Balance of Power

Series I, Episode 3
Recorded: 04.10.1987, BBC Manchester
First Broadcast: 29.02.1988 (BBC 2)
VHS Release: 05.07.1993 (BBCV 4914)
DVD Release: 04.11.2002 (BBCDVD 1117)
Blu-ray Release: 14.01.2019 (BBCBD 0441)

Written by Rob Grant & Doug Naylor
Directed by Ed Bye

Synopsis

Rimmer encounters his most dangerous blood chilling challenge ever - Lister is taking the chef's exam. If Lister passes he will hold sufficient rank to have Rimmer replaced as the ship's hologram. Just how low will the universe's most obnoxious dead man stoop to stop him?

Cast

Chris Barrie (Rimmer), Craig Charles (Lister), Danny John-Jules (Cat), Norman Lovett (Holly), Rupert Bates (Trout a la Creme and Chef), Paul Bradley (Chen), David Gillespie (Selby), Mark Williams (Peterson), C P Grogan (Kochanski)

Did You Know?

This was one of the most heavily edited episodes for 1998's Remastered project, with the entire "Black Card" conversation sequences being cut out.

The cliffhanger ending of this episode was deliberately misleading: although it suggested a change in status quo with Lister apparently now outranking Rimmer, the next episode revealed that the closing line was a simple lie!

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