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Red Dwarf: Series 3
The benefits of the show's changes are apparent from the outset, with the mind-bending hilarity of "Backwards", in which Kryten and Rimmer establish themselves as a forwards-talking double-act on a reverse Earth. After a modest two-hander that sees Rimmer and Lister "Marooned", comes one of the Dwarf's most beloved episodes, "Polymorph". Here is the ensemble working at its best, as each character unwittingly has their strongest emotion sucked out of them. Lister loses his fear; Cat his vanity; Kryten his reserve; and Rimmer his anger ("Chameleonic Life-Forms. No Thanks"). "Body Swap" sees Lister and Rimmer involved in a bizarre attempt to prevent the ship from self-destructing. "Timeslides" delves deep into Rimmer's psyche as the boys journey haphazardly through history. Finally, "The Last Day" shows how completely Kryten has been adopted as a crewmember, when his replacement Hudzen unexpectedly shows up. On the DVD: Red Dwarf, Series 3 two-disc set maintains the high standard of presentation and wealth of extra material established by its predecessors. Among other delights there are the usual "Smeg Ups" and deleted scenes, plus another fun commentary with the cast. There's a lengthy documentary, "All Change", specifically about Series 3, a tribute to costume designer Mel Bibby, Hattie Hayridge's convention video diary, and--most fascinating--the opportunity to watch "Backwards" played forwards, so you can finally understand what Arthur Smith's backwards-talking pub manager actually says to Rimmer and Kryten in the dressing room. --Mark Walker
RRP: £19.99
Our Price: £11.94 (subject to change)
Editorial
Amazon.co.uk Review
The third series of Red Dwarf introduced some radical changes--all of them for the better--but the scripts remained as sharp and character-focussed as ever, making this a firm candidate for the show's best year. Gone were the dull metallic grey sets and costumes, gone too was Norman Lovett's lugubrious Holly, replaced now by comedienne Hattie Hayridge, who had previously played Hilly in the Series 2 episode "Parallel Universe". New this year were custom-made costumes, more elaborate sets, the zippy pea-green Starbug, bigger special effects and the wholly admirable Robert Llewellyn as Kryten.
A truly excellent series
Review date: 2008-01-20 Rating: 10 out of 10
Some situation comedies live or die by their inventiveness ... and Red Dwarf is certainly one such.
The problem with many is that the inventiveness "fails" as one series becomes two, then three, then five, etc. With Red Dwarf this simply doesn't happen. I have got eight series of this sitcom on DVD (and this review applies to, and will be submitted on, all eight) and the eigth is every bit as superb as the first.
I unhesitatingly recommend Red Dwarf to all.
Accessories
- Red Dwarf: Complete BBC Series 1
- Red Dwarf: Series 2 [1988]
- Red Dwarf: Series 4
- Red Dwarf : Complete BBC Series 5
- Red Dwarf : Complete BBC Series 6 [2005]
Similar Products
- Red Dwarf: Series 2 [1988]
- Red Dwarf: Series 4
- Red Dwarf: Complete BBC Series 1
- Red Dwarf : Complete BBC Series 5
- Red Dwarf : Complete BBC Series 6 [2005]
Reviews
I was so excited I nearly dropped my skateboard...
Review date: 2007-04-04 Rating: 10 out of 10
I have to agree with the general consensus that this is probably the best series of 'Red Dwarf', with the strongest episode line-up of the eight and a good balance of comedy and story. Some of the later series seem to take the original concept of 'Red Dwarf' (bunch of mis-fits trying to make their way home to Earth) off on some rather random tangents but this series keeps things focused while cranking up the quality of the jokes considerably.
Rob Llewellyn and Hattie Hayridge make their bows as Kryten and Holly respectively and this move proves to be a timely injection of fresh characterisation. I do prefer Norman Lovett as Holly but Hayridge puts a great spin on everyone's favourite senile computer. Llewellyn is simply brilliant and brings the best out of the other characters, who themselves build on their established personas to great effect.
The episodes are just so good. 'Backwards' has the be the most daring and entertaining series opener of the lot, 'Marooned' and 'Bodyswap' hilariously highlight the antagonism between Rimmer and Lister, 'Timeslides' is a great comic twist on classic sci-fi themes, 'The Last Day' has some absolutely priceless moments (Rimmer's description of his first French kiss and Kryten feeling 'a Jackson Pollock coming on') while 'Polymorph' needs no introduction. The scene with the shrinking boxers and Rimmer's disgusted, 'you'll bonk anything, won't you Lister...?' Classic.
This series is about as perfect as 'Red Dwarf' (and comedy for that matter) gets. My personal favourite and certainly where the show is at its' peak. So splash your cash and find out what's in Android Homebrew, how Lister lost his virginity, why no-one is prepared to eat Kryten's Spanish omelette and just what Eric Van Lustbader has to do with food...
The Third Series of Red Dwarf
Review date: 2006-07-17 Rating: 10 out of 10
The third series is just as good and funny as the previous 2, but with lots of changes. This series brings in two new actors; Robert Llewelyn as Kryten and Hattie Hayridge as Holly. This series of course still features Chris Barrie as the smeg head Rimmer, Craig Charles as Lister and Danny John Jules as Cat. The female Holly is great, but I personally feel that the original Holly was funnier.
You'd probably be confused as to why Holly has been replaced with his female equvilent and why Kryten is suddenly back. The prologue at the start of the "Backwards" episode explains it all, though you may have to pause it and scan it slowly, so you can read it all the way through.
Amongst the other changes is the costumes. Rimmer just when you thought he couldn't get any smeggier has changed to his smeggiest outfit yet; his captain emerald unifrom. Cat now wears stylish clothing instead of suits and Lister's changed his clothing too. He now wears a black leather jacket and a grey hat.
This series also introduces a second starship Starbug, which takes over Blue Midget almost completely. There are lots of interesting episodes in this series. "Backwards", "polymorph" and "Bodyswap" are the best ones out of the lot. My least favourite is "Marooned". It's not very interesting, though is does feature a classic scene where Lister eats some dog food and says "now I can see why dogs lick their testicles". It's a great series not to be missed by any fan of Brittish comedy. Here's what the episodes are about...
Backwards - Kryten and Rimmer find themselves on Earth in a backwards reality. Within 3 weeks, they're famous entertainers.
Marooned - While evacuating from Red Dwarf, due to nearby black holes (so Holly says), Starbug is hit by a meteor and Rimmer and Lister find themselves trapped on an icy planet.
Polymorph - A genetically engineered life form sneaks onto Red Dwarf and feeds of the crews' emotions. The dwarfers get together to destroy it.
Bodyswap - Rimmer volunteers to help get Lister's body back into shape, by doing mind swaps. Lister reluctantly agrees to do this, but he's even more annoyed when he finds that Rimmer is doing the opposite of what he promised.
Timeslides - The dwarfers find a way to go back in time by using photographs. Lister uses this to change his past, so he doesn't end up stuck on Red Dwarf for the rest of his life.
The Last Day - Kryten learns that he is due to be shut down and be replaced. Lister decides to throw a party so Kryten can enjoy the remaining hours of his life.
Get this DVD. You won't be disapointed.
Do You Think Wilma's Sexy?
Review date: 2006-01-28 Rating: 10 out of 10
When Red Dwarf officially closed its production doors after eight series, it was the end of a legendary sci-fi comedy. Thankfully, Grant Naylor productions has been bringing out the entire back catalogue of Red Dwarf along with fascinating extras. If Series One introduced it and Series Two refurbished it, then Series Three without a doubt gave it a whole new makeover.
As stated in linear notes 'Red Dwarf III established how the show was meant to look - a benchmark for production values..'. Rob Grant and Doug Naylor officially became in control of Red Dwarf by Three, and two people were brought in to improve the looks and dynamics of the show. Mel Bibby (whose paid tribute to on the bonus disc) would design the sets and Howard Burden designed the clothes.
Aside from production, Series Three saw the exit of Norman Lovett as Holly and Hattie Hayridge replacing him as the same character. Robert Llewellyn would also mark his debut as the adorable android Kryten. Whilst Hattie and Robert were fitting in, Craig Charles, Chris Barrie and Danny John-Jules had fitted into their characters like it was second nature.
Episode-wise, Series Three has some of the most memorable moments ever. Not just in Red Dwarf history but in British comedy altogether. Featuring all time classic episodes like Backwards, Marooned and Polymorph (Chameleonic life-forms no thanks). Hearing the cast commentary is a must for any Red Dwarf fan.
The bonus features is brilliant. Featuring a seventy-five minute documentary on the series appropriately titled 'All Change'. There is also thirty minutes of deleted scenes, Hattie Hayridge's diary of the 'Dimension Jump' convention in 2003, and Backwards Forwards. Along with the smeg-ups, isolated music cues and a "Food" featurette this is a great bonus disc.
Series Three remains possibly my top series and with episodes like what they have and the bonus features here, its very hard for me to disagree. Buy it now!!!
Big? It's like two Badly Parked Volkswagens!
Review date: 2006-01-21 Rating: 10 out of 10
Red Dwarf peeked with Series 3, while 2 was wonderful and 6 in particular in later years were superb, this is where the show hit the heights. There are many changes, the crew have moved into the newly decontaminated officers quarters, Kryten has been rescued and rebuilt and Holly has changed himself into a woman.
The episodes simply sparkle, Backwards includes one of the alltime great comedy moments when Cat disappears 'into the bushes' and the legendary bar room 'tidy'. Marooned contains the alltime best one liner when Lister polishes off the SECOND to last item of food on Starbug. Polymorph is brilliant with the introduction of 'sharmy kebab diablo' served with Lister's classy new dinner set. Timeslides is fantastic, featuring the confrontation with 'Mr October' from one of Rimmer's magazines, and it continues with Bodyswap, as Rimmer models the new 'hernia prevention belt', much to Liser's disgust before the series climaxes with The Last Day, where Kryten comes of age thanks to a little help from his friends, and Petersen's spoils from planet leave on Miranda.
All in all, this eries is 3 hours of non stop laughs and features the show at its best. Start with 1 and 2 of course, but this was the mad world of Grant Naylor at its finest!
Product Details/Specifications
Actor(s):
Rob Grant
Chris Barrie
Craig Charles
Robert Llewellyn
Danny John-Jules
Director(s):
Recording label: 2 Entertain Video
Manufacturer: 2 Entertain Video
EAN: 5014503121525
Binding: DVD
Number of items: 2
Format: PAL,
Release date: 2003-11-03
Number of discs: 2
Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
Audience rating: Suitable for 12 years and over
Region code: 2
Running time: 161 minutes
Theatrical release date: 1989-03-29
Language: English (Original Language)