Red Dwarf: Where have the smegheads been?

Those boys from the Dwarf will be back on our screens at Easter in an all-new adventure on digital channel Dave. But what have the actors behind the slobbish Dave Lister, the cowardly Arnold Rimmer, the feline fashionista Cat and servant robot Kryten been up to since the last series of Red Dwarf in 1999? We take a look at their careers over the last decade. Altogether now - better dead than smeg...



Craig Charles - Dave Lister

After laying down Lister's legendary dreadlocks, Craig Charles secured a regular stream of work that brought out his cheeky Liverpudlian humour and enthusiasm. Presenting duties on BBC2's Robot Wars and a stint narrating cult gameshow Takeshi's Castle kept him busy until 2004.

The barrel was starting to be scraped in 2005 when he signed up for Channel 4's reality sports competition The Games, competing alongside the likes of Chesney Hawkes and Danny from Hear'Say. He managed a respectable fourth place - a far cry from Lister and his distinctly unhealthy shami kebab-munching, curry-guzzling and urine recyc-swigging lifestyle.

A bit part in Sky One's footie drama Dream Team was hardly the crowning glory of his CV, yet 2005 appeared to be a turning point when he scooped the plum role of cabbie Lloyd Mullaney in Coronation Street.

However, Charles's career revival was jeopardised in 2006 when a tabloid ran an exposé of his turbulent private life and addictions, leading to a police caution later that year for possession of a Class A drug. Suspension from the soap ensued, but he returned in early 2007 and remains a popular member of the cast.

Chris Barrie - Arnold Judas Rimmer

People used to quip 'what a guy' whenever Rimmer's dashing alter ego Ace entered the fray. Sadly, not too many kippers were being smoked when it came to Barrie's post-Dwarf career. It seems the millennium bug hit hard as his other sitcoms The Brittas Empire and flop A Prince Among Men failed to make it beyond the late '90s. Even Mr Flibble looked more of a bankable star at the turn of the century.

Barrie took a surprising change in career direction by fronting a number of documentary series on the Discovery Channel (and later Channel 5) such as Massive Machines and Massive Engines. Sadly, Starbug wasn't one of the methods of transport being probed by the talented comic. Short-lived BBC2 quiz show Petrolheads also gave Barrie the chance to display his motoring knowledge in 2006.

He appeared alongside some more impressive bodywork in the shape of Angelina Jolie, playing Lara Croft's butler in both films in the Tomb Raider franchise. A starring role in the 2007 British comedy Back In Business failed to find an audience though, despite the presence of sofa-flogger Martin Kemp.

Danny John Jules - Cat

A key role in 2002's horror sequel Blade II suggested good things were on the horizon for Jules, but a couple of years later he took guest parts in the likes of Casualty and Doctors - a move that usually signals a career on the wane. As Cat might have put it, his career looked deader than corduroy.

However, Jules's charms were lapped up by a new generation of viewers in 2007 thanks to the role of MI9 agent Lenny in two seasons of acclaimed children's show MI High.

Sadly though, a brush with the other side of the law in 2008 meant that the former dancer was convicted of two counts of battery and sentenced to 120 hours community service. Presumably that left him feeling a little Tongue Tied... although the prospect of donning the Cat's dashing outfits again must have cheered him up.

Robert Llewellyn - Kryten

While Chris Barrie looked at operational machines, Llewellyn became more interested in what happens to them after they've bitten the dust. Many series of the cheap and cheerful Channel 4 show Scrapheap Challenge allowed him to showcase his presenting skills and his actual face! Believe it or not, it's not shaped like a novelty condom in real life, unlike that of poor Kryten.

Acting was very much put on the back burner after Red Dwarf, with only guest parts in Hustle and MI High (alongside the Cat!) of any note. His writing talents were deployed in several books that mined his observational wit, but it's the presenting that keeps him on our screens. In 2008 alone he fronted both Top Trumps and gadget show Batteries Not Included. Sadly he has yet to turn up as a small, off-duty Czechoslovakian traffic warden in any capacity.