DJ XVI Logo

I first discovered Red Dwarf during its forth series in 1991 and from that moment on I was hooked. I read the books, listened to the tapes and I’m not ashamed to tell you dear reader I also organised a Red Dwarf fan club at my school. An idea, inspired in part by my membership to the Official Red Dwarf fan club. Observant fans who spotted the details on the VHS tapes could join and receive a membership badge, card and quarterly newsletters filled with fan fiction, news about the show and details of the Red Dwarf convention, Dimension Jump. An event for like-minded fans to meet and greet and share their enthusiasm for this fabulous programme. So it is with pride I can announce that the 2011 Dimension Jump will feature a logo designed by yours truly!

Inspired by the episode ‘Demon’s and Angels' the fifth story of series V were the crew hope to solve supply problems by ‘Triplicating’ food. The result, one strawberry exhibiting all the best qualities of the original, the other all the worst. I was thrilled to discover that my logo was selected, I thank all involved. I look forward to seeing the logo in use next year!

I was doubly pleased to discover that it wasn’t just my logo that appeared in the newsletter, it also features an illustration created last Halloween inspired by BBC’s Ghostwatch. ‘Ghostwatching’ can be seen accompanying Rich Lawden’s insightful article 'Ghostwatching: My Wonderful Obsession'! In the article Rich shares his passion for Ghostwatch. Thanks Rich for allowing the image to be featured along side your fantastic work!


*UPDATE 5TH NOVEMBER 2010*
The logo was unveiled on the Official Red Dwarf site!

'Science Spotlight’ 9/12 Sir Bernard Lovell

Sir Alfred Charles Bernard Lovell, OBE, FRS Born in 1913. Studied physics at the University of Bristol, obtaining a Ph.D. in 1936. He worked in the cosmic ray research team at the University of Manchester until the outbreak of World War II. During the War he led the team at the Air Ministry’s Telecommunications Research Establishment, developing the H2S, the first airborne, ground scanning radar system earning him an OBE in 1946. he then returned to Manchester with an ex-army mobile radar to continued his research on cosmic rays However electrical interference from the city’s tram system prevented him from doing so forcing him to move to The University’s horticultural/botany department at Jodrell Bank, Cheshire.
The first Transit Telescope constructed in 1947 provided valuable data however readings were limited, a fully steerable telescope was needed prompting the construction of the “Mark I” Telescope in 1957. Standing at 76.2 m (250 ft) in diameter it was the largest steerable dish radio telescope in the world. That same year, the Soviet Union launched the first space satellite, Sputnik I the “Mark I” was the only telescope in the world able to track the satellite's carrier rocket. Since then, it has been used for pioneering work in the discovery of pulsars and quasars. Lovell was knighted in 1961 for his contributions to the development of radio astronomy and served as Director of Jodrell Bank until his retirement in 1981.

© Arfon Jones 2010. All images are copyrighted throughout the world.

Back to the Asylum, Lincoln 2010

Beth and I returned to Lincoln for the second annual Victorian Steampunk Society get together, a weekend of catching up with old friends, making new ones and sharing ideas and we had a lovely time. With this year’s event promising to be bigger than the last it exceeded the former psychiatric hospital to Lincoln Castle home of the Magna Carta. With the iconic Lincoln Cathedral towering over us the event was steeped in history!

Saturday, I wanted to follow up last year’s invention ‘The Cellular Condenser Ray’ and so I invented ‘The Glaciation Ray’ once the dinosaur had been reduced they can now be frozen and displayed in the ‘The Patented Cryo-preservation Curiosity Cabinet’ no biting, no feeding only fresh specimens every time! The frozen dinosaurs seemed well received by the visitors attracted by the icy glow emanating from amongst the wonderful contraptions on display by such inventors as Andy Dingley! Once sure that the inventions were in working order we continued with the rest of the day. Lincoln Castle played host to the Bazaar Eclectica, each stall holder was allocated a prison cell having perused the delights on offer and stocked up on our supply of Stokes tea we then returned to our favourite haunt The Sir Joseph Banks Conservatory for some cream tea.



We then attended a fascinating lecture on the history of the stereoscope given by Stephen Thomas founder of Visual Discoveries Ltd. Who is reviving this Victorian wonder by producing a 100% effective, lightweight affordable version for the 21st century. After the presentation we were able to experience them for our selves the beautifully crafted stereoscope were passed along the audience who marvelled at the photographs contained inside they were fantastic. Check out their web site, with a growing catalogue of views of different towns, villages and cities and a set called '3D Fun' for children in the works I highly recommend them!

We then made our way to the costume contest. Standards were high this year my favourites had to be the Postal Robot and Rachel White aka Miss Helga Von Flamme the intrepid aviatrix! Supporting a snazzy red flying helmet and rocket pack its no surprise Rachel wowed the judges and crowd and achieved 3rd place!

7:30pm onwards to the Empire Ball with Beth on my arm. Having had our photo taken as we entered we were then greeted by our generous hosts Thadeus Tinker and Lady Elsie. The place was awash with attractive women wearing amazing ball gowns with well-groomed gentlemen peppered around the room everyone dressed to impress! We settled down to an evening of live entertainment, conversation, wine and waltzing courtesy of Ghostfire.
On the Sunday, Rachel and Andy invited us to a picnic! We had a lovely cup of tea and carrot cake under the trees as we discussed ideas for future costumes and props. The sun held out throughout, we tidied up and made our way to the castle, as there was free Gin to be had! Hendricks Gin were one of the sponsors of the event and they were giving free samples to anyone who participated in a game of movie charades ‘The Day of the Dead’ and ‘Psycho’ latter the free gin had been won and consumed before making our way to the closing ceremony. After completely giving up trying to locate my raffle ticket they announced the winners of the contraption competition, Andy’s Dornberger Ætherian Rocket-Pack won this year’s Brunel Award with the Patented Cryo-preservation Curiosity Cabinet being awarded the Highly Commended rosette. And so ended another weekend at the Asylum.

'Science Spotlight’ 8/12 George Bennie

George Bennie 1892-1957
born Auldhouse, Glasgow, the son of engineer He patented a number of inventions including a stable ashtray, which could be used at sea. He soon turned his inventive talents towards public transportation and in 1920 he developed the 'Railplane' an aircraft propeller driven monorail type system suspended from existing railway tracks. Bennie proposed that his Railplane, would enable passenger travel to run faster without being impeded by the slower freight trains on ground level.
Bennie’s idea caught the imagination of the public winning him a gold medal at the Industrial Exhibition in Edinburgh in 1922. Fired with enthusiasm, convinced that he was going to revolutionise transport, Bennie set out to transform his ideas into reality and in 1930 a prototype was installed over an LNER siding to Burnbrae Dyeworks at Milngavie, near Glasgow. Despite high levels of enthusiasm at launch, the world was recovering after the great depression of 1929 and he was unable to get sufficient financial backing to develop the idea further. Having invested large amounts of his own money in the construction of the test track He was declared bankrupt in 1937. The Structure was demolished for scrap a year before Bennie's death.


© Arfon Jones 2010. All images are copyrighted throughout the world.

Monster Memories: GHOSTWATCH

Saturday October 31st 1992 was a memorable day for me. I had always been an avid supporter of Halloween particularly the custom of ‘Trick or Treating’. Being 13 I (reluctantly) announced that this was to be the final time and I was retiring from ‘Trick or Treating. But, as there was no school the next day I could stay out as long as I wanted! The night was mine and this was going to be the big one! However, I decided to be back home by 9:00pm because there was a television show that had caught my interest it was called Ghostwatch.

Having previously viewed the BBC's CrimeWatch and Badger Watch we thought this show was in the same vein. And so with the faint smell of the turnip jack lantern’s candle burning out in the air we sat down as a family to watch the show. We missed the credits at the beginning believing that the show was ‘live’ were convinced that we could see the shape of a figure behind the curtains. I remember being engulfed in the show, turning to my parents and saying, “If this is real we are watching television history!” As the show progressed and Pipes unleashed his power and all hell broke loose it became apparent to us that it wasn’t real but we enjoyed the programme nevertheless. I was right though, it did make television history. Stephen Volk’s Ghostwatch became one of the most controversial British television events ever. The BBC was undated with phone calls and letters from viewers both angry and scared. They were criticised by the newspapers for terrifying the nation and so the BBC after assuring everyone that Michael Parkinson and Sarah Greene were safe vowed to never repeat the show again. After many years of wishing that I had recorded it and discussing it with others that also remembered it I was delighted to discover that British Film Institute had released it on DVD! 17 years later I was finally able to sit down and watch it again, all the memories of that Halloween night came flooding back to me! There are behind-the-scenes information on the dvd along with a photo of actor Keith Ferrari made up as Pipes in all his glory! And so I couldn’t resist sketching him standing behind Michael Parkinson on the Ghostwatch set, creating a painting called ‘Ghostwatching’ a small tribute to my favourite Halloween special. My fondness for the show firmly established I was delighted to be commissioned by the Ghostwatch Behind the Curtains project to depict that now infamous Halloween night! The image has been well received by many who claimed that it brought back memories for them, prompting them to seek out the dvd for a second viewing. The painting also received high praise from Ghostwatch creator/ writer Stephen Volk!

© Arfon Jones 2010. All images are copyrighted throughout the world.

'Science Spotlight’ 7/12 Sir Richard Owen

Sir Richard Owen KCB (1804-1892)
Born in Lancaster, apprenticed to a local surgeon in 1820. He enrolled as a medical student at the University of Edinburgh in 1824, completing his medical course in London only to abandon the medical practice instead perusing a career in anatomical research. In 1827, Owen was appointed Assistant Curator of the Royal College of Surgeons. To further his understanding of anatomy he dissected deceased specimens donated by London zoo, acquiring a vast knowledge of comparative anatomy.
Owen had a particular interest in extinct animals, naming many species, publishing several scientific papers on the subject also coining the word Dinosauria (meaning "Terrible Reptile" or "Fearfully Great Reptile"). An astute politician, and friend to the Royal family Prince Albert requested he tutor the royal children and supervise the construction of the prehistoric life exhibition at the Crystal Palace. Having being elected a Fellow of the Royal Society, and Superintendent of the Natural History Departments of the British Museum, he established the British Museum of Natural History in South Kensington in 1881. Notorious for discrediting his fellow scientists, and claiming the scientific discoveries of others as his own, he continued to work until his official retirement at the age of 79. He was made a knight of the Order of the Bath in 1883.


© Arfon Jones 2010. All images are copyrighted throughout the world.

Frank's Fantastic Farewell

Last night, Beth and I convened on Castlefield Arena in Manchester joining 5,000 other fans to celebrate the life and career of Chris Sievey a.k.a Frank Sidebottom. Many members of the audience wore papier mache heads and Altrincham football shirts I wore the badge he sent me 2 weeks before he died. This open-air extravaganza was tarnished only by the sad fact that he was no longer with us, Despite this we all remained upbeat during the festivities.

The evening started with Frank’s brilliant Channel M test card via the big screen as the Frank Sidebottom’s Oh Blimey Biggest Band took to the stage performing some of Frank’s classic songs with vocals provided by Frank’s long lost big brother Hank Sidebottom!After a few hilarious clips from his ‘Frank Sidebottom’s Proper Telly Show in B/W’ an interview with Radio 2 DJ Mark Radcliffe of Mark and Lard fame. He reminisced about life on the road with Chris and Frank when he was he was a drummer for the Oh Blimey Band.
Damon Gough aka Badly Drawn Boy followed, sharing his story of his first encounter with Frank then played four of his songs closing with a touching 'Timperley Sunset’ reference.

The evening progressed with further tributes from family and friends including fellow cult legend, the great Charlie Chuck!Along with Mr B the Gentleman Rapper and Moonchester the official mascot of Manchester City F.C spaced between clips from Frank’s past television ventures including ‘Frank’s Fantastic Shed Show’. ’Frank’s World’, the animated short created by the man himself and the hilariously funny, never aired ‘Frank Sidebottom’s Celebrity Sleep Over’ were Frank dropped in on former Smiths' drummer, Mike Joyce.

The show ended with a performance by the Refreshies an updated version of The Freshies with Harry Sievey Chris’ youngest son stepping in before eldest son Stirling Sievey (Roger the boy next door) closed what was an emotional evening’s worth of entertainment asking the crowd to ‘Guess who's been On Match of the Day?! A send off that lived up to all that was Frank Sidebottom.

With ‘Guess who's been On Match of the Day? now on iTunes as a posthumous bid to get Frank to No 1 in the charts Along with plans to erect a statue of Frank in Timperley the Frank Sidebottom legacy is far from over!