David Brown (I)

A lot of seasonal sitcoms make the mistake of filming in some exotic location that fails to add to the levels of laughter. Think One Foot in the Algarve or that Only Fools and Horses set in Miami. Not Trollied - thankfully, the furthest the staff get in this one-hour special is Wigan, following the theft of essential supplies by a rival Valco store. Gavin leads a rescue attempt in an HGV and encounters some surprises.

Viewers would be best advised to save their gasps, though, for the staff party, in which Lisa takes dirty dancing to a whole new level of filth, while Colin offers up a karaoke rendition of Wham's Last Christmas filled with raw emotion.

Craig Charles: We'd certainly like to do more Red Dwarf

The Coronation Street star says he might need more time off from the soap soon after the success of the sci-fi comedy's tenth series - "If things are meant to be, they happen".

It's the finale of a series that's consistently delivered the goods. And it rounds off in fine celebratory style as the store prepares to honour its millionth customer: there's a balloon archway and the promise of a trolley dash, while Leighton is dressed up as a Valco tick. Of greater importance for viewers, though, is seeing if any of those tantalising staff romances can blossom, in particular Colin's ongoing quest to convince Lisa that they can have sex - and maybe even a relationship - outside of work hours.

It's one of those magic Red Dwarf moments that punctures the technobabble bubble of science fiction: the boys are under attack, the computers are down and the scanners aren't working. As Lister frets about not knowing what his pursuers are or where they're coming from, Kryten has a novel idea - "How about we look out of the window?" he suggests.

With this last episode chock-full of such zingers and ratings for this tenth series consistently topping one million, let's hope we get some further adventures soon.

Certain staff members aren't at the top of their game this week. The loss of his pet dog results in Gavin having lapses in concentration, the worst of which involves pinning a sheet of A4 containing the salaries of every employee to the notice board. And a mistake on the rota leads to Leighton working three consecutive days and nights. It's only the scatty Margaret who's full of beans: she's busy counting her footsteps thanks to her new pedometer. Only she keeps calling it a "paedo-meter", which, as you can imagine, raises a few eyebrows.

Red Dwarf is always at its finest when it jettisons the sci-fi plots and concentrates on Lister's sense of loneliness. Tonight, it's got so bad that he now has two rival talking dispensing machines vying for his affections. So not only is he the last human being alive, but he's also getting TLC from the units that provide his hot beverages. But if Lister's not tipped over the edge by his ever-narrowing romantic options, maybe Cat's attempt at charades will do the trick. It's both excruciating and hilarious.

Anyone who's wrestled with a self-service checkout will be heartened by Colin's response to a customer's "unexpected item in the bagging area" problem. Valco's most subversive element saunters over, presses a few buttons and says, "Yeah, they're s**t these things. Just take it. I would." At the other end of any staff satisfaction survey is Andy, who chooses to spend all day in the store despite being on holiday. And if you thought he looked like an Adonis in his butcher's hat and apron, just wait until you see him in a khaki gilet and with a leather bum bag nestled under his paunch. What a guy.

It's fire drill day and Gavin's excited by his warden's kit bag: "Ah, the holy trinity," he sighs with awe, "the torch, the whistle and the hi-viz jacket." In the excitement of the store evacuation, he forgets Margaret.

The guilt he feels that she could have burned to death is enough to tarnish the fact that he's back in control after getting shot of Lorraine.

Speaking of whom, there is a definite Stephanie Beacham-shaped hole in this episode, but thankfully the plight of lovestruck Colin (fabulous Carl Rice) proves enough to take our minds off her absence.

When the boys hastily assemble a Swedish flat-pack rejuvenation shower, the last thing they expect is to be shot back to Earth in AD 23 without the means of getting back to Red Dwarf.

It's an almighty problem, to be sure, but not as big as the Almighty problem that follows when they run into Jesus in a crowded market square. Cue lots of timey-wimey peril that involves the son of God getting a preview of his status as the central figure of Christianity and not exactly liking what he sees.

We're not talking Life of Brian levels of controversy here, just good-natured ribbing of Bible stories. Plus there's the chance to find out why Rimmer was given the middle name of Judas.

The psychopathic Lorraine is convinced that staff members are pilfering stock, so sets about exposing miscreants with the fervour of Joseph McCarthy. "This is a breach of my human rights," says Andy as he's asked to turn out his pockets and open his locker. "Gandhi would have a fit if he could see this." He might also have had a fit if he'd seen what's in Andy's pockets. Luckily, the normally mousy Gavin comes into his own and confronts Lorraine on the shop floor.

Let's just say that the spectacle that follows stops customers in the "ten-items-or-less" aisle dead in their tracks.