This article is from the Red Dwarf FAQ, by Patrick M. Berry pat@interpath.com with numerous contributions by others.
Red Dwarf is a British TV show that has been airing on the BBC since 1988.
It's a half-hour science fiction comedy that tells the story of the last
living human being and his nonhuman companions in the distant future. The
premise of the show is best summed up in the opening narration (by Holly,
the ship's computer) used in the first series:
This is an S.O.S. distress call from the mining ship Red Dwarf.
The crew are dead, killed by a radiation leak. The only survivors
are Dave Lister, who was in suspended animation during the
disaster, and his pregnant cat, who was safely sealed in the
hold. Revived three million years later, Lister's only companions
are a life-form who evolved from his cat, and Arnold Rimmer, a
hologram simulation of one of the dead crew.
Accompanied by the Cat, Rimmer, Holly, and an android named Kryten, Lister
pursues his dream of returning to Earth and settling down with his
long-lost girlfriend. Along the way, he encounters parallel universes, time
warps, genetic mutants, holes in space, and a moon shaped like Felicity
Kendal's bottom.
The regular cast of the series is:
Dave Lister Craig Charles Arnold Rimmer Chris Barrie Holly Norman Lovett (Series 1, 2, 7, 8) Hattie Hayridge (Series 3-5) The Cat Danny John-Jules Kryten Robert Llewellyn (Series 3-8) Kristine Kochanski Chloe Annett (Series 7-8)
 
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