Dad (Red Dwarf episode)
Encyclopedia
"Dad" is the title of a so-called "lost episode" of the British
science fiction
comedy
television series, Red Dwarf
. The planned first episode of the show's third series, Dad was never filmed or even fully scripted: writers Rob Grant and Doug Naylor abandoned it halfway through writing it. Instead, the basic events of the episode (which would have explained various changes to the show's setting, e.g. what happened with Lister's pregnancy, why former guest character Kryten had reappeared and become a regular member of the cast and what had happened to him, and why Holly's image had changed from a male to a female) were written into a pre-title Star Wars-eque scroll sequence of the episode Backwards
, which became the new Series III premiere. Jokes from the script were also worked into other episodes: for example, Lister's revealing that he was abandoned at birth and Rimmer's subsequent speculation that Lister was the product of brother-sister incest was written into the episode The Last Day
.
An extract of the unfinished script of Dad was included on the DVD release Red Dwarf: The Bodysnatcher Collection alongside several other such extracts. In the same style as the eponymous "lost episode" Bodysnatcher, the extract of Dad was animated in a storyboard style as the script itself was read by lead actor Chris Barrie
(who, being a skilled impressionist, supplied the voices of all the characters).
", the final episode of the second series. In that last episode, Lister had slept with a female version of himself in a parallel dimension, before finding out that he was pregnant, as in that particular dimension it is the men who bear children.
The following "Dad" episode was to cover a number of points in the show, but was to primarily deal with Lister's pregnancy. The idea was ultimately rejected by the show's writers and producers, Rob Grant
and Doug Naylor
, who felt that the script was not as funny as previous episodes. In The Red Dwarf Programme Guide, Chris Howarth
and Steve Lyons write that another reason "Dad" was rejected was because it was possibly sexist.
The released script extract shows that "Dad" would not have followed the pre-credits sequence of "Backwards" to the letter. For example, Lister would not have been pregnant with twins: instead he would give birth to a single son. Also, apparently Lister would have rebuilt Kryten while "heavily pregnant", and not "shortly afterwards" as the pre-title "Backwards" scroll suggests. Additionally, unless male Holly actor Norman Lovett
was to make a guest appearance in the episode it's likely that Holly would have first appeared as a female at the very beginning of the episode.
-- it was also done at the end of "Dimension Jump
" in the fourth series of the show, and at the beginning of the first Red Dwarf USA pilot.
Here is the text:
RED DWARF III
THE SAGA CONTINUUMS
THE STORY SO FAR...
Three million years in the future, Dave Lister, the last human being alive discovers he is pregnant after a liaison with his female self in a parallel universe. His pregnancy concludes with the successful delivery of twin boys, Jim and Bexley. However, because the twins were conceived in another universe, with different physical laws, they suffer from highly accelerated growth rates, and are both eighteen years old within three days of being born. In order to save their lives, Lister returns them to the universe of their origin, where they are reunited with their father (a woman), and are able to lead comparatively normal lives. Well, as normal as you can be if you've been born in a parallel universe and your father's a woman and your mother's a man and you're eighteen years three days after your birth.
Shortly afterwards, Kryten, the service mechanoid who had left the ship after being rescued from his own crashed vessel, the Nova 5, is found in pieces after his space bike crash lands onto an asteroid. Lister rebuilds the 'noid, but is unable to recapture his former personality.
Meanwhile, Holly, the increasingly erratic Red Dwarf computer, performs a head sex change operation on himself. He bases his new face on Hilly, a female computer with whom he'd once fallen madly in love.
And now the saga continuums
AND NOW THE SAGA CONTINUUMS...
RED DWARF III
THE SAME GENERATION
-NEARLY-
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
comedy
Comedy
Comedy , as a popular meaning, is any humorous discourse or work generally intended to amuse by creating laughter, especially in television, film, and stand-up comedy. This must be carefully distinguished from its academic definition, namely the comic theatre, whose Western origins are found in...
television series, Red Dwarf
Red Dwarf
Red Dwarf is a British comedy franchise which primarily comprises eight series of a television science fiction sitcom that aired on BBC Two between 1988 and 1999 and Dave from 2009–present. It gained cult following. It was created by Rob Grant and Doug Naylor, who also wrote the first six series...
. The planned first episode of the show's third series, Dad was never filmed or even fully scripted: writers Rob Grant and Doug Naylor abandoned it halfway through writing it. Instead, the basic events of the episode (which would have explained various changes to the show's setting, e.g. what happened with Lister's pregnancy, why former guest character Kryten had reappeared and become a regular member of the cast and what had happened to him, and why Holly's image had changed from a male to a female) were written into a pre-title Star Wars-eque scroll sequence of the episode Backwards
Backwards (Red Dwarf episode)
"Backwards" is the first episode of science fiction sitcom Red Dwarf Series III, and the thirteenth in the series run. It premiered on the British television channel BBC2 on 14 November 1989...
, which became the new Series III premiere. Jokes from the script were also worked into other episodes: for example, Lister's revealing that he was abandoned at birth and Rimmer's subsequent speculation that Lister was the product of brother-sister incest was written into the episode The Last Day
The Last Day
"The Last Day" is the sixth, and last, episode of science fiction sit-com Red Dwarf Series III, and the eighteenth in the series run. It premiered on the British television channel BBC2 on 19 December 1989. Written by Rob Grant and Doug Naylor, and directed by Ed Bye, the story is about Kryten's...
.
An extract of the unfinished script of Dad was included on the DVD release Red Dwarf: The Bodysnatcher Collection alongside several other such extracts. In the same style as the eponymous "lost episode" Bodysnatcher, the extract of Dad was animated in a storyboard style as the script itself was read by lead actor Chris Barrie
Chris Barrie
Chris Barrie is a British actor. He first achieved success as a vocal impressionist, notably in the ITV sketch show Spitting Image...
(who, being a skilled impressionist, supplied the voices of all the characters).
A lost episode
"Dad" would have been the opening episode to the third series of the show. In plot, it was to be a direct continuation of the preceding episode, "Parallel UniverseParallel Universe (Red Dwarf episode)
"Parallel Universe" is the sixth and last episode of science fiction sitcom Red Dwarf series two, and the twelfth in the series run. It premiered on the British television channel BBC2 on 11 October 1988...
", the final episode of the second series. In that last episode, Lister had slept with a female version of himself in a parallel dimension, before finding out that he was pregnant, as in that particular dimension it is the men who bear children.
The following "Dad" episode was to cover a number of points in the show, but was to primarily deal with Lister's pregnancy. The idea was ultimately rejected by the show's writers and producers, Rob Grant
Rob Grant
Robert Grant is a British comedy writer and television producer, who was born in Salford and studied Psychology at Liverpool University for two years....
and Doug Naylor
Doug Naylor
Douglas R. Naylor is a British comedy writer, science fiction writer, director and television producer.Naylor was born in Manchester, England and studied at the University of Liverpool. In the mid-1980s, Naylor wrote two regular comedy sketch shows for BBC Radio 4 entitled Cliché and Son of Cliché...
, who felt that the script was not as funny as previous episodes. In The Red Dwarf Programme Guide, Chris Howarth
Chris Howarth
Christopher "Chris" Howarth is an English goalkeeper who plays football for Salford City....
and Steve Lyons write that another reason "Dad" was rejected was because it was possibly sexist.
The released script extract shows that "Dad" would not have followed the pre-credits sequence of "Backwards" to the letter. For example, Lister would not have been pregnant with twins: instead he would give birth to a single son. Also, apparently Lister would have rebuilt Kryten while "heavily pregnant", and not "shortly afterwards" as the pre-title "Backwards" scroll suggests. Additionally, unless male Holly actor Norman Lovett
Norman Lovett
Norman Lovett is an English stand-up comedian and actor, best known for the role of Holly in Red Dwarf during the first, second, seventh and eighth series. His comedy has a quiet, dead-pan surrealism, and in 2000 he made a successful stand up tour, co-headlining with Chris Barrie, who played...
was to make a guest appearance in the episode it's likely that Holly would have first appeared as a female at the very beginning of the episode.
The pre-title sequence of "Backwards"
Some of the events were referenced in the pre-title sequence of the episode "Backwards". The text explains the changes that were made going from series two to three; however, the scrolling was intentionally sped up faster than viewers could actually read for the purposes of comedy. This was the first Red Dwarf episode to parody the Star Wars opening crawlStar Wars opening crawl
Each film in the Star Wars series opens with a crawl of text which provides an explanation of the backstory and context of the film...
-- it was also done at the end of "Dimension Jump
Dimension Jump (Red Dwarf)
"Dimension Jump" is the fifth episode of science fiction sit-com Red Dwarf Series IV and the twenty-third episode in the series run. It was first broadcast on the British television channel BBC2 on 14 March 1991, written by Rob Grant and Doug Naylor, and directed by Ed Bye...
" in the fourth series of the show, and at the beginning of the first Red Dwarf USA pilot.
Here is the text:
RED DWARF III
THE SAGA CONTINUUMS
THE STORY SO FAR...
Three million years in the future, Dave Lister, the last human being alive discovers he is pregnant after a liaison with his female self in a parallel universe. His pregnancy concludes with the successful delivery of twin boys, Jim and Bexley. However, because the twins were conceived in another universe, with different physical laws, they suffer from highly accelerated growth rates, and are both eighteen years old within three days of being born. In order to save their lives, Lister returns them to the universe of their origin, where they are reunited with their father (a woman), and are able to lead comparatively normal lives. Well, as normal as you can be if you've been born in a parallel universe and your father's a woman and your mother's a man and you're eighteen years three days after your birth.
Shortly afterwards, Kryten, the service mechanoid who had left the ship after being rescued from his own crashed vessel, the Nova 5, is found in pieces after his space bike crash lands onto an asteroid. Lister rebuilds the 'noid, but is unable to recapture his former personality.
Meanwhile, Holly, the increasingly erratic Red Dwarf computer, performs a head sex change operation on himself. He bases his new face on Hilly, a female computer with whom he'd once fallen madly in love.
And now the saga continuums
AND NOW THE SAGA CONTINUUMS...
RED DWARF III
THE SAME GENERATION
-NEARLY-