From: Xam@Xam.Xam   
      
   Gavin wrote:   
   > On Mon, 10 Mar 2008 19:45:31 GMT, Steve B    
   > wrote:   
   >   
   >> I obviously have a North American perspective on this so maybe I'm   
   >> missing something, but the only thing I've seen Mark Williams in other   
   >> than a few travel/documentary type shows are bit parts in "101   
   >> Dalmations" and "Harry Potter".  Seems like he might have had a few   
   >> days to squeeze in a RD cameo, at least.   
   >   
   > He was in The Fast Show, which was massive in the mid-90s. It had the   
   > same buzz at the time as Little Britain did recently -- a very clever   
   > alternative comedy sketch show, cooler than Red Dwarf would ever be.   
      
      
   Imo, little Britain sux, it's far too gay for my liking, and I don't   
   think you can compare sketch comedy with a sit-com anyway.  Especially a   
   si-fi sit-com.  James Brown is cooler than RD.  The Fast Show? I don't   
   think so.  I may grant you HHGTTG however. (-:   
      
      
   > He also did lots of other bits and pieces on British TV. Honestly, Red   
   > Dwarf was the *tiniest* job on his resume.   
   >   
   > Then by the late 90s he had broken into American-funded feature films.   
   > This is often the point when an actor feels he is "too big" for small   
   > walk-on television parts. His television work beyond this point was   
   > mostly Fast Show spinoffs, and other shows made by his Fast Show   
   > colleagues.   
   >   
   >   
   >   
   >> Of the RD cast memebers who have gone on to do bigger and better   
   >> things, I would have to say that Timothy Spall is probably at the top   
   >> of the list.   
   >   
   > Timothy Spall was already more famous than anyone else on Red Dwarf   
   > when he played a part in it. Lots and lots of TV work, and some   
   > acclaimed Mike Leigh films. However, I guess he was the kind of actor   
   > willing to do any interesting part, even if it was "beneath" his usual   
   > work.   
   >   
   > It's interesting to hear the commentary on the series 5 DVD though --   
   > apparently it was Tim Spall's first time performing in front of an   
   > audience. So although he was the most famous and most experienced   
   > actor there, he was nervous as hell, and he kept screwing up. Chris   
   > Barrie and Craig Charles needed to teach him, but they felt awkward,   
   > because they thought they were patronising a much better actor than   
   > themselves. Spall came from an acting tradition where you keep going   
   > if you fluff a line, but that was the wrong thing to do on Red Dwarf.   
   > If you keep going after fluffing a joke, you give the audience the   
   > punchline, meaning the audience won't laugh properly when you have to   
   > record the gag again. So they had to keep telling him to "Stop!"   
   >   
   > Gavin   
      
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