Howarth & Steve Lyons)
* WomanWizard tour (Robert Llewellyn)
* In Focus: review of Pete
* Top Ten Red Dwarf Deaths
* news on upcoming Dimension Jump X convention
==Issue 44==
thumb|Group shot of various issues
==Issue 45==
==Issue 46==
==Issue 47==
==Issue 48==
Better than Life 48 was published in summer 2004.
==Issue 49==
Better than Life 49 was published in spring 2005. It has a colour cover and includes a special on series 5.
==Issue 50==
Better than Life 50 was current in summer 2006.
==Issue 51==
==Issue 52==
Better than Life 52 was the final issue; it was current in 2007.
==References==
Category:Anthology Zines
Category:Red Dwarf
Category:1990s Zines
Category:2000s Zines