Red Dwarf V is the fifth series of the British science fiction sitcom Red Dwarf. It consisted of six episodes and was broadcast on UK television channel BBC2 between 20 February and 26 March 1992.
The series follows the life of technician Dave Lister (Craig Charles), who is the only survivor of an accident on the spaceship Red Dwarf, and the last survivor of the human race, three million years in the future, and his shipmates, 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, sanitation droid Kryten (Robert Llewellyn), and the ship's computer Holly (Hattie Hayridge).
Production The first four series of Red Dwarf had been directed by Ed Bye, but he was unavailable for Red Dwarf V as he agreed to direct The Full Wax, fronted by his wife Ruby Wax.Interview: Ed Bye, Red Dwarf Smegazine, issue 12, February 1993, Fleetway Editions Ltd, ISSN 0965-5603
Juliet May was brought in to direct, having been recommended by former producer Paul Jackson who had worked with her on Heil Honey I'm Home. Red Dwarf V was a more technically ambitious series, and May struggled with some of the technical aspects of the show; she left during the studio recordings. Writer-producers Rob Grant and Doug Naylor took over themselves, and completed the series, directing "Quarantine and "Back to Reality", and doing reshoots for "Demons & Angels", which featured large use of split screen effects.
Locations used included a pumping station near Sunbury for "Quarantine" and "The Inquisitor".
Casting "Holoship" features the crew of a holographic exploratory ship, including Jane Horrocks playing Rimmer's love interest Nirvanah Crane, and Don Warrington as Commander Binks.
"The Inquisitor" features Jack Docherty as the titular character, The Inqusitor, an android who travels through time and space visiting individuals and eliminating those he deems unworthy of life. Alternative versions of Lister and Kryten appear, played by Jake Abraham and Tim Yeates respectively.
"Back to Reality" features Timothy Spall as the technician who greets the crew when they wake up and discover they have been playing a computer game for four years.
Reception Writing in 2015, Den of Geek ranked Red Dwarf V the best series of the show, saying that "the most balanced series in terms of character comedy versus sci-fi adventure", praising the use of Chris Barrie as Rimmer, and in particular saying that "Back to Reality" is "a perfect episode and could easily work as a movie in its own right".
In 2017, Sophie Davies of CultBox noted that the series was "noticeably darker in tone", and said: "At the height of my obsession with Red Dwarf, this was certainly my most watched series. [...] "Back to Reality" frequently tops lists of the greatest Red Dwarf episodes and it isn't difficult to see why".
Episodes
Home media release The series was released in July and August 1994 on VHS, in two videos of three episodes each, and on DVD in 2005.
References