The Red Dwarf special that was recently cancelled by UKTV would have featured something extraordinary – a time-traveling adventure with two versions of Dave Lister, brought to life through Hollywood-level de-aging technology.
Speaking on The Comedian’s Comedian Podcast with Stuart Goldsmith, series co-creator Doug Naylor discussed the special that UKTV commissioned a couple of years ago, before abruptly cancelling it – a decision that shocked fans given the show remained one of the network’s most successful programmes.
Red Dwarf is a beloved British sci-fi sitcom that’s been running on and off since 1988. The show follows Dave Lister (played by Craig Charles), the last human alive, stranded three million years into deep space aboard a mining ship.
He’s accompanied by a hologram of his dead bunkmate Arnold Rimmer (Chris Barrie), a creature evolved from his cat (Danny John-Jules), and neurotic android Kryten (Robert Llewellyn).
Originally running for eight series on BBC Two until 1999, the show was revived by UKTV’s Dave in 2009 and has produced three more series plus several specials, most recently The Promised Land in 2020.
Now, in the new podcast interview, Naylor has revealed exactly what fans missed out on when UKTV pulled the plug.
A Time-Travel Story About Redemption
The cancelled special would have explored themes of regret and redemption through a time travel premise.
“Lister goes back in time to rescue his younger self from stasis to free him in order to give him the life he was never able to have,” Naylor explained. “And the two Listers go on the run together as a sort of father and disgruntled son relationship.”
The premise would have created a poignant exploration of regret and second chances, with present-day Lister essentially becoming the father figure he never had to his younger self.
De-Aging Technology Was Already in Development
Even more ambitious, Naylor had enlisted someone to create a fully computer-generated young Lister using de-aging technology.
“He created one and it was like, oh my god, is that CG? It looks – Jesus, that’s amazing,” Naylor recalled on the podcast.
The effect would have been similar to the jaw-dropping appearance of a young Luke Skywalker in The Mandalorian, allowing viewers to see Craig Charles as he looked in the show’s earliest episodes from the late 1980s.
The technology was reportedly achievable within UKTV’s budget, with plans for the younger Lister to potentially undergo “some form of plastic surgery or disguise” later in the story to manage production costs whilst maintaining the narrative.
The Cancellation That Shocked Fans
Back in September, it was widely reported that UKTV (which is owned by the BBC) cancelled the commissioned special despite Naylor being two-thirds through the screenplay.
According to Naylor, the network cited they were “no longer commissioning scripted comedy”.
“UK TV said they were going to commission another 90-minute movie,” Naylor explained in the podcast.
“Two-thirds of the way through, they changed their minds without reading a word of it and said we’re no longer commissioning comedy because they’re not successful, largely apart from Red Dwarf which is very successful.”
The catch-22 logic is particularly frustrating – the show was axed as part of a broader comedy cull, despite being the exception that proved comedy could work on the platform.
Budget Battles and Coronation Street Sets
This isn’t the first time Red Dwarf has struggled with UKTV’s tight purse strings. Naylor revealed on the podcast that when the show was recommissioned years ago for what became Series X, “their budget was minute and I had to write a show that was basically anything that was free needed to be in it.”
This led to some creative compromises, including filming on the Coronation Street set – a fact that recently amused Naylor when he saw comments about the new Alien series supposedly “ripping off” Red Dwarf’s design.
The budget constraints were a far cry from the show’s earlier days on the BBC, where Red Dwarf became BBC Two’s highest-rated programme ever and sold more VHS tapes and DVDs than any comedy except Only Fools and Horses.
What Happens Next?
Naylor remains determined to complete the screenplay. “I’m definitely going to finish it. And I’ll desperately try and get it made as a TV movie. And if not, I’ll turn it into a novel,” he told the podcast.
The question is where such a special might land in today’s fragmented UK streaming landscape.
Red Dwarf has already ping-ponged between platforms – it returned to BBC iPlayer in 2023 (where it’s still available) after a 16-year absence, appeared on UKTV’s U service, and will soon be available on Channel 4 streaming as part of a new deal with UKTV.
Given the show’s enduring popularity and devoted fanbase, you’d think one of the major streamers might be interested, and Naylor has previously said he might shop it around with streamers like Netflix and Apple.
The most recent feature-length special, The Promised Land, aired in 2020 to strong ratings on Dave (now U&Dave) and has found a new generation of fans through streaming.
The Show That British TV Forgot
Perhaps most surprising is Naylor’s revelation about Red Dwarf‘s curious status in British television history.
Despite selling nearly two million novels, achieving record-breaking ratings, and winning an Emmy, the show has never been nominated for a BAFTA.
“We have always been the rebels,” Naylor said on the podcast. “We were commissioned by BBC Manchester, not BBC London. BBC London never had any photographs of the cast up for the light entertainment parties. It was almost like we didn’t exist although we were top of the charts.”
Rather than feeling bitter about the snub, Naylor sees it as motivation. “I think it’s why we’re still going now,” he explained. “It was just like, we’re going to keep going and going, and every time we keep going it’s just, you know, we’re still here guys.”
That underdog mentality has helped Red Dwarf survive for over three decades, spanning 12 series and multiple revivals.
As for whether we’ll ever see Naylor’s time-travel special brought to life – whether on screen or in book form – only time will tell.
But given Red Dwarf‘s habit of defying cancellation and bouncing back from setbacks, it would be foolish to bet against these space-faring misfits returning for another adventure.
You can listen to the full interview on The Comedian’s Comedian Podcast, available on all podcast platforms.
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