Hit BBC series returning to screens 36 years after first-ever episode
Reed Dwarf is set to return! (Picture: BBC PICTURE ARCHIVES )
It has been announced that Red Dwarf is set to return to screens with a special episode that’s predicted to begin filming later this year.
Red Dwarf is a beloved sci-fi series that ran for eight series over 11 years on BBC Two between 1988 and 1999.
The series is set in the future in space and focuses on the adventures of a rag-tag gang on the mining spaceship called the Red Dwarf.
It originally starred Robert Llewelyn as Kryten, Craig Charles as Dave Lister, Chris Barrie as a hologram named Arnold Rimmer and Danny John-Jules as The Cat. The actors are all set to return to the series, according to one of the cast members.
Robert said on his YouTube channel, per British Comedy Guide: ‘We knew we were going to do more Red Dwarf and we’re actually now doing it in the middle of October to the middle of November this year.’
He then revealed that there would be a three-episode series released: ‘A 90-minute special, three half-hours. So yes, we are making more.’
‘We’ve all agreed to do more,’ he told his channel a couple of weeks ago, revealing all of the cast would be returning. ‘We’re not going to do a new series but we’re making something and it should be fun.’
The squad are set to begin filming in October 2024 (Picture: DESWILLIE)
Since the show first aired there have been other reincarnations of the series to celebrate and mark milestone anniversaries.
In 2009, the UK channel Dave screened three new 25-minute specials to celebrate the 21st anniversary of the show, called The Back To Earth special. The storyline of these episodes focused on the original crew returning to earth in 2009 to learn that they are characters in a TV show called Red Dwarf.
Following this three-episode arc, three more series were released in 2012, 2016, and 2017.
In 2020 another feature, Red Dwarf; The Promised Land aired. This one-off feature-length episode was 87 minutes long.
The show began in the 80s (Picture: BBC PICTURE ARCHIVES)
In 2021, the creators of the series were involved in a rights court case and the future of Red Dwarf was left unclear.
However, in March 2023, an agreement was reached over the rights to the show. A statement read at the time: ‘Rob Grant and Doug Naylor are delighted to announce that the ongoing dispute over the Red Dwarf rights has been resolved.
‘Moving onwards and upwards, Rob and Doug hope to launch separate iterations of Red Dwarf across various media, working again with the cast and other valued partners and wish each other the very best.
‘Smoke a kipper, Red Dwarf will be back for breakfast!!’
The four in The Promised Land (Picture: Gareth Gatrell)
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It’s thought that fans of this beloved show will only have to wait until 2025, for the next instalment of Red Dwarf, and can look forward to something a little closer to a real series reboot as the 90-minute feature will be split into three 30-minute episodes.
It’s unclear whether the show will be returning to BBC or Dave, both places that it’s called home over the years.
Speaking to the Liverpool Echo in December, Craig said: ‘We’re in talks with the BBC and UKTV to do another series of Red Dwarf. It hasn’t been on the BBC for so long but now they’re in talks with UKTV to do a co-pro that will go out on Dave and the BBC.’
BBC iPlayer is the current home of all old episodes of Red Dwarf.
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