Volume I : 1988–1993
by Tom Salinsky
Published: September 30, 2024
pre order Here,
Do you know…
Red Dwarf would never have been made if it weren’t for the under-appreciated BBC sitcom from the 1980s ‘Happy Families’.
Where did the ship’s “made up” slur ‘Gwenlan’ come from?
What is the significance of 23 March 2077?
Norman Lovett – who played Holly – originally auditioned for the role of Rimmer and Chris Barrie – who played Rimmer – originally auditioned for the role of Lister?
Danny John Jules arrives to audition as Cat in full character and costume.
How well do you know Red Dwarf? Author Tom Salinsky’s latest book is the most comprehensive work to date on this popular sci-fi comedy series, which has been loved by fans around the world from the very first episode.
Almost unique amongst British sitcoms, Red Dwarf began in 1988 and after 12 seasons, a miniseries and a feature length special, it has recently been confirmed that the much-loved programme will return – again – with new episodes in 2025, making it one of the longest running sitcoms in the world of all time; with fans who know every episode by heart. But despite an extremely devoted fan base, few are as dedicated as Tom, who – following the success of his first book (Star Trek: Discovering the TV Series), set out on a mission to watch every episode, come rain or shine, or an impending asteroid collision, and create a complete archive of the whole thing. Volume 1 covers 1988-1993
At its peak in 1999, Red Dwarf had a weekly audience of over 8,000,000 in the UK. It also won an Emmy and a British Comedy Award, ranked 80th on Empire’s list of the 100 best series of all time, and recently ranked 17th on Radio Times’ list in 2021. And yet, it’s a show that nobody wanted to make, and which barely made it onto our screens.
Red Dwarf originally evolved from a Radio 4 sketch series that took inspiration from Star Trek, Alien and The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. Adding a large element of British style comedy and satire, Red Dwarf eventually morphed into a sci-fi sitcom – with the drawing rooms and sofas that were the norm when it launched, and now with the fast-cut mockumentary style that is popular today. At first, the BBC rejected the pilot, fearing that a sitcom in a sci-fi space would not be popular. They were proven very wrong as fans took the show to their hearts. One such fan was Tom, who has now jumped up a dimension into the Red Dwarf universe with his new book ‘Red Dwarf: Discovering the TV Series’, ensuring that no stone – or planet – is missed.
Following in Arnold Rimmer’s well organised, colour-coded, labelled footsteps; Tom has kept a log of his Red Dwarf journey so every moment can be enjoyed. The first volume will cover 36 episodes (six series of six episodes each), with a review and episode summary of each one. But this isn’t just a fan’s account, it’s a detailed and entertaining critical analysis of the show, covering all the mishaps, innovations, near misses and happy accidents behind the scenes, written in a clear and accessible style, with a sense of humour that makes it exceptionally accessible to Red Dwarf fans.
As well as a detailed episode list, the book explains how Red Dwarf actually came to be, who was originally chosen for its cast, how it was radically remade for the third, sixth, seventh, ninth and tenth seasons, and how it continued to survive the break-up of its key creative partnership, the loss of the original spaceship models, attacks by the BBC and the departure of a key cast member.
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