Red Dwarf’s creators, cast, and followers have been trying to get the beloved show back on screens for years – and now, co-creator Rob Grant has revealed a new glimmer of hope for the comedy sci-fi.
Grant and fellow author Andrew Marshall have not too long ago introduced a prequel novel, set for launch in July, which can observe Lister, Rimmer and co. as they take shore depart on Titan earlier than the occasions of the TV collection.
However, Grant has completely revealed to Radio Times that he initially had hopes that his new story can be developed for screens – and he is not ruling it out in future.
Asked whether or not he would have an interest within the prequel making its option to screens, Grant responded: “Yes! We originally wrote it as a treatment for a TV spin-off and took it around, but it’s horribly expensive, and we couldn’t really raise enough interest.”
He added: “We might down the line… we’ve been talking to streamers about it but, when you read it, [you’ll realise] it’s a whole world you’d have to create. It wouldn’t be cheap.”
Craig Charles (Rimmer), Chris Barrie (Lister), Danny John Jules (the Cat), and Robert Llewellyn (Kryten) starred within the authentic collection, which has made a number of comebacks throughout the years.
However, if the spin-off was to make it to screens, Grant is envisioning recasting the characters, admitting of the unique cast: “The guys are getting old.”
He added: “We’d really need to recast. That’s what I thought the Titan spin-off might achieve. We’d get a new Rimmer and Lister – but the existing cast could appear in quite decent roles, if they wanted to.
“I do know – and I’m with them – that the followers adore the cast. I like them too. And simply to lots of people, it simply would not really feel proper, anyone else enjoying something like these components. But what else are you able to do? Except AI?!” Grant went on to joke.
For now, however, Grant is focused on the new novel, explaining: “It’s Lister and Rimmer earlier than the accident on shore depart on Titan.
“It’s set one universe to the side, so we can have familiar characters but we can do different things with them, because the difficulty was writing something that was going to be original and fresh and using the same characters without breaking the canon.
“So it was fairly an intricate bit of labor that really took us a couple of year-and-a-half longer than we have been hoping!”
He added that the story will see Lister and Rimmer “get a message from the far future warning them that every one realities are going to break down except they do one thing about it.”
Red Dwarf: Titan will publish in hardback, ebook and audio on 16 July 2026. Red Dwarf is available to stream on BBC iPlayer.
Check out more of our Sci-fi protection or go to our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to search out out what’s on. For extra TV suggestions and critiques, take heed to The Radio Times Podcast.
