Dave’s continued investment in more episodes of Red Dwarf continues to be vindicated, as the official ratings have now come in for its debut episode.

Red Dwarf XII has attracted, in all, 700,800 viewers according to official figures. That makes it the top rated non-public service broadcasted scripted show of its week. In fact, it was third overall amongst subscription service channels, trailing only two different football matches on Sky Sports.

The opening episode picked up 3.67% of the audience, and it suggests – off the back of strong reviews too – that the show is in rude health. Those conversations about Red Dwarf XIII might just start picking up steam…