Back to Earth - Five Years On

Looking back at the comeback special.

11 April, 2014

Six years ago, things were pretty quiet on the Red Dwarf front. The show had just celebrated its 20th anniversary, it's true - and we'd had the excellent Bodysnatcher Collection boxset the previous November to sate the fans' desires for New Stuff. But the notion that the programme would ever actually make a full-on comeback seemed a remote prospect at best.

Behind the scenes, though, the wheels were already quietly turning - and what had begun as loose discussions for some kind of tribute special for the anniversary would eventually come to fruition on 10th-12th April 2009, as Back to Earth - the three-part miniseries that gave us the first new proper Red Dwarf episodes in a decade - was broadcast on Dave.

It's hard to believe that it's now been five years since that Easter weekend, especially when you consider how much has happened in the world of Red Dwarf since. But in celebration of the special that got the whole revival started, we thought we'd take a look back at some of the key points along the journey from announcement, to broadcast, and aftermath...

1. The Beginning

The announcement that Dave had commissioned four new Red Dwarf specials came in September 2008, and was first made by Robert Llewellyn at UKTV's seasonal press launch. At the time, the announced plan was for a two-part story (no title made public at that time), a "making of" special, and what was described as "a clip show with a difference!" Red Dwarf Unplugged, as it would eventually be known, was ultimately cancelled in favour of the main special being extended into a three-parter.

The production got underway at the end of 2008, with Robert's head casting a now-traditional starting point. The title Back to Earth was revealed in January 2009, with the first tantalising tease of the episode's plot.

2. Corrie Crazy

We never thought we'd see the day when newspaper paparazzi shots would break Red Dwarf news before us - but that's what happened in February, when the cast and crew were snapped in the unlikely setting of Coronation Street. At the end of the week, we revealed the first publicity photo from the series, and explained that yes, you weren't seeing things - and yes, the newly-outfitted crew were indeed appearing on the famous Manchester cobbles. But as to the why? We were keeping schtum...

The production rattled on after that, but we brought you the news that the story was being expanded into a trilogy, the first photo of the brilliant new sleeping quarters set, and information on a fantastic SFX magazine promotion.

3. The Boys Are Back

Back to Earth part one arrived on Good Friday, 10th April 2009 - and was quickly followed by parts two and three and the "Making Of" special on the 11th and 12th. A week later, we learned the phenomenal news that the broadcast had peaked at nearly three million viewers, making it the highest-rated commissioned show ever on a UK digital network. Phew.

4. Digital and Versatile

It wouldn't have taken much for Back to Earth to get the quickest from-broadcast-to-DVD-release record - the previous holder, Series VIII, took seven years - but the shiny disc release was nevertheless super-quick, hitting stores on 15th June 2009, with a first-for-Dwarf Blu-ray release following a couple of months later. Thanks to having been produced in tandem with the show for the first time, the DVD was a slick package, and included - also for the first time ever - a writer/director commentary on the entire special from Doug Naylor himself.

5. Back and Earthed

It was immediately apparent that, with Back to Earth proving such a big hit, the audience was there for new Red Dwarf. And it was equally clear that broadcaster Dave were extremely happy with the specials' performance. A lengthy chat with the channel's head Steve North confirmed just how strong their relationship with the show was - and it made a full, series-length comeback feel like an inevitability.

As we looked towards a New Dwarf-filled future, however, there was still time for retrospection. Former site editor Andrew Ellard wrote an extensive and detailed analysis of the specials that's well worth looking back over, before then getting equally analytical about its various Blade Runner references.

It had been a rollercoaster of a time, but at the end of it, we were left with a Red Dwarf that was no longer just something that lived in the past, but a series with a bright and energetic future, too. Long may that continue to be the case...

Relive Back to Earth on iTunes, and share your memories over on the Forum!