Meltdown

Series IV, Episode 6
Recorded: 29.11.1990, Shepperton Studios
First Broadcast: 21.03.1991 (BBC 2)
VHS Release: 02.11.1992 (BBCV 4848)
DVD Release: 16.02.2004 (BBCDVD 1307)
Blu-ray Release: 14.01.2019 (BBCBD 0441)

Written by Rob Grant & Doug Naylor
Directed by Ed Bye

Synopsis

A matter transporter whisks the crew to Waxworld - a giant theme park, where the waxdroids have broken their programming, and are running amok. Hitler, Caligula and the Boston Strangler lead an army of darkness against the forces of Elvis, Gandhi and Stan Laurel.

Cast

Chris Barrie (Rimmer), Craig Charles (Lister), Danny John-Jules (Cat), Hattie Hayridge (Holly), Robert Llewellyn (Kryten), Clayton Mark (Elvis), Kenneth Hadley (Hitler), Martin Friend (Einstein), Stephen Tiller (Pythagoras), Jack Klaff (Abraham Lincoln), Tony Hawks (Caligula), Michael Burrell (Pope Gregory), Forbes Mason (Stan Laurel), Roger Blake (Noel Coward), Pauline Bailey (Marilyn Monroe)

Did You Know?

In the temporary absence of Tony Hawks, audience warmup on the filming night for this episode was a little-known comedian by the name of Eddie Izzard. Wonder whatever happened to him?

Meltdown should have gone out first in the order, but as with Dimension Jump, was pushed back due to its anti-war message conflicting with then-current events. The Gulf War ended on 28th February 1991 - the night that Series IV's third episode, Justice, went out - leaving the way clear for the two contentious episodes to be shown without any delay.

This episode had Red Dwarf's largest guest cast to date, although many of the wax droid extras went uncredited. There was a late replacement, too, with original Ghandi actor Alex Tetteh-Lartey unable to perform the press-ups that were required. He was replaced by Charles Reynolds.

The deliberately-unconvincing prehistoric monsters were taken from footage of the 1967 Japanese monster movie Daikyoju Gappa.

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