Red Dwarf VII is the seventh series of the British science fiction sitcom Red Dwarf. It consists of eight episodes and was broadcast on UK television channel BBC2 in January to March 1997. The series is the first to be written by Doug Naylor without Rob Grant, who had written and created the show with Naylor; some episodes had additional co-writers.
The series follows the crew of the spaceship Starbug, who are seeking to return to their main ship and home, the Red Dwarf. They are Dave Lister (Craig Charles), who is the only survivor of an accident on the mining ship Red Dwarf, and the last survivor of the human race, three million years in the future; a holographic reproduction of his dead bunkmate and boss, Arnold Rimmer (Chris Barrie); a sapient Cat (Danny John-Jules) who is a result of three million years' evolution, and sanitation droid Kryten (Robert Llewellyn).
Actor Chris Barrie leaves the show as Rimmer in episode two (making two small appearances in later episodes), and Lister's love interest Kristine Kochanski, now played by Chloë Annett joins as a regular part of the crew in episode three.
Writing
After series VI ended, co-creator and writer Rob Grant decided to leave the series to pursue other projects, but Naylor continued with the series to build towards the often discussed movie, and the series was expanded to eight episodes to meet US syndication requirements.
To help with the expanded episode count, Naylor brought in the help of other writers. Paul Alexander and Kim Fuller had both written for Jasper Carrot, on whose show Grant and Naylor had got their start on television; and James Hendrie, who Doug knew from Spitting Image. John McKay's script "Identity Within" was scrapped; this would have focused on the character of the Cat and was replaced at a late stage with the quickly-written "Duct Soup".
Robert Llewellyn, who played Kryten, also contributed an episode, although his attempt to give himself an easy week by writing his character out backfired — the final script featured Kryten and his brother Able, also played by Llewellyn, in large roles.
Cast and plot
Chris Barrie, disappointed with the hectic workload of series VI, and busy with playing the title character in another sitcom, The Brittas Empire, and agreed only to appear in four of the episodes. In episode two, "Stoke Me a Clipper", his character Arnold Rimmer leaves to become Ace Rimmer. He makes appearances in two episodes later in the run, in flashbacks and fantasy sequences.
Kristine Kochanski (now played by Chloë Annett) was brought back as a regular character for this series. She had previously been played by Clare Grogan, who has said that she was not considered "too old".
Changes to the series itself were evident with the mix of science fiction and sitcom episodes throughout. This was an attempt by Naylor to move away from the "monster of the week" format that he felt series VI suffered from.
The series continues the story arc begun in series VI, with the crew in Starbug searching for the Red Dwarf itself. They find Red Dwarf in the finale, "Nanarchy", which has been reconstructed by nanites, along with ship's computer Holly, played by Norman Lovett, who makes a brief return in the final episode. The ending leads directly in to the start of series VIII
Production
Ed Bye returned to direct the series, after leaving due to scheduling clashes for series V. The studio audience was now removed from the series and a single-camera setup was predominantly used, which allowed more sophisticated lighting. Episodes were still videotaped, but were digitally processed to look like film, and although there was no live audience, a laughter track was later recorded at a screening of the episodes before an audience.Back From the Dead, a featurette included on the DVD release Red Dwarf VII (BBC Video, 2005)
Studio shooting took place at Shepperton. Various episodes had location shooting: the episode "Tikka to Ride", which is set in Dallas, had scenes fillmed at Farnborough Airfield and a test track at Chobham. "Beyond a Joke" features scenes set in a artificial reality simulation in "Jane Austen World" — an explosion effect went off with much more strength than intended, causing damage to nearby houses.
Reception Writing in 2015, Den of Geek ranked Red Dwarf VII the second lowest full series of the show, above only Red Dwarf VIII, saying that "The departure of Chris Barrie left a gaping void, because with him went not only Rimmer but also the odd couple setup around which the show was built", although stating that "All things considered, it's nowhere near as bad as it could have been", and highlighting "Stoke Me a Clipper" and "Blue", both of which Barrie does appear in, as "strong".
Episodes
Home video Red Dwarf VII was released on VHS in November 1997, with extended cuts of episodes, and in regular form in October 1999. It was released on DVD in November 2005.
References