Red Dwarf 'returning to TV with 3 brand new episodes'
The three half-hour episodes will reportedly air in 2025.
It has been reported that long-running sci-fi comedy Red Dwarf will be returning for a new set of three specials in 2025, the first time the show has been seen on-screen since 2020.
British Comedy Guide has reported that one feature-length instalment will be split into three episodes, with filming set to begin in September, and stars Craig Charles, Chris Barrie, Danny John-Jules and Robert Llewellyn all returning.
Robert Llewellyn reportedy confirmed the news on his Fully Charged YouTube channel, saying: "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. I can't believe I've agreed to do it, I'm insane. I'm much too old."
He previously told the channel: "We've all agreed to do more. We're not going to do a new series, but we're making something and it should be fun."
UKTV and Red Dwarf co-creator Doug Naylor both declined to comment when approached by RadioTimes.com.
This news follows a dispute between Red Dwarf creators Naylor and Rob Grant, who dissolved their partnership in the 1990s. Naylor continued to write the TV series but, in 2021, launched a High Court action against Grant over the rights to the show.
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The dispute was resolved in 2023 and it was confirmed that both of the writers would continue separately working on Red Dwarf in different media.
In November, Grant confirmed to RadioTimes.com that he is working on a separate prequel to Red Dwarf, set just before the events of the first episode.
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He said: "It’s planned as a novel and a TV show. What Andy [Andrew Marshall] and I do - we work on them both in tandem, the script informs the novel and vice versa, and you get a much richer project, because you're cross-[pollinating] it like that.
"Of course, the sideways bit means we can recast, so there will be a new cast in the TV show. But of course, we don't have to recast in the novel, so people can get their fix like that. You can imagine whatever you want, can't you?
"But we would hope for - and I’ve spoken to them, and they seem keen - the original cast to make various guest appearances like they're doing in the Star Trek franchises."
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Authors
James Hibbs is a Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering programmes across both streaming platforms and linear channels. He previously worked in PR, first for a B2B agency and subsequently for international TV production company Fremantle. He possesses a BA in English and Theatre Studies and an NCTJ Level 5 Diploma in Journalism.
