A POPULAR Eighties comedy show reboot has been scrapped despite the episodes already being written.
Red Dwarf, created by Rob Grant and Doug Naylor, had originally aired in 1988 on BBC2, and was set to make a comeback three decades after its original screening – as UKTV execs approved plans for a new special.
But show writer Doug, who was “two-thirds” of his way into the script, revealed that the cult classic sci-fi series, which was going to air on Dave, has been scrapped several months after it was commissioned.
The decision came as the broadcaster revealed it is no longer commissioning scripted comedy.
On an ‘ask me anything’ Reddit thread, Doug said in a comment: “Back in January 2023, I went in for a meeting with UKTV who said they wanted to progress a new 90-minute Red Dwarf special. The cast were all on board and I was told to start writing.
“Several months later, things were progressing and I had got two-thirds of the way through the script, I had just signed my writer’s contract, when I got an e-mail from UKTV who said they had difficult news to share – they were no longer going to commission scripted comedy, including the RD special, which I hadn’t yet sent them.”
Red Dwarf follows the adventures of a group of oddball characters who are stranded on a spaceship three million years in the future.
It’s centered around Dave Lister, played by DJ Craig Charles, a low ranked caretaker on board the Red Deaf spaceship, who finds himself being the last human alive after an accident kills the rest of the crew.
The show was supposed to return for a three-part special which had been earmarked to air this year.
Cast members from the original show run, including Craig Charles, were all set to appear in the show’s return.
Last year, Robert Llewellyn, who played mechanoid Kryten, told the British Comedy Guide: “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.”
The actor then joked: “I can’t believe I’ve agreed to do it, I’m insane. I’m much too old.”
Red Dwarf originally ran for eight seasons on the BBC before it was axed in 1999 – but was revived by UKTV’S Dave in 2009.
The sitcom ran for a further four series on the channel, before it was followed up by a 2020 special called The Promised Land.
Since the end of the show’s original run, its stars have gone on to work on to work on other popular projects – including Craig, who went on to bag a part in Corrie as minicab driver Lloyd Mullaney.