Nanarchy

Last updated

"Nanarchy"
Red Dwarf episode
Episode no.Series 7
Episode 8
Directed byEd Bye
Written byPaul Alexander, James Hendrie and Doug Naylor
Original air date7 March 1997 (1997-03-07)
Episode chronology
← Previous
"Epideme"		Next →
"Back in the Red"
List of episodes

"Nanarchy" is the eighth, and final, episode of science fiction sitcom Red Dwarf Series VII and the 44th in the series run. It was first broadcast on the British television channel BBC2 on 7 March 1997. [1] The episode was written by Paul Alexander, James Hendrie and Doug Naylor, and directed by Ed Bye. After two series of tracking their ship, the crew of Starbug finally discover the location of their missing mining ship Red Dwarf and its computer Holly.

Contents

Plot

Lister (Craig Charles) is finding it very difficult to get used to life with only one arm, but seems to enjoy Kryten (Robert Llewellyn) nursing him, and Kryten is absolutely loving it. Kochanski (Chloë Annett) is fed up with seeing Kryten doing things for him that he could easily do with one arm. Tests with a prototype prosthetic arm are unsuccessful, with its two settings resulting either in Lister having to exert great effort to move it or in Lister repeatedly punching Kryten in the head due to subconscious anger. Kryten comes up with a solution – nanobots from Kryten's self-repair system could conceivably rebuild an arm for Lister. The problem is, Kryten hasn't seen his nanobots since the attack on the crew by the Despair Squid hundreds of years earlier, right before they lost Red Dwarf. They therefore decide to retrace their steps all the way back to the ocean planet where they met the Despair Squid and have to go into Deep Sleep for the very long journey.

When they emerge from Deep Sleep near their destination they are surprised to discover a planetoid which the Navicomp identifies as Red Dwarf. Down on the desert surface they find items from Red Dwarf including the original Holly (Norman Lovett) who explains that the nanobots restored his core program and then mutinied: they deconstructed Red Dwarf, creating their own miniature version of the ship and turned the rest into a planetoid for safekeeping, converting the ship's many computerized systems into sand. The crew now realize that it was the nano version of Red Dwarf that they were chasing all along – the nanobots ended up evading them by coming aboard Starbug and travelling around their own galaxy inside Lister's clothes hamper and that all along Red Dwarf had been with them.

Kryten captures the nanobots in a glass jar and tortures them by tapping the side with a pencil. He tells them to make a new arm for Lister and to turn the planetoid back into Red Dwarf. The nanobots follow Kryten's orders. As a result, Lister is given the body of a muscular bodybuilder, which the others assume to be from the nanobots feeling guilty for all the trouble they have caused. But then Starbug flies into the reconstructed Red Dwarf, which is also shown to be awfully bigger than normal. In the last shot Starbug flies in like a buzzing fly against a massively enlarged ship in the hangar.

Production

The series finale proved to be one of the most problematic scripts. James Hendrie was not available to do any rewrites to the script, so Alexander was asked to do one of his own, before Naylor did a final polish. It is the only episode to date with three credited writers. [2]

This is the first time since 1988's "Parallel Universe" that Norman Lovett has appeared as Holly, the ship's computer. In between, the character – played by Hattie Hayridge – was last seen in Series V's "Back to Reality".

Reception

Viewing figures had reached over 8 million viewers, and the series also gained a Sunday night repeat. These were the highest ratings garnered so far. [3]

Most reviewers noted the return of Norman Lovett as Holly, [4] [5] [6] although DVDActive disliked the episode's "mercilessly slow first scene". [4] Sci-Fi Online thought that Chloë Annett "had evidently settled into role ... and delivers some funny lines." [5]

Related Research Articles

<i>Red Dwarf</i> British comedy science fiction TV series

Red Dwarf is a British science fiction comedy series created by Rob Grant and Doug Naylor, consisting of a sitcom that aired on BBC Two between 1988 and 1999, and on Dave since 2009, gaining a cult following. The series follows low-ranking technician Dave Lister, who awakens after being in suspended animation for three million years to find that he is the last living human, and that he is alone on the mining spacecraft Red Dwarf—save for a hologram of his deceased bunkmate Arnold Rimmer and "Cat", a life form which evolved from Lister's pregnant cat.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arnold Rimmer</span> Fictional character in Red Dwarf

Arnold Judas Rimmer is a fictional character in the science fiction sitcom Red Dwarf, played by Chris Barrie. Rimmer is characterised as a second-class technician and de facto leader of the mining ship Red Dwarf. Portrayed as snobbish, pedantic, and self-centred, Rimmer is unpopular with his crewmates and is often the target of insults and general ridicule.

Cat (<i>Red Dwarf</i>) Fictional character in Red Dwarf

The Cat, or simply Cat, is a fictional character in the British science fiction sitcom Red Dwarf. He is played by Danny John-Jules. He is a descendant of Dave Lister's pregnant pet house cat Frankenstein, whose descendants evolved into a humanoid form over three million years while Lister was in stasis. As a character, he is vain and aloof, and loves to dress in extravagant clothing. He is simply referred to as "Cat" in lieu of a real name.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dave Lister</span> Fictional character in Red Dwarf

David Lister, commonly referred to simply as Lister, is a fictional character from the British science fiction situation comedy Red Dwarf, portrayed by Craig Charles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kryten</span> Fictional character in Red Dwarf

Kryten is a fictional character in the British science fiction situation comedy Red Dwarf. The name Kryten is a reference to the head butler in the J.M. Barrie play The Admirable Crichton. Originally referred to as a Series III mechanoid, he is later described as a 4000 Series, or Series 4000.

Holly (<i>Red Dwarf</i>) Fictional character in Red Dwarf

Holly is a fictional character in the science fiction situation comedy Red Dwarf. The character, who is the eponymous spaceship's onboard computer, has been played by Norman Lovett and Hattie Hayridge.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kristine Kochanski</span> Fictional character

Kristine Z. Kochanski is a fictional character from the British science fiction situation comedy Red Dwarf. Kochanski was the first console officer in the navigation chamber on board the spaceship Red Dwarf. As well as appearing in the television series, she is also a major character in the Red Dwarf novel Last Human. In series 1, 2, and 6 she was played by Clare Grogan and was then played by Chloë Annett for series 7 and 8, and the 2009 special Back to Earth.

"Back in the Red" is the opening three-part episode of series VIII of science fiction sit-com Red Dwarf. Part 1 was first broadcast on the British television channel BBC2 on 18 February 1999 followed by Part 2 on 25 February and Part 3 on 4 March.

"Only the Good..." is the final episode in the eighth series and the original run of the British science fiction series Red Dwarf. It was first shown in the UK on 5 April 1999 in the 9:00 pm BBC2 time slot, and was written by Doug Naylor and directed by Ed Bye. The episode also marks the final regular appearance of Chloë Annett as Kochanski and Norman Lovett as Holly. Both characters would reappear in a guest capacity in later episodes. This would be the last series of Red Dwarf to broadcast on BBC2. Red Dwarf: Back to Earth would be the next instalment of the series.

"Terrorform" is the third episode of science fiction sit-com Red Dwarf Series V and the twenty seventh in the series run. It was first broadcast on the British television channel BBC2 on 5 March 1992. It was written by Rob Grant and Doug Naylor, and was directed by Juliet May. The episode's plot has the Red Dwarf crew rescuing Rimmer from a terraformed moon based on his own psyche.

"Back to Reality" is the sixth and final episode of the fifth series of science fiction sitcom Red Dwarf, and the 30th in the series' run. It was first broadcast on the British television channel BBC2 on 26 March 1992, written by Rob Grant and Doug Naylor and directed by Juliet May and Grant Naylor. The plot features the crew waking up after a crash to discover that the last four years of their lives has been spent in a "Total Immersion Video Game" called Red Dwarf. This episode marks the final appearance of Hattie Hayridge as Holly. The episode often tops polls and surveys as the best episode in the entire series.

"Tikka To Ride" is the first episode of science fiction sitcom Red Dwarf Series VII and the 37th in the series run. It was first broadcast on the British television channel BBC2 on 17 January 1997. Written by Doug Naylor and directed by Ed Bye, it was the first episode not to involve co-creator and writer Rob Grant.

"Stoke Me a Clipper" is the second episode of science fiction sit-com Red Dwarf Series VII and the 38th in the series run. It was first broadcast on the British television channel BBC2 on 24 January 1997, was written by Paul Alexander and Doug Naylor, and was directed by Ed Bye. It was the first episode to involve a writer other than co-creator/writers Grant or Naylor.

"Ouroboros" is the third episode of science fiction sitcom Red Dwarf Series VII and the 39th in the series run. It was first broadcast on the British television channel BBC2 on 31 January 1997. Written by Doug Naylor and directed by Ed Bye, it was the first episode not to feature Arnold Rimmer, and also the first to feature Kristine Kochanski as a regular character, having only appeared previously as a minor recurring character.

"Duct Soup" is the fourth episode of science fiction sit-com Red Dwarf Series VII and the 40th in the series run. It was first broadcast on the British television channel BBC2 on 7 February 1997. It was written by Doug Naylor and directed by Ed Bye.

"Blue" is the fifth episode of science fiction sitcom Red Dwarf Series VII and the 41st in the series run. It was first broadcast on the British television channel BBC2 on 14 February 1997, was written by Kim Fuller and Doug Naylor, and was directed by Ed Bye. Until Red Dwarf: Back to Earth, it was the last episode to feature the hologram Rimmer.

"Beyond a Joke" is the sixth episode of science fiction sitcom Red Dwarf Series VII and the 42nd in the series' run. It was first broadcast on the British television channel BBC2 on 21 February 1997. The script was written by Robert Llewellyn and Doug Naylor, and was directed by Ed Bye.

"Epideme" is the seventh episode of science fiction comedy series Red Dwarf VII and the 43rd in the series run. It was first broadcast on the British television channel BBC2 on 28 February 1997. Written by Paul Alexander and Doug Naylor, and directed by Ed Bye, the episode involves Lister contracting an intelligent, but deadly, virus.

Red Dwarf: Back to Earth is a three-part miniseries continuation of the British science fiction sitcom Red Dwarf, broadcast on UK television channel Dave between 10 and 12 April 2009 and subsequently released on DVD on 15 June 2009 and on Blu-ray on 31 August 2009. It was the first television outing for Red Dwarf in over ten years, and features the characters Rimmer, Cat, Kryten and Lister. The storyline involves the characters arriving back on Earth, circa 2009, only to find that they are characters in a television series called Red Dwarf.

References

  1. ↑ "BBC – Programme Catalogue – RED DWARF VI – NANARCHY". BBC. Retrieved 12 December 2007.
  2. ↑ "Red Dwarf Series VII Writing". Red Dwarf.co.uk. Archived from the original on 22 October 2007. Retrieved 17 December 2007.
  3. ↑ "Red Dwarf Series VII Aftermath". Red Dwarf.co.uk. Archived from the original on 22 October 2007. Retrieved 17 December 2007.
  4. 1 2 "Red Dwarf VII (UK – DVD R2)". dvdactive.com. Retrieved 5 March 2014.
  5. 1 2 "DVD Red Dwarf Series 7". sci-fi-online.com. Retrieved 5 March 2014.
  6. ↑ "DVD Review--"Red Dwarf Series VII"". bellaonline.com. Retrieved 5 March 2014.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.