Red Dwarf creator reveals “amazing” tech and plot details behind scrapped new special

Doug Naylor, one of the creators of Red Dwarf, has shared details about a special episode that was recently cancelled. He described the exciting technology and storyline he’d planned for it.

In September, it was announced that UKTV had cancelled plans for a longer, special episode of the show, as they were no longer creating scripted comedies – which meant no new episodes of Red Dwarf would be made.

In an interview with Stuart Goldsmith on The Comedian’s Comedian Podcast, Naylor mentioned he was exploring other options.

He stated he’s committed to completing the screenplay and hopes to produce it as a TV movie. If that doesn’t work out, he plans to adapt it into a novel.

Last month, details emerged about a new storyline where Lister, played by Craig Charles, travels back in time to rescue his younger self from being frozen. Meanwhile, Chris Barrie’s character, Rimmer, will team up with his past self to hunt them down, working for JMC.

He explained he’d envisioned using technology to make a younger version of his character. He wanted a completely computer-generated young Lister who looked exactly like Craig Charles, and an effects artist actually created a convincing version. The result was incredibly realistic – people were amazed and couldn’t tell it wasn’t real.

Naylor explained the technology would feel like something directly from the show’s very first episode, and it would have allowed the various versions of the Lister character to interact and build a strong connection.

Although fans were sad to see the planned special episode of Red Dwarf cancelled, they’ll be happy to know that the original music from the beloved sci-fi comedy is being released as BBC audiobooks.

Starting November 20th, you’ll be able to get the audiobooks for Red Dwarf: Series I through IV, and Series V through VIII, which feature the original BBC TV soundtracks.

Red Dwarf is available to watch on BBC iPlayer.

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2025-11-14 18:08