Son Of General Retro Discussion

johnny_ultimate wrote: »

I think it may just be of its time. Coming across it a few decades after initial airing, I found it had no sense of comic timing (bizarre when you're dealing with some of the funniest lines ever written). It's mostly harmless, but there are IMO better mediums the Guide has been translated into - towels, games, books, radio. Still disappointed by the film though - particularly bitter that they got the 'Restaurant at the end of the universe' gag completely wrong.

Yes, the final line about the Restaurant is annoying but the rest of the film is fine.
The TV show was a relatively straight transfer from the radio, albeit with a number of cast changes, Ford for a start, and some story changes, again these are perfectly understandable given the authors penchant for releasing very different experiences on each medium.
The best lines and possibly the most accomplished "timing" is by Peter Jones, the voice of the book in the tv show and the Primary and Secondary Phases of the radio version.
There really is no perfect version of the story, rather the whole thing is perfect and everyone has their favourite part.
For me I love the whole damn thing, reading the books in the 80's. listening to the radio show on tape and the TV show from start to finish when I could get it on VHS.

I reckon it's definitive days are ahead though.
It's only a matter of time before the BBC make a proper miniseries of it, here's hoping the losers who made the Red Dwarf: Back to Earth get no where near it!