How well do you think you know know Red Dwarf? The history of the cult-classic Brit sci-fi series will be explored later this month in a new book from author and podcaster Tom Salinsky. The book, Red Dwarf: Discovering the TV Series, comes to stores on September 30, 2024 from Pen & Sword Books.
Virtually unique among British sitcoms, Red Dwarf began in 1988 and 12 seasons, one miniseries and one feature length special later, it’s very recently been confirmed that the much loved programme will be returning – yet again – with new episodes in 2025, making it one of the longest running sitcoms in the world, of all time; with fans who know each and every episode by heart. But despite the hugely devoted fan base, few will likely be as dedicated as Tom, who – following the success of his first book (Star Trek: Discovering the TV Series) embarked on a mission to watch every episode, come rain, or shine, or impending asteroid collision, and create a complete compendium of the entire thing. Volume 1 covers 1988-1993
At its peak in 1999, the series had over 8,000,000 weekly viewers in the UK. It also won an Emmy and a British Comedy Award, ranked 80th on Empire’s list of 100 best series of all time and 17th in the Radio Times’ list as recently as 2021. And yet, this is a show nobody wanted to make, and which only barely made it to our screens.
Red Dwarf originally developed from a Radio 4 sketch series, drawing inspiration from Star Trek, Alien and the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. Adding a large element of British style comedy and satire, Red Dwarf ultimately moulded into the form of a sci-fi sitcom – contrasting strongly with the drawing rooms and sofas which were the norm when it launched, and now with the fast-cut mockumentary style which is popular today. At first, the BBC rejected the pilot on fears that a sitcom in the sci-fi space wouldn’t be popular. They were proven very wrong as the fans took the show into their hearts. One such fan was Tom, who now, with his new book ‘Red Dwarf: Discovering the TV Series’, has taken a dimension jump into the Red Dwarf universe, ensuring no stone – or planet – is left unturned.
Following in Arnold Rimmer’s neatly catalogued, colour coded, labelled footsteps; Tom has kept a log of his Red Dwarf journey, ensuring every smeggingmoment is savoured. The first tome will cover 36 episodes (six series of six episodes) with a review and episode synopsis for each and every one. But, this isn’t just fan’s account, it’s a detailed and entertaining critical analysis of the show and combines all of the behind-the-scenes mishaps, innovations, near misses and happy accidents written in a clear and accessible style, all with a sense of humour that makes it exceptionally accessible to Red Dwarf fans.
Along with the detailed episode cataloguing, the book also tells the story of exactly how Red Dwarf came to be, who was originally considered for the cast, how it was radically reinvented for the third, sixth, seventh, ninth and tenth seasons and how it survived the break-up of its key creative partnership, the loss of the original spaceship models, BBC strikes and the departure of a major cast member.
Pre-order your copy of Red Dwarf: Discovering the TV Series – Volume 1: 1988-1993 from Amazon UK right here.
