Red Dwarf (SF): Discovering the TV series - Tom Salinsky ****

As the author makes clear, this is one for the fans - amongst which I count myself. I can still remember in the late 80s, workmates enthusing about the BBC SF sitcom Red Dwarf. As a result, I first encountered it in series 3, where it really found its feet, but later revisited the whole show from the delightfully titled first episode, The End.

There are broadly two types of content in Tom Salinsky's slim book - a history of the making of the series and the episode guide. The history part - an overall section, followed by a piece on the making of each series - would appeal to anyone with an interest in TV, and particularly TV science fiction. By contrast, the episode guide is very much for people like me - it's geeky detail, such as circumstances when Rimmer appears more solid than he should be, anachronistic mentions and lack of in-series consistency. 

Salinsky gives each show a rating - for an enthusiast he's quite harsh on episodes that others might regard as perfectly acceptable, but it's always interesting to see someone else's reviews of a favourite show.

My biggest criticism is that this is a distinctly thin book - about 150 pages before getting to the end material. It only covers series 1-6, with the rest coming in a  second volume. Personally, I'd rather have got the whole lot in one go.

Not for everyone by any means, then, but if the mention of Red Dwarf brings a smile to your face, then it's for you. I certainly learned plenty in the history bits. I hadn't realised, for example, that none of the three original main characters had been actors prior to the show, being as they were a performance poet, an impressionist and a dancer from West End musicals. Indulgence, yes - but enjoyable indulgence.

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Review by Brian Clegg - See all Brian's online articles or subscribe to a weekly email free here