Red Dwarf to return

[stokeriño]

Red Dwarf voyages back to Earth

Cult comedy Red Dwarf is returning to TV, 21 years after its initial launch.

The show has been resurrected by digital channel Dave for a two-part Easter weekend special, which sees the cast finally return to Earth.

Written and directed by Red Dwarf co-creator Doug Naylor, the new show reunites the line-up, including Coronation Street's Craig Charles.

The hit show, which ran for eight series on BBC Two between 1988 and 1999, won an International Emmy award.

'No holds barred'

Set three million years into the future, the show followed the exploits of Dave Lister, slovenly crew member of the mining ship Red Dwarf - and the last man in the universe.

He was joined in his weekly attempts to make it back to Earth by a cast of oddballs including human hologram Arnold Rimmer, sanitation mechanoid Kryton and Cat - a preening half-man, half-animal who evolved from the ship's cat.

At its peak, Red Dwarf pulled in around eight million viewers and was broadcast in more than 25 countries.

It has sold more than seven million DVDs and videos.

The new two-part series Red Dwarf: Back to Earth will be followed by a "no holds barred" episode without sets, special effects or autocue.

The weekend will climax with Red Dwarf: the Making of Back to Earth, a behind-the-scenes special from the new episodes.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7851989.stm

I'm curious what Naylor will come up with for their return to Earth, since the TV series never went the route of the books where

Spoiler: Click here to view

the Ice planet that Lister/Rimmer were marooned turned out to be Earth

And I also wonder whether they'll actually pick up from the end of Series 8, or if they'll just accept this special as 'removed' from the series-proper.

Either way, so long as the writing's good and funny, I don't give a damn.

[ChrisSteeleAteMyHamster]

Horrible horrible news.

I adore Red Dwarf with a passion but series 7 was only ok and 8 was poop.

If they run through either "Last Human" or "Backwards" it could be okay.

[stokeriño]

I adore Red Dwarf with a passion but series 7 was only ok and 8 was poop.

I should clarify:

Either way, so long as the writing's good and funny

...unlike series 8.

[-A-]

My good feeling towards Red Dwarf cannot be spoiled any more than it was by Series 8, so I don't really have much of a problem with this. I'm actually pretty excited by the idea of doing it as a special - it'll force them to keep things focused and not the waffle that was the last series.

[ChrisSteeleAteMyHamster]

I adore Red Dwarf with a passion but series 7 was only ok and 8 was poop.

I should clarify:

Either way, so long as the writing's good and funny

...unlike series 8.

Then I agree (Y)

...Although Dave Lister is 25 years old...

I'd mark out for a return of Mr Flibble!

Edited January 27, 2009 by ChrisSteeleAteMyHamster

[stokeriño]

In regards to series 7 being 'okay' - it had some really, really, really excellent episodes (e.g. Tikka to Ride, Blue), but also some very flat ones. I think that also the fact that it was the first series to have 8 rather than 6 episodes meant that the series seemed less tightly held-together than previous ones, so it suffered a bit more in that regard.

Series 5 and 6 were definitely the show's peak for me, for different reasons. Series 6 seemed the most polished as a combination of good comedy/production quality/episode plots, while series 5 had the best science fiction of the entire franchise.

Favourite episode: The Inquisitor, bar none.

Rimmer: "But how do I know I'll get a fair trial?"

Inquisitor: "Because...like all who stand before the Inquisitor...your judge shall be..."

*opens helmet*

Inquisi-Rimmer: "...yourself."

Rimmer: "Oh smeg."

Inquisi-Rimmer: "Oh smeg indeed, matey."

Edited January 27, 2009 by stokeriño

[ChrisSteeleAteMyHamster]

5 and 6 are the best series but to be fair 2-4 were great too although you could see the step up in production into series 6.

[stokeriño]

I always think that I'm not a great fan of 4, but then I look at the episode list and think "oh shit...there's Meltdown in there...forgot about that one. And Dimension Jump. And Justice". I usually just remember that it had Camille in it, and think that the whole series was therefore equally shit by proxy.

[9 to 5]

So it's a White Hole?

[ChrisSteeleAteMyHamster]

I always think that I'm not a great fan of 4, but then I look at the episode list and think "oh shit...there's Meltdown in there...forgot about that one. And Dimension Jump. And Justice". I usually just remember that it had Camille in it, and think that the whole series was therefore equally shit by proxy.

Yeah series 4 is great.

It's series 5 that I always overlook because it seems to be the one that is least repeated for some reason and when I was collecting the serieses on video I could never find series 5.

It's got amazing episodes though - Inquisitor, Back To Reality, Quarantine, Terrorform, Holoship, Demons and Angels...Nice.

[stokeriño]

"So what is it?"

9 to 5 = fail.

[9 to 5]

I should just stay away.

[Captain Kirk]

Awesome news just got the full set the other day too!

[K]

meh, whatever. we get a news report like this every year. they haven't done it yet.

[stokeriño]

As far as I know, they've never named the episode title nor given a date/channel for its broadcast before. >_>

[K]

you're probably right, but it's hard to get excited at this point

[Farmer Reil]

You've all missed the most horrifying part.

"Coronation Street's Craig Charles". Mighty = fallen.

[stokeriño]

I know. I chuckled.

[YI]

Shut up, Lloyd is fucking epic. His duo with Steve McDonald, while not quite up to the standard that the early days of Vikram and Steve were, it is still fucking good.

[Marcos]

Shut up, Lloyd is fucking epic. His duo with Steve McDonald, while not quite up to the standard that the early days of Vikram and Steve were, it is still fucking good.

Have to agree, the fight when Steve found out Lloyd was shagging Liz was all kinds of awesome.

Anyway I've heard the rumours about the return of Red Dwarf for a while now, and I'm absolutely ecstatic that it's coming back. I may now need to go and watch all eight series' again