Play It By Ear

Hear the Red Dwarf audio library on your platform of choice!

4 October, 2019

You're never alone when you're carrying your phone - and even better, if your phone's got access to any of the many audio streaming and download platforms that are out there these days, then you need never be without a healthy dose of Red Dwarf in your pocket.

And we don't just mean the episodes, either - you can get the in-depth, expanded universe of the Red Dwarf novels playing in your ears as you pound the streets, drive from A to B or stand squeezed into someone's armpit on a train carriage. Or even just sitting in the comfort of your own home.

As you might be aware, there are two distinct audio versions of the Infinity Welcomes Careful Drivers/Better Than Life saga - although both feature the vocal stylings of one Chris Barrie, narrating the story as well as doing his customary impersonations of every other character besides Rimmer. The unabridged audiobooks, as their names suggest, give you basically the entirety of both books - running to a total of nearly fifteen hours' worth of material.

But if you don't have that much time to devote to listening, then the Red Dwarf Radio Shows might be for you. These cut-down versions are presented, as the name suggests, in a shorter form more akin to a radio drama (indeed, in further-edited form, they do actually get broadcast on BBC Radio 4 and 4 Extra from time to time) - with opening and closing music and additional audio cues added for atmosphere.

Depending on your platform of choice, you can get one or both of these versions, either as a subscription stream or on download-to-own. iTunes users can find the unabridged versions in the Audiobooks section, and the Radio Show in the "Comedy" section of the music store - the latter of which is also available on the Apple Music streaming platform.

Fellow music streaming services Spotify and Deezer both have the Radio Show versions available in their entirety - and it's worth noting that of all the services listed here, Spotify is the one that actually offers a completely free, albeit ad-supported, listening service. In fact, you can listen to the episodes right here in this embedded player:

If you're Amazon-inclined, meanwhile, then you can find the unabridged books over at Audible - where you can buy outright or listen as part of a monthly subscription, as well as getting one book for free when you sign up for the initial free trial - and again, the Radio Show can be found over in the music section, either for purchase or with an Amazon Music Unlimited subscription.

With all these options available, you really need never be without Chris Barrie in your ears again...

Have we missed your platform of choice? Let us know on Twitter if you find Red Dwarf to stream or download!