Sunday Musings - The Boys From The Dwarf
When Red Dwarf landed back in the space year of 1988, there wasn't much riding on this odd hybrid. The hope was for a single season, maybe two at a push. The BBC was hesitant to greenlight a "sci-fi sitcom", as fears were high that such a mix would not connect with any audience on a meaningful scale. However, "The End, the first episode out of the gate gained positive word of mouth, growing the viewership week in and week out who fell in love with this scrappy concept. Craig Charles and Chris Barrie's chemistry as Dave Lister and Arnold Rimmer came fully formed into the world, to say nothing of an always ever-watchable performance from Danny John-Jules as Cat and, later on down the line, Robert Llewellyn-Bowen's Kryten was also a joy to behold.
In the late eighties, Sci-Fi came down on one of two sides. Hopeful, bold space exploration or dystopian world. Red Dwarf was neither of these things, but instead a working class misfit alongside other misfits trying (and failing) to navigate being the Last Human. It was often relatable, with a strong streak of down-to-earth humour. It stood out against the other, often far more expensive, genre shows of the time with a punky, grungy industrial image supported by more British snarky wit than a herd of Basil Fawltys. In fact, from the opening episode, a connection was formed with the cast which went from strength to strength, with fans swiftly turning up to the fledgling convention circuit in character before Season Two aired. It's worth remembering that it may have been a sitcom, but Red Dwarf was never afraid to play with some hard science theory. Remember that Season One had a episode about Faster Than Light Travel and seeing moments from the future before one about Lister learning to be a cook (and lying about the results).
Season 1 and 2 were a outright success for the BBC, who then upped the budget for Season 3. This is where Red Dwarf, already cemented in as prime-time Friday night TV truly flew. Season 3 expanded and built upon what had come before, using better effects, a more cinematic filming style and broader comedic storytelling. However, the high-concept science that forged those first seasons was not forgotten, with ever-higher attempts at hard science concepts throughout. Season One managed to work with a unusual concept, but by Season Three, we were lucky enough to have something truly special. Red Dwarf normalized sci-fi fandom in the UK. Before the 90s, sci-fi was often seen as niche or overly serious. but Doug Naylor and Rob Grants made something very accessible and still fun, proving that sci-fi could be silly, irreverent, and still deeply engaging.
The 1990s was something of a golden age of TV comedy, and as the decade carried on, The Fast Show, Father Ted, Absolutely Fabulous, to name but a few, carried on the new wave of British comedy with a bang. In many ways, it was learning the lessons laid down by The Young Ones and Blackadder from the mid-eighties that started the wave that carried through to the new millennium.
Front and centre, from the start in fact, Red Dwarf did not have polished heroes, but were misfits, failures and deadbeats.. but these were not downsides, Lister may be a directionless burnout, but he cared, and showed moments of outright humanity when dealing with anything that wasn't Rimmer, who was himself a product of deranged parenting which created a desperate need for validation. Cat was vanity made flesh, with every action being selfish and often somewhat stupid. Yet, for all they were the lowest of the low, throughout the first six seasons, they found something in each other which caused them all to grow and evolve, more so when Kryten returned (off screen after an introduction episode played by David Ross)
It was often irreverent alongside the classic tropes, poking fun at time travel paradoxes, or AI going bad. From that gentle poking comes genuinely impressive experiences like "Backwards" which was all shot in reverse and the emmy-award winning Gunmen of the Apocalypse. By the high point, Red Dwarf blended concepts and comedy with apparent ease,
"Backwards" was a masterpiece in conception. Watching Lister "un-eat a meal" or a fight scene where the loser becomes less and less injured was incredible at the time, and is still impressive to see. "Quarantine" is my personal favorite episode as Rimmer is infected with a holo-virus and becomes further and further deranged with a penguin hand puppet terrorizing the crew (called Mr Flibble"). "Back To Reality" is truly a dark and disturbing episode, as alongside the jokes comes some true moments of horror as the crew unravel when faced by who or what they possibly are "in reality." It's an existential crisis masquerading as a sitcom.
It became so much of a success, that the US attempted twice to adapt it for American audiences. I do not intend to elaborate further on this. However, pirated videotapes became popular in the US and Canada, and the Red Dwarf fanbase was full of early adopters of the internet, creating an international reach. It's hard to think on it now, but it became a cultural force in itself.
Season Six end on a masterful moment of actual peril and drama. The crew are killed off one by one by their future selves, as Rimmer franticly searches for a way out, a way to undo the terror that has unfolded around him. Alone and desperate, the season ends with silence, no jokes and no way out. Its chilling in it's simplicity.
From that point onwards, Red Dwarf becomes a show looking to evolve. Kochanski returns (played a by a new actress), with each season doing something different. Whilst the heights are never as high again, there is a lot to enjoy in the Season Eight's Canaries plot, and the Dave Era of the show has some truly outstanding moments (Lister being his own dad and having a recorded conversation with himself when blind drunk is gloriously season four levels of silly) But personally, from Back To Earth onwards, Red dwarf feels somewhat lacking. The humanity is gone, the feel is off. It's worth a watch, but it's not must-see. Then again, what show lasts forty years and doesn't loose something along the way.
Conventions, merchandise and even the Red Dwarf Smegazine grew up around the series, with the latter running from 1992 to 1994 showing behind the scenes insight and exclusive short fiction. As someone in secondary school at this time, I can report that "Smeg" was absolutely part of everyday conversation.
On a more personal note, and honestly.. I've considered and reconsidered this paragraph multiple times, Red Dwarf was incredibly important to me growing up. My family moved back to the UK in 1991, after being in the UAE all my life. The culture shock was very real and a lot of that time I felt very lost and uncertain about how to "fit in". Granted, as you get older, you find people and environments better suited to you, but as a kid in secondary school who struggled to find common ground with most other kids, Red Dwarf was a conversation starter. Popular, rude and anarchic and with enough quotable lines to see you to the next week's episode. That's an argument to be made about how the world was smaller both personally and socially all round, but that scrappy little show went ten rounds and came out on top in a way that can't happen today.
As Always, I remain,
Adam