Would you like a piece of toast?

Talkie Toaster first appeared in Series 1 of Red Dwarf, and then again in Series 4. In both appearances it looked and sounded completely different.

In Series 1 it was in the form of an old style toaster, chrome with rounded edges. In Series 4 it was boxy and red, and had more dialogue. Mine was to be a mixture of the two with the look and voice of Series 1, and the attitude of Series 4.

When I dreamed up the idea to build a Talkie Toaster my plan was to find a toaster that looked like the one from the TV show, remove all the insides, and fill it with some electronics to make it talk. I wanted to build something for fun and have no mechanicals to get bogged down with.

What makes Talkie Toaster a recognizable character?

• The look of Talkie Toaster from Series 1

• Characteristic sound and attitude

• Front light that lights up in time with speech

• Interactive speech and motion detection

Total cost would have been about $200-$250 except I reused some parts I had purchased previously.