Should 'Red Dwarf' return again?

'Never go back.' Those stern words have haunted many misguided souls who have returned to past hunting grounds in a bid to recapture the glory days - only to whimper back into the night with quivering tail between the legs. Last week, the first new Red Dwarf adventures of the millennium hit television screens across the country and an impressive two million tuned into Dave for the opening episode. Yet sadly, the general response has been lacklustre and more despairing than any squid that wrapped its testicles tentacles around Dave Lister. Would continuing Red Dwarf damage the legacy further?

Spoof interviewer Dennis Pennis once famously asked Steve Martin: "When did you stop being funny?" The same question could easily be levelled at Red Dwarf. Around the seventh season the show seemingly began to prioritise special effects and sci-fi heavy plots over humour. Gags were as recycled as the urine drunk by Dave Lister and old faces were dragged back in a desperate attempt to find some crowdpleasing material. With the honourable exception of the always legendary Ace Rimmer, the kippers had been smoked far too much.

Yet millions of viewers kept coming back for more breakfast despite the clear reduction in the laughter stakes throughout the seventh and eight seasons. Using a Holly Hop Drive to fast forward a decade, 'Back To Earth' demonstrates that very little has changed. Although the three new episodes improved vastly with each instalment, the near absence of hilarious moments was palpable. Craig Charles, Chris Barrie, Danny John Jules and Robert Llewellyn all slipped back into their roles but were poorly served by Doug Naylor's script. The lack of a laughter track didn't help, although it would have been a nightmare to find enough places to actually play it.

Filmed in HD, the episodes contained some fine visual flourishes and neatly recreated the Blade Runner aesthetic in the final part. Such superficial qualities shouldn't matter much though, as Red Dwarf has rightly been touted as a sitcom that just happens to be set (mostly) in space. "All that glisters is not gold" as Shakespeare put it. Endearingly crude banter and mirth-inducing scenarios made the first six years of the show a joy to behold, but the dire exchange between Lister and Rimmer in 'Back To Earth's opening minutes epitomised just how uninspired the verbal humour has become. Bearing in mind the length of time that has passed since the show was last on the air we can only expect any future adventures to be worse if that's the best Naylor can come up with.

Strangely enough, the Dave channel foray succeeded far more as an intriguing sci-fi drama than as an actual comedy. Naylor, for all his flaws, structured the 'meeting the maker' plot very cleverly and Craig Charles engendered Lister with genuine pathos. It was not hard to care for the fate of the Boys from the Dwarf and urge Lister to keep bashing away on the typewriter to keep them alive, especially as the cast still have that special camaraderie. Still, the moment compares unfavourably to Lister's previous Red Dwarf typing endeavour when he was accosted by a 'taranshula' (Kryten's severed hand and eyeball) making a nest in his loins. It's hard not to long for the glorious old days, especially as 'Back To Earth' is so self-referential.

It would be a shame not to give the franchise one last shot at a regular return, before Cat is tongue tied by a Zimmer frame or Lister needs a Scutter to iron his shirts (with the help of his nasal fluids). Red Dwarf still has a fantastic and energetic cast at its disposal, a cracking premise and a large and loyal fanbase. Big changes would have to be made though. It's hard for a creator to let go of their baby, not unlike the Blade Runner/'Back To Earth' denouement, but Naylor must bite the bullet and allow a fresh, new writing team to give life and energy to the wonderful characters. Even a small, off-duty Czechoslovakian traffic warden could probably construct wittier banter. Otherwise, it's smegging time to let go of the white dove and mutter 'time to die'...

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