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Back to Reality (Red Dwarf episode)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Red Dwarf episode | |
| "Back to Reality" | |
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| Episode № | 6 |
|---|---|
| Airdate | March 26, 1992 |
| Writer(s) | Rob Grant & Doug Naylor |
| Director | Juliet May & Grant Naylor |
| Guest star(s) | Timothy Spall Lenny Von Dohlen Marie McCarthy Jake Sharian Anastasia Hille |
| Series V February 20 – March 26, 1992 |
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| List of all Red Dwarf episodes... | |
"Back to Reality" is the sixth, and final, episode of Red Dwarf V and the 30th in the series run. It premiered on 26 Mar 1992 in the 9:00pm BBC2 time slot,[1] Written by Rob Grant & Doug Naylor and directed by Juliet May & Grant Naylor. The episode often tops polls or surveys as the best in the series runs.[2][3] The story features the crew waking up from a crash to discover that the last five years of their lives has been spent in a Red Dwarf Total Immersion Video Game.
Contents |
The Red Dwarf crew takes Starbug on a recon mission where they discover the wreckage of the SSS Esperanto, a ship conducting marine seeding experiments at the bottom of an ocean-covered moon. It appears that all life on board the Esperanto committed suicide, right down to a haddock which closed its gills and suffocated itself. The crew discovers their deaths are due to severe depression caused by a hallucinogenic nerve toxin. Upon returning to Starbug the crew is attacked by a giant squid that releases the toxin. The crew crashes Starbug while trying to escape, resulting in destruction of Starbug and its crew. The message "GAME OVER" shows on the screen.
The crew then awakens in their chairs, having just spent four years playing the total-immersion video game Red Dwarf. They retire to the recuperation lounge to give time for their memories to return, where they discover artifacts from their prior lives. In 'reality', each character was their moral opposite. Kryten is half-human Cybernautics Division Detective (traffic officer) Jake Bullet. Cat is dorky Duane Dibbley. Lister is Sebastian Doyle, the head of the secret police in a fascist state, and Rimmer is Billy Doyle, Lister's half brother and a tramp. After Kryten shoots a Gestapo-like police officer, the crew become involved in a high-speed car chase with the police. Devastated by the implications of their "true" selves, the crew is about to commit group suicide when Holly finally manages to awaken them, revealing that Starbug's crash and 'reality' were just a group hallucination brought on by the despair squid's ink.
It was thought of at the time that this would be the final series as there looked like there would be a cast unavailability issue. Other projects and roles looked like taking over their time. Chris Barrie was starring in the increasingly popular sit-com Brittas Empire, Robert Llewellyn went to do Red Dwarf USA and if that were to be taken up he would be over there for the next few years.[4]
Several model shots of the Despair Squid were filmed but it was decided that they didn't work well. Instead a superimposed shadow was used to illustrate the squid closing in on the Starbug.[5]
The episode features Hattie Hayridge's last appearance in the series. The other cast got to play their despair induced alter egos; Danny John-Jules played Duane Dibbley, Craig Charles played Sebastian Doyle, Robert Llewellyn played Jake Bullet, while Rimmer played William Doyle, Sebastian's half-brother.
Guest stars included Lenny Von Dohlen as the cop, Timothy Spall as Andy, Marie McCarthy as Nurse, Jake Sharian as new Lister and Anastasia Hille as new Kochanski.
The Cat references the Wailing Wall when the other guys start getting depressed and emotional.
"Back to Reality" was voted most popular episode amongst Red Dward magazine readers in 1992. Gaining 13.9% of the votes, 4.6% ahead of second place "Polymorph".[3] At the end of 1992 Series V was nominated for an International Emmy Award.[6]
In 1995, following a viewers vote, the most popular episode was found to be "Back to Reality". The episode was repeated on the 22 December 1995 as 'The Best Ever Red Dwarf'.[2]
- Back to Reality at the Internet Movie Database
- Red Dwarf: Back to Reality - TV.com
- Episode Guide - Series 5
- ^ BBC - Programme Catalogue - RED DWARF V - BACK TO REALITY. BBC. Retrieved on 2007-12-12.
- ^ a b BBC - Programme Catalogue - THE BEST EVER RED DWARF. BBC. Retrieved on 2007-12-12.
- ^ a b Red Dwarf magazine: Survey Results, Red Dwarf Smegazine, issue 10, December 1992, Fleetway Editions Ltd, issn=0965-5603
- ^ Interview: Grant Naylor, Red Dwarf Smegazine, issue 6, August 1992, Fleetway Editions Ltd, issn 0965-5603
- ^ Red Dwarf Programme Guide. Section 1: The History: Virgin Books. ISBN 0-86369-682-1.
- ^ News From The Dwarf, Red Dwarf Smegazine, issue 11, January 1993, Fleetway Editions Ltd, issn=0965-5603