Red Dwarf's on-screen return may have been cruelly taken away from us, but the franchise continues to live on in various ways – and it was even considered for a musical adaptation at one point, it's been revealed.
Opening up to Radio Times about upcoming novel Red Dwarf: Titan, co-writer Andrew Marshall explained that Rob Grant, Red Dwarf's co-creator, had various plans for the show before his passing earlier this year.
"I think Rob had the rights to do a stage version of Red Dwarf," Marshall said. "We did talk about whether we could make it a musical or something! I don't know whether that's at all possible or not, but that was a very interesting idea. So there were other angles that could have been gone into."
Marshall also explained that animated episodes of Red Dwarf were in the works before Grant's passing.
"We did start work with some great animators in Wales to try and begin work on an animated version," he said.
"We put this aside briefly because we were going to write the book, and we thought the book would take about six months, and in fact the book took about two years to write, because it was so immensely fiddly, fitting it into the canon, and so forth, and so that was all put aside unfortunately.
"That would have been quite interesting - we were planning to do 15-minute animated Red Dwarf episodes, but I'm afraid that got postponed, and that was probably one of the things we would have gone back to."
For now, new novel Red Dwarf: Titan is sure to tide over fans who are eager for more from Lister and co. It's set for publication on 16 July and will see star Chris Barrie (who played Rimmer in the TV series) narrate the audiobook.
Speaking to Radio Times in the weeks before his passing, Grant explained of the novel: "It's Lister and Rimmer before the accident on shore leave on Titan.
"It's set one universe to the side, so we can have familiar characters but we can do different things with them, because the difficulty was writing something that was going to be original and fresh and using the same characters without breaking the canon."
He added that the story will see Lister and Rimmer "get a message from the far future warning them that all realities are going to collapse unless they do something about it."
Marshall now says: "I think it was really good to have a much bigger canvas to work on than the usual confined sitcom version of it. It enabled us to interweave the plot strands more effectively into a more filmic piece of work, and also we were able to make interesting character arcs."
Red Dwarf: Titan will publish in hardback, ebook and audio on 16 July 2026 and is available to preorder now. Red Dwarf is available to stream on BBC iPlayer.
Check out more of our Sci-fi coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more TV recommendations and reviews, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
Hence then, the article about red dwarf co creator considered musical version of beloved sitcom was published today ( ) and is available on Radio Times ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( Red Dwarf co-creator considered musical version of beloved sitcom )
Also on site :
- 20 Years Later, This 2000s Emo Band Remains 'One of the Most Significant Rock Bands' Amid Sold-Out Tour
- ‘Motor City’ Review: Potsy Ponciroli’s Audacious Thriller — a Scorsese Opera without Dialogue — Announces the Arrival of a Startling Voice
- Skating Legend, Who Entered the 1988 Winter Olympics as an Underdog, Delivered One of Figure Skating's Greatest Routines