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This is a list of characters from the TV
sitcom A sitcom, a portmanteau of situation comedy, or situational comedy, is a genre of comedy centered on a fixed set of characters who mostly carry over from episode to episode. Sitcoms can be contrasted with sketch comedy, where a troupe may use ne ...
''
Red Dwarf ''Red Dwarf'' is a British science fiction comedy franchise created by Rob Grant and Doug Naylor, which primarily consists of a television sitcom that aired on BBC Two between 1988 and 1999, and on Dave since 2009, gaining a cult following. T ...
''.


Major characters


Overview


Details


Alter egos


Ace Rimmer

Arnold "Ace" Rimmer is an alter-ego of Arnold Rimmer, also played by
Chris Barrie Chris Barrie (born Christopher Jonathan Brown, 28 March 1960) is a British actor, comedian, and impressionist. He worked as a vocal impressionist on the ITV sketch show ''Spitting Image'' (1984–1996) and as Lara Croft's butler Hillary in the ...
. Ace first appears in the episode '' Dimension Jump'' (S4,E5) and is the antithesis of Rimmer. He is modest despite being a popular, knowledgeable, charming, daredevil hero. He comes from a seemingly perfect universe, in which Rimmer and Lister lived happy, successful lives and were good friends. Ace's childhood paralleled Rimmer's up until the age of seven, when one of them was kept down a year at school while the other was not. The one kept down became Ace, who claimed that the shame of being a clear foot taller than his classmates inspired him to buckle down, fight back, and work hard, while Arnold spent the rest of his life making excuses for his many failures. Ace travels from planet to planet wearing a gold, fur-lined flight suit and saving people's lives. He was originally a test pilot for the Space Corps in his own universe, which also features an alter ego of Lister (nicknamed 'Spanners' by Ace) who is a flight engineer married to Kochanski and has twin sons, Jim and Bexley (the exact family to which the regular Lister always aspired). Ace's other friends included the Space Corps chaplain (played by The Cat actor Danny John-Jules), a receptionist named Mellie (played by Holly actress
Hattie Hayridge Hattie Hayridge (born 17 December 1959) is a British comedian and actress, best known for the role of the female version of Holly (Red Dwarf), Holly in ''Red Dwarf'' during the third, fourth and fifth series. She was described as a "cult figure ...
), and Admiral Sir James Tranter, a superior officer whom Ace nicknames 'Bongo' (played by
Kryten Kryten is a fictional character in the British science fiction situation comedy ''Red Dwarf''. The name ''Kryten'' is a reference to the head butler in the J.M. Barrie play ''The Admirable Crichton''. Originally referred to as a Series III mecha ...
actor
Robert Llewellyn Robert Llewellyn (born 10 March 1956) is a British actor, comedian, presenter and writer. He plays the mechanoid Kryten in the sci-fi television sitcom ''Red Dwarf'' and formerly presented the engineering gameshow ''Scrapheap Challenge''. He ...
). Despite being a happily married heterosexual, Bongo has a crush on Ace, who takes it in stride despite not reciprocating his feelings. Unlike Rimmer who desperately wanted to be an officer but turned a vending machine attendant - Ace is a commander, but is always modest about the attention he receives. He spends time with Spanners, the engineering crew, and the enlisted men/ ratings. He even refused to attend a lavish party his fellow officers threw for him, instead planning to go to a smaller one with Spanners and the enlisted. Ace was offered the chance to pilot a brand-new spacecraft, one that can cross dimensions - leading to him meeting the Red Dwarf crew. Rimmer was instantly bitter that Ace was everything he dreamed of becoming himself. Ace had hoped that Rimmer was like him, but later regarded him as a "weasly maggot". In contrast, Ace and Lister became firm friends, prompting a lot of snide remarks from Rimmer about their 'relationship.' Following his visit to Red Dwarf, Ace extended his adventures through the multi-verse and meeting many alternative versions of himself. When he finally became unable to carry on ("Stoke Me a Clipper"-S7,E2), he passed his legacy on to another version of himself, who became a new Ace. In turn, when it was the new Ace's time, he passed the torch on. As each Ace died, their light bees were sent in orbit in small yellow 'coffins' around an unknown planet, and by the time ''Red Dwarfs Rimmer took on the mantle in ''
Stoke Me a Clipper "Stoke Me a Clipper" is the second episode of science fiction sit-com '' Red Dwarf'' Series VII and the 38th in the series run. It was first broadcast on the British television channel BBC2 on 24 January 1997, was written by Paul Alexander and D ...
,'' the billions of Ace Rimmers who came before him had formed a golden ring similar to Saturn's (and resembling the logo of the TV series). Ace's catchphrase is "Smoke me a kipper, I'll be back for breakfast!", and a running gag in the series is that everyone who encounters Ace exclaims "What a guy!" in adoration, once even in German: "Was für ein Kerl!" After encountering a polymorph in Emohawk: Polymorph II (S6,E4), the original hologram Rimmer is robbed of his emotional bitterness, and as result takes on a personality identical to Ace. The now brave and heroic Rimmer saves the lives of the crew when the Emohawk turns into a grenade, but must reluctantly return to his cowardly ways upon defeating the creature.


Duane Dibbley

Duane Dibbley is the
dork Dork is a pejorative term for a person (compare with " dweeb" and "fool"). Dork may also refer to: People * Dork Sahagian, Armenian-American climate scientist Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Dork'' (EP), an album by AFI * ''Dork'' (magaz ...
y alter-ego of the Cat, played by Danny John-Jules with a bowl haircut and a large
overbite Overbite is the extent of vertical ( superior-inferior) overlap of the maxillary central incisors over the mandibular central incisors, measured relative to the incisal ridges. The term overbite does not refer to a specific condition, nor is ...
. He first appears in the Series V episode " Back To Reality (S5,E6)," as part of a hallucinogenic experience, designed to cause despair in the Dwarfers. He then returns in " Emohawk: Polymorph II," caused by a polymorph absorbing the Cat's cool (Rimmer described him as "looking so geeky, he couldn't even get into a science fiction convention", Ace later being unable to even mercy-kill Duane in order to defeat the Emohawk as he was so pathetic it would be like killing Bambi). In the BBC's ''Red Dwarf Night'' he appears in the '' Can't Cook, Won't Cook'' parody (''Can't Smeg Won't Smeg'') after The Cat refuses to take part in the show on the same team as Rimmer. In Series VIII episode "
Back in the Red ''Back in the Red'' is the opening three-part episode of series VIII of science fiction sit-com ''Red Dwarf''. Part 1 was first broadcast on the British television channel BBC2 on 18 February 1999 followed by Part 2 on 25 February and Part 3 on ...
,"(S8,E1-3) the Cat, Lister, Kochanski, and Kryten disguised themselves as "The Dibbley Family" by wearing mop heads on their heads and large false teeth. Duane has the opposite personality to the cat - he is a lot more nervous and shy than the Cat. He is very clumsy lacking the Cat's grace, he also treats others with more respect. Not having the Cat's ego he referred to Rimmer as 'sir' , something the real Cat would not do. Duane appears to possess a great deal of self hatred as he is aware of his differences and often states that he hates Duane Dibbley. The character's brief appearances have proved incredibly popular. John-Jules' explanation for this was "No-one's ever written a black nerd before."


Arlene Rimmer, Deb Lister, The Dog and Hilly

Played by Suzanne Bertish,
Angela Bruce Angela Bruce (born 6 May 1951) is an English actress, noted for her television work. Bruce was born in Leeds, West Riding of Yorkshire to a West Indian father and white mother, but was put up for adoption aged three, and brought up in Craghead, ...
,
Matthew Devitt Matthew may refer to: * Matthew (given name) * Matthew (surname) * ''Matthew'' (ship), the replica of the ship sailed by John Cabot in 1497 * ''Matthew'' (album), a 2000 album by rapper Kool Keith * Matthew (elm cultivar), a cultivar of the Chi ...
and
Hattie Hayridge Hattie Hayridge (born 17 December 1959) is a British comedian and actress, best known for the role of the female version of Holly (Red Dwarf), Holly in ''Red Dwarf'' during the third, fourth and fifth series. She was described as a "cult figure ...
. They are alternative versions of
Arnold Rimmer Arnold Judas Rimmer is a fictional character in the science fiction sitcom ''Red Dwarf'', played by Chris Barrie. Rimmer is characterised as a second-class technician (and de facto leader) of the mining ship Red Dwarf. Portrayed as snobbish, peda ...
,
Dave Lister David "Dave" Lister, commonly referred to simply as Lister, is a fictional character from the British science fiction situation comedy ''Red Dwarf'', portrayed by Craig Charles. Lister is characterised as a third-class technician (the lowest r ...
, The Cat and Holly from a parallel universe in the episode " Parallel Universe" (1988). With the exception of the Dog, the others are female versions of the regular characters. Dog has dog-like traits—for example a hatred of bathing. The Cat takes an instant dislike to him, but the Dog does not pick up on this and continues to mistake Cat for another dog.


Queeg 500

Queeg 500 ( S2,E5) is a "back-up"
computer A computer is a machine that can be programmed to Execution (computing), carry out sequences of arithmetic or logical operations (computation) automatically. Modern digital electronic computers can perform generic sets of operations known as C ...
AI system with an IQ of 500, played by Charles Augins. Queeg claims that Holly's IQ is not 6,000 but 6 and that Holly gets his information from a children's science book, called the ''Junior Colour Encyclopedia of Space''. He demotes Holly to night-watchman and takes over the ship. Queeg soon makes the crew's lives hell. Rimmer is forced to take regular long-distance runs whilst Cat and Lister are made to work for tiny amounts of food. They appeal to Holly who challenges Queeg to a game of chess, with the loser being deleted. Holly loses the game and fades from view. He then returns and announces that he was Queeg all the time. The whole thing was a
practical joke A practical joke, or prank, is a mischievous trick played on someone, generally causing the victim to experience embarrassment, perplexity, confusion, or discomfort.Marsh, Moira. 2015. ''Practically Joking''. Logan: Utah State University Press. ...
to teach the crew to appreciate Holly even though he has gone a bit "computer
senile Dementia is a disorder which manifests as a Syndrome, set of related symptoms, which usually surfaces when the brain is damaged by injury or disease. The symptoms involve progressive impairments in memory, thinking, and behavior, which negativ ...
". "Queeg" is a reference to Lieutenant Commander Philip Francis Queeg, USN, a fictional character in
Herman Wouk Herman Wouk ( ; May 27, 1915 – May 17, 2019) was an American author best known for historical fiction such as ''The Caine Mutiny'' (1951) for which he won the Pulitzer Prize in fiction. His other major works include ''The Winds of War'' and ' ...
's 1951 novel '' The Caine Mutiny'' and 1954 film of the same name. Both Queeg and Queeg 500 are in command of a vessel and prone to eccentric behaviour. Both display an oppressive command style and are prone to unprovoked angry outbursts.


Shipboard robots


The Skutters

The skutters are motorized
service Service may refer to: Activities * Administrative service, a required part of the workload of university faculty * Civil service, the body of employees of a government * Community service, volunteer service for the benefit of a community or a pu ...
and maintenance
robot A robot is a machine—especially one programmable by a computer—capable of carrying out a complex series of actions automatically. A robot can be guided by an external control device, or the control may be embedded within. Robots may be c ...
s that stand at around tall, appearing as motorized boxes with a single limb each, ending in a three-clawed hand with an electronic eye. They perform menial tasks around the ship, such as sweeping the cinema floors after a movie, or painting the corridor walls. The skutters are unable to speak (except with bleeping noises), but can usually make their feelings clear. Their hands are particularly well designed for giving "
flipping the bird In Western culture, "the finger", or the middle finger (as in giving someone the (middle) finger, the bird or flipping someone off) is an obscene hand gesture. The gesture communicates moderate to extreme contempt, and is roughly equivalent i ...
" (a.k.a. "up yours") gestures with one or two digits, most often to Rimmer. Their behavior is rather more human-like than might be expected for such crudely designed robots; they play cowboys-and-Indians, enjoy watching films, are highly emotional and appear to be somewhat unstable and malfunctional, presumably as a result of 3 million years of continuous operation. The tiny, motorized, three-clawed service droids were actual working models, save the episode " The End" (S1,E1), where the skutters were a post-production addition to the chicken soup nozzle scene. They were made up of various parts including old shoe boxes and the engines of
radio controlled car 'Radio-controlled cars'' (or RC cars for short) are miniature model cars, vans, buses, trucks or buggies that can be controlled from a distance using a specialized transmitter or remote. The term "RC" has been used to mean both "remote controll ...
s.
Interference Interference is the act of interfering, invading, or poaching. Interference may also refer to: Communications * Interference (communication), anything which alters, modifies, or disrupts a message * Adjacent-channel interference, caused by extra ...
originating from the radios of a nearby
taxicab A taxi, also known as a taxicab or simply a cab, is a type of vehicle for hire with a driver, used by a single passenger or small group of passengers, often for a non-shared ride. A taxicab conveys passengers between locations of their choice ...
company, which was particularly busy during filming of the episode "
Future Echoes "Future Echoes" is the second episode of the science fiction sitcom '' Red Dwarf'' series one, and was first broadcast on the British television channel BBC2 on 22 February 1988. It was written by co-creators Rob Grant and Doug Naylor, and dire ...
" (S1,E2), caused havoc with the skutter models on set. One reportedly poked Craig Charles in the eye, and another launched an attack on
Chris Barrie Chris Barrie (born Christopher Jonathan Brown, 28 March 1960) is a British actor, comedian, and impressionist. He worked as a vocal impressionist on the ITV sketch show ''Spitting Image'' (1984–1996) and as Lara Croft's butler Hillary in the ...
's groin. Coincidentally, the skutters had been scripted as very inept towards their maintenance work and mischievous towards humans.
Kryten Kryten is a fictional character in the British science fiction situation comedy ''Red Dwarf''. The name ''Kryten'' is a reference to the head butler in the J.M. Barrie play ''The Admirable Crichton''. Originally referred to as a Series III mecha ...
referred to a skutter by the name Bob in the episode " The Last Day" (S3,E6). Series VIII also featured a skutter named Bob along with his "wife" Madge. The skutters are fans of
John Wayne Marion Robert Morrison (May 26, 1907 – June 11, 1979), known professionally as John Wayne and nicknamed The Duke or Duke Wayne, was an American actor who became a popular icon through his starring roles in films made during Hollywood's Gol ...
, having their broom cupboard filled with Western props and pin-ups of Wayne, and are members of the John Wayne Fan Club. Two skutters appeared in the US pilot playing poker until one of them gives Rimmer what looks like "the finger". These skutters were given a revamp in design: a wider, rounded body with a complex neck and a narrow head with concealed eyes that pop up. The skutters are unusually capable of sex, as in the episode Parallel Universe, a "male" Skutter and its "female" equivalent from the parallel universe are seen with "children". In " Back To Earth"(S9,E1-3), the skutters had been given a complete redesign, and were added in post as a CG effect rather than being a remote controlled mechanism, as there wasn't enough money in the budget to even revamp the casing. Due to this, as the actors had no visual cue, Danny John-Jules was required to step in as a replacement for a skutter so that Chris Barrie had something to react to.


Talkie Toaster

Talkie Toaster is a minor character, a monomaniacal talking toaster that tries to steer every conversation to the subject of toast. Owned by Lister, Talkie Toaster is a toaster with
artificial intelligence Artificial intelligence (AI) is intelligence—perceiving, synthesizing, and inferring information—demonstrated by machines, as opposed to intelligence displayed by animals and humans. Example tasks in which this is done include speech re ...
that is completely obsessed with making toast and annoys everyone on board. In Series I (and a deleted scene in Series II), it appears as a standard 1970s-style toaster made from stainless steel but with a circular light on the side which flashes as he speaks, and is voiced by John Lenahan, with a
transatlantic accent The Mid-Atlantic accent, or Transatlantic accent, is a consciously learned accent of English, fashionably used by the late 19th-century and early 20th-century American upper class and entertainment industry, which blended together features rega ...
. In Series IV, it appears as a red toaster made of plastic, with its name "Talkie Toaster" emblazoned on the side, and rather more flashing red and green lights and is voiced by David Ross (who played Kryten in his title episode). The Toaster repeatedly interjects in conversations and whenever possible tries to steer the conversation towards toast. Eventually Lister smashes the Toaster with a hammer. Kryten repairs the toaster in order to use it as a guinea-pig for "intelligence compression" — restoring Holly's former intelligence (the ultimate aim is to cure Holly's computer senility) at the cost of reducing her operational lifespan. The toaster's repaired personality is somewhat different from the original: it now has a different voice and no longer tries to hide its obsession with toast. The Talkie Toaster returns in the Series XII episode "
Mechocracy "Mechocracy" is the fourth episode of ''Red Dwarf XII'' and the 71st in the series run. Originally broadcast on the British television channel Dave on 2 November 2017, it was made available early on 26 October 2017 on UKTV Play. The machines aboa ...
" (2017), where it is again voiced by David Ross and depicted in its Series IV appearance. In the episode, the toaster has spent nearly two decades switched off in the garbage hold. Kryten and Lister make a deal with the toaster to swing the election for president of the machines on ''Red Dwarf'' in Kryten's favour. After Kryten wins, the Cat locks Rimmer in the garbage hold alone with the toaster until Monday. Outside the TV series, Talkie Toaster plays a secondary, yet vital role in the book ''Better Than Life'', where Holly revives him in order to have someone to talk to while the crew are stuck in the virtual reality game. In this version, it is toaster who figures out how to restore Holly's IQ after perusing Holly's manuals, and later is also the one who informs the Dwarfers how to survive a black hole, Holly having given him this information while showing off his intelligence before he had to shut himself down (although he 'required' the crew to eat multiple pieces of toast before he gave them the information, Kryten having to eat Rimmer's share). Talkie Toaster's interviews with various ''Red Dwarf'' characters (complete with offers of toast) can be found on ''Red Dwarf'''s official website.


The Chocolate Dispenser

The Chocolate Dispenser (voiced by
Tony Slattery Tony Declan James Slattery (born 9 November 1959) is an English actor and comedian. He appeared on British television regularly from the mid-1980s, most notably as a regular on the Channel 4 improvisation show ''Whose Line Is It Anyway?'' His ...
) has its only appearance in the Series VIII episode " Only the Good...". Having been stolen from by Rimmer, it sets off an alarm to alert the Captain of chocolate being stolen ("''Alert, alert! A choccie nut bar has been removed without payment!")'' It later goes on to inform Rimmer concerning his becoming its 'nemesis.' His appearance in the last scene involved it telling Rimmer that the formula which he got from the parallel universe, which would stop the virus that was destroying the ship, had in fact become the formula for the virus again; then firing a drink can at Rimmer's head with its final lines, ''"Every dog has its day, and this is the day, and I'm the dog!"'' and Rimmer is knocked unconscious. In the alternative ending, the virus' antidote in the other world became the virus and the virus in that world became the antidote and then, the ship was saved from destruction, they were no longer in the Tank and later, Rimmer finally pays the money he owes the dispenser, but it still fires a can at Rimmer's head, knocking him unconscious anyway as Rimmer says, ''"Every dog has its day..."'', and after he is knocked unconscious, the Chocolate Dispenser finishes with, ''"...and this is the day, and I'm the dog!"'' and he howls as the audience applauds.


The Revolving Toilet

The Revolving Toilet is an artificially intelligent toilet which is located on a revolving plinth behind the washbasin in Lister's bedroom. It speaks in a dull male voice and bears a sign which reads "Now irradiate your hands." The Revolving Toilet appeared in '' Balance of Power'', in which it appeared to Lister when he dismissively responded "Oh crap" to Holly's statement that he thought Rimmer was the best person to bring back as hologram because he would keep Lister sane. When Lister says he didn't want the toilet, the Revolving Toilet apologizes and says that it wasn't paying attention.


Other Red Dwarf crew


Captain Frank Hollister

Captain Frank Hollister is played by
American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...
actor,
Mac McDonald Mac McDonald (born Terence McDonald; June 18, 1949) is an American actor. He is known for playing Captain Hollister on the BBC TV series '' Red Dwarf'' and frequently plays American characters in other British TV shows. He has also had many mov ...
, in the television series. Hollister is the captain of the interplanetary mining vessel, the ''Red Dwarf.'' He is seen in the first episode, in which he sentences Dave Lister to eighteen months in
stasis Stasis (from Greek στάσις "a standing still") may refer to: * A state in stability theory, in which all forces are equal and opposing, therefore they cancel out each other * Stasis (political history), a period of civil war within an ancient ...
for bringing his unquarantined cat on board. When Lister is released, Hollister, along with the rest of the crew, have been dead dust for three million years. In Series VIII, with the crew resurrected by
nanobot Nanoid robotics, or for short, nanorobotics or nanobotics, is an emerging technology field creating machines or robots whose components are at or near the scale of a nanometer (10−9 meters). More specifically, nanorobotics (as opposed to mic ...
s, Hollister becomes a main character. This is also the series where it is revealed that the captain is in fact "Dennis the Donut Boy" and that he had abused confidential files in order to work his way up the ranks and become captain. Captain Hollister briefly returns in the Series XII episode, " Skipper" (2017), where Rimmer uses a quantum skipper to travel to a universe shortly before the crew of ''Red Dwarf'' is killed by a radiation leak. Rimmer finds Hollister attempting to use the escape pod, which jams as the radiation leak reaches him. In the first Red Dwarf novel, the captain is a woman named " Kirk" and in the pilot for the unaired American version of the show the captain is a woman named "Tau".


Olaf Petersen

Olaf Petersen is played by Mark Williams in the television series. He is a
Danish Danish may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the country of Denmark People * A national or citizen of Denmark, also called a "Dane," see Demographics of Denmark * Culture of Denmark * Danish people or Danes, people with a Danish ance ...
catering officer on the ''Red Dwarf'' mining vessel. First appearing in the pilot episode, Petersen is the best friend of
Dave Lister David "Dave" Lister, commonly referred to simply as Lister, is a fictional character from the British science fiction situation comedy ''Red Dwarf'', portrayed by Craig Charles. Lister is characterised as a third-class technician (the lowest r ...
. He, Lister, Selby and Chen spend most of their free time getting drunk. Like the rest of the crew, Petersen is killed in the radiation leak. His remains are found in the Drive Room as a white powder that Lister tasted. He appears in two other episodes in the first two series. Petersen is resurrected along with the rest of the crew in Series VIII, but is not seen, although often referred to.


Selby and Chen

Selby and Chen are played by David Gillespie and Paul Bradley, respectively. Chen works in the ship's kitchens and both spend their time drunk. First appearing in the pilot episode, they spend most of their free time with Lister and Petersen getting drunk. Like the rest of the crew they are killed in the radiation leak. When the crew are resurrected in Series VIII, Selby and Chen are the first crew members the regular characters encountered. They have not been seen again.


George McIntyre

George McIntyre was a minor character aboard ''Red Dwarf.'' In the novel '' Infinity Welcomes Careful Drivers,'' McIntyre was an officer on ''Red Dwarf'' who was severely depressed due to growing debt problems. After a horrifying experience in the hands of gangsters (he returned to ''Red Dwarf'' carrying his nose in a
Titan Titan most often refers to: * Titan (moon), the largest moon of Saturn * Titans, a race of deities in Greek mythology Titan or Titans may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Fictional entities Fictional locations * Titan in fiction, fictiona ...
Hilton Hotel Hilton Hotels & Resorts (formerly known as Hilton Hotels) is a global brand of full-service hotels and resorts and the flagship brand of American multinational hospitality company Hilton. The original company was founded by Conrad Hilton. As ...
napkin), McIntyre committed suicide. He was brought back as a hologram and replaced the ship's first hologram, Frank Saunders (much to Saunders' relief). Captain Hollister notes in his personal log that McIntyre was not especially crucial to the success of the mission, but was brought back anyway because Hollister was curious to hear his resurrection speech. According to the original script of The End, McIntyre was killed by a minor radiation leak from the drive plate that Rimmer failed to repair. In the
television series A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite television, satellite, or cable television, cable, excluding breaking news, television adverti ...
, McIntyre was only seen at his "Welcome Back Reception" thanking everyone for flowers and turning up at his funeral, and his choice of music at the funeral was "
See You Later Alligator "See You Later, Alligator" is a 1950s rock and roll song written and first recorded by American singer-songwriter Bobby Charles. The song was a Top Ten hit for Bill Haley and His Comets in 1956 in the United States, reaching no. 6 on ''Billboard ...
" (in certain broadcasts this song was replaced with football anthem "Here We Go") as his ashes were blasted into space. George was portrayed by Robert McCulley. He was switched off during the radioactive disaster, for
Arnold Rimmer Arnold Judas Rimmer is a fictional character in the science fiction sitcom ''Red Dwarf'', played by Chris Barrie. Rimmer is characterised as a second-class technician (and de facto leader) of the mining ship Red Dwarf. Portrayed as snobbish, peda ...
to replace him afterwards by Holly to keep
Dave Lister David "Dave" Lister, commonly referred to simply as Lister, is a fictional character from the British science fiction situation comedy ''Red Dwarf'', portrayed by Craig Charles. Lister is characterised as a third-class technician (the lowest r ...
sane. The cause of his death isn't mentioned in the TV series.


Frank Todhunter

Frank Todhunter appeared in the first episode only and was played by Robert Bathurst. A well spoken officer, he tries to placate the tension between Rimmer and Lister and attempts to describe how the stasis booth works to the latter. He is also an exam invigilator causing him to be someone that Rimmer severely dislikes. As part of
Kristine Kochanski Kristine Z. Kochanski is a fictional character from the British science fiction situation comedy '' Red Dwarf''. Kochanski was the first console officer in the navigation chamber on board the spaceship ''Red Dwarf''. As well as appearing in the ...
's story to ease Lister's claustrophobia, she claims the Todhunter from her dimension is gay, despite being a married man and notorious womanizer.


Yvonne McGruder

According to
Thanks for the Memory "Thanks for the Memory" (1938) is a popular song composed by Ralph Rainger with lyrics by Leo Robin. It was introduced in the 1938 film ''The Big Broadcast of 1938'' by Bob Hope and Shirley Ross, and recorded by Shep Fields and His Orchestr ...
, Yvonne McGruder was the ship's female boxing champion, and the only woman Rimmer ever had sex with while he was alive. She is mentioned in a number of episodes, but her only on-screen appearance is inside a simulation in
Better Than Life ''Better Than Life'' is a science fiction comedy novel by Grant Naylor, the collective name for Rob Grant and Doug Naylor, co-creators and writers of the '' Red Dwarf'' television series, on which the novel is based. The main plotline was deve ...
, where she is played by
Judy Hawkins Judy is a short form of the name Judith. Judy may refer to: Places * Judy, Kentucky, village in Montgomery County, United States * Judy Woods, woodlands in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England, United Kingdom Animals * Judy (dog) (1936–1950), ...
.


Prison Governor Ackerman

Prison Governor "Nicey" Ackerman is played by Graham McTavish. Seen only in the eighth series, Mr Ackerman is a stereotypically sadistic prison governor, enjoying his power over the inmates in Floor 13 (''Red Dwarfs brig), "The Tank." He has a glass eye, which at one point is stolen from him. Prone to overreaction, he is a victim of pranks from the inmates on more than one occasion. After having sodium pentothal put into his inhaler as a prank, he shows up late at a meeting with the captain and reveals that he was sorry, but he was busy having "jiggy jiggy" with the Science Officer's wife, and needed time to change out of his Batman costume. Following the prank Lister suggested that a Tarzan costume would be better, since it would take less time to change out of. According to various interviews on the Red Dwarf website, Ackerman was originally part of the same prison ship that was transporting the simulant encountered in the episode "Justice," but escaped from the ship after accidentally enabling the simulants to get free.


Warden Knot

Warden Knot is played by Shend. Like governor Ackerman, Knot is a fairly sadistic warden. He dies in the episode '' Cassandra'' when Cassandra predicts that
Arnold Rimmer Arnold Judas Rimmer is a fictional character in the science fiction sitcom ''Red Dwarf'', played by Chris Barrie. Rimmer is characterised as a second-class technician (and de facto leader) of the mining ship Red Dwarf. Portrayed as snobbish, peda ...
will die of a heart attack. To evade death Rimmer pretends that Knot is called "Arnold Rimmer" and Knot, as according to prophecy, has a heart attack after learning he is going to die.


Kill Crazy

Kill Crazy is a minor character played by
Jake Wood Jake Dylan Wood (born 12 July 1972) is an English actor and podcaster, known for his role as Max Branning in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders''. He has also made guest appearances in series including ''Only Fools and Horses'' and ''Red Dwarf''. ...
, appearing only in Series 8. Kill Crazy (real name: Oswald Blenkinsop) is a psychopathic inmate who is obsessed with killing things. He is not very bright, thinking that he could fight a Tyrannosaurus Rex using his fists. His fighting buddy is Baxter (played by comedian Ricky Grover). When the prisoners arrive at the destination of a mission, Kill Crazy screams "LET'S GO KILL SOMETHING!" before charging forward at great pace and knocking himself unconscious on a low doorway.


Katerina Bartikovsky

Katerina Bartikovsky is played by
Sophie Winkleman Sophie Lara Winkleman (born 5 August 1980) is an English actress. She is married to Lord Frederick Windsor, the son of Prince Michael of Kent, a paternal cousin of Queen Elizabeth II. Early life Winkleman was born in Primrose Hill, London. He ...
. In a hallucination induced by the ink of a despair squid, the crew encounters Katerina Bartikovsky. In this hallucination, Katerina was the science officer of the Red Dwarf before the accident. She is of Russian heritage and speaks with a strong accent. Her personality is strict, serious, and judgmental, with a certain amount of scientific genius and arrogance. She suddenly appears as a hard-light hologram in "Back to Earth, Part One" after Rimmer's negligence nearly results in the death of his crewmates. She uses her superior rank to make herself ship's hologram and tries to have Rimmer deactivated and destroyed; it is also evident that she has personal disdain for him. Meanwhile, she attempts to bring Lister home with a device she made with a mining laser and the DNA of a dimension-hopping squid (the hallucination's explanation for the despair squid), which the rest of the crew enters through to get back to Earth, which allows Rimmer to escape deletion. She later encounters Rimmer in a street on Earth, claiming to have gone through a second portal, where they discuss the morals of deleting holograms. Katerina argues that since holograms are simulated dead humans, then killing them is acceptable. Using this logic, Rimmer pushes her into traffic, whisking her away. She is not seen again after this incident.


Miscellaneous characters


The Cat Priest

The Cat Priest was, until The Promised Land, the only member of the species ''
Felis sapiens Cat is a Character (arts), fictional character in the British science fiction situation comedy, sitcom ''Red Dwarf''. He is played by Danny John-Jules. He is a descendant of Dave Lister's pregnant pet house cat Frankenstein, whose descendants evo ...
'' seen on the television show ''
Red Dwarf ''Red Dwarf'' is a British science fiction comedy franchise created by Rob Grant and Doug Naylor, which primarily consists of a television sitcom that aired on BBC Two between 1988 and 1999, and on Dave since 2009, gaining a cult following. T ...
'' apart from The Cat. He was played by
Noel Coleman Noel Coleman (26 November 1919 – 12 October 2007) was a RADA-trained English actor who appeared in many television roles. He appeared in the 1969 ''Doctor Who'' serial ''The War Games'' as General Smythe and he appeared in ''Red Dwarf'' as the ...
. The Cat Priest was blind. He was the Cat's teacher and guardian after his parents died, but Cat was never really interested and preferred to go off investigating. The Cat Priest was once a devout follower of the Cat religion, but over time as the Cat race fled Red Dwarf and those who stayed aboard died he lost his faith ("Waiting for God"-S1,E4). When the Cat Priest was dying, Lister appeared and revealed that he was the Cat god Cloister. The Priest apologized for losing his faith, saying "You tested me, and I failed you." Lister assured him that he had not failed, and he would get into Fuchal. The Cat Priest's last words before he died of a heart attack were "This is the happiest day of my ..." In the remastered version of the episode in which he appeared, the Cat Priest's body was cremated and the ashes jettisoned into space. One of his hands is depicted with a different skin tone compared to the rest of his body, possibly implying that the Cat race possessed numerous variations in their skin colours (similar to how modern cats have different fur colours).


Mr. Flibble

Mr. Flibble is a hologramatical
hand-puppet A hand puppet is a type of puppet that is controlled by the hand or hands that occupies the interior of the puppet.Sinclair, A, ''The Puppetry Handbook'', p.15 A glove puppet is a variation of hand puppets. Rod puppets require one of the puppeteer ...
penguin Penguins (order (biology), order List of Sphenisciformes by population, Sphenisciformes , family (biology), family Spheniscidae ) are a group of Water bird, aquatic flightless birds. They live almost exclusively in the Southern Hemisphere: on ...
. He is fluffy and malevolent, and often "very cross." In the episode ''
Quarantine A quarantine is a restriction on the movement of people, animals and goods which is intended to prevent the spread of disease or pests. It is often used in connection to disease and illness, preventing the movement of those who may have been ...
(S5,E4),''
Arnold Rimmer Arnold Judas Rimmer is a fictional character in the science fiction sitcom ''Red Dwarf'', played by Chris Barrie. Rimmer is characterised as a second-class technician (and de facto leader) of the mining ship Red Dwarf. Portrayed as snobbish, peda ...
wore Mr. Flibble on his hand and together they terrorized the rest of the crew. Rimmer had been infected by a hologramatical
virus A virus is a submicroscopic infectious agent that replicates only inside the living cells of an organism. Viruses infect all life forms, from animals and plants to microorganisms, including bacteria and archaea. Since Dmitri Ivanovsky's 1 ...
, the "''Hex virus''," which gave him mental powers, but also made him completely psychotic. Both Mr. Flibble and Rimmer were armed with the power of Hex vision. When they attack with this power, their eyes glow red, and then a deadly beam of energy is discharged from their eyes. Although he only appears in one episode and had no audible lines, Mr. Flibble became a fan favourite, and is now an interviewer on the ''Red Dwarf'' official website.


Hudzen-10

Hudzen-10 appeared only in the Series III episode " The Last Day" (S3,E6), and was portrayed by Gordon Kennedy. A replacement for Kryten, Hudzen-10 followed Red Dwarf for many years, eventually being driven insane. After the Red Dwarf crew told him to leave the ship, he deemed them all to be members of non-human species (bar Lister, whom he designated 'What the Hell!', concluding that he was 'Barely Human'), and attempted to kill them all. He was only stopped when Kryten told him that 'Silicon Heaven' did not exist, forcing him into an existential dilemma.


Rimmer's Dad

In "
Future Echoes "Future Echoes" is the second episode of the science fiction sitcom '' Red Dwarf'' series one, and was first broadcast on the British television channel BBC2 on 22 February 1988. It was written by co-creators Rob Grant and Doug Naylor, and dire ...
" (1988), Rimmer implies that his father had committed
suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Mental disorders (including depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, personality disorders, anxiety disorders), physical disorders (such as chronic fatigue syndrome), and s ...
when he mentions that he had given advice about how you can cope with anything with a short haircut "just before that rather unfortunate suicide business". However, according to a letter from Rimmer's mum "
Better Than Life ''Better Than Life'' is a science fiction comedy novel by Grant Naylor, the collective name for Rob Grant and Doug Naylor, co-creators and writers of the '' Red Dwarf'' television series, on which the novel is based. The main plotline was deve ...
" (1988), Rimmer's dad had died peacefully in his sleep, and Rimmer appeared to have been unaware of this prior to the fact. In "Better Than Life", Rimmer mentions that his father was unsuccessful in his attempts to join the Space Corps and consequently became obsessed with ensuring his sons would (he stretched them on a traction machine to make them tall enough and withheld dinner unless they could answer questions on astronavigation correctly). He admits to Lister that he loathed the man and his dearest wish is to one day hear his father say that he is proud of Rimmer. He is portrayed in the episode by
John Abineri John Abineri (18 May 1928 – 29 June 2000) was an English actor. Born in London, he attended the Old Vic drama school and described himself as "Well educated from the age of five to eighteen". He spoke a number of languages (including Germ ...
, when, while playing the ''Better Than Life'' game, Rimmer encounters a simulation of his father who still doesn't show any pride in his son, instead calling Rimmer a smeghead, to which the Cat claims is his fantasy in the game. He next appears in "
The Beginning The Beginning may refer to: Film and television * "The Beginning" (''Eureka Seven'') * " The Beginning...", an episode of ''Gotham'' * "The Beginning" (''Red Dwarf'') * "The Beginning" (''Samurai Jack'') * "The Beginning" (''The X-Files'') * ...
" (2012), played by Simon Treves. It is shown that Rimmer's father was also a teacher at Rimmer's school and used him as a guinea pig in an experiment about peer pressure (Rimmer's father instructed the other students to give incorrect answers). Rimmer is shown to have a hololamp containing a message from his father that was to be played when Rimmer achieved his dream of becoming an officer – when stuck for a plan when called upon to mastermind the salvation of ''Red Dwarf'' from Simulants, Rimmer decided to take the Cat's advice and play the message anyway to escape his father's memory. The message shockingly revealed that Rimmer was actually the son of the family's gardener. This does not affect Rimmer badly (as the rest of the crew had worried it would), instead liberating him from his lifelong fear of letting his ancestors down and allowing him to come up with a plan to save the day.


Rimmer's Mum

Rimmer's mother, played by
Kalli Greenwood Kalli may refer to: People * Kalli (name), including a list of people with the surname and given name * Karl-Heinz Feldkamp (b. 1934), German retired football manager, known as Kalli Places * Kalli, Pärnu County, Estonia * Kalli, Saare County, E ...
, is referred to several times in the series, not altogether consistently. In " Polymorph" (S3,E3), Rimmer describes her affectionately as "prim and proper", almost austere but with no time for fools. Yet in " The Last Day" (S3,E6), he indicates that she was overly sexually promiscuous. In " Dimension Jump" she is briefly shown as a mother who is concerned for her son's upbringing and education but is insensitive to his feelings (for example, lecturing him about his situation at school while he is hanging upside down as the result of a mean prank by his brothers, rather than help him down first). In the episode " Polymorph", the Polymorph makes Rimmer angry so it can suck out his anger; to do this it changes into Rimmer's mum and has
sexual intercourse Sexual intercourse (or coitus or copulation) is a sexual activity typically involving the insertion and thrusting of the penis into the vagina for sexual pleasure or reproduction.Sexual intercourse most commonly means penile–vaginal penetrat ...
with Lister, who has lost his sense of fear. Holly repeatedly stresses to Rimmer that this is all a ploy to anger him, so he manages to keep his cool until the Polymorph taunts him, saying "The things this boy can do with Alphabetti Spaghetti..." She is briefly mentioned in the episode " Terrorform" (S5,E3) when Lister, Cat and Kryten hunt for Rimmer in the 'Swamp of Despair' (they find a bloodsucking
leech Leeches are segmented parasitic or predatory worms that comprise the subclass Hirudinea within the phylum Annelida. They are closely related to the oligochaetes, which include the earthworm, and like them have soft, muscular segmented bodie ...
with her face, a physical embodiment of how Rimmer perceives her).


Howard Rimmer

One of Arnold's often mentioned brothers. Howard Rimmer (
Mark Dexter Mark Lee Dexter (born 21 April 1973) is an English actor who trained at RADA. Life and career Dexter was born in Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England. As a teenager, he was an early member of the Central Junior Television Workshop which led t ...
) appeared in the Series 10 episode " Trojan" (S10,E1). Howard is a crew member aboard a ship that makes contact with the Red Dwarf crew. Howard's hologrammatic status suggest that he, like Arnold, died in active service and was resurrected. Originally described by Arnold as a great man, we discover that Howard is very similar in character to Arnold himself—opening the possibility that he also was fathered by the Rimmer family's gardener.


Frank Rimmer

Frank Rimmer (
Chris Barrie Chris Barrie (born Christopher Jonathan Brown, 28 March 1960) is a British actor, comedian, and impressionist. He worked as a vocal impressionist on the ITV sketch show ''Spitting Image'' (1984–1996) and as Lara Croft's butler Hillary in the ...
in a dual role) is another of Arnold's brothers. Frank appeared in the episode "
Timeslides "Timeslides" is the fifth episode of science fiction sit-com ''Red Dwarf'' Series III, and the seventeenth in the series run. It premiered on the British television channel BBC2 on 12 December 1989. Written by Rob Grant and Doug Naylor, and dire ...
" (S3,E5) when Kryten accidentally mutates one of Frank's wedding pictures, allowing Lister to walk into it. Frank is extremely annoyed at Lister for blocking the shot and hits him several times before Lister disappears back into the present. In the episode, Frank appears to be wearing a Space Corps full-dress uniform.


Guest stars

Many co-stars of the first few episodes have gone on to careers away from ''Red Dwarf'', such as Robert Bathurst,
Tony Hawks Antony Gordon Hawksworth, MBE (born February 27, 1960), known professionally as Tony Hawks, is a British comedian and author. Early life Born in Brighton, Sussex, Hawks was educated at Brighton, Hove and Sussex Grammar School and Brighton ...
, Paul Bradley,
Craig Ferguson Craig Ferguson (born 17 May 1962) is a Scottish-born American comedian, actor, writer, and television host. He is best known for hosting the CBS late-night talk show ''The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson'' (2005–2014), for which he won a ...
and Mark Williams. But later series have attracted established stars, some of whom were fans of the show.


References


External links

*
Podcast ending with an interview with Hattie Hayridge (Holly the computer) contains anecdotes about ''Red Dwarf'' and about how she got selected to play the computer
{{DEFAULTSORT:List Of Red Dwarf Characters Red Dwarf characters Lists of British sitcom television characters, Red Dwarf Lists of science fiction television characters, Red Dwarf