Red Dwarf: Every Major Character Ranked From Worst To Best

Red Dwarf’s eighth series sees the show take a (not unwelcome) change of tact. With the ship and crew revived through sci fi means, the focus turns from wacky space adventures to something akin to a workplace comedy, with Lister and Rimmer pitched in opposition to the aggressive bureaucracy of management, exemplified by the perpetually puce Captain Frank Hollister.

As played by the impeccably monickered Mac McDonald, Hollister ascends from a brief appearance in episode one to a starring role in the eighth series. Pitched somewhere between a good man in a tough job and a corrupt official craving an easy life, Hollister makes an excellent foil for our heroes, particularly Rimmer, whose insatiable appetite makes for great comedy as he blunders time and again.

Hollister is given little of substance to get his teeth into and is admittedly a stock character, but McDonald does a fine job with what he’s given in a generous and unshowy turn that allows Chris Barrie especially to run amok in one of the show’s best runs.