Red Dwarf star sees red mist ("Cat" from beloved TV series 'allegedly' attacks trash collector)

The Sun (U.K.) ^ | February 15, 2008 | MIKE SULLIVAN

[Stoat]

 

Red Dwarf star sees red mist

 

 

By MIKE SULLIVAN

Published: Today

 

RED Dwarf star Danny John-Jules is led away by cops yesterday after allegedly attacking a binman with a ceremonial knife.

Stunned neighbours claimed that the 47-year-old actor – who also stars in kiddies’ TV favourite The Story Makers – charged out of his house wearing only a dressing gown.

Witnesses said he went berserk and allegedly threatened binmen as they collected rubbish.

Police were called and arrested John-Jules on suspicion of causing actual bodily harm.

 

Comedy ... Danny, right, in Red Dwarf

 

A binman in his 50s was taken to hospital with minor injuries while John-Jules was taken to the local police station for questioning.

A neighbour in Kensal Rise, NorthWest London, told The Sun: “At first it sounded like a petty argument. I saw it was Danny and he was wearing his dressing gown but it was early and I didn’t think much about it. I looked out of the window and it was terrifying to watch.

“I’ve seen Danny in the street a few times and he’s always been very friendly and normal.

“It was shocking to see him behave that way – he must have flipped.” Police confirmed they had arrested a man of 47 after reports of an altercation in which another man was threatened with a blade.

John-Jules is best known for playing the Cat and his alter ego Duane Dibbley in cult sci-fi series Red Dwarf.

But he is also a favourite with children, playing Milton Wordsworth in The Story Makers and top agent Lenny Bicknall in another BBC kids’ show, MI High.

[Stoat]

Please click on the Sun link for additional photos....I didn't post them here because they are javascript and so they can't be posted at Free Republic.

I'm waiting for further confirmation on this before I make a judgment...the middle pic shows him just chatting and walking with officers, not 'obviously' handcuffed and being led in a manner I would normally connect with the aftermath of a violent attack, although this could be attributed to the officers wanting to be particularly respectful of him.

I'm not about to lose faith in "Cat" so quickly...we'll have to see what's made of this in subsequent reports..

[Swordmaker]

Oh, I thought this was the latest Astronomy Picture of the Day thread...

[Hetty_Fauxvert]

Oh dear oh dear. I love Red Dwarf. Hope “Cat” hasn’t expended one of his nine lives with this nonsense ... kind of sounds like he went off his meds or some such. (If, of course, the report is accurate.) I don’t even know why I care about this except that Cat is such a likeable character.

[Stoat]

Oh dear oh dear. I love Red Dwarf. Hope “Cat” hasn’t expended one of his nine lives with this nonsense ... kind of sounds like he went off his meds or some such. (If, of course, the report is accurate.) I don’t even know why I care about this except that Cat is such a likeable character.

Cat is indeed an endearing character, and the show has legions of fans among FReepers.  If true, it's a terrible blow to many of us who would like to remember Danny as someone who would only make us laugh.  Of course all actors are human and as humans we all have our failings, but this sort of event is particularly troubling.  Hopefully it will all end up as having  been a mistake or a misunderstanding.

[Stoat]

UPDATE:

Geez, now they're calling it a "samurai sword"!  Hopefully this is just a matter of the usual British Tabloid Hyperbole.

Red Dwarf Star Danny John-Jules Arrested Over Samurai Sword Attack - The Daily Record

RED DWARF STAR'S ATTACK ON BINMEN - Mirror.co.uk

[Skooz]

From now on, I will refer to our trash collectors as “binmen.”

[Gay State Conservative]

Some time ago Lister got into some legal trouble.I think it was a rape charge.Red Dwarf is one of my favorite Britcoms (there are so many great ones) so it’s sad for me to see this kind of thing.

[Stoat]

UPDATE 2:

Things are looking bad.  The story is being carried by over 52 publications at the moment, among them The BBC and the UK's Sky News.  Both of those outlets, however, are printing versions very close to that of The Sun's in that they are referring to the weapon as a "knife" as opposed to a "samurai sword".

BBC NEWS England London TV star held over binman threats

Red Dwarf Star Danny John-Jules Held Over Alleged Knife Attack Sky NewsUK News

[Keith in Iowa]

>>>From now on, I will refer to our trash collectors as “binmen.”

Those wacky Brits have a way of making the mundane a bit elegant don’t they?

[Stoat]

Some time ago Lister got into some legal trouble.I think it was a rape charge.

Yes, I remember that...here's an account of the matter from the BBC:

BBC NEWS Politics The trauma of being falsely accused

The actor's ex-girlfriend filed a charge of rape against him in 1994. He was arrested, imprisoned and denied bail.

In October that year, after being attacked by a fellow inmate wielding a homemade knife, Mr Charles was released on bail.

He was cleared following a two-week trial in February 1995.

Afterwards, he made an emotional appeal to the press for the anonymity of those accused of rape.

*************************************************

He also had a problem with crack cocaine:

Corrie Star Given Drugs Caution Sky NewsUK News

 

Red Dwarf is one of my favorite Britcoms (there are so many great ones)

It was always a favorite at the stoat cave as well, particularly with the original cast.

so it’s sad for me to see this kind of thing.

Indeed. When characters are portrayed in such a way that they make us laugh and bring sunshine to our days, I think that many of us want to believe that it's a true reflection of the actors, as that would validate the happiness that they make us feel, even though we know in our logical minds that it's probably not the case.  To have it all forcibly  invalidated in such a violent manner as this, however, with suggestions of a severe mental instability is a particularly hard one to swallow. 

[Stoat]

From now on, I will refer to our trash collectors as “binmen.”

You may wish to consider stopping short of adopting the British slang term for 'cigarette', however  :-)

 

[Stoat]

Sad coincidence:

Merry Media News - TV News, Radio News, Showbiz News! - 20th Anniversary of Red Dwarf

 

20th Anniversary of Red Dwarf

Saturday, 16 February 2008 12:45 By Delboy
 

Red Dwarf, the BBC science fiction sitcom, was celebrating the 20th anniversary since the first episode was shown on BBC Two.

The first episode was titled The End and went out on BBC Two on 15th February 1988. The episode introduced the characters of Dave Lister, Arnold Rimmer, The Cat and the computer Holly - played by Craig Charles, Chris Barrie, Danny John-Jules and Norman Lovett.

Little mention was made on the BBC of the 20th anniversary with the exception of the digital channel Dave, who are running back-to-back episodes of the show across the weekend.

From 1988 to 1999, series 1 to 8, 52 episodes were made in total. A 10th series was always hoped and talks continue for a possible movie version of the show.

Later seasons included Chloe Annett playing the part of Kristine Kochanski, which was originally played by Clare Grogan.