1. Tikka To Ride (28' 40" Regular Version)

(37' 15" Xtended Version)

17/01/1997

Michael J. Shannon (John F. Kennedy) Toby Aspin (Lee Harvey Oswald) Peter Gaitens (FBI Agent) Peter Ashe (Cop)

After Starbug was destroyed, the future crew no longer existed - therefore were unable to go back in time and kill the present crew, hence they survived.  But unfortunately disaster has struck. Starbug is completely devoid of curries. Lister proposes that they go back in time to order a couple of hundred curries from an Indian Restaurant. The rest of the crew will not go back in time because they are afraid of becoming the future selves they saw. However, Lister removes a guilt chip from one of Kryten's spare heads and swaps them over, telling the new guilt-less Kryten to reassure them it will be OK.  They go back and appear in the Texas School Book Depository in Dallas on November 22nd 1963 just as Lee Harvey Oswald is taking his shot at President Kennedy. They knock him out the window where he dies hitting the ground, preventing Kennedy's assassination.  To avoid being captured they go ahead a couple of years, however Kennedy's survival causes an alternate reality where he has been impeached out of office and the new president is controlled by the Mafia, allowing the Soviet Union to build several Nuclear Silos in Cuba. Fearing the Soviets will start a nuclear war, all the major US cities are deserted.  Lister goes to the airport which would have been renamed JFK Airport where Kennedy is being transported to prison. He persuades Kennedy to go back in time with them, and be the gunman on the grassy knoll, and shoot himself for the ultimate conspiracy theory. After restoring Earth's normal timeline, The gang return to Starbug. Of course they still haven't got any curries...

After four long years the seventh season of Red Dwarf finally appears, but without co-creator Rob Grant. Grant had decided he wanted to do other projects and didn't want to be remembered only for one show. This is the only series of Red Dwarf not to be filmed before a studio audience, allowing greater freedom of camera positions and set design. Due to this, the Starbug sets were modified so we could see more areas of the ship.  An alternate ending to this episode, where Lister does in fact find curry, was filmed especially for release on the Red Dwarf Extended video.  The name of the time-travelling ship encountered in "Out of Time" is stated for the first time here by Cat as the Gemini 12.  For this series only a filmic picture effect had been added to the show.

2. Identity Within (44’ 04”)

The 'lost episode' from Red Dwarf VII was dropped for budgetary reasons but can be viewed here via a series of storyboards with all dialogue performed by Chris Barrie. Highly adept at impressions Barrie carries this exceptionally well even if the actual content is lacking in comedy value. The episode concerns itself with The Cat finally getting his end away, tracking down a lady-cat to satisfy his needs over a matter of life and death (literally).

3. Stoke Me A Clipper (aka Natural Born Rimmers) (29’ 14”)

24/01/1997

Brian Cox (King of Camelot) Ken Morley (Captain Voorhese) Sarah Alexander (Queen of Camelot) John Thompson (Good Knight) Alison Senior (Princess Bonjella) Mark Lingwood (Gestapo Officer) Mark Calisle (Lieutenant)

After travelling through countless realities, Commander 'Ace' Rimmer returns to the Red Dwarf crew to ask a favor of his alternate self. It seems that the real Ace Rimmer died years ago and has been replaced many times over by his counterpart from each reality. This Ace Rimmer will soon die and asks our Rimmer to be his sucessor as an inter-galactic hero.  After a little push from Lister, which seems to bring the two closer together, Rimmer decides to accept the offer and begins his training. When Ace dies, Rimmer dons his outfit and says his goodbye to the crew before leaving Starbug.

Chris Barrie leaves the series at this point. He returns as a regular cast member for Season 8. Due to the chaotic schedule of Series VI, Chris Barrie had asked only to appear in two episodes this season, but was persuaded to film four. However, Rimmer was written out in the second episode to allow development of the new Kochanski and appeared in flashbacks or dream sequences for the other two episodes. With production of Series VII being more relaxed and not filmed before a studio audience, Chris decided to return to the show for Series VIII.  This is the first episode not to have the "It's cold outside..." Red Dwarf theme song over the end credits in any form. Instead we have the "Ace Rimmer" theme playing.  The James Bond Scene from this episode is regarded as one of Red Dwarf's best ever.

4. Ouroboros (29’ 37” Regular Version)

(32’ 44” Xtended Version)

31/01/1997

Gary Beasdale (Frank) Juliet Griffiths (Barmaid) Adrienne Posta (Flight Announcer) Alexander John-Jules (Baby Lister)

Over 3,000,000 years ago in the Aigbuth Arms pub, a box with a baby inside was placed under a pool table with just the word Ouroboros written on the side… Returning to the present day, the crew come across a wormhole between dimensions. They go through the wormhole, and meet an alternate version of themselves. Rimmer isn't there, Lister is a Hologram, Kochanski is alive, and Kryten is wearing a gold suit. They decide to exchange information and Kochanski requests that Lister fills a canister up with his sperm, so that she may have a child as her Lister cannot bear children. Unfortunately, Lister's in-law's - the GELFs attack (see Emohawk), and cause a break in the wormhole and Kochanski becomes caught on this side.  They eventually manage to escape the GELFs, thanks to Kochanski's navigation. Kryten is jealous because Lister likes Kochanski more then him and is glad when they return to the wormhole to get her back to her own dimension. On a box they found some supplies in, Lister notices has a label "Ouroboros", with a symbol on it: a snake biting his own tail, meaning infinity - a neverending circle. Lister recognises this as what was on his own box and realises that he is his own father and Kochanski is his mother. He rushes after Kochanski to get the in-vetro tube back before she returns to her reality.  Disaster strikes, as the GELFs return and make the break in the wormhole even bigger. Kochanski tries to jump across and misses the other side, falling into a deep black void. While she's falling, Lister rushes back and gets a crossbow and a rope which Kryten happened to have handy, and harpoons Kochanski and pulls her back to his side. 18 months later, Lister takes he and Kochanski's child, and puts him in a box, writing "Ouroboros" on it, so it would remind himself of the sign when the child got to be him, and he would bring back his child, etc...

Because of a slightly longer running time, this episode does not contain opening titles, the first since 'Parallel Universe' in series II. Lister's son/baby self is played by Danny John-Jules' nephew, Alexander.  Due to Chris Barrie's departure from the show, this episode re-introduces the Red Dwarf crew member Kristine Kochanski. As the role would be fuller than previously, the producers decided to recast the part rather than bring back C.P. Grogan who played the character in seasons 1-2. Actress Chloe Annett was eventually cast as the new Kochanski.  The video release "Red Dwarf X-tended" features scenes that were cut from the TV broadcast. In one scene the alternate Lister, Cat and Kryten are on board Starbug exchanging supplies. The alternate Cat speaks with a deep macho voice and the alternate Lister appears to prefer pasta to curry.  When Kryten is moaning about the crew of the Nova 5 leaving him, Lister says: "You killed the crew!". This has never actually been mentioned before in the TV series but the first novel Infinity Welcomes Careful Drivers details how the Nova 5 crashed: Kryten decided to give the drive computer a bath!

5. Duct Soup (29' 23" Regular Version)

(33' 31" Xtended Version)

07/02/1997

Kochanski is not adjusting very well to being on Starbug and Lister tries to make her feel better by building her a makeshift bathtub and finding some extra clothing for her. Kryten thinks that this means they are growing closer and soon will not need him so he 'accidentally' causes an engine failure, forcing the crew to crawl around in the air ducts to get to the engine room.

The opening titles were omitted from this episode as they were considered to be expendable when the episode overran. This is the first episode not to feature Chris Barrie as Rimmer at any point.  A scene that was cut but appears on "Red Dwarf X-tended" has the crew stop to rest during their crawl through the air ducts. Lister tells them of the time he spent in an orphanage involving a friend called Squeaky Gibson while Kochanski mentions what life was like for her after Cyber-school. Cat finishes off the scene with his "Me" speech as to why the Universe revolves around him.

6. Blue (27' 23")

14/02/1997

While Kochanski is still trying to get back to her dimension and Kryten is still jealous of the relationship that she could have with Lister; Lister begins to miss Rimmer and reflects on some of the fun times that he and Rimmer spent together in the early days after the accident. When he has a dream that Rimmer returns and he and Rimmer kiss, Kryten tries some psychology to get to the bottom of Lister's problem. However Kochanski has a little talk with Lister and makes him realise why he misses Rimmer, much to Kryten's disgust. Kryten, having to be one step better than Kochanski, creates "The Rimmer Experience" a virtual reality rollercoaster created from Rimmer's memories, depicting him thinking of himself as a 'Hero' and a 'Remarkable Person', giving Cat fashion tips and believing that Lister has called for Rimmer to save him before he wets himself. As the ride finishes Lister is so angry at Rimmer that Kryten sticks it to Kochanski because his method worked better than hers.

This is the last episode of the season to feature Chris Barrie The voice we hear when Rimmer is singing is not Chris Barrie's  The video cassette "Red Dwarf X-tended" featured an extended version of the Rimmer Munchkin Song.

7. Beyond a Joke (28' 52")

21/02/1997

Don Henderson (Simulant) Vicky Ogden (Mrs Bennet) Alina Proctor (Jane Bennet) Catherine Harvey (Kitty Bennet) Sophia Thierens (Lydia Bennet) Rebecca Katz (Mary Bennet) Julia Lloyd (Elizabeth Bennet)

Kryten finds a lobster scuttling around the cargo hold and cooks an elaborate feast for the crew as it is the anniversary of when he was rescued from the Nova 5. The rest of the crew however have prepared to enter a virtual reality world of Jane Austen, where Kochanski hopes to teach them a little culture. Kryten is extremely upset that they left without touching his feast and enters the VR world, blowing up the characters of the game with a tank and ordering the crew to supper. Kryten seems to calm down as they tuck into the lobster but Lister asks for a little ketchup to 'pep it up' and Kryten blows his top. Literally.  They replace his head but the rage still flows through him and they eventually run out of spare heads. They go aboard a derelict ship and find some heads but they dont have their primers installed. The crew realise that it is a simulant ship and hightail it, but they cannot leave without the heads so they dress up as GELFs and make a deal with the simulant captain. They get the heads but when they return to Starbug it has been looted and Kryten is gone.  The simulant brings Kryten's body aboard his ship and tells another series 4000 mechanoid, Able to repair him. Kochanski devises a plan to make the simulants think that they planted a bomb on the ship and it works. The simulant, along with his GELF partner, Able and Kryten, beams aboard Starbug and demands to know where the bomb is. They refuse and the simulant tells Kryten the code to a sealed file in his memory about his creator. Able helps the crew escape and they enter an asteroid belt for cover. Kryten tells Lister that his creator was supposed to be married to another scientist but he left her at the alter. She then created a mechanoid in his image, an ugly, annoying, pompous android: the 4000 series. Lister consoles him by saying that he is different now than when he was first created. The simulant ship finds them because of Able's stupidity and Kryten scolds him. Able heads out in a pod and destroys the simulant ship, sacrificing himself in the process.

The tank Kryten uses in the VR Simulation is the same one driven through the streets of St Petersburg by Pierce Brosnan in Goldeneye.

8. Epideme (28' 58")

28/02/1997

Nicky Leatherbarrow (Caroline Carmen) Gary Martin (Epideme)

The crew come across another Jupiter Mining Corporation vessel. Everyone on it is dead except for one person who is preserved in a block of ice. They take her aboard Starbug but the ice doesn't melt, even in very warm temperatures. They decide to leave it till morning to decide what to do. During the night, the woman inside breaks out, covered in rotting skin and dead flesh and climbs into bed with Lister, who believes it's Kochanski. One thing leads to another, but when she kisses Lister, she falls dead, and Lister realises he's just taken about half her face with that kiss.

It turns out it was a virus inside the woman, known as Epideme, who infects it's victims, takes their knowledge, kills them and then preserves the body and waits for another victim. Epideme has now entered Lister. After hours of trying to reason with it, they try to get rid of it by forcing it into Lister's arm and then cutting the arm off. Unfortunately, it doesn't work and Epideme begins to regenerate himself. Lister gets up and decides to sacrifice his life, because otherwise when it finishes with him, it'll move on to Kochanski and the Cat. Seconds before detonation, Epideme reveals a clue to a possible cure and they head to a planet. Unfortunately the planet was destoyed, and the cure did not lie there. Kochanski gets an idea from Epideme and temporarily kills Lister, allowing the virus to enter her, but she uses a fake arm, thus killing the epideme. They revive Lister and all is well; except Lister only has one arm......

9. Nanarchy (28' 53")

07/03/1997

Lister is quite annoyed that his right arm has been cut off, but seems to enjoy Kryten nursing him 24 hours a day; and Kryten is absolutely loving it. Kochanski becomes fed up with seeing Kryten doing things for him that he could easily do with one arm and comes up with a solution - use nanobots from Kryten's self-repair system to rebuild Lister's arm. Unfortunately, Kryten hasn't last seen the nanobots since they had met the Despair Squid (see Back To Reality) They all go into the deep sleep booths and make their way back to the ocean planet.  The computer brings them out of deep sleep and they discover a planet which the Navicomp says is Red Dwarf. They are able to retrieve the original Holly and he explains that the nanobots had deconstructed Red Dwarf, created their own miniscule version of the ship and turned the rest into a planet for safekeeping. They realise that it was the nano version of RD that they were chasing and the nanobots evaded them by coming aboard Starbug and travelling around their own galaxy inside Lister clothes hamper.  After much persuasion, Kryten convinces the nanobots to fix Lister and Red Dwarf. The nanobots follow Kryten's orders and reconstruct Lister's body, going one step further and turning him into Mr Universe! Cat takes control and guides Starbug into Red Dwarf's landing bay. It seems awfully big and Starbug's engines make the sound of a buzzing fly as it passes under another, massive Starbug!

"Uh, Guys; I think we've got a problem here!"

From this episode the original Holly (Norman Lovett) returns to the show. This was the first Red Dwarf episode to open with a flashback on the previous epsiode.  The scene where Cat sees Red Dwarf move across space is reminiscent of the original opening.