Red Dwarf creator reveals "amazing" tech and plot details behind scrapped new special
"I wanted to have a fully CG [computer-generated] young Lister who looked identical to Craig Charles."
Red Dwarf co-creator Doug Naylor has opened up the recently scrapped special episode of the beloved sci-fi comedy, revealing the “amazing” tech and plot details he had hoped to include.
It was revealed in September that UKTV had backtracked on plans for a feature-length episode of the series, as the network was moving away from commissioning scripted comedy – including any new episodes of Red Dwarf.
Speaking to Stuart Goldsmith on The Comedian’s Comedian Podcast, Naylor confirmed he was looking at other avenues.
"I'll definitely finish the screenplay and I'll definitely try and get it made as a TV movie and, if not, I'll turn it into a novel," he said.
It was also revealed last month that the script would see Craig Charles's character Lister going back in time to help his 23-year-old self escape from stasis, while Chris Barrie's Rimmer joins forces with his younger self to track them down on behalf of JMC.
Talking about how he’d wanted to use de-aging technology in the special, he added: "The way I wanted to make it, was I wanted to have a fully CG [computer-generated] young Lister who looked identical to Craig Charles and I had an FX guy working on it, and he created one, and it was like 'Oh my god, is that CG? ... Jesus, that's amazing!'."
Naylor added that the tech would make people think "that's straight out of the first ever episode", and that it would have enabled the different versions of Lister to have a great relationship.
Red Dwarf fans might have been left disappointed by the axing of the special episode, but they'll be pleased to hear that the original TV soundtrack collections for the classic sci-fi comedy are set to be released as BBC audiobooks.
The audiobooks, Red Dwarf: Series I to IV and V to VIII: The BBC TV Soundtracks, will be available from 20th November.
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Authors
Molly Moss is a Trends Writer for Radio Times, covering the latest trends across TV, film and more. She has an MA in Newspaper Journalism and has previously written for publications including The Guardian, The Times and The Sun Online.
