"SMOKE ME A KIPPER..." THE WELCOME RETURN OF "RED DWARF"

The usual gang of lovable galactic idiots (L - R: Cat (Danny John Jules), Lister (Craig Charles), Rimmer (Chris Barrie) and android Kryten (Robert Llewellyn)) are coming back for more, in the new 2011 series of RED DWARF. Image: DAVE.

Those lovable smegheads, the crew of the unique interstellar commercial mining ship Red Dwarf – Dave Lister (the once last human in the universe, with his penchant for bad guitar playing, curry and holographic role playing) as played by the irreplaceable Craig Charles, the singular fashion sense and mentality of the hybrid human/feline Cat (Danny John Jules), Kryten (played by Robert Llewellyn), the lovable manservant droid with the Herman Munster like features and laugh, plus a Hoover extension slot located in the worst possibly designed place, and, finally, the cowardly and spiteful, stick to the rules and blame it on everybody else personality of hologram Arnold J. Rimmer (Chris Barrie)- will soon be back for a new series of comedy adventures on the UK’s DAVE channel after last years very successful three part experiment, BACK TO EARTH, garnered higher ratings for the satellite channel than most of their rival terrestrial channels ever could over the consecutive days it played. And when you’ve got a success like that you’d have to be a complete smeghead of a businessman not to carry on making them (and especially as the long rumoured British made RED DWARF film has, so far, not materialized). Once again, sadly, Rob Grant, won’t be writing the new series with fellow co-creator, Doug Naylor (who’s penning the new series as he did the last two seasons for the BBC, as well as BACK TO EARTH), but we’re sure they’ll be a lot more laughs to come and, hopefully, a return to the kind of sci-fi comedy we saw in its classic years (please, no more trips to present day Earth and CORONATION STREET-land! And let’s bring the studio audience back –it really helps make the show more special!)

As filming begins on the new run later in the year, I thought, as a nice little warm-up to RED DWARF’s return, I’d have a look back at some of my favourite episodes and share them with you (Please note: my enjoyment of the series began with Season Three, where the show was slightly re-tooled by its creators and had more money spent on it so as to make it visually more interesting. The previous two series of RD are a bit too vague and studio-bound talking heads comedy for me to comment on. Perhaps someday I’ll get round to watching them properly).

BACKWARDS (Episode One, Season Three)

On a little driving trip in the Star Bug, Rimmer and Kryten, soon followed by Lister and the Cat, end up on an alternate version of 1993 Earth, where everything works backwards. Cue a brilliant finale bar room brawl in reverse, and Cat really has a problem when he has to relieve himself!

Clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_WBE0wGzMT4

It's ALIEN, but RED DWARF-style, in the classic THE POLYMORPH. All series episodic images: BBC

POLYMORPH (Episode Three, Season Three)

Rimmer meets his sex-mad mum and becomes a bearded, pipe smoking devoted pacifist, Kryten loses his goodie-two shoes image, Cat becomes a vagrant and Lister becomes the ultimate warrior when they are all sucked of their inhibitions and vanities by the dangerous escaped Polymorph creature. One of my all time favourite episodes, with a hilarious confrontation finale.

Clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v6kEJO3JyAU

TIMESLIDES (Episode Five, Season Three)

Developing some photos in the dark room, Kryten discovers that the processing fluid has mutated and caused the images to become real and capable of entering into as pieces of time. As Lister finally becomes a multi millionaire music-star slob and marries the most beautiful woman in the world- Lady Sabrina Mulholland-Jjones (Koo Stark), a jealous Rimmer is determined to change history, too, so as to get the glory instead, by inventing the famous Tension Sheet before his old school boy enemy, “Thickie” Holden!

Clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DQODcvvClMc

Ace Rimmer. What a guy!

DIMENSION JUMP (Episode One, Season Four)

Rimmer meets his alternate universe persona-a brave, handsome, fearless and decorated fighter pilot nick-named “Ace”- and thoroughly detests him! Even more so, after he rescues him, Lister and the gang after a disastrous crash-landed fishing holiday! Once again, another great comedy performance from Chris Barrie, and its great to see the rest of the cast in their alternate guises during the episodes opening scenes. “Smoke me a Kipper. I’ll be back for breakfast!”

Clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=udwgJMLk_qU

Lister goes ROBOCOP to fight his terrifying creation: the Chicken Vindaloo monster in DNA.

DNA (Episode Three, Season Four)

Kryten becomes human and Lister’s Frankenstein–like creation, the chicken vindaloo Curry Monster, brings comedic terror to Red Dwarf after the crew discovers a DNA alteration chamber on a derelict alien spacecraft.

Clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rn01wMMrnu4

MELTDOWN (Episode Six, Season Four)

Marilyn Monroe, Gandhi, Mother Theresa, James Last, Al Capone and Hitler are back from the dead when Kryten accidentally transports the gang to a planet whose once inhabitants, having encountered humans before, populated it in tribute with two theme parks-Hero World and Villain World-comprised of android facsimiles of famous names from Earth’s past. Soon, with Rimmer involved, all out war is declared between two android sides, and even Winnie the Pooh can’t escape the call to arms! This episode has a concept that reminds me of the kind of comedy done by THE GOODIES, which makes it all the more interesting!

Clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Z9leeN7j0k

The DWARFers go bad, very bad, in ANGELS AND DEMONS.

DEMONS AND ANGELS (Episode Five, Season Five)



An experiment with a device called the Triplicator creates an alternate Red Dwarf and crew, who have been split into the good and the bad in this fun episode where Chris Barrie is clearly enjoying his “bad” side ROCKY HORROR-type persona!

Clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fjwiyVQuygs

The virus infected Rimmer and Mister Flibble in the superb episode QUARANTINE.

QUARANTINE (Episode Four, Season Five)

Rimmer was bad before but he’s even worse now that he’s become infected with a holo-virus disease inadvertently bought into the ship, and the rest of the crew, stuck in a quarantine cell, are powerless against him and his toy penguin Mister Flibble!

Clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7zYR1YXOzV0

The good, the bad and the android in the classic GUNMEN OF THE APOCALYPSE!

GUNMEN OF THE APOCALYPSE (Season Six, Episode Three)

It’s a break in the hunt for the kidnapped Red Dwarf vessel, as the crew saddle up and get their horses whilst entering a Wild West digital universe so as to escape some dangerous pursuant alien replicants and stop an equally deadly computer virus affecting Star Bug. Amongst all the great western cliche's honoured, its great fun seeing Kryten as a Cowboy!

Clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VwuwT6IHfeE

STOKE ME A CLIPPER (Episode Two, Series Seven)

Determined not to die in vain, Ace Rimmer returns to our universe and plans to make the other Rimmer his successor in all things brave and manly. Yeah, good luck with that! Though this season would turn out to be a very mixed bag of tales creatively from Doug Naylor (which, in my opinion, suffered with the losses of Rob Grant full-time and, for most of this season, Chris Barrie), this is that years best episode by far, especially for its hilarious and original action opening: without a parachute, and in the best James Bond/ MOONRAKER-style, Ace rides a crocodile after jumping out of an exploding Nazi airplane so as to rescue the beautiful Princess Bonjela from a firing squad! You have to see it to believe it, and its dead funny!

Superb clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gXYfnWRp1Q0

One of the boys! Chloe Annett joins the cast in its final two seasons as Christine Kochanski

BACK IN THE RED - PART THREE (Episode Three, Series Eight)

Its love, love, love as Rimmer, in his continued ambitious attempts to get promoted in rank within the re-constituted Red Dwarf, uses a sexual magnetism virus that makes him irresistible to every female member of the ship. Some very funny comedy moments from the cast and supporting actors shine out in a mixed reaction series that had now been completely re-formatted by Doug Naylor.

Recently re-united for more comedy on the UK"s DAVE channel.

All eight seasons of the original RED DWARF are now available on DVD. The series is in constant repeat on the UK's DAVE digital satellite channel. More news on the new RED DWARF as and when we get it.