Better Than Life: A Red Dwarf Podcast

The final batch of listener emails in this series cover more great character moments and recasting suggestions/heresies. An important question about Starbug is answered. An important question about polymorphs and holograms is also answered. And an important question about space weevils is raised. 

Another listener plays detective over that Simpsons comic featuring Rimmer. And we hear lots of opinions about whether or not we...

Back to our bulging email inbox for more brilliant listener emails. Starting with a big challenge: what are the best bits of acting by each of the Boys From The Dwarf, across the whole series? 

This week, our listeners have been doing some impressive detective work – from tracking down the pilot of an American sci fi sitcom set on a familiar “rock collecting spaceship”, through to finding pictorial evidence of a Red Dwarf c...

We open a fresh batch of your emails and dig into everything from cat paws, to the iconic design of Starbug, to fancying Lister. We get into a spirited defence of being a nerd, a mini rant about a Late Late Show host who hasn’t been on Red Dwarf, and a little look ahead to series 7 and 8. Plus: a beautiful account of four decades of Red Dwarf fandom, a great question about a Red Dwarf movie, and the best gym music playlist recommen...

2026 can’t properly begin until we’ve answered emails from listeners old and new. Here’s the first of a few bonus eps from our inbox. Topics this time include cardio maths, sanity and socialising, ageing punks, the art of the bleep, and Frankenstein. Of course, we also discuss a whole bunch of Red Dwarf episodes…happy new year!

SO WHAT IS IT?

Better Than Life is the pod where comedians talk Red Dwarf, the greatest sci-fi sitc...

Tuck into a delicious special all about food in Red Dwarf, featuring food journalist and author Andrew Webb. As both a big fan of the show and an expert on cuisine, Andrew is the perfect guest to guide us through the Dwarf’s gastronomic delights. It’s all here: vending machines, dog food, curry, triple fried egg chill chutney sandwiches and a glass of chilled Sancerre.

We explore the British food scene in the 80s and 90s, Grant ...

Singer-songwriter Jamie Lenman is a hero to noughties alt-rock kids for fronting the band Reuben, and a hero to sci-fi fans for his Doctor Who Magazine illustrations. As a big Dwarf fan, he’s the ideal guest for this special ep about the musical magic of our favourite sci-fi sitcom. 

We ask why there’s such a crossover between fans of Red Dwarf, Doctor Who and rock music (especially Queen). We go big on the genius of Howard...

More smegstra content from series 6. Gemma Arrowsmith and Guy Kelly have more to say about Rimmerworld, Out Of Time and series 6 in general – from Rimmer’s concubines, to the tragedy of Grant-Naylor’s split. 

Plus: how come Cat never gets his own episode? And when the chat is done, we reveal next week’s exciting bonus episode, guesting a cult hero of the UK music scene! 

SO WHAT IS IT?

Better Than Life is the pod...

Smegstra content from three of our amazing series 6 guests. These clips might be offcuts from the episodes we released – but don’t think they don’t taste great. They’re delicious. 

First, enjoy a banquet of extra Ellis! Taskmaster star Phil talks product non-placement, Red Dwarf series 7, and those salads you get with a curry. 

Next, we present more Jessica Knappett to feast your ears on – from space jargon, to Davi...

It’s time to put a bow on the first six series of Red Dwarf. So we sit down with Gemma Arrowsmith to discuss our favourite episodes from across the classic Grant-Naylor era. It’s a great big celebration of just how brilliant the show and its people are. 

Then Fergus pits John against Tom Neenan and Guy Kelly in a Red Dwarf quiz that’s alright for you listening, you’ll probably think it was easy, but actually it was really t...

To close out the Grant-Naylor era of Red Dwarf, the genius Gemma Arrowsmith returns. We explore why these glory days came to an end, and ponder if the show’s creators could ever return. Gemma will be back in a near-future episode to give an overview of the first six series of Britain’s best loved sci-fi sitcom – because this week, we’ve got more than enough to explore!

It turns out we can fill a whole episode rabbiting about ser...

Raise a glass of chilled Sancerre for the return of Guy Kelly! We discuss catchphrases, competence and the swagger of series 6 – what does success mean for an underdog show? Obviously there’s some book chat. And Guy shares his brilliant theory about the one change that would have made Lister and Rimmer grow into completely different, happier adults. 

Then we raise our many collective eyebrows at series 6 episode 5, Rimmerwo...

From hosting OutsideXbox and the Mom Can’t Cook! podcast, to winning awards for his horror writing, Andy Farrant is a renaissance man of geekery. He tells tales of how his parents used to bribe him with Red Dwarf videos, and the lines of Dwarf dialogue that live in his head. We also chat about how the show has aged, and explore the idea of series 1 and 2 as prequel. 

Then it’s time to discuss series 6 episode 4, Emohawk: Po...

You’ll know comedian, actor and writer Jessica Knappett from her sitcoms Drifters and Avoidance, Taskmaster, and from The Inbetweeners Movie. Red Dwarf is a childhood favourite and her comfort watch to this day. She talks about fancying Lister in her youth, the show’s lack of pretension, and the weird day when she was cast in the revived Red Dwarf on Dave! 

We take a steady aim at series 6 episode 3, the Emmy Award-winning ...

Star of the new Taskmaster series, Phil Ellis shares the jaw-dropping true story of the time he almost got cast in Red Dwarf. It’s one of the most bonkers and traumatic tales we’ve ever heard! A fan from the beginning, you won’t believe which character Phil wanted to be as a child. He also talks about loving the less-loved episodes. And he offers up an excellent selection of options in the return of our recasting game. 

We ...

Who better to start our voyage into series 6 than returning legend Tom Neenan?! Not only is Tom an incredibly eloquent and insightful comedy writer and performer…but this is also his favourite series of Red Dwarf! Consequently, we spend a lot of time together in Overthinking Corner. And Tom can’t help giving us his own preview of the rest of the series. 

But before we get to that juicy look ahead, we go into series 6 episod...

Kippers smoked. We’re back for breakfast. And series 6. 

SO WHAT IS IT?

Better Than Life is the pod where comedians talk Red Dwarf, the greatest sci-fi sitcom, one episode at a time. With a fresh guest every ep, we’re your perfect podcast companion for a first watch or a rewatch. Be warned: spoilers! 

Hosted by Fergus (huge fan) and John (lapsed fan). 

Production, artwork and insights by Alex Watson. 

Oh wow! More golden nuggets of conversation that were just too tasty to include in our main series 5 episodes. Or which didn’t fit our self-imposed time constraints but are still well worth welcoming into your ears. Or both those things. You decide, as you enjoy extra insights from the marvellous Matthew Highton, Alasdair Beckett-King and Alexis Dubus. 

SO WHAT IS IT?

Better Than Life is the pod where comedians talk Red ...

Happy New Year! Why not treat yourself to some deleted scenes: Bits of interviews with our brilliant guests which couldn't quite fit in their episode - but which are a smashing good time anyway. Featuring snippets from the awesome Cariad Lloyd, Tom Salinsky and Travis McElroy!

SO WHAT IS IT?

Better Than Life is the pod where comedians talk Red Dwarf, the greatest sci-fi sitcom, one episode at a time. With a fresh guest every ...

Merry Christmas! For our festive special, we unwrap some great listener emails and attempt some seasonal chat… but somehow it keeps going a bit weird 

SO WHAT IS IT?

Better Than Life is the pod where comedians talk Red Dwarf, the greatest sci-fi sitcom, one episode at a time. With a fresh guest every ep, we’re your perfect podcast companion for a first watch or a rewatch. Be warned: spoilers! 

Hosted by Fergus (h...