New Red Dwarf - coming soon. . . .

Yes, you heard me right, new episodes of the hit comedy show Red Dwarf are going into production!

Can we say yeah? I think we can. . .

YEAH!

Although the BBC turned down the chance of making the ninth series of Red Dwarf (the bastards! I want a refund on my license fee!) Dave, the free-to-air comedy channel has commissioned four new slices of Dwarfy goodness which will be shown to commemorate the show's 21st birthday.

As confirmed on the Red Dwarf website, the new episodes are:

Show One - The Making Of The Specials

A highly entertaining look at what goes on behind the scenes on a Red Dwarf production.

Show Two - Red Dwarf Special: Part One

The cast get back into character, and costume, a decade on...

Show Three - Red Dwarf Special: Part Two

The adventure continues...

Show Four - A Clip Show With a Serious Difference

The cast do it their way. Red Dwarf as you have never, ever seen it before!

So essentially that is one new one-hour special, a making of documentary, and a clips show. If it is a success (and how could it not be) then it could pave the way for a full series - or more specials.

Classic Comedy: Red Dwarf

"OK Suckers! I've got just one thing to say to you. . ."

I'm glad that I was able to follow Red Dwarf from the very first series. It came along at exactly the right time for me (at the time aged 12 years old and heavily into science fiction) and I'm still as much a fan now as I was back then.

So what is it?

Red Dwarf is the misadventures of the surviving crew of the Jupiter Mining Corporation ship Red Dwarf. I say surviving as almost all of the crew are killed by a radiation leak in the first episode, apart from Dave Lister (played by Craig Charles) who is in stasis at the time of the accident, as part of his punishment for sneaking an unquarantined pregnant cat on board the ship.

Revived by Holly (Norman Lovett / Hattie Hayridge), the ships computer three million years later Dave has to contend with being the last human left alive, his only companions being Arnold Rimmer (Chris Barrie)- a hologram simulation of his dead bunk mate and a creature who evolved from his cat (Danny John Jules).

In later series the crew expanded to take in a Kryten (Robert Llewellyn)- a 4000 series service mechanoid and Christine Kochanski (Clare Grogan / Choloe Arnette), a version of his ex-girlfriend from an alternative reality.

At the time sci-fi comedy was a bit of a rarety (no, laughing at Kirk's wig and corsett doesn't count) and there hasn't really been anything quite like it since.

The show lasted for nine seasons and a movie version was scripted - but is currently stuck in development hell (see the official Red Dwarf Website for more information).

All nine series (including re-mastered versions of the first three) are available on DVD - why not treat yourself?

Everybody's Dead



Teaching Kryten to Lie



Quarantine