When I was 12, I began my second year at senior school in England. This was the “big” school and I had spent much of the first year in relative obscurity. With a few friends, but no one especially close, it wasn’t proving to be a stellar experience. Then a stellar sci-fi show injected new hope into my school social standing. While getting ready for gym one day, I heard a familiar song being sung by a fellow classmate. “It’s cold outside, there’s no kind of atmosphere…” and as I finished the theme song’s refrain, I became fast friends with someone who would give me a confidence I had never known, and introduce me to many more people. I credit the BBC sci-fi comedy Red Dwarf with some of my most memorable friendships, and for my remaining years far outstripping my first in terms of camaraderie and fun.
Red Dwarf is an irreverent comedy set aboard a deep space mining ship. It follows the adventures of Dave Lister, the last man alive after an explosion on the ship kills everyone else. When he is awakened from deep freeze, three million years later, he finds that his only companions are a hologram of his bunk mate, Arnold Rimmer; the ship’s computer, Holly; an Android, Kryten; and a creature that evolved from his cat, named Cat. The show began with a low budget but a huge amount of humor and bizarre goings on. The later seasons did not agree with me so much, and I’m not usually one for re-hashing old ideas, but the thought of this show being re-booted, now that gets my original geek going.
What makes this even more exciting is that everyone is on board. Two seasons are anticipated and the original cast–Craig Charles, Chris Barrie, Robert Llewellyn, and Danny John-Jules–have all signed up. The new series are also being written by the show’s creator, Doug Naylor. This has all the makings of a smegging fantastic comeback! If you are looking for some obscure British comedy to watch, you can catch Red Dwarf on Hulu.
