Red Dwarf: top 5 best episodes as Kryten, Craig Charles, Rimmer, and cast return for new episodes - news

Long-running sci-fi comedy Red Dwarf is set to make a return with three new specials in 2025, marking its first appearance on-screen since 2020.

According to British Comedy Guide, one feature-length instalment will be divided into three episodes, with filming scheduled to commence in September.

The original cast, including Craig Charles, Chris Barrie, Danny John-Jules, and Robert Llewellyn, will all be reprising their roles.

Llewellyn appeared to confirm the news on his Fully Charged YouTube channel, saying, "We knew we were going to do more Red Dwarf, and we're actually now doing it in the middle of October to the middle of November this year.

“A 90-minute special, three half-hours. So yes, we are making more. I can't believe I've agreed to do it, I'm insane. I'm much too old."

To celebrate the cult comedy’s return, we’ve listed five of our favourite episodes from Red Dwarf’s heyday, and picked out some of the best moments from them.

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Backwards (Series 3, Episode 1)

In this classic episode, Rimmer and Kryten encounter a time hole that transports them back to Earth in 1993. They quickly realise that everything, including the flow of time, is reversed.

With no other options, they must find work while they wait for Lister and Cat to locate them.

Best moment: Cat, the vain and self-absorbed humanoid feline, inadvertently becomes a hero by reversing the flow of time during a bar fight.

The Polymorph (Series 3, Episode 3)

After encountering a polymorph, a genetically engineered shape-shifting mutant that feeds on negative emotions such as vanity, guilt, anger, and fear, the crew undergo radical personality changes.

The Polymorph proceeds to wreak havoc on the ship, leading to hilarious moments as it takes on various forms to exploit the crew's deepest fears and insecurities.

Best moment: The Polymorph transforms into a giant, inflatable doll-like creature and terrorises the crew.

Dimension Jump (Series 4, Episode 5)

The crew encounters a parallel dimension iteration of Rimmer known as Arnold "Ace" Rimmer.

In this alternate reality, Ace is a charismatic and adventurous test pilot for the space corps, tasked with piloting a ship capable of traversing dimensions to encounter various versions of himself.

He ventures into our dimension to meet our Rimmer, cowardly and unremarkable in nature, who happens to be on a fishing holiday with the rest of the crew.

Best moment: Ace effortlessly charms the entire crew with his bravery and charisma. From Lister's awe to Cat's admiration, everyone is captivated by Ace's larger-than-life personality.

The Inquisitor (Series 5, Episode 2)

The Inquisitor, a time-travelling android, serves as judge, jury, and executioner for individuals deemed to have led worthless lives, erasing them from history.

The Red Dwarf crew finds themselves next in line to justify their existence before this formidable judge - the outlook appears bleak for our crew of underachievers, failures and misfits.

The concept of facing judgement for one's actions leads to some poignant moments, but it also provides ample opportunity for humour.

Best moment: The Inquisitor challenges the crew to justify their existence, leading to a series of absurd and hilarious arguments as they attempt to prove their worth, a perfect example of the show's ability to blend humour with philosophical questions.

Quarantine (Series 5, Episode 4)

Following their exploration of an abandoned biological research complex on an icy planet, Lister, Cat and Kryten return to Red Dwarf to discover that Rimmer has seized control of the ship.

Despite Rimmer's orders for them to undergo a three-month quarantine, he begins to succumb to an electronic holo-virus. This virus corrupts his holographic form, granting him telekinesis, hex vision and various other powers, ultimately driving him to madness.

Best moment: Kryten, the neurotic and fastidious mechanoid, attempts to disinfect the ship by spraying everything with a highly corrosive substance.

It’s a perfect example of the show's darker side and twisted sense of humour, as the crew's attempts to protect themselves only serve to make things worse.