Cat's back! Craig Charles confirms Red Dwarf is back for a new series... with all your favourite characters set to return



Coronation star Craig Charles has stunned Red Dwarf fans by revealing the cult sci-fi show is set to return to our screens for a brand new series next year.

The futuristic BBC comedy - which featured Charles, 46, as Dave Lister, the last remaining human alive - originally ran for eight series over an eleven year period before it was axed in 1999.



Many fans lamented the loss of the sci-fi show, which saw the motley crew of the Red Dwarf mining space ship floating through space with Lister desperate to return to earth, alongside his hologram bunk-mate Rimmer, Holly the computer and the ever cool Cat.



Heading back to Earth: Craig Charles has revealed Red Dwarf will be back for a new series, which the cast will start filming next year



However, in 2009, Freeview channel Dave commissioned three new episodes of the programme to celebrate the 21st anniversary of the show.

And the episode gained record viewings for the channel when they aired over the Easter Break, attracting more viewers than BBC2 and Channel 4 combined.



Now it seems that the unprecedented success of the comeback show Red Dwarf: Back to Earth has led to a new series being commissioned bringing much loved characters including Lister, the Cat and Rimmer back to our screens.



But Charles - who currently plays Weatherfield taxi driver Lloyd Mullaney - is adamant that the new series will only work if it is as funny as the original show.



Back again: Robert Llewellyn (Kryten), Danny John-Jules (Cat) and Craig Charles (Lister) and Chris Barrie (Rimmer) in the comeback show last year

Speaking on Real Radio's breakfast show this week, Charles told presenters Ditchy and Salty: 'It did really well which was really quite weird because we all thought we were just doing it for a laugh.

'It got more viewers than BBC2 and Channel 4 combined on the night which is really good!



Screen star: Craig now appears in Coronation Street



'So they've just commissioned another series of Red Dwarf. We're gonna film at the end of November, December and January.'



Asked whether he thinks Red Dwarf still has a place on our screens, Charles said: 'Well yes only if it's still as funny as it used to be.



'We've gotta recapture the highlights like series 5 series six, that kind of stuff. If we can hit that mark then brilliant. There's no point doing it if it's a bit so-so.'

Liverpuddlian Charles confirmed he will be making a comeback as the leather jacket-wearing Lister in the new series of Red Dwarf, the first series of which first aired in 1988 and gained a cult following throughout the 90's.



When asked whether the Cat, played by Danny John-Jules, and Rimmer, played by Chris Barrie, would be making a return to our screens, Charles said: "Yep, the Cat's coming back!



'Chris Barrie was my favourite. He IS Rimmer. We're all quite like our characters - we're just caricatures of ourselves!'

But fans will be left guessing as to the plot of the new series as Craig has yet to reveal what will happen.



At the end of series eight, the spaceship was overtaken by a mystery virus and the crew all manage to abandoned ship, except for Rimmer who was left stranded alone to face Death - who he had earlier kicked in the groin.

