Red Dwarf

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.

Red Dwarf X: Lemons review

Red Dwarf goes on location in Lemons, an episode with strong jokes, a solid guest appearance, and great performances...

Red Dwarf: In trepidation of a Trojan

For now, I am giving this episode of Red Dwarf a rating of 'Exceeds Expectations' but with a warning that the expectations for next week are now higher.

Photo Gallery: Ship models from Red Dwarf X

There's no doubt that Starbug, Blue Midget and of course, Red Dwarf itself, are as much a part of the show as Kryten, Lister, Rimmer and Cat.

Chris Barrie: How he can play all the Red Dwarf crew

Red Dwarf star Chris Barrie has said that he can play all four of the main characters on the show.

Following a malfunction with an Ikea-style flatpack ("I knew those white plastic bits were important!"), the crew find themselves catapulted back to the year AD23 on Earth, where they must make a 4,000-mile trek to India to find the lemons they'll need to make a battery, and in so doing run into a bearded figure who may or may not be Christ on his travels. There remains a hapless amiability about these comedic timeservers, even if it does feel as if, laugh-wise, we are stranded in 1988.

Red Dwarf: Fathers and Suns review

The episode closes with an upbeat feeling that Red Dwarf is back and not in the same half arsed way it was in Back to Earth.

Red Dwarf X - 'Fathers & Suns'

This was a strange amalgam of the classic Red Dwarf sitcom format (which Series X is an attempt to return to) and the overreaching action-adventure style that swamped Series VII.

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.

After a strong opener, there are hints this week that the Red Dwarf writing team may have spunked their creative beans a tad early. The show has already done a Space Odyssey parody (way back in season two) and re-treading the idea with this week's ice-cold, Siri-riffing ship computer would be fine if the gags were there to prop it up. Unfortunately, too much effort goes into exploring dead ends. The concept of Lister sending himself a Father's Day card (he happens to be his own dad - just go with it), for example, is fairly smart, but by the time he's holding a father-son summit with himself via pre-recorded video, the gag has more than run its course. A dud episode, but still light-years ahead of those awful Back to Earth specials. Here's hoping the gags find their mark again next week.