The Riviera Kid is a player-character from the artificial reality game Streets of Laredo.
History[]
An ace gunslinger, players could select the Kid from a list of three characters, which also included Brett Riverboat and "Dangerous" Dan McGrew. When the Armageddon Virus attacked Starbug's Navicomp and Kryten's mind, the rest of the crew were able to project themselves into Kryten's western-style dreamscape. They each took on the skills and costume of a different gaming character. Cat chose The Riviera Kid.
The Kid's costume was an elaborate and slightly ridiculous black and white Mexican gunslinger's outfit, with an enormous sombrero and twin revolvers on a gunbelt. He was also a skilled dancer, performing a short flamenco routine whenever he could. Cat affected a Mexican accent when talking to the other characters.
When patrons of the Last Chance Saloon drew their weapons and fired at him, The Kid was able to counter-draw and shoot their bullets out of the air with ease. He then pulled off an incredible trickshot which ricocheted down the main street to release a sign that knocked Kryten down and stopped him from leaving.
Later, as the Apocalypse Boys arrived to confront Kryten, The Kid joined the others on the street. When the virus spread to the AR console, he lost his gunfighting skills. Cat tried to leave the artificial reality by taking off his gloves and boots, but all this did was paralyze his character down one side. He was still able to remove the AR helmet from Lister, who then removed Cat's helmet freeing him from the dreamscape. ("RD: Gunmen of the Apocalypse")
Behind the Scenes[]
Danny John-Jules had told the show's writers that, if Cat were to play a western role, he would have to be the flamboyant Mexican. He had been inspired to learn gunslinging techniques by watching Sammy Davis Jr. perform a gunplay routine.
He also requested that whenever the flamenco music was played, a guitar was thrown into shot for him to play, but this was apparently a step too far.
None of the costumes made or hired for the shoot were considered suitable for the character until a last minute costume was found, but it was very small and no-one thought John-Jules could fit into it. They simply left it in his dressing trailer and were astounded when he walked onto the set in a very tight but perfect costume.