Pete (Red Dwarf episode)
Encyclopedia
"Pete" is a two-part episode from the science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...

 sit-com Red Dwarf
Red Dwarf
Red Dwarf is a British comedy franchise which primarily comprises eight series of a television science fiction sitcom that aired on BBC Two between 1988 and 1999 and Dave from 2009–present. It gained cult following. It was created by Rob Grant and Doug Naylor, who also wrote the first six series...

Series VIII. Part I was first broadcast in the US on 7 March 1999 and then on the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

 television channel BBC2 on 25 March 1999. The second part was broadcast the same day as the first part in the US and on 1 April for the British broadcast. The first part was written by Doug Naylor
Doug Naylor
Douglas R. Naylor is a British comedy writer, science fiction writer, director and television producer.Naylor was born in Manchester, England and studied at the University of Liverpool. In the mid-1980s, Naylor wrote two regular comedy sketch shows for BBC Radio 4 entitled Cliché and Son of Cliché...

 and the second was written between Naylor and Paul Alexander
Paul Alexander (British writer)
Paul Alexander is a British comedy writer. He has written or contributed to My Hero, Red Dwarf, The 10 Percenters, My Spy Family, Babes in the Wood, The Castle, Horrid Henry, Bedsitcom, Oggy and the Cockroaches and The Green Green Grass.-External links:...

. Both parts were directed by Ed Bye
Ed Bye
Edward Richard Morrison Bye is a British film and TV producer and director. He is best known for his work with Grant Naylor, Harry Enfield and Jasper Carrott, and has worked with many of British TV's best known comedians and comedy actors...

.

Part 1

Lister and Rimmer get into trouble with Hollister a few times. They are punished by being forced to peel potatoes next week and attempt to get out of it by stealing a special virus that eats the skins of potatoes in minutes. The virus transfers onto them and they end up naked and bald... which they accidentally pass on to Hollister.

Meanwhile, Kryten, Kochanski, the Cat and Holly discover a "Time Wand" that can download and digitise time. They decide to keep it to themselves, knowing that if they can hit Red Dwarf with a two-year period, they will be released from prison due to apparently having served their sentences.

Lister and Rimmer meet a fellow prisoner named "Bird Man" and his sparrow, Pete. When Pete dies, Kryten uses the Time Wand to try and make him young again, but instead accidentally transforms him into a Tyrannosaurus Rex.

Part 2

The gang runs away from Pete, now de-evolved into a Tyrannosaurus rex, but he manages to eat the Time Wand.

Meanwhile, Kryten's "pet" penis Archie (which he has made himself in an effort to be reclassified as a man) escapes and he is prevented from chasing it when the Canaries are detailed to stop Pete after his deadly rampage through the supply decks.

Lister and Rimmer must stop Pete as fast as they can before Hollister yells at them again.

Production

Originally titled "Captain's Office", the episode was re-written as a two parter. Cut scenes from "Cassandra" were included in the episode.

The Pete dinosaur was created using computer generated software similar to the ones in Jurassic Park
Jurassic Park (film)
Jurassic Park is a 1993 American science fiction adventure film directed by Steven Spielberg. The film is based on the novel of the same name by Michael Crichton. It stars Sam Neill, Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum, Richard Attenborough, Martin Ferrero, and Bob Peck...

. The CG Pete dinosaur was combined with interactive animatronic parts; a huge foot and head were produced for close up shots.

Some scenes had to be cut from the final episode, which included a fight sequence between the Pete dinosaur and Kryten. Another scene cut was Rimmer's attempt to compose an ode to the Captain.

Mac McDonald
Mac McDonald
Mac McDonald is an American actor. He is best known for playing Captain Hollister on the BBC TV series Red Dwarf and frequently plays American characters in other British TV shows...

 appeared as Captain Hollister, Graham McTavish
Graham McTavish
Graham McTavish is a Scottish television and film actor.He has played the character Warden Ackerman in Red Dwarf in five episodes of series 8. McTavish has also had many supporting roles in British dramas and films such as Casualty, Jekyll, The Bill, Taggart and Sisterhood...

 played Governor Ackerman, Andrew Alston played Canary Mex, Holly Earl
Holly Earl
Holly Earl is an actress best known as her role of Nita Clements in the BBC Medical Drama Casualty . Holly is the younger sister of Elizabeth Earl.-Filmography:...

 as Young Kochanski, Perri Michael as Young Cat, Ricky Grover
Ricky Grover
Ricky Grover is an English actor. His stepfather was an armed robber and his mother a hairdresser. Grover became a ladies' hairdresser and a boxer, before becoming a stand-up comedian, actor and occasional television presenter.-Career:Grover has appeared in television programmes including Red...

 played Baxter, Shend played Warden Knot, Ian Masters appeared as Birdman and Jake Wood
Jake Wood
Jake Dylan Wood is an English actor, best known in his homeland for playing Max Branning on "EastEnders" and in the United States as the current voice of the GEICO gecko.-Biography:...

 as Kill Crazy.

Cultural references

  • During the basketball game, the song Stomp!
    Stomp!
    "Stomp!" is a song released by The Brothers Johnson in 1979. It reached number one on the Dance singles chart.. It reached number one on the R&B singles chart and peaked at number 7 on the Billboard Hot 100 in early 1980. It was a bigger success in the UK, where it peaked at number 6 on the...

    by The Brothers Johnson is played.
  • Bob The Skutter whistles the tune from The Great Escape
    The Great Escape (film)
    The Great Escape is a 1963 American film about an escape by Allied prisoners of war from a German POW camp during World War II, starring Steve McQueen, James Garner, and Richard Attenborough...

    .
  • Kryten's penis Archie wriggles up Cat
    Cat (Red Dwarf)
    The Cat is a character in the British science fiction sitcom Red Dwarf. He is played by Danny John-Jules.-Character development:According to Danny John-Jules, the character of Cat is based on a combination of Little Richard's look, James Brown's moves and Richard Pryor's facial...

    's top and then bursts out, in a scene parodying Alien (film)
    Alien (film)
    Alien is a 1979 science fiction horror film directed by Ridley Scott and starring Tom Skerritt, Sigourney Weaver, Veronica Cartwright, Harry Dean Stanton, John Hurt, Ian Holm and Yaphet Kotto. The film's title refers to its primary antagonist: a highly aggressive extraterrestrial creature which...

    .

External links

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