Red Dwarf series 3 Episode 5
When Lister gets bored it surely cannot end well. After finding Durex Volleyball tedious, he tells Cat and Rimmer he hates his life aboard Red Dwarf. During the conversation Rimmer reminisces about his former school chum Fred “Thickie” Holden who, despite being stupid, went on to fame and fortune inventing the “Tension Sheet” which is merely bubble wrap painted Red with the words Tension Sheet written on it.
Meanwhile, whilst working in the ships darkroom, Kryten discovers that the developing chemicals make the photographs come to life. Lister goes back through one of Rimmer’s old photo’s to Nazi Germany. Whilst there he abuses Hitler with a joke about only having one testicle, he also manages to accidently foil Claus Von Stauffenbergs assassination attempt.
Lister’s next move is to go back and give the “Tension Sheet” to his younger self. This creates changes in the future and both Cat and Kryten cease to exist. Rimmer, now alone on Red Dwarf with just Holly (Hattie Hayridge) for company, decides this isn’t on and visits Lister in his new life to claiming it is his duty as a “complete and utter bastard”. Lister now a very wealthy man has the butler show Rimmer out.
Rimmer now has to restore the timelines and travels back even further to give the plans for the “Tension Sheet” to HIS younger self. When he arrives back on Red Dwarf all is as it was. Cat, Kryten and Lister are reinstated and Rimmer sits back awaiting the fame and fortune. When nothing happens Holly explains that while he was telling his younger self the plans for the invention, his bunkmate Thickie Holden overheard the plans and invented the “Tension Sheet” anyway, however Rimmer is now alive and no longer a hologram. Overly happy he rushes into the corridor and inadvertently blows himself up.
This is where we get to the point of these articles. The OTHER cast members.
The episode has music and songs written by Craig Charles and the song “Om” is sung by Lister the younger, played by his real life brother Emile Charles. Young Lister’s band “Smeg and the Head’s” were actually Jeff Walker and Bill Steer of rock metal band Carcass.
Young Rimmer was portrayed by Simon Gaffney, who played the character in a total of 3 episodes, “Polymorph” episode 3 of series 3, “Timeslides”, and series 4 episode 5’s “Dimension Jump”.
Lister’s butler was Robert Addie who passed away in November of 2003 aged 43. He was best known for Sir Gilbert in 1998’s “Merlin” mini series and for playing General Russell in T.V. show Bugs.
Stephen McIntosh from T.V series “A kind of Living” played Fred “Thickie” Holden.
Lady Sabrina Mulholland-Jones the “most desirable woman in the Western hemisphere” also known as the now rich Lister’s fianc?e was played by Koo Stark. One time girlfriend of HRH Prince Andrew, Miss Stark was shunned by the Royal family for her involvement in soft porn films “Emily” and “Cruel passion’s”. She also played Miss Scarlett in the 1991 six-part Cluedo show.
Director Ed Bye’s wife Ruby Wax was a late piece of casting to play Blaize FalconBerger the host of fictional show “Lifestyles of the disgustingly rich and famous”.
She stepped into the role at the last minute due to the unfortunate death of Monty Python star Graham Chapman, who passed away just as rehearsals began.
Ruby already had fame as a T.V presenter and comedienne and has recently received acclaim for her website www.blackdogtribe.com raising awareness for mental health issues in society.
Whilst not one of the most talked about episodes from series three it is by far one of my favourites. I laugh from beginning to end, which is kind of the point.
