Identity Within
Encyclopedia
"Identity Within" is described as a 'lost episode' of the British
science fiction
comedy
television series Red Dwarf
.
"). This episode was to focus on Cat
as there hadn't been a 'Cat episode' before; the episode was also to address the fact that Cat had become increasingly 'domesticated' and less 'independent' over the show and had become a slightly different character (leading to some annoyance amongst certain fans of the show). It was scripted
and storyboard
s were produced, getting further than most 'lost episodes'.
Ultimately the episode was never filmed as it was a surprisingly ambitious script for the show and the sets would have been far too costly to produce — more than the whole series itself. However the budget for the seventh series was not for seven episodes but for eight episodes, therefore the less ambitious, simpler and cheaper episode "Duct Soup
" was then written and produced in its place. "Duct Soup" became the fourth episode in the series.
is still a virgin; he has never even met another of his own race (Felis sapiens) (except for an old, blind dithering Cat priest in his earlier years, and an illusion of a cat female generated by the Polymorph
). Cat's sexual frustration
is getting so bad that he has fallen ill, and if he doesn't have sex
soon, he may die. Apparently, as Kryten
discovers, it is common for Felis sapiens to die if they haven't had sex by a certain age, and Cat has now reached that age.
There is one way to cure Cat's illness. The Dwarfers set the Starbug scanners to probe for any Felis sapiens lifesigns; some register deep in GELF
territory. With little choice, the Dwarfers set a course...
They find a Brefewino village where a female Felis sapiens called Aura is being held prisoner for slave auction
. Lister
, Rimmer
and Kryten have to save Aura and get her to fall in love with the Cat before he dies from being a virgin.
A reconstructed version of the episode using newly-created storyboards appears as a bonus feature on the Series VII DVD release. It was performed entirely by Chris Barrie
, who is himself a professional voice artist and voices both his character, Arnold Rimmer, and the rest of the cast.
A script of this episode was auctioned for charity at a Red Dwarf convention in Melbourne
, Australia
before Series VII aired there.
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...
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...
comedy
Comedy
Comedy , as a popular meaning, is any humorous discourse or work generally intended to amuse by creating laughter, especially in television, film, and stand-up comedy. This must be carefully distinguished from its academic definition, namely the comic theatre, whose Western origins are found in...
television series 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...
.
A 'lost episode'
"Identity Within" was originally the supposed second episode in the seventh series (the episode ultimately replacing it as the second episode in this series was "Stoke Me a ClipperStoke Me a Clipper
"Stoke Me a Clipper" is the second episode of science fiction sit-com Red Dwarf Series VII and the 38th in the series run. It was first broadcast on the British television channel BBC2 on 24 January 1997. Written by Paul Alexander & Doug Naylor and directed by Ed Bye...
"). This episode was to focus on 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...
as there hadn't been a 'Cat episode' before; the episode was also to address the fact that Cat had become increasingly 'domesticated' and less 'independent' over the show and had become a slightly different character (leading to some annoyance amongst certain fans of the show). It was scripted
Teleplay
A teleplay is a television play, a comedy or drama written or adapted for television. The term surfaced during the 1950s with wide usage to distinguish a television plays from stage plays for the theater and screenplays written for films...
and storyboard
Storyboard
Storyboards are graphic organizers in the form of illustrations or images displayed in sequence for the purpose of pre-visualizing a motion picture, animation, motion graphic or interactive media sequence....
s were produced, getting further than most 'lost episodes'.
Ultimately the episode was never filmed as it was a surprisingly ambitious script for the show and the sets would have been far too costly to produce — more than the whole series itself. However the budget for the seventh series was not for seven episodes but for eight episodes, therefore the less ambitious, simpler and cheaper episode "Duct Soup
Duct Soup
"Duct Soup" is the fourth episode of science fiction sit-com Red Dwarf Series VII and the 40th in the series run. It was first broadcast on the British television channel BBC2 on 7 February 1997. Written by Doug Naylor and directed by Ed Bye.-Plot:...
" was then written and produced in its place. "Duct Soup" became the fourth episode in the series.
Synopsis of episode
The CatCat (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...
is still a virgin; he has never even met another of his own race (Felis sapiens) (except for an old, blind dithering Cat priest in his earlier years, and an illusion of a cat female generated by the Polymorph
Shapeshifting
Shapeshifting is a common theme in mythology, folklore, and fairy tales. It is also found in epic poems, science fiction literature, fantasy literature, children's literature, Shakespearean comedy, ballet, film, television, comics, and video games...
). Cat's sexual frustration
Sexual frustration
Sexual frustration describes the condition in which a human or animal is in a state of agitation, depression, stress, loneliness or anxiety due to prolonged virginity, sexual inactivity and/or sexual dissatisfaction that leads him or her to want more sex or better sex, or a state in which he or she...
is getting so bad that he has fallen ill, and if he doesn't have sex
Sex
In biology, sex is a process of combining and mixing genetic traits, often resulting in the specialization of organisms into a male or female variety . Sexual reproduction involves combining specialized cells to form offspring that inherit traits from both parents...
soon, he may die. Apparently, as Kryten
Kryten
Kryten is a fictional character in the British science fiction situation comedy Red Dwarf. Kryten's registration code on Red Dwarf is "Kryten additional 001". The name Kryten is a reference to the head butler in the J.M...
discovers, it is common for Felis sapiens to die if they haven't had sex by a certain age, and Cat has now reached that age.
There is one way to cure Cat's illness. The Dwarfers set the Starbug scanners to probe for any Felis sapiens lifesigns; some register deep in GELF
GELF
G.E.L.F. or simply GELF is an acronym for Genetically Engineered LifeForm. It was used in two science fiction television programs, originally appearing in the BBC's cult sitcom Red Dwarf, and later on in the U.S...
territory. With little choice, the Dwarfers set a course...
They find a Brefewino village where a female Felis sapiens called Aura is being held prisoner for slave auction
Auction
An auction is a process of buying and selling goods or services by offering them up for bid, taking bids, and then selling the item to the highest bidder...
. Lister
Dave Lister
David "Dave" Lister, commonly referred to simply as Lister, is a fictional character from the British science fiction situation comedy Red Dwarf, portrayed by Craig Charles...
, Rimmer
Arnold Rimmer
Arnold Judas Rimmer is a fictional character in the science fiction situation comedy Red Dwarf, played by Chris Barrie. He is unpopular with his crew mates, and is often the target of insults or pranks...
and Kryten have to save Aura and get her to fall in love with the Cat before he dies from being a virgin.
Availability
The episode was not produced due to the high cost of creating a marketplace inside a whole tribal village of Brefewino, other assorted GELFs and their Felis sapiens slaves.A reconstructed version of the episode using newly-created storyboards appears as a bonus feature on the Series VII DVD release. It was performed entirely by Chris Barrie
Chris Barrie
Chris Barrie is a British actor. He first achieved success as a vocal impressionist, notably in the ITV sketch show Spitting Image...
, who is himself a professional voice artist and voices both his character, Arnold Rimmer, and the rest of the cast.
A script of this episode was auctioned for charity at a Red Dwarf convention in Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
before Series VII aired there.