Red Dwarf: Discovering the TV Series is an unauthorised but respectfully curated monograph on the hysterically funny classic Grant/Naylor SF series from the 80s and 90s put together by Tom Salinsky. Due out in the UK 30th Aug 2024 from Pen & Sword on their White Owl imprint, it's 192 pages and will be available in hardcover format. Book is due out outside the UK 30th Oct 2024.
Red Dwarf (aka RD), is an absolutely iconic comedy show from the fevered imaginations of Doug Naylor and Rob Grant via the auspices of the BBC. Scratch virtually -any- SF nerd and you'll find memorised dialogue, often recited verbatim usually with accompanying tears of mirth. Even "hard" SF/classic fans are often huge RD fans. Additionally, the show was a vehicle for many (many!) BBC stars including Frances Barber, Mark Williams, and Clare Grogan in addition to the central cast.
This book does a good job of bringing back those memories. The author has assembled insider stories, reminiscences, continuity, influences, and a host of interesting trivia. There is an episode guide with a host of facts and data for each of them (and best gag/worst visual effect, in the author's opinion). For readers who have not seen absolutely all the episodes 500 times, there *are* spoilers, so fair warning.
Four and a half stars. This is the first volume of two volumes (the second grew out of the sheer overwhelming volume of *stuff* / resources, and stories and will be published in future). It's undeniably a niche choice, but would be great for public library acquisition, home use, or gifting (especially to trivia nerds and fans of the series). There was a huge amount of info here which was new (to me).
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
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