Red Dwarf X

The much anticipated tenth series hit television screens across Britain on its new home channel Dave October 4th, and has been an overwhelming success on its six week run, ending November 4th. Pulling in audiences of over 1.5 million on the first night, up against shows like Russell Howard’s Good News, Hunted, and Hotel GB, the general public have welcomed the ‘Boyz from the Dwarf’ and their quirky cult sci-fi sit-com back, after fourteen years and an Easter special, with open arms.

For Those Not in the Know...

Red Dwarf is a cult fiction show that began in 1988. It is a situational comedy, with elements of science fiction. Set a few centuries in the future, in approximately the twenty-third century, the first episode entails meeting the crew of the Jupiter Mining Corporation ship Red Dwarf, and then the death of the crew. When a lethal dose of radiation wipes out the crew, Dave Lister (Craig Charles) is saved by his punishment for bringing an un-quarantined cat on board – eighteen months in stasis. He is awoken three million years later when the radiation has reached a safe level, his only companions being the ship’s senile computer named Holly (Norman Lovett and then Hattie Hayridge from series three); a hologram of his dead bunkmate, Arnold J Rimmer (Chris Barrie); a humanoid being that evolved from Lister’s cat, simply called Cat (Danny John-Jules); from series three onwards, a slightly off centre service mechanoid named Kryten (Robert Llewellyn); and from series seven onwards, an alternate dimension version of Lister’s ex-girlfriend, Kristine Kochanski (Chloë Annett). The show follows their journey back to Earth and the comedy that ensues – featuring genetically engineered life-forms, alternate realities, and many near death escapes.

The Brand New Smeggin’ Series!

The series kicks off in style with ‘Trojan’, a hilarious story of reunion, shopping channels, being put on hold and crashed hard drives. When the crew stumble across a derelict ship named the Trojan, a mishap with the quantum rod reunites Rimmer with an old familiar face – and he discovers something he never thought possible. Viewers see the return of the traditional episode format in 'Trojan', with a live audience, model shots and a half-hour running time. Visually enticing, the insult ridden and wit laden dialogue, and classic inside jokes bring the audience back to day one in 1989.

Following on smoothly is ‘Fathers and Suns’, a tongue in cheek canon episode that explores how Lister copes with being his own father, in the face of agonising toothache and a worthless life with which he has done nothing. With a skit built upon the use of pre-recordings – skilfully, with no timing errors – and a new, insane computer named Pree, who meets her demise in the face of stone cold logic, it is arguably the best episode of the new series.

Next was the curiously named ‘Lemons’. When the boys are transported to 23 AD, they walk the six month journey from Britain to India in search of lemons for a battery. In the process, they meet a man named Jesus, who is a Geordie – for some unknown, but hilarious, reason. Naturally, things go horribly wrong for the Boyz, as their actions lead to a possible change in the entire history of planet Earth. Full of wit and a clever use of time travel, the episode ends with a surprising twist and leaves audiences begging for more.

The fourth episode is one which may make the males in the audience squirm: 'Entangled'. In a bout of poker with another aptly named genetically engineered creature from Earth – the BEGGS – Lister manages to get himself into a position which endagers his own crown jewels. With perfectly executed syncronised dialogue, a fingernail-chewing climax, and a devolved scientist named Irene E, this episode is no short of brilliant.

Less enthralling than its predecessors and arguably the least best in the series, 'Dear Dave' follows. Lister is missing the human race, just as Rimmer faces demotion for not signing on for his duties in approximately three million years. A witches-brew of emotionally-sensitive vending machines, letters from ex-girlfriends and a lack of toilet paper that leaves Cat reaching for the mail, this episode has winning moments of dialogue and an ending that will leave you in side-splitting humour.

The grand finale comes in the form of the ominously named 'The Beginning' – and grand it is! A new gadget is introduced, the jovially nicknamed 'Moley D', a gun that destabilises molecules. As is a new character, Hogey the Roguey – a rogue droid obsessed with 'battles across time and space!'. Imminent death and an opening scene that takes us back to Io in the twenty-third century make this a brilliant series closer – even if Doug Naylor does tease die-hard fans with almost-moments about the cliffhanger of series eight!