10 Red Dwarf Episodes You Absolutely Must See

Taking inspiration from the 1973 sci-fi classic, Westworld, Meltdown takes the premise of robots running amok in a futuristic theme park, but puts a Red Dwarf spin on things.

After finding a matter paddle, which allows travel to the nearest planet with a hospitable atmosphere, Kryten and Rimmer are sent forth as scouts to confirm the planet's suitability. However, upon arrival they are chased by an unconvincing dinosaur before being taken prisoner by Elvis Presley, who takes them to a rebel base that features the likes of Albert Einstein, Pythagoras and Marilyn Monroe. Cat and Lister on the other hand, wind up in the middle of Hitler's war room and are taken prisoner. Here, they witness the execution of Winnie the Pooh and are interrogated by Caligula and Rasputin, before Abraham Lincoln is thrown into their cell.

It turns out that the planet was once a waxdroid amusement park, but after millions of years alone, the droids broke their programming and a war broke out between the droids of Hero World and Villain World. Naturally, the comedic potential offered by such a setup is almost limitless.

What really makes this episode great though, is Rimmer's descent into madness as he seizes the opportunity to live out his fantasy of becoming a general, as he sends his wax troops into a futile and foolish battle like lambs to the slaughter, much to the disgust of his shipmates.

It's a clever and funny episode that even manages to offer a touch of social commentary.