David Brown (I)

The ship's computer gets an upgrade and the result is a million light years away from Holly. The officious (and downright murderous) Pree soon makes Hal from 2001: a Space Odyssey look like Metal Mickey: just witness the way she deprives Lister of his "free supply of oxygen" and sets Red Dwarf on a collision course with a sun.

All of which would seem like a recipe for high drama, but this is a slightly baggier, flabbier episode than last week's series opener, with a couple of set-pieces that outstay their welcome.

Craig Charles delivers the goods though, especially in the scene where he gets blasted on a jug of Gelf hooch.

He thinks he's the fount of all wisdom, but butcher Andy really can be clueless. And in tonight's Trollied, he finds that his gaydar is definitely on the fritz after failing to notice that his buddy Ian the security guard is in a relationship with another man. But it's not all angst at Valco because, hurray, Leighton's back on the shop floor.

Three years on from the sprawling (but largely underwhelming) Back to Earth mini-series, the boys from the Dwarf go back to basics for this tenth series. It's a smart move, for this is a lively re-creation of the show as we most fondly remember it. It's all here: the studio audience, the bunkroom sparring and the strategies employed by the crew to make their lonely lives bearable.

For the incompetent Rimmer, this means attempting to pass the astronavigation exam and become a Space Corps high-flyer. We've seen him try and fail before, but this time the stakes are higher thanks to an SOS call from an old foe.

Writer Doug Naylor gets plenty of laughs from Rimmer's sense of thwarted ambition while also taking witty pot shots at some classic sci-fi conventions. Watch out for a nice gag that involves Lister faking a talent for touch telepathy, plus the sight of the guys in snug, elasticated Star Trek-style jumpsuits.

You can stand Colin and Lisa front of store, tell them to smile and give them straw boaters, but the result is never going to be Me and My Girl. Pretty soon they're comparing notes on how to skive off (Lisa keeps a travel cushion in the lavatory cistern so she can go for a nap in the toilets) and the best tactics to get revenge on customers. Colin's best tip, by the way, is to plant security tags in their trouser pockets and watch them head for the exit.

Area manager Gavin may not be impressed by the decision to put Valco's laziest members of staff in full view of the public, but it's an inspired move in terms of comedy value. This is the strongest episode in what's been a consistently reliable series.

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Leighton's new-found drive to save the planet puts him in the mire when he switches off the freezers at the supermarket (he thinks he's just turning off the lights) and defrosts all the frozen goods. Julie (Jane Horrocks) wants to give him another chance, Lorraine (Stephanie Beacham) wants to give him the sack. "Never let your emotions get the better of you," she tells her deputy. The only time Lorraine ever welled up was when her dog got put down. And that was only because she had to do it herself. With a mallet.

As for poor Leighton, you might just start crying yourself when he's given the bad news. Surely, this can't be the end of his story? Valco just wouldn't be the same without him.

Doug Naylor interview

The sci-fi sitcom's showrunner talks to David Brown about series ten, the Dwarf's new young fanbase, and leaving the BBC.

Having soldiered on through bronchitis, hepatitis and two bouts of scarlet fever, Lorraine (Stephanie Beacham) isn't exactly sympathetic when workers ring in sick. So when a flu epidemic strikes Valco, she rages against her colleagues before plugging gaps in the rota. Butcher Andy is put on the deli counter, while Leighton gets his big chance on the tills. Before you know it, he's jeopardising the store's alcohol licence by selling 2-for-1 bottles of cider to kids in school uniform.