Photo Gallery: Creating Kryten for Red Dwarf X

Did you know the Kryten make-up used to take five hours to apply, back when Robert Llewellyn first donned the mechanoid mask for Series III? They've got it down to just under an hour now...

How Red Dwarf blends sitcom with sci-fi

How Red Dwarf blends sitcom with sci-fi in just 10 smegging episodes.

Robert Llewellyn interview

Best-known for playing robot Kryten in the cult science fiction comedy show Red Dwarf, Robert Llewellyn talked to Neela Debnath at the Entertainment Media Show about reuniting with his co-stars for series X, the show's enduring popularity and his new book News from Gardenia. Craig Charles also made a guest appearance.

This is the second time that digital channel Dave has brought back the crew of a certain Jupiter Mining Corporation space ship that's three million light years away from Earth.

The first return of Red Dwarf (the three-part Back to Earth broadcast in 2009) had its moments, yet was considered a slight anticlimax. But now Red Dwarf's returned with Series X, it's gone back to basics. Shot in a studio and in front of a studio audience (that's not canned laughter, despite what some people will tell you), has the gambit paid off? Well, I'm proud to say that it smegging has!

The characters really are just as great as they were before. In this first episode, the despicable hologram Arnold Judas Rimmer (Chris Barrie) becomes so resentful that he crashes - due to self-created malware. He becomes even more frustrated when he encounters the crew of another spaceship, which is supposedly lead by his brother Howard. Meanwhile, the slobbish last-human-alive Dave Lister (Craig Charles) is trying desperately to order some rubbish product over the phone.

The 'situations' were expertly delivered and gags landed too. Even the more subtle visual humour - Cat (Danny John-Jules) walking behind a shot holding a huge map of the ship they are on, for example - doesn't fail to tickle your funny bone.

I do miss some things, though. I miss both Kochanski and Holly, and I miss the fact that there used to be no ad-breaks in the middle of the show. But other than a few picky issues, it's great to see Red Dwarf back.

Second outing this series for the Jupiter Mining Corp's least adept crew. With Lister busy trying to become a better father (to his near-future self), the remaining Dwarfers install a new computer, the beautiful if ruthlessly precognitive Pree (Rebecca Blackstone). A clear improvement on the haphazard pantomime that opened the series, and several genuine belly laughs are on offer here, though you can't help but feel the need to dial down the staginess and laboured gags if the show is to get anywhere near the quality of imperial phase Dwarf.

I hold my hands up, I was never the world's greatest fan of Red Dwarf. The space rust-bucket adventures of Kryten and co had their funny moments but it always struck me as a bit too stuck up its own cult. So it was strange to feel a tweak of nostalgic affection on their return.

Wisely skipping over their rubbish Rimmer-less reunion, this is the Red Dwarf of old, just a touch paunchier, like watching an old pop band who know their fans just want the hits and are happy to oblige.

I've just scrolled through the thousands of Tweets that came in over night, and the hundreds of comments on Google+. I'm very grateful and happy and will pass on the sentiment to the rest of the cast. If you liked the 1st one, you're going to love the rest.

Review: Red Dwarf X - 'Trojan'

Overall, it's nice to have Red Dwarf back on our screens, from the perspective of someone who found it a formative comedy of the '90s, but I have a feeling Series X isn't going to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with anything pre-Series VI.

Red Dwarf X: the Twitter reaction

Smegging fantastic was the verdict across most of the Twittersphere with regard to last night's opening episode.

Red Dwarf - is it still funny?

A brilliant return to form, or a series too far? David Brown and Tom Cole go head-to-head over the merits of the latest run of the sci-fi sitcom.