As Red Dwarf lands on Netflix, will there be new episodes?

Cult sci-fi comedy returns to screens with 52 episodes available to stream, as fans continue to hope for a revival following years of abandoned projects.

Fans of Red Dwarf have reason to celebrate, with all eight series of the classic British sci-fi comedy now available to stream on Netflix UK.

The streaming service announced the arrival of the beloved sitcom on social media on Wednesday, October 28, with a message guaranteed to bring a smile to longtime viewers: “Attention smegheads!”

The move gives fans the chance to revisit the show’s entire original run, which aired on BBC Two between 1988 and 1999, spanning 52 episodes across eight series.

Although the Netflix launch offers a welcome opportunity to revisit one of Britain’s most distinctive comedy shows, there has been no announcement of a new series or special from the streaming giant.

What is Red Dwarf about?

Created by Rob Grant and Doug Naylor, Red Dwarf follows the misadventures of an unlikely group of survivors aboard a mining spaceship drifting through deep space.

The story begins when a radiation accident wipes out the ship’s crew, leaving Dave Lister, played by Craig Charles, as the last surviving human. After spending three million years in suspended animation, Lister wakes to discover that humanity has long since disappeared.

His companions include Arnold Rimmer (Chris Barrie), a hologram of his deceased bunkmate; the Cat (Danny John-Jules), a humanoid lifeform descended from Lister’s pregnant cat; and Kryten (Robert Llewellyn), a neurotic service mechanoid who becomes a central member of the crew.

The group is also guided by the ship’s computer, Holly, played by Norman Lovett in the early series and later by Hattie Hayridge.

Blending science fiction with workplace humour, surreal situations and the crew’s endless arguments, the show developed a devoted following. Its stories ranged from encounters with parallel universes and bizarre alien lifeforms to time travel, artificial intelligence and the difficulties of being trapped with the same people for eternity.

When did Red Dwarf originally air?

The series made its BBC Two debut on February 15, 1988, with the episode The End. The eighth and final series of the original run aired in 1999.

The first six series contained six episodes each, while series seven and eight expanded to eight episodes apiece, bringing the original run to 52 episodes.

The show subsequently returned in 2009, moving to the digital channel Dave for its revival. Further series followed in 2012, 2016 and 2017, alongside the feature-length special The Promised Land in 2020.

That means the Netflix collection represents the original eight-series era rather than the franchise’s entire television history.

Who stars in Red Dwarf?

The sitcom’s core cast helped establish its distinctive mix of science-fiction adventure and character-driven comedy.

• Craig Charles as Dave Lister: The easy-going, curry-loving human who dreams of returning to Earth.
• Chris Barrie as Arnold Rimmer: Lister’s pompous former bunkmate, whose holographic existence does little to improve his personality.
• Danny John-Jules as the Cat: A vain, fashion-conscious humanoid descended from Lister’s pet cat.
• Robert Llewellyn as Kryten: The well-meaning mechanoid whose attempts to be helpful often lead to further complications.
• Norman Lovett and Hattie Hayridge as Holly: The ship’s computer, whose vast processing power is matched by an occasionally questionable grasp of reality.

The ensemble evolved over the show’s run, with recurring characters and guest appearances helping expand the strange universe of the mining vessel.

Could Red Dwarf return with new episodes?

The Netflix arrival may reignite hopes of a comeback, but there is currently no confirmed Netflix revival.

Fans were previously given reason to hope when UKTV explored plans for a reunion special for its U&Gold channel. However, those plans were subsequently put on hold, leaving the show’s future uncertain.

An animated version also appeared to offer a possible route back to the screen. Following the death of co-creator Rob Grant earlier in 2026, his friend and writing collaborator Andrew Marshall revealed that the pair had been working on plans for new animated episodes.

The proposed instalments would have run for around 15 minutes each and followed the further adventures of Lister, Rimmer, Cat and Kryten. Marshall said they had begun working with animators in Wales before the project was set aside while the pair concentrated on writing a Red Dwarf prequel novel.

The animated project never reached the screen, although Marshall has suggested it could potentially be revisited.

Grant’s death marked the loss of one of the creative minds behind the franchise, which he developed alongside Doug Naylor. Their original creation has since expanded beyond television into books, audio productions and comics.

For now, the arrival of all eight original series on Netflix offers fans an opportunity to revisit the adventures that started it all, from Lister’s awakening three million years in the future to the crew’s increasingly improbable journeys through space.

Whether the streaming deal will lead to renewed interest in making more episodes remains to be seen. For the moment, viewers can once again join the crew aboard Red Dwarf — with no confirmed new adventures on the horizon.

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