Happy 30th birthday, smegheads!

Goldfish shoals nibbling at their toes not pictured

It’s a remarkable three decades since science fiction comedy Red Dwarf lifted off on BBC Two.

Since then, it’s four main characters have intermittently careered across the universe, and our screens, in twelve series of the show named after it’s inhabitants’ space ship.

Dave Lister - the last surviving, slobby, member of the human race. Arnold Rimmer - the cowardly, irritating, hologram. Kryten – a deranged service mechanoid who really wants to be human. Cat – a vain, self-obsessed creature descended from a kitty smuggled onboard.

Brilliant performances from the actors involved, and top notch comedic writing by creators Rob Grant and Doug Naylor, landed the show an International Emmy Award in 1994, along with the accolade of being crowned “Best BBC Comedy Series”.

A ten year gap between 1999 and 2009 was followed by a switch to digital TV channel Dave, giving them some of the highest ratings achieved by a non-Public Service Broadcasting commission, and more awards, including being voted “Comedy of the Year” by readers of the British Comedy Guide in 2016.

Whilst the often-mooted movie has never materialised, Red Dwarf XII, which aired last year, saw the show re-visit some original characters and stories, and once again brighten up our lives with six more episodes with our favourite ‘boys from the Dwarf’, and their calamitous adventures. Long may the Fun Fun Fun continue.

I have a sudden thirst for some fresh mango juice.

This post first appeared as the second piece in my column/page in The Mail and the News & Star, on the 23rd of February 2018, where it was re-titled as "Long may the Fun Fun Fun continue", with my original title used as the first line instead. 2 pictures from the show were included - this piece was a little under the 250 words.

I bloody love Red Dwarf. Reluctantly, I've just binned two VHS tapes of "Smeg Ups" and "Smeg Outs" in a clear out. Even the bits that went wrong were hilarious.

(CD A-Z: ULLAdubULLA II - The Remix Album, from Jeff Wayne's Musical Version Of The War Of The Worlds.)

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