3. Backwards Series Three Episode One
This was the episode where everything changed for
Red Dwarf. Norman Lovett was replaced by Hattie Hayridge as Holly, Robert Llewellyn joined the cast as Kryten, and new set designer Mel Bibby gave everything a grittier feel that was reminiscent of
Alien. The new look
Red Dwarf got off to a suitably bizarre start with this episode set on present day Earth. Except for one difference: everything happens in reverse. That simple concept is the driving force behind the entire episode and is used to full effect whether its just for verbal gags (Last night a mugger jumped me and forced fifty pounds into my wallet!), elaborate stunt sequences such as a fight in a pub happening in reverse, or just for being straight up absurd such as the Cat discovering why going to the toilet in a universe where things happen in reverse isnt a good idea. Technically, its very impressive as the bulk of the episode was shot conventionally and then reversed in post production to make things more authentic. Possibly
Red Dwarfs most ambitious episode to date and one of its best
Best Scene: The backwards bar brawl. Unrumble!
Useless Trivia: Initially, the first episode of Series Three was titled Dad and dealt with Listers pregnancy (revealed in the last episode of Series Two). Writers Rob Grant and Doug Naylor scrapped the episode as they thought it was unfunny and potentially offensive to women. The story of Listers pregnancy was resolved at the beginning of the episode via an incredibly fast
Star Wars-esque text crawl that explained why Lister was no longer pregnant and why Kryten was onboard.