Red Dwarf V

PICTURES

When the chips are down, there's only one thing Rimmer (Chris Barrie) can do to prove his brainpower.... borrow somebody else's. (from: 'HOLOSHIP')

Judgement is coming, and the Simulant with the time gauntlet (John Docherty) is dealing out the punishments. (from: 'THE INQUISITOR')

What are you looking at? The insane Rimmer (Chris Barrie) brandishes the formidable Mr. Flibble with intent. (from: 'QUARANTINE')

The darker side of Rimmer (Chris Barrie) and the Cat (Danny John-Jules) on the 'lower' Red Dwarf created from the triplicator. (from: 'DEMONS AND ANGELS')

The name's Bullet...Jake Bullet, Cybernautics Division. Kryten (Robert Llewellyn) discovers his true identity when the crew return to the real world. (from: 'BACK TO REALITY')

EPISODE GUIDE

HOLOSHIP: Rimmer doesn't like Lister's choice of films, he has just watched a love story where somebody sacrifices his career for the sake of a woman he loves, knowing he will never see her again. It just doesn't make sense. But before he can complain further, he is suddenly teleported away from Starbug, and whilst the Cat wants to go as quickly as possible, they have to find out what happened.
Rimmer has been beamed aboard a holographic ship called Enlightenment which is totally run by holograms. It's inaccessible to the living but a godsend for the dead since it turns out that holograms can touch, feel and even have sex on this amazing ship. In fact, regulations mean they must do the latter twice a day (more than some people do in a lifetime, points out Rimmer). Rimmer meets Nirvanah Crane, a member of the crew, and the two engage in sexual congress and realise they love each other. Rimmer is desperate to join the crew, but it is a pioneering vessel and he does not have half the IQ needed to pass the exam which consists of going head to head with the lowest ranking member of the present crew to take their place.
Predicted absolute failure, Rimmer decides to cheat and asks Kryten to give him a mind patch of the cleverest people abroad Red Dwarf. He goes back to Enlightenment to start the exam, little knowing that the crew member he has been put up against is Nirvanah.
Rimmer starts to succeed brilliantly, but then his mind rejects the patch and he goes back to Red Dwarf dejected. He finds his replacement is already being chosen and also finds he can't try another patch. Dejected, he decides to withdraw from the contest. However, Nirvanah persuades him to carry on and withdraws from the contest herself, so ensuring Rimmer is taken on board. Rimmer realises what has happened as soon as he sees his new quarters, and consequently resigns his post on board for the woman he loves, even though he'll never see her again. He can't quite believe he just did that!

THE INQUISITOR: Red Dwarf is boarded by the Inquisitor, a Simulant who lived until the end of time, discovered there was no God and decided the purpose of life was to lead the best life possible. He built a time gauntlet and went back through time judging how well people had done with their lives. If they had not done as well as they could, they were replaced with another version of themselves, a version that might have been had another sperm reached the egg at conception.
Back to Red Dwarf, and the crew are horrified to find they will be judged by themselves. As it turns out, Rimmer and the Cat are acquitted as they are shallow, worthless people but Lister's refusal to answer the questions and Kryten's talking abilities put them into an early grave. However, the process is topped by a future version of Kryten who comes into existence, taking the Inquisitor from behind. The future Kryten is killed but not before he manages to give Lister the time gauntlet. Lister and Kryten try to make a run for it, but don't get far as they shouldn't really exist. Holly only recognises the new Kryten and Lister, so they are seen as intruders and they are confronted by a 'new' Kryten and Lister who have taken their places.
The Inquisitor reappears, killing the 'new' Lister and Kryten. Lister, much to Kryten's disgust, uses his dead sperm-in-law's hand to open the palm operated doors. They retreat to the hold where the Inquisitor strikes again, killing Rimmer and the Cat (who don't recognise Lister and Kryten). Lister still has the time gauntlet, and uses it to freeze the Inquisitor. Kryten goes off to perform his act of self sacrifice with the gauntlet. Meanwhile, Lister hangs the Inquisitor over a pit, cuts the rope and then saves him from falling.
He cheerfully points out that the Inquisitor cannot erase Lister now or he will die too. On the contrary, if Lister is removed, so will the threat of death. However, Kryten left one trick on the gauntlet which is a backfire program. When the Inquisitor uses it on Lister, it deletes the Inquisitor from existence, so undoing all his past acts and returning the crew to normal. Kryten feels it is appropriate for Lister to 'give him five'. But Lister can do better, he can give him fifteen!

TERRORFORM: After a rather nasty accident on a nearby moon, Kryten remains in pieces whilst Rimmer has gone missing. Kryten's hand detaches itself to find Lister (who is alarmed to find a giant tarantula in the vicinity of his leg). However, with the help of a computer Kryten is able to relay his message and Lister and the Cat head to the rescue.
Lister repairs Kryten (why are there always a few pieces left over?). However, the moon is a Psy-Moon which terraforms itself into the psyche of anyone on it. This means it has grown into the shape of Rimmer's subconscious mind, and it is not a nice place to be. The others search for him in the Swamp of Despair (where the frogs shout 'useless!' and the leeches bare the face of Rimmer's mother) and into a graveyard where the gravestones display the names 'Honour' and 'Generosity'. A freshly dug grave marked 'Hope' is empty so far, and Kryten realises they must find Rimmer quickly.
Rimmer himself is having no better luck, he has been tied to a stake, anointed by two hand maidens and is about to be sacrificed to his own Self-Loathing, the biggest creature on the planet. The crew try to help, but the bazookas do nothing. However, Rimmer is so touched by their kindness that his Self-Respect appears and begins to battle his Self-Loathing. It isn't enough, and Kryten works out the only way to defeat it is to make Rimmer feel he is loved, which is hard for everyone especially the Cat! Rimmer's Self-Confidence and Self-Respect are resurrected for long enough to battle the monster and let Starbug go, and the crew can go back to telling Rimmer exactly what they think of him.

QUARANTINE: Following a distress call from a holographic doctor, the crew realise there may be a replacement available for Rimmer. Using every Space Corps directive there is, they force him to stay behind whilst they go in search of Dr. Hildegarde Lanstrom. They finally find her in a Viral Research Department, where she is preserved in a stasis pod. However, when she awakens it is clear she is quite mad and sets about trying to kill them with Hex-Vision (no connections, honest!) Kryten concludes she has a mutated Holo Virus and after she threatens Rimmer over a radio, the crew decide to evacuate, leaving her to expire.
However, they have found he research on the theory of positive and negative viruses and the way they can be synthesised. It turns out that Luck is actually a virus (as is sexual magnetism, which is news for the Cat who must be a terminal case).
However, Rimmer has been using his time alone to study the Space Corps Directives and realises he can direct them to quarantine for three months. However, after only five days the crew practically killing each other. All are shocked, therefore, when Rimmer reappears on the view screen wearing a red and white gingham dress and army boots and carrying a ventriloquist's puppet called Mr. Flibble. Rimmer has contracted the Holo-virus via radio waves from Lanstrom and he is insane. He orders the crew to spend two hours W.O.O. (With Out Oxygen). However, Lister is able to use the Luck virus to find an escape route.
Rimmer pursues them, Hex vision at the ready and Kryten realises he needs to make a device out of lots of parts to cure him. Lister finds them all nearby thanks to the luck virus and finally the Holo-virus is cured. Rimmer is okay (Lister concludes the Luck virus has therefore worn off). Finally, Rimmer wakes up in quarantine with three onlookers all dressed in identical gingham dresses....

DEMONS AND ANGELS: Kryten has developed another incredible device, a Triplicator which can create two copies of any object. There are three drawbacks, firstly the copies only have a lifespan of one hour, secondly one of the copies is superior to the original, and the other isn't. Finally, reversing the process causes Red Dwarf to explode, which is a bit or a problem for the crew. Although the crew do escape in Starbug, they don't have long to live. Lister decides they should search the wreckage for any fuel or oxygen, but they find two Red Dwarfs instead.
Kryten concludes that in one hour's time, the two ships will fade away but each ship should have a Triplicator of it's own so Kryten can reverse the field merge the vessels together. However, things don't go that smoothly since each ship has a crew of its own. On the first ship, the crew find their 'high' selves who are spiritually enlightened versions of themselves and a pleasure to be with.
However, when all venture over to the 'low' ship, the 'high' Rimmer and Cat are instantly killed instantly by the homicidal maniacs which rule the ship (pacifists, who needs them?) and Lister captured. He is implanted with a spinal implant which makes him come under control, of the 'low' Lister. He is forced to knife the 'high' Lister to death and crush the 'high' Rimmer's light bee. The crew all arrive at the docking bay with both triplicators with two minutes to spare. and are concerned when Lister tries to kill then. Kryten knocks him out and the two ships merge.
However, when Lister is still acting like a homicidal maniac, it is clear the 'low' Lister has survived but a quick search and an even quicker bazooka bolt soon deals with him. However, the Cat is still injuring a hurt neckline and is pleased to find the remote control for the spinal implant still works. He urges Kryten to keep it in place, just for one more week....

BACK TO REALITY: On a salvage mission to a ship called the S.S.S. Esperanto, the crew are confused to find the entire crew of the Esperanto committed suicide, including a haddock which closed it's gills voluntarily. There is a great deal of octopus ink around, and Kryten concludes that this vessel was introducing new ocean life and there is a new creature, probably a giant squid which secretes an ink which makes people feel depressed and so induces suicide.
Rimmer breaks up the party and announces the Suicide Squid has made an appearance and is diving straight at them. The crew valiantly try to escape, but are annihilated when Starbug crashes into a rock cave. It's Game Over, literally.
The crew wake up in a computer game, they have been plugged into 'Red Dwarf - The Total Immersion Video Game' for four years and have scored to pathetic score of 4%. An attendant, Andy, gleefully points out the areas they missed out including the Planet of the Nymphomaniacs and the fact Rimmer never found his secret message in his swimming certificates and so has been playing the 'prat' version for four years. Lister didn't get Kochanski, or become God and they got killed by the easiest puzzle in the entire game. The foursome are ushered out as the next lot take over.
In the waiting room, everyone trys to work out who they are. The Cat is mortified to find out he is called 'Duane Dibbley'. He owns an anorak and a thermos flask and has teeth that he could open beer bottles with. Kryten is quite happy with his new half-human identity as 'Jake Bullet', a member of the Cybernautic Division of the Police Department (of course, as Rimmer points out, that could be traffic control.) Rimmer turns out to be a tramp called 'Billy Doyle' and Lister is amazed to find out he is amazingly rich ad is in fact the half brother of Billy, called 'Sebastian Doyle'.
The crew decide the only way to get their memories back is to leave, but their new lives are almost cut short by the appearance a cop who aims a gun at them. (Oh yeah, the Cybernautics division IS traffic control.) However, it is the presence of Sebastian Doyle which saves them. It turns out Lister is ‘Minister for Alteration’, effectively a mass murderer, news which doesn't suit him well. Kryten shoots the cop, and can't live with the guilt. In fact, none of them can live with who they really are which is just as well as it is only a mass hallucination.
Back on Starbug, Holly is watching helplessly as they run around scheming and panicking and tries to snap them out of it. Using a higher frequency, she contacts Kryten who releases a mood stabiliser gas which makes them come back to reality. Holly assures them their attacker has been seen off (thanks to some limpet mines). Kryten deduces the squid brought in despair to try and kill them, by appealing to their most basic fears, but it failed. The crew decide to head back to Red Dwarf..... but that's assuming it's where Lister parked it.....

BEHIND THE SCENES

REGULAR CAST
Lister
Craig Charles
Rimmer
Chris Barrie
Cat
Danny John-Jules
Kryten
Robert Llewellyn
Holly
Hattie Haydridge

GUEST CAST
Nirvanah Crane
Jane Horrocks

Captain Platini
Matthew Marsh

The Inquisitor
John Docherty

Dr. Hildegarde Lanstrom
Maggie Steed

Andy
Timothy Spall

Cop
Lenny Von Dohlen

Veteran director Ed Bye left the show after four years (on orders of his wife, Ruby Wax) and so after trying out some unsuccessful directors Rob and Doug took the helm themselves.
Like Red Dwarf IV, there were very few changes between series this time except the shift towards Sci-Fi comedy was moving even further into the realms of the former, some suggest at the price of the comedy but none the less, the series contains at least three episodes often in fans top tens.
Unsurprisingly, Rob and Doug picked 'Back to Reality' as their favourite episode. In a BBC phone poll in Christmas ‘95, it was voted the most popular episode ever by the fans. Originally designed to air first, it was put back to the end to heighten the shock factor but this was spoiled in advance by a number of magazines. However, those attending the filmings knew the least and many scenes played to silence as the crew discovered 'the truth'. Much of it had to be replayed after they knew the joke.
This series also features one of the longest over-running episode ever. 'Holoship' had to be edited by a huge 8 minutes (huge bearing in mind this is a 30 minute show) including much of the effects footage and a couple of character building scenes.

OTHER DWARF DEVELOPMENTS

Even if 'Back to Reality' didn't feature the end of the show, strange things were afoot. More and more time was spent away from the Dwarf in Starbug, the only model of Red Dwarf was blown up in 'Demons and Angels' and the role of Holly could be seen to be decreasing exponentially. Like with Red Dwarf III, regular viewers were in for a shock in Red Dwarf VI...

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