Red Dwarf
The last human alive, three million years from Earth.
Red Dwarf is a British science fiction sitcom created by Rob Grant and Doug Naylor, following slobbish technician Dave Lister, who wakes from three million years in suspended animation to find a radiation leak has wiped out the crew of the mining ship Red Dwarf. His only companions are the ship's senile computer Holly, a hologram of his neurotic bunkmate Arnold Rimmer, and the vain Cat, a creature evolved from Lister's pet cat, later joined by the guilt-ridden service mechanoid Kryten. Beginning on BBC Two in 1988, the show ran for eight series before being revived by Dave in 2009, and its blend of character comedy and science fiction parody has earned it one of the most devoted fan followings in British television.
Start a quizAt a glance
- First aired
- 15 February 1988
- Last aired
- 9 April 2020
- Created by
- Rob Grant and Doug Naylor
- Channel
- BBC Two / Dave
- Series
- 12
- Episodes
- 74
- Set in
- Deep space, aboard the mining ship Red Dwarf
- Quizzes
- 3
Red Dwarf quizzes
Three million years from Earth with a hologram, a cat and a mechanoid. How well do you know the Boys from the Dwarf?
Smegheads, mechanoids and a senile computer. A quiz for those who know the Dwarf inside out.
From gazpacho soup to the Despair Squid. Memorable moments from the mining ship and Starbug.
Red Dwarf cast and characters
Dave Lister
Played by Craig Charles
A lazy but good-hearted Liverpudlian technician, the lowest-ranking member of the crew. Put into stasis for smuggling a cat on board, he wakes three million years later as the last known human alive.
Arnold Rimmer
Played by Chris Barrie
Lister's bunkmate and immediate superior, killed in the radiation leak and revived by Holly as a hologram to keep Lister sane. He is fussy, neurotic, cowardly and a stickler for rules.
Cat
Played by Danny John-Jules
A vain humanoid descended from Lister's pregnant cat, Frankenstein, whose descendants evolved in the ship's hold. He cares mostly about sleeping, eating and how he looks.
Kryten
Played by Robert Llewellyn
A sanitation mechanoid rescued from the crashed ship Nova 5, who joins the crew from Series III. Lister teaches him to think for himself and break his programming.
Holly
Played by Norman Lovett
The ship's computer, which has developed 'computer senility'. Norman Lovett played Holly in Series I, II and VIII, and returned for The Promised Land (2020).
Holly (Series III-V)
Played by Hattie Hayridge
Hattie Hayridge took over as Holly, now with a female face, from Series III to Series V. Holly is absent from Series VI, when the crew have lost Red Dwarf and live aboard Starbug.
Kristine Kochanski
Played by Chloë Annett
The navigation officer Lister has always loved. A version of her from a parallel universe joins the crew in Series VII and VIII; Clare Grogan played the original Kochanski in the early series.
Red Dwarf facts and FAQs
- When did Red Dwarf first air?
- Red Dwarf first aired on BBC Two on 15 February 1988 with the episode "The End". It ran on BBC Two until 1999 and was revived by the channel Dave in 2009, with the latest episode, the special "The Promised Land", shown on 9 April 2020.
- How many series (seasons) and episodes of Red Dwarf are there?
- There are 12 series and 74 episodes. That count includes the three-part "Back to Earth" (2009), treated as Series IX, and the feature-length special "The Promised Land" (2020).
- Who created and wrote Red Dwarf?
- Rob Grant and Doug Naylor created Red Dwarf and wrote the first six series together, developing it from their BBC Radio 4 sketch "Dave Hollins: Space Cadet". Grant left in 1995, and Naylor led the writing from Series VII onwards, writing every episode of the Dave revival himself.
- Where was Red Dwarf filmed and where is it set?
- Series I to III were recorded at the BBC's New Broadcasting House in Manchester, after which production moved to Shepperton Studios; Series XI, XII and "The Promised Land" were made at Pinewood Studios. The show is set in deep space, aboard the mining ship Red Dwarf and later its shuttle Starbug, three million years in the future.
- What is Red Dwarf about?
- Red Dwarf follows Dave Lister, who wakes from three million years in suspended animation to find he is the last human alive. His crewmates are a hologram of his bunkmate Rimmer, a creature evolved from his cat, a senile computer and, later, the mechanoid Kryten, and the humour comes from their bickering as much as from the science fiction.
- Is Red Dwarf a sitcom?
- Yes, Red Dwarf is a science fiction sitcom. It uses space adventure as a backdrop, but at heart it is a character comedy about mismatched people trapped together, and for most of its run it was recorded in front of a studio audience.
- Will there be more Red Dwarf?
- Nothing new is confirmed. A feature-length special Doug Naylor was writing was dropped when UKTV, which owns Dave, stopped commissioning scripted comedy, and Naylor has said he hopes another broadcaster will take it on. Co-creator Rob Grant died in February 2026.
Awards and recognition
Won an International Emmy Award in 1994 for the Series VI episode "Gunmen of the Apocalypse"
Named Best BBC Comedy Series at the 1994 British Comedy Awards
Drew its highest audiences, over eight million viewers, during Series VIII in 1999