List of Red Dwarf episodes
Encyclopedia
This is a list of television episodes from the BBC
's cult sci-fi
sitcom
Red Dwarf
. There are eight series plus specials, 55 episodes in total. The first six series were written by co-creators Rob Grant
and Doug Naylor
, while Series VII and VIII were written by Naylor with collaborations from other writers. Series I and II were produced by Paul Jackson Productions (Executive Producers were Paul Jackson and Doug Naylor for Series I, with Grant Naylor Productions taking over from Series III) for BBC North
, and broadcast on BBC2. The series first aired on 15 February 1988 and ended on 5 April 1999 after eight series
. The eight series are available on DVD
and the eight series and the three special episodes are available in the US via Netflix
's "Watch Instantly" Internet video streaming service.
The main setting of the series is the eponymous mining spaceship Red Dwarf which is 6 miles (9.7 km) long, 5 miles (8 km) tall, and 4 miles (6.4 km) wide. In the first episode, an on-board radiation leak of cadmium II
kills everyone except for low-ranking technician Dave Lister
, who is in Suspended animation
at the time, and his pregnant cat, Frankenstein, who is safely sealed in the cargo hold. Following the accident, the ship's computer Holly
has to keep Lister in stasis until the background radiation dies down — a process that takes three million years. Lister therefore emerges as the last human being in the universe — but not the only life form on-board the ship. His former bunkmate and immediate superior Arnold Rimmer
is resurrected by Holly as a hologram
to keep Lister sane, while a creature known only as Cat
is the last known surviving member of Felis sapiens, a race of humanoids that evolved in the ship's hold from Lister's cat, Frankenstein, and her kittens during the millions of years that Lister was in stasis.
The main plot of the series is Lister's desire to go back to Earth. As they journey through space, the crew encounters such phenomena as time distortions, faster than light travel, mutant diseases and strange life-forms that developed in the intervening millions of years. During the second series, the crew encounter a sanitation mechanoid called Kryten
, who joins them. At the end of series five, the Red Dwarf ship is stolen from the crew, forcing them to travel in the smaller Starbug craft for the subsequent two series. Rimmer departs the crew to take up the role of his alter-ego from a parallel universe, Ace Rimmer. Shortly afterwards, the crew discover a parallel gateway to another universe with versions of themselves in which Kristine Kochanski
, Lister's former love interest, was the person put into stasis becoming the last remaining human. Red Dwarf is found in Series VIII and the entire crew of the ship — including a pre-accident Rimmer — are resurrected, but the Starbug crew find themselves sentenced to two years in the ship's brig
on a set of convoluted charges. The final episode (of the regular series) ends with Red Dwarf being eaten away by a mystery virus. The crew have all abandoned ship, save for Rimmer who is left stranded alone to face Death
(who he has just kicked in the groin).
who had trouble convincing the BBC to take on the series. Three years after the initial rejections, the script was accepted by BBC North West. The series almost did not happen due to an electricians strike at the BBC in 1987 which prevented filming and the project was shelved. Filming eventually went ahead after the industrial action was resolved.
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
's cult sci-fi
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
sitcom
Situation comedy
A situation comedy, often shortened to sitcom, is a genre of comedy that features characters sharing the same common environment, such as a home or workplace, accompanied with jokes as part of the dialogue...
Red Dwarf
Red Dwarf
Red Dwarf is a British comedy franchise which primarily comprises eight series of a television science fiction sitcom that aired on BBC Two between 1988 and 1999 and Dave from 2009–present. It gained cult following. It was created by Rob Grant and Doug Naylor, who also wrote the first six series...
. There are eight series plus specials, 55 episodes in total. The first six series were written by co-creators Rob Grant
Rob Grant
Robert Grant is a British comedy writer and television producer, who was born in Salford and studied Psychology at Liverpool University for two years....
and Doug Naylor
Doug Naylor
Douglas R. Naylor is a British comedy writer, science fiction writer, director and television producer.Naylor was born in Manchester, England and studied at the University of Liverpool. In the mid-1980s, Naylor wrote two regular comedy sketch shows for BBC Radio 4 entitled Cliché and Son of Cliché...
, while Series VII and VIII were written by Naylor with collaborations from other writers. Series I and II were produced by Paul Jackson Productions (Executive Producers were Paul Jackson and Doug Naylor for Series I, with Grant Naylor Productions taking over from Series III) for BBC North
BBC North
BBC North is a brand used by the BBC to mean any of the following.*The large BBC North region, centred on Manchester, that was active from the late 1920s until 1968....
, and broadcast on BBC2. The series first aired on 15 February 1988 and ended on 5 April 1999 after eight series
Television program
A television program , also called television show, is a segment of content which is intended to be broadcast on television. It may be a one-time production or part of a periodically recurring series...
. The eight series are available on DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
and the eight series and the three special episodes are available in the US via Netflix
Netflix
Netflix, Inc., is an American provider of on-demand internet streaming media in the United States, Canada, and Latin America and flat rate DVD-by-mail in the United States. The company was established in 1997 and is headquartered in Los Gatos, California...
's "Watch Instantly" Internet video streaming service.
The main setting of the series is the eponymous mining spaceship Red Dwarf which is 6 miles (9.7 km) long, 5 miles (8 km) tall, and 4 miles (6.4 km) wide. In the first episode, an on-board radiation leak of cadmium II
Cadmium
Cadmium is a chemical element with the symbol Cd and atomic number 48. This soft, bluish-white metal is chemically similar to the two other stable metals in group 12, zinc and mercury. Similar to zinc, it prefers oxidation state +2 in most of its compounds and similar to mercury it shows a low...
kills everyone except for low-ranking technician Dave Lister
Dave Lister
David "Dave" Lister, commonly referred to simply as Lister, is a fictional character from the British science fiction situation comedy Red Dwarf, portrayed by Craig Charles...
, who is in Suspended animation
Suspended animation
Suspended animation is the slowing of life processes by external means without termination. Breathing, heartbeat, and other involuntary functions may still occur, but they can only be detected by artificial means. Extreme cold can be used to precipitate the slowing of an individual's functions; use...
at the time, and his pregnant cat, Frankenstein, who is safely sealed in the cargo hold. Following the accident, the ship's computer Holly
Holly (Red Dwarf)
Holly is the ship's computer on the science fiction situation comedy Red Dwarf.The character is played by Norman Lovett in Series I and II and, following a "head sex change" to look like his parallel universe alter ego "Hilly", played by Hattie Hayridge in the series 3 episode Backwards, is female...
has to keep Lister in stasis until the background radiation dies down — a process that takes three million years. Lister therefore emerges as the last human being in the universe — but not the only life form on-board the ship. His former bunkmate and immediate superior Arnold Rimmer
Arnold Rimmer
Arnold Judas Rimmer is a fictional character in the science fiction situation comedy Red Dwarf, played by Chris Barrie. He is unpopular with his crew mates, and is often the target of insults or pranks...
is resurrected by Holly as a hologram
Volumetric display
A volumetric display device is a graphical display device that forms a visual representation of an object in three physical dimensions, as opposed to the planar image of traditional screens that simulate depth through a number of different visual effects...
to keep Lister sane, while a creature known only as Cat
Cat (Red Dwarf)
The Cat is a character in the British science fiction sitcom Red Dwarf. He is played by Danny John-Jules.-Character development:According to Danny John-Jules, the character of Cat is based on a combination of Little Richard's look, James Brown's moves and Richard Pryor's facial...
is the last known surviving member of Felis sapiens, a race of humanoids that evolved in the ship's hold from Lister's cat, Frankenstein, and her kittens during the millions of years that Lister was in stasis.
The main plot of the series is Lister's desire to go back to Earth. As they journey through space, the crew encounters such phenomena as time distortions, faster than light travel, mutant diseases and strange life-forms that developed in the intervening millions of years. During the second series, the crew encounter a sanitation mechanoid called Kryten
Kryten
Kryten is a fictional character in the British science fiction situation comedy Red Dwarf. Kryten's registration code on Red Dwarf is "Kryten additional 001". The name Kryten is a reference to the head butler in the J.M...
, who joins them. At the end of series five, the Red Dwarf ship is stolen from the crew, forcing them to travel in the smaller Starbug craft for the subsequent two series. Rimmer departs the crew to take up the role of his alter-ego from a parallel universe, Ace Rimmer. Shortly afterwards, the crew discover a parallel gateway to another universe with versions of themselves in which Kristine Kochanski
Kristine Kochanski
Kristine Z. Kochanski is a fictional character from the British science fiction situation comedy Red Dwarf. Kochanski was the first console officer in the navigation chamber on board the spaceship Red Dwarf...
, Lister's former love interest, was the person put into stasis becoming the last remaining human. Red Dwarf is found in Series VIII and the entire crew of the ship — including a pre-accident Rimmer — are resurrected, but the Starbug crew find themselves sentenced to two years in the ship's brig
Brig
A brig is a sailing vessel with two square-rigged masts. During the Age of Sail, brigs were seen as fast and manoeuvrable and were used as both naval warships and merchant vessels. They were especially popular in the 18th and early 19th centuries...
on a set of convoluted charges. The final episode (of the regular series) ends with Red Dwarf being eaten away by a mystery virus. The crew have all abandoned ship, save for Rimmer who is left stranded alone to face Death
Death (personification)
The concept of death as a sentient entity has existed in many societies since the beginning of history. In English, Death is often given the name Grim Reaper and, from the 15th century onwards, came to be shown as a skeletal figure carrying a large scythe and clothed in a black cloak with a hood...
(who he has just kicked in the groin).
Series
During 2002-06 the eight series were released on DVD in North America, Europe, Australia, Central and South America (Region 1, 2 and 4), with each release from Series III onward being accompanied by an original documentary about the making of each respective series, and a bonus disc of extra material.| Series | Episodes | Originally Broadcast | DVD release date | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Region 1 | Region 2 | Region 4 | |||||
| I | 6 | 15 February — 21 March 1988 | 25 February 2003 | 4 November 2002 | 3 December 2002 | ||
| II | 6 | 6 September — 11 October 1988 | 25 February 2003 | 10 February 2003 | 1 April 2003 | ||
| III | 6 | 14 November — 19 December 1989 | 3 February 2004 | 3 November 2003 | 18 November 2003 | ||
| IV | 6 | 14 February — 21 March 1991 | 3 February 2004 | 16 February 2004 | 9 March 2004 | ||
| V | 6 | 20 February — 26 March 1992 | 15 March 2005 | 8 November 2004 | 1 December 2004 | ||
| VI | 6 | 7 October — 11 November 1993 | 15 March 2005 | 21 February 2005 | 6 April 2005 | ||
| VII | 8 | 17 January — 7 March 1997 | 10 January 2006 | 7 November 2005 | 1 December 2005 | ||
| VIII | 8 | 18 February — 5 April 1999 | 2 May 2006 | 27 March 2006 | 20 April 2006 | ||
| Back to Earth | 3 | 10 April — 12 April 2009 | 6 October 2009 | 15 June 2009 | 17 December 2009 | ||
Series I (1988)
The pilot script was written in 1983; the writing duo team of Grant and Naylor handed the finished script to their agent Paul JacksonPaul Jackson (producer)
Kevin Paul Jackson , credited as Paul Jackson; sometimes as K. Paul Jackson, is a British television director, producer and executive.-Career in television:...
who had trouble convincing the BBC to take on the series. Three years after the initial rejections, the script was accepted by BBC North West. The series almost did not happen due to an electricians strike at the BBC in 1987 which prevented filming and the project was shelved. Filming eventually went ahead after the industrial action was resolved.
| # | |Writer(s) | |Original Air Date | # | |Writer(s) | |Original Air Date | Star Wars Star Wars Star Wars is an American epic space opera film series created by George Lucas. The first film in the series was originally released on May 25, 1977, under the title Star Wars, by 20th Century Fox, and became a worldwide pop culture phenomenon, followed by two sequels, released at three-year... movies. The loose ends included the return of Kryten, Lister being pregnant, delivering twins Jim and Bexley, who grow up in a matter of days, then wind up in the parallel universe with the female version of Lister. The regular cast changed for Series III: Robert Llewellyn came in as Kryten, and Hattie Hayridge Hattie Hayridge Hattie Hayridge is a British stand-up comedienne and actress, best known for the role of the female version of Holly in Red Dwarf during the third, fourth and fifth series, along with the role of Hilly in Parallel Universe, the final episode of the second series.After graduating from the... replaced the departing Lovett. Craig Charles, Chris Barrie and Danny John-Jules remained as Lister, Rimmer and Cat respectively. The character of Kryten Kryten Kryten is a fictional character in the British science fiction situation comedy Red Dwarf. Kryten's registration code on Red Dwarf is "Kryten additional 001". The name Kryten is a reference to the head butler in the J.M... was originally intended as a one-off appearance in the series-two episode "Kryten Kryten (Red Dwarf episode) "Kryten" is the seventh episode from science fiction sit-com Red Dwarf, the first from series two, and was first broadcast on BBC2 on 6 September 1988. Written by Rob Grant and Doug Naylor, and directed by Ed Bye, this episode introduced the mechanoid character Kryten... ", but had returned mainly to broaden the story potential. The show was becoming difficult to write for. At the insistence of Naylor, Kryten returned to complete the team. They had approached David Ross David Ross (actor) David Ross is an English actor who has worked in theatre, cinema, and television.His best-known roles include playing the first appearance of Kryten and the voice of the Talkie Toaster on the science fiction comedy series Red Dwarf, Elgin on the BBC sitcom The Green Green Grass, and as Mr... with the intention of bringing him back to play the regular role of Kryten. Ross, however, was in a stage play Flea In Her Ear and was not available, so they went to see Robert Llewellyn Robert Llewellyn Robert Llewellyn is an English actor, presenter, and writer. He is best known as the mechanoid Kryten in the hit sitcom Red Dwarf, and for his role as presenter of Scrapheap Challenge.-Early career:... . Llewellyn was also in a stage show called Mammon, playing a robot. They saw his performance and were impressed.
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