RED ALERT!
RED DWARF: THE PROMISED LAND | Dave THURSDAY
All right, smegheads? Way back in 1988, a sci-fi sitcom launched that won over a legion of fans. It told the story of the last human alive Dave Lister (Craig Charles) and dead hologram Arnold Rimmer, who were stuck with one another, three million years from Earth, on the spaceship Red Dwarf. They were joined by the vain feline Cat (Danny John Jules)
and fastidious mechanoid Kryten (Robert Llewellyn).
The show originally ran for eight series until 1999, but was revived by Dave in 2009. Further series followed, and now Dave has commissioned the first 90-minute episode,
The Promised Land.
“It’s something slightly different and breaking new ground,” says Craig. “It’s a feature-length special, but filmed in front of a live audience. It’s just a new way of doing it. But it’s a great story, and there are some fantastic performances in it.”
“People can expect a solid storyline involving the Cat people,” promises Chris. “But all the characters have their own plots. We’re not breaking from the tradition of the Red Dwarf posse! The interaction between characters is as it’s always been.”
We’re glad to hear that, because at its heart, so much of the comedy of Red Dwarf comes from the fact that Lister and Rimmer wind each other up so much! Yet we’ll also get to see a more sensitive side to their relationship…
“There’s a scene with
Lister, where Rimmer feels lower than he’s ever felt in the last 32 years,” shares Chris. “You can’t really tell whether Lister’s taking the mick or if he’s actually boosting Rimmsy, but there’s a lot of good in Lister. It’s a great scene, and very exciting to do.”
“Chris will hate me for saying this, but we’re playing caricatures of our own personalities in many ways,” chuckles Craig. “There’s an awful lot of Dave Lister about me, and there’s an awful lot of Arnold Rimmer about Chris. Robert is full of that middleclass guilt and Danny is the vainest man I’ve ever met without any reason to be!”
For now, it’s unclear if there will be further Red Dwarf episodes after this, so the pair tell us to make the most of what could be their swansong…
“Given the global situation, I don’t know when there’s going to be more of anything,” points out Chris. “In the meantime, we’ll give fans a good chance to sit at home and watch this latest Red Dwarf, which I’m confident they’ll enjoy.”
“It’s been a tough realisation really, but Dave
Lister is my career-defining role,” grins Craig.
“I did 10 years of Coronation Street [as Lloyd Mullaney], but people still call me smeghead in the street!”
THE FEATURE-LENGTH EPISODE IS BREAKING NEW GROUND…” CHRIS