Red Dwarf I is the first series of the British science fiction sitcom Red Dwarf. It consisted of six episodes and was broadcast on UK television channel BBC2 between 15 February and 21 March 1988.
In the series slobbish technician Dave Lister (Craig Charles) becomes the only survivor of an accident on Red Dwarf, and the last survivor of the human race, three million years in the future; he is joined by 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 the ship's computer Holly (Norman Lovett).
Writing and production
The pilot script, "The End", was written in 1983; the writing duo team of Rob Grant and Doug Naylor handed the finished script to producer Paul Jackson who had trouble convincing the BBC to take on the series. Three years after the initial rejections, the script was accepted by BBC North West.
An electricians strike at the BBC in 1987 prevented the series from being filmed, but the production continued with rehearsals of the scripts written. The shoot was remounted later in 1987. After the original attempt at production it had been decided that the second episode "Bodysnatcher", which had been written early as an example of what a typical episode might be like, was not working. "Me²" was written as an replacement, picking up from an altered cliffhanger at the end of "Confidence and Paranoia". Much of the first episode was reshot in a seventh week set aside for pickups at the end of the recording, including a version of the opening scene with additional jokes.
Casting
Various auditions were held for the core roles of Arnold Rimmer and Dave Lister, with Grant and Naylor hoping to cast more traditional actors. Alan Rickman was interested but ultimately did not want to work before a live studio audience. Chris Barrie and Alfred Molina were in the running for Rimmer, and it was decided that the Molina, the more experienced actor, would get the part. Producer Paul Jackson passed the script to "punk poet" Craig Charles for a sensitivity read on the character of the Cat. Charles approved of the script and decided he wanted to be cast as Lister, despite having zero acting experience, and the role being written as a man somewhat older than Charles. His reading impressed Grant and Naylor and he was cast, and then due to concerns over chemistry, Molina was replaced by Barrie as Rimmer. Barrie was known as an impressionist and had previously worked with Grant and Naylor on Spitting Image.
Two other regulars rounded out the cast: Stand-up Norman Lovett was cast as ship's computer Holly, having earlier auditioned for Rimmer: this was intended originally as a voiceover role but Lovett was able to persuade the crew to show his face on a computer screen. For the Cat, Danny John-Jules was the first to be seen at audition, arriving an hour late with an obliviousness that channelled the character.
The first episode features a large cast of ship crew members, before an accident that leaves only Lister alive. Grant and Naylor imagined casting very well known comedy actors in these roles but this did not happen, and guest characters included Captain Hollister, played by American comedian Mac McDonald; officer Todhunter, played by Robert Bathurst; and Lister's love interest Kristine Kochanski, played by Scottish actor and singer C. P. Grogan. Originally Alexandra Pigg had been booked to play Kochanski but she was unavailable on the rearranged studio dates. A group of Lister's friends — Petersen, Chen and Selby — appear in the first episode, played by Mark Williams, Paul Bradley, and David Gillespe respectively. All these characters except for Todhunter would make small appearances in later episodes in the series.
Additional guest cast members in the series were rare. Noel Coleman played an elderly Cat priest in the episode "Waiting for Godot", and in the episode "Confidence and Paranoia" the parts of Confidence and Paranoia - solid apparitions caused by Lister having contracting a mutated virus, were played by Lee Cornes and Craig Ferguson respectively.
Broadcast and reception The series was broadcast by BBC2 in February and March 1988. The episode "Future Echoes", which was shot fourth, was placed second in the running order as it was felt to be a strong one.
Writing in The Stage after the broadcast of "The End", Ann Mann praised the writing and execution as "very funny" and identified the relationship between Rimmer and Lister as "working admirably". Peter Tory singled out Danny John-Jules' performance as Cat across the six episodes for praise in the Daily Express.
Jeremy Conrad, reviewing the United States DVD release in 2003 for IGN, said that although the series might be an "acquired taste", he thought "the guys hit the ground running right from 'The End'."
Writing in 2015, Den of Geek ranked Red Dwarf I the sixth of the then nine full seasons of the show, saying that the "early episodes of Dwarf have a charming simplicity that was lost as the show's budgets and scope grew", and noting the sci-fi elements in "Future Echoes", "Confidence and Paranoia" and "Me²"
In 2017 Sophie Davies of CultBox noted the different tone of the series to later ones, saying "Red Dwarf I takes place entirely within the confines of the ship. When at one point a mysterious pod arrives, Rimmer fantasises about the aliens that could be living inside, only to find that it’s full of nothing but garbage."
Episodes
Home video release The first series of Red Dwarf had not been initially repeated, and Grant and Naylor were reluctant to allow it to be released on home video. It was eventually released in July and August 1993, as two videos consisting of three episodes each.
A remastered edition, with revised visual effects and other changes, was released in 1998. The non-remastered version was released in DVD in 2002.
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