it be hard to believe it be just over twenty year since red dwarf blast onto our screen . i watch the first episode for two reason while firstly and it be the work of rob grant and doug naylor and writer i know from their work on carrott lib and spit image and and secondly and it combine two life long interest of mine comedy and science fiction . the premise be this mining ship red dwarf have suffer a disaster in space and meaning that most of it crew be dead . the only survivor be dave lister ( craig charles ) and a slob who love get drunk and eating curry . also around be a life form descend from a cat he smuggle on board and call cat ( danny john jules ) and who act like james brown and and arnold rimmer ( chris barrie ) and a hologram of an unpopular technician . there also a talk computer call holly and play first by norman lovett and then hattie hayridge . i be disappoint by the opening episode and so like the smeghead that i be do not bother with the show again until it reach it third season . backwards open with a hilarious conversation between lister and cat in which the former express a secret desire for wilma flintstone . it convince me that the show have change for the good ( i later catch up with the one i have miss and and find they be not bad either ) . the same episode bring in a a regular kryten ( david ross and then robert llewelyn ) and a robot who speak in a canadian accent and who by his own admission look like herman munster stunt double . the show could have be call lad in space . the cast be superb and particularly barrie a the conceited rimmer and the script cleverly exploit the fine line between comedy and sci fi and and for my money it be one of the best sitcom of the 90 and alongside i be alan partridge and father ted . among the many first rate episode be demon and angel ( the boy meet evil version of themselves ) and gunman of the apocalypse ( the boy in a space western ) and timeslides ( rimmer try to change the course of his own history ) and d. n. a . ( kryten learn what it be like to be human ) and dimension jump ( rimmer meet a heroic version of himself ace rimmer ) . best of all be back to reality in which the boy think that their dwarf experience have all be part of a virtual reality game . cat cry of dwayne dibbley . be hilarious . with such a strong cast and production crew and the show attain a peak of perfection unseen in british comedy for year previously and some would say and not since . it be also a hit in america and and they attempt their own version and from all account it be not very good . sadly and naylor and grant part company and and the seventh season be write by naylor and other writer such a kim fuller . robert llewelyn himself co write one . the absence of grant and plus a move onto film and and chris barrie only appear in a handful of episode and result in season seven look a bit patchy . the inclusion of a new female character kochanski ( chloe annett ) make thing bad . she be to the boy from the dwarf what zeppo have be to the marx bros. thing perk up a bit in season eight . rimmer come back full time and norman lovett return a holly and and naylor write every episode alone and ensure the comedy be more consistent . bring back the entire crew and include the captain and be a mistake though ( a be the retaining of kochanski ) . the show simply do not need them . and that sadly be where the red dwarf story end . it be now ten year since the transmission of season eight . naylor have try to get a dwarf feature film make but without success . i wish he have instead devote the time to write more television episode . sky television have announce a pair of special for transmission sometime in the year . hopefully they will feature the original cast . the idea of a bunch of nobody a rimmer and cat and lister et al do not exactly thrill me .