When I was a teenager I decided to get some goldfish. There were three of them, and they were duly named Lister, Rimmer, and Kryten. It seemed cruel and existentially confusing to name a fish The Cat, so the decision of which of the four main characters to leave out was made easier for my teen self.

Hopefully, this admission provides some sort of credence for my claim to be able to pick the ten best supporting characters in the glorious history of Red Dwarf. If not, then at least we have all been able to share a moment. And just so we are all clear on the criteria here, both Holly and Kristine Kochanski are counted as main characters, as they have been in so many episodes.

For many it seemed like Red Dwarf had lost its way by the eighth series and the Back To Earth miniseries, seemingly unlikely to recapture the charm and comic writing of the earlier years. But Red Dwarf X has made many a Dwarfer very happy, so much so that we all have our fingers crossed for an eleventh run. So, basking in the warm glow of tenth series success, let’s take a look at some of the best supporting characters in Red Dwarf…

Duane Dibley

In the episode Back to Reality where we first meet Duane Dibley, the Red Dwarf crew are led to believe they have been playing a completely immersive video game which has just ended. They are awoken back on Earth to discover that they are in fact all completely different people. The Cat is probably the most disapointed to find out he is thermos-carrying, anorak wearing super-nerd Duane Dibley. With no style, bad teeth, and a bowl-haircut, Duane Dibley is the total antithesis of everything The Cat has ever known and admired about himself.