In 1988, a low-level (the lowest in fact) crew member aboard a massive industrial space cruiser refused to give up his cat. So he submitted to a punishment of suspended animation. Little did he know he’d eventually wake up three million years later, everyone else aboard the ship long dead. Only the ship’s computer; a humanoid descendant of that cat; and a hologram of one of the former crew (our man’s fastidious roommate) remained. And thus, British comedy/sci-fi royalty was born. Red Dwarf has remained a perennial favorite on both sides of the Atlantic and will return with a new TV movie, Red Dwarf: The Promised Land, on BritBox July 26.
In celebration of this new film, BritBox is gathering several members of the cast and crew for a virtual panel. This will be part of Comic-Con @ Home. Stars Chris Barrie (Rimmer), Craig Charles (Lister), and Robert Llewelyn (Kryten) will join creator/director Doug Naylor. Together they’ll discuss The Promised Land as well as their 32-year history of deep-space shenanigans. Moderating the panel will be Nerdist‘s own Kyle Anderson. Wait—that’s me!
The first 12 series of Red Dwarf are available now on BritBox with the 2020 film, The Promised Land, joining on July 26. That adventure is predicated on Lister’s actions in the pilot; by saving his pregnant cat, he inadvertently helped create a brand new species of cat people. One of those, the Cat (Danny John-Jules), has remained a permanent fixture on the ship since Lister awakened. In the new movie, other members of the feline-sapien species who worship Lister as a god. He vows to help them escape the clutches of a self-proclaimed Cat King.
BritBox/DAVE
Meanwhile Rimmer, who’s been a hologram for years, feels like he’s a bit of an unneeded appendage on the Red Dwarf, but surely someone likes him!
The panel will air during Comic-Con @ Home weekend of July 22-26, just in time for Red Dwarf: The Promised Land‘s arrival on BritBox. BritBox is, of course, the home for classic and contemporary British programming on streaming, including all 26 seasons of classic Doctor Who, all of Agatha Christie’s Poirot, and a million other great things.
Featured Image: BritBox/DAVE
Kyle Anderson is the Senior Editor for Nerdist. You can find his film and TV reviews here. Follow him on Twitter!
