Alan Rickman as Lister and Alfred Molina as Rimmer? The history of Red Dwarf could have looked very different if these original casting choices had taken up their roles; would the show have been as wildly successful and, given the eventual star profile of these actors (Rickman in the same year as Die Hard)? Would the series have survived for 12 seasons and counting? Tom Salinksy doesn’t speculate in his new book, a compendium of Red Dwarf series I – VI available from White Owl, the first of two volumes celebrating the show and some of the behind-the-scenes tribulations that almost kept it off the air.
Arranged by series, Salinsky is candid about the mix of research and his personal opinions on each episode, providing his own reflections on the success of the story, character work and consistency, all prefaced with a discussion on how each series was made, the developing attitude of the BBC to a show no one was keen on in the beginning, and how the show’s changing (or very limited) budget affected what creators Rob Grant and Doug Naylor could achieve in terms of set pieces and special effects.
And Red Dwarf: Discovering the TV Series Volume 1: 1988-1993 is certainly all-inclusive, showcasing a level of insider knowledge that will be new to some – the Rickman / Molina connection is an early morsel – but Salinksy also writes as a fan, arguably a superfan who adores the series so much he can see its faults. Each episode has subsections devoted to the backstory, a summary of its most famous or recognisable moments and some influences that Salinsky suggests shaped Grant and Naylor’s vision.
One of the book’s more controversial aspects will be the writer’s opinions on worst visual effects and references that haven’t aged well in the script and visuals, along with a per-episode list of inconsistencies such as the many times when Rimmer (Chris Barrie) is able to touch and hold things or Lister’s (Craig Charles) evolving backstory. Whatever fans make of that, Salinksy has certainly been paying close attention to every frame, plot, character arc and series structure, which makes Discovering the TV Series Volume 1 comprehensive and completist.
It is marked as an unofficial book, so there are no direct contributions from cast and crew, only reported interviews, so anyone hoping for some gossipy asides among the facts will be disappointed – the odd cast fallout is mentioned along with a showrunner who didn’t work out, but Salinsky steers away with no further details, perhaps assuming those elements of the show are famous enough. Volume II, which picks up with Series VII and the introduction of Christine Kochanski as a full-time crew member, may be more overt, given the complexity of views then and now about that period of the show.
With Red Dwarf repeats back on the BBC and a never-say-never commitment from writers and cast, Salinksy’s book is a very timely chance to relive the sci-fi sitcom that changed television comedy for good.
Out now, published by Pen & Sword Books
