UKTV channel Dave has released an oddly dramatic little teaser trailer for their upcoming 90-Minute ‘Red Dwarf‘ special which sees the legendary sci-fi comedy returns to our screens in April 2020.
Three million years ago… David Lister, a vending machine repairman, was sentenced to 18 months in suspended animation for smuggling his pregnant cat aboard the mining ship Red Dwarf. While Lister remained in stasis, a radiation leak killed the rest of the crew. Safely sealed in the hold, the cats evolved into humanoid form. The cats now roam deep space in a fleet of their own…
The special will see the posse meet three cat clerics (Tom Bennett, Mandeep Dhillon, Lucy Pearman) who worship Lister as their God. Lister vows to help them as they’re being hunted by Rodon, the ruthless feral cat leader (Ray Fearon) who has vowed to wipe out all cats who worship anyone but him.
The trailer takes an interesting approach to promote the special, adopting a far more serious tone than we’ve seen before. No jokes, an ominous piano score, and mainly voiceover with short clips of what is to come. It opens with Rimmer complaining “You don’t need me… I’m not sure you ever did”, which I suspect is directed at Lister. This is followed by Lister saying the gang need to stick together, then Kryten in panic mode saying “we need to find a new ship!” Could something have happened to the crimson short one… or Starbug? Back to Lister exclaiming “We’re not surrendering”, followed by Rimmer shouting “Brace for impact!”, and Cat yelling “Incoming fire!” Clearly their meeting with the Cat race has not gone well!
Whilst I very much doubt this trailer is an indication of some sort of serious new direction for ‘Red Dwarf’ and more a marketing ploy, it is interesting to see them toy with our perceptions of the series. Regarding the visuals that accompany those ominous voiceovers, we get our first look at (what we presume is) one of the “Cat Arks” which were launched a decade or so before Lister came out of stasis. There is also a shot of some new ships with neon strips down the side, including one shooting at something on the ground… Which looks like it could be part of Starbug… The trailer ends with a battered-looking version of the Red Dwarf logo.
The feature-length episode reunites the original cast of Chris Barrie (Rimmer), Craig Charles (Lister), Danny John-Jules (Cat) Robert Llewellyn (Kryten) and also sees the return of Holly (Norman Lovett) the much-loved ship’s computer. Written and directed by Doug Naylor, this special was recorded in front of a live studio audience over two nights at the world-famous Pinewood Studios.
The ‘Red Dwarf‘ feature-length special will premiere in April 2020 on Dave.
