Red Dwarf characters

Character descriptions and casting details for the Red Dwarf BBC sitcom and series of novels by Rob Grant and Doug Naylor.

Major characters

David Lister

See Dave Lister for the main article on this character

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David Lister is portrayed by Craig Charles in the television series.

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The most important thing to know about Dave Lister is that he is the last human man in the known universe. The second most important thing to know is that his best clothes have only two curry stains down the front.

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Arnold Rimmer

See Arnold Rimmer for the main article on this character

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Arnold Judas Rimmer BSC, SSC (standing for Bronze Swimming Certificate, Silver Swimming Certificate), who sometimes goes by Arnold Jonathan Rimmer is played by Chris Barrie in the television series. He is instantly recognisable by both the permanent sneer on his lips and the "H" (hologram) symbol on his forehead.

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He is the second lowest rank on the ship, a Second Technician, immediately over David Lister, Third Technician, the two are charged with the incredibly important job of chicken soup machine repair.

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The Cat

See The Cat for the main article on this character

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The Cat is played by Danny John-Jules in the television series.

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The character has no name besides, "The Cat." He is the humanoid descendant of a modern house cat called Frankenstein, which had been Dave Lister's pet cat. He is believed to be the last remaining member of his species, Felis sapiens.

Related Topics:
Dave Lister - Felis sapiens

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The Cat thinks only of his own well being, and would "rather die than wear polyester".

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Kryten

See Kryten for the main article on this character

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Kryten is played by Northampton-born actor Robert Llewellyn in the television series.

Related Topics:
Northampton - Actor - Robert Llewellyn

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Kryten (full name, "Kryten 2X4B-523P", though he never really liked the "2X4B" part) is a Series 4000 mechanoid or "slave 'noid" — a robotic servant — and is quite neurotic. He is very humanoid, with the exception of the flat cubic planes visible on his face and head. Once the personal servant of three attractive female crew members of the Nova 5, he is now reduced to serving the slobbish Dave Lister, the only surviving human crew member on Red Dwarf.

Related Topics:
Neurotic - Nova 5 - Dave Lister

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Holly

See Holly for the main article on this character

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Holly is an intelligent computer. Holly's user interface appears on ship screens as a disembodied human head on a black background, and can also be downloaded into a watch worn by Lister. As a male he appeared as around 50 years old with receding brown hair (completely bald on top as of series 8), and as a female she appears as a woman of ambiguous age but probably 30-ish with long blond hair. In series 1 he was pixelated but this idea was dropped in series 2.

Related Topics:
Intelligent - Computer - User interface - Head

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Kristine Kochanski

See Kristine Kochanski for the main article on this character

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Kristine Kochanski is Red Dwarf's Navigation Officer, and the ex-girlfriend of Dave Lister before she was killed by a radiation leak. In the first episode (before the accident) she was played by Clare Grogan. who reprised the role in the episode Balance of Power, both in flashback and as a hologram. She also featured in the Series 2 time travel episode Stasis Leak, and made a brief appearance as a hallucination in the Series 6 episode Psirens. In the seventh season an alternate universe version played by Chloë Annett became a permanent member of the crew after Arnold Rimmer left.

Related Topics:
Dave Lister - Radiation - Clare Grogan - Hologram - Time travel - Hallucination - Alternate universe - Chloë Annett - Arnold Rimmer

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