'Red Dwarf': Series X Episode 3 review

Some haphazard DIY, Swedish flatpack assembly, meeting Jesus and an unscheduled visit to Earth are just some of the adventures that befall the Red Dwarf crew this week in an episode that finds them trying to reach their physical peak, but instead travelling back to one of the most important times in human history.

The discovery of a Rejuvenation Shower, a device that returns the human body to its physical prime sends Lister (Craig Charles), Rimmer (Chris Barrie), Cat (Danny John-Jules) and Kryten (Robert Llewellyn) to Albion, ancient Britain in 23AD. But getting back to Red Dwarf proves difficult, and soon a trek across the known world in search of a battery brings them to India, where they meet Jesus and set off a chain of events that change Christianity and even, humanity.

Sometimes the best parts of the original series of Red Dwarf were when the crew found themselves in not just a different universe, or on a different planet, it was when they were transported to a different time – usually by accident rather than design. And it’s Red Dwarf’s attention to history, love of adventure and ability to make the most illogical happenings seem both logical and entertaining that have made the series so great.

This episode shows that this tradition is very much alive and well in the new run, and gives the series some much needed substance and direction, which was lacking in the first two episodes. Perhaps the strongest episode from Series X so far, this episode has so much going for it, from an unexpected visit back to Earth, to religious conspiracy, to blazing religious and stinging social commentary.

Cat, who was sorely neglected in the last episode, features more, but one wonders if he could get more of a storyline in the rest of the series. Fun, witty but perhaps a little reliant on jokes about DIY, this third episode has the beginnings of a true return to form for Red Dwarf.