Red Dwarf
- TV sitcom
- U&Dave / BBC Two
- 1988 - 2020
- 74 episodes (13 series)
Science fiction sitcom based in space. The crew aboard the damaged mining spaceship Red Dwarf are doomed to drift in space for the rest of eternity. Stars Chris Barrie, Craig Charles, Danny John-Jules, Robert Llewellyn, Norman Lovett and more.
- Due to return for Untitled three-part special
Streaming rank this week: 160
Red Dwarf - Discovering The TV Series: Volume I: 1988-1993
Red Dwarf is virtually unique among British sitcoms. It began in 1988 and was still airing new episodes in 2020, making it one of the longest running sitcoms of all time, but the core cast has remained largely unchanged. And its science fiction flavour contrasts strongly with the drawing rooms and sofas which were the norm when it launched, and the fast-cut mockumentary style which is popular today. And yet, this is a show which nobody wanted to make, and which only barely made it to our screens at all.
In this work, Tom Salinsky looks at exactly how it came to be; who was considered for the cast but didn't make it; how it was radically reinvented for the third, sixth, seventh, ninth and tenth series; how it survived the breakup of its key creative partnership, the loss of the original spaceship models, BBC strikes, the departure of a major cast member, and the seemingly self-defeating rules which the writers imposed on themselves.
But this isn't just a behind-the-scenes account. It's also a detailed critical analysis, examining why the best episodes succeed and why the less impressive episodes struggle, while also finding time to ask just how a hologram made of light can smell burning camphor wood, why a creature evolved from a cat is familiar with Wilma Flintstone, or just how long Lister and Kochanski were dating for.
How can all this possibly be contained in one book? It can't! Volume I will cover the first six series and Volume II will conclude the story of Red Dwarf on television as well as looking at the novels, comic strips, computer games and more.
First published: Monday 30th September 2024
- Publisher: White Owl
- Pages: 192
- Catalogue: 9781399034944
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