Now obviously this wasn't really covert footage and was designed as a teaser but does anyone know what? It was uploaded 2 years before Back to Earth. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NR-Y6Qg5JmY
I remember seeing this and thinking it looked a tad fake. But that appears to be Ed Bye with the lads.
Oh it certainly is but it doesn't look like it was really taken without their knowledge, why would some guy be filming himself delivering coffee? It looks like it was meant to create a buzz for new Red Dwarf, but it was 2 years before BTE, maybe it was for a DVD boxset? The Bodysnathcer thing?
I remember this being discussed on the forum at the time, but I'm guessing it was the old forum because I'm unable to find the thread. I don't think there was ever a definitive answer, but I think the conclusion was that it was probably for some non-Dwarf related project that never took off.
I really don't think the cast of Red Dwarf would be meeting up for a non-Red-Dwarf-related project. If this was filmed without the cast's knowledge, chances are whoever was serving had seen that they were the cast, got hold of a camera, and then gone in and recorded it like that whilst trying to act innocent. The fact that he says "you're the robot", then addresses Craig Charles by name, makes me think he knew perfectly well who everyone was. It does seem a tad "convenient" too - again, what the hell was a coffee boy doing with a camera handy (in 2007 - I don't think there were many small devices with cameras that the average person had, such as phones). Either way, it's no secret that the cast and crew did meet up and read through stuff for the Red Dwarf movie (though I don't know when that stopped). Or, as this was in 2007, perhaps looking through very, very early proposals from Dave? Or maybe it was simply an informal, let's-get-together-and-think-of-potential-Red-Dwarf-things meeting? I've wasted a hell of a lot of words and the only thing I can summarise with is "who cares?".
I'm pretty sure the former moderator stated that whatever was going on had nothing to do with Grant Naylor Productions.
It may well have been early discussions for Back To Earth, if it was 2007 (and BTE was 2009). Whilst things probably wouldn't have been in script stage, they may well have been discussing the switch to Dave, future plans, and trying to find gaps in everyone's schedule to film it.