Missing Dave?

How Virgin Media viewers can still get Red Dwarf.

27 July, 2018

Like many viewers, we were disappointed to learn this week that the UKTV slate of channels - including Red Dwarf's home base of Dave - have been removed from the Virgin Media cable TV platform. As explained by UKTV's Steve North, this is down to a dispute over pricing that at the time of writing has yet to be resolved:

We're committed to answering your questions so we have an update for @virginmedia viewers #bringbackuktvpic.twitter.com/zIBCxl1dKW

— Official UKTV (@UKTV) July 23, 2018

Of course we understand that this might leave Red Dwarf fans concerned that they won't be able to get their fix of the show in future. While a thirteenth series of Red Dwarf has not yet been commissioned by UKTV, all concerned are hopeful that it may happen at some point in future - and if it does, we wouldn't want those without access to the channel to miss out!

Should the issue not be resolved - and the channels restored - soon, however, there are fortunately still plenty of ways you can view not just any potential new episodes of Red Dwarf, but repeat runs of the Dave and BBC eras of the show as and when they occur on Dave.

First and foremost, Dave is of course a Freeview channel, available through any television or set-top box with a digital freeview tuner (which should be all of them, as analogue signals are no longer transmitting in the UK!) If your tuning is up to date you can find Dave on channel 12, or the Dave ja vu time-shifted channel at 79. And if you have a Freesat dish, you'll find it on 157.

Pay services Sky and BT, meanwhile, both have access to the Dave HD channel - on 111 and 387 respectively. At present, these providers are the only ways to get the HD version in the UK.

Then, of course, there's the online UKTV Play service - which offers catch-up viewing of all major shows, including Red Dwarf, and which has even debuted the last two series of the show before their linear broadcasts! As well as being available on the web, for Android and iOS, you can get UKTV Play via some pay services' built-in on-demand platforms - check with your provider for availability.

And that's without even going into the various on-demand platforms for streaming and download, such as Netflix, iTunes and Amazon Prime, which we've previously rounded up for you. Not to mention the ever-present DVD and Blu-ray sets!

So while it's sad to see the UKTV channels disappear from Virgin, and we certainly hope the situation is resolved soon, if it's Red Dwarf you're most concerned about missing, you still have plenty of ways to keep yourself immersed in the show!

Check out our Watch section for a guide to on-demand and broadcast showings!