What are they really saying in “Backwards”?
Most of the reversed dialogue in the episode “Backwards” is pretty much either what the subtitles say it is or what you’d expect from context; some of it actually appears to be random noise. There are two notable exceptions, however. When Lister and the Cat steal a bicycle, its owner yells after them, “You scoundrels! Return my bike immediately!” — at least, according to the subtitles. What he actually says, however, is, “Oi! Hey! Oi, you robbing bastards, that’s our tandem!” Later, when the stage manager comes in to yell at Rimmer and Kryten, he appears to be blaming them for starting the “fight.” Here’s what he’s actually saying: “Frankly, your act’s crap. Anyway, anybody could have done it. I hate the lot of you. Bollocks to you! . . . You are a stupid, square-headed, bald git, aren’t you? I ain’t pointing at you, I’m pointing at you. But I’m not actually addressing you, I’m addressing the one prat in the country who’s bothered to get hold of this recording, turn it round, and actu
