Summary
- Red Dwarf: The Promised Land is a highly anticipated feature-length special that reunites the familiar crew in an all-new adventure against the evil cat Rodon.
- The special garnered positive reviews, capturing the humor and charm that made Red Dwarf one of the best sci-fi shows of the '90s and a cult classic.
- The talented cast, including Craig Charles, Chris Barrie, Danny John-Jules, and Robert Llewellyn, returns to their iconic roles, bringing the beloved characters back to life.
The Red Dwarf feature-length special Red Dwarf: The Promised Land saw the familiar crew return in an all-new adventure alongside several new cast . Beginning in 1988, the cult classic science fiction comedy series follows the low-level ship technician Dave Lister (Craig Charles) as he is accidentally frozen and wakes up three million years into the future. The British sitcom has spanned the decades with seasons in the '80s, '90s, '00s, '10s, and even the feature-length Promised Land special in 2020. Known for its irreverent humor and deadpan spoofing of science fiction tropes, Red Dwarf is an unusual TV specimen that just keeps getting funnier.
Red Dwarf: The Promised Land reunites the characters once again, and pits them against the evil cat Rodon (Ray Fearon) who plans to annihilate anyone who doesn't worship him. Garnering mostly positive reviews from critics (via the best sci-fi shows of the '90s, and why it is still a cult classic to this day.
Craig Charles As Dave Lister
Comedic actor Craig Charles leads the cast of Red Dwarf: The Promised Land as ship technician and notorious slacker Dave Lister, a man from the past living three million years in the future. While Lister will always be Charles' most famous role, he also appeared as Eugene Buffy in The Governor and played the title role in the short-lived series Captain Butler. For UK-based viewers, Charles is also instantly recognizable for his lengthy stint as Lloyd Mullaney in the soap opera Coronation Street, and he also appeared in several spinoffs and TV specials as his popular character.
Chris Barrie As Arnold Rimmer
Arnold Rimmer is the stuck-up and always snooty hologram who has been plaguing Lister since he was unfrozen all those years ago, and he is played by British comic icon Chris Barrie. Even before he stuck an H to his forehead in Red Dwarf, Barrie made a name for himself in some of the best British sitcoms of all time, including the cult classic series The Young Ones where he played Rat. Barrie's voice was an integral part of '80s pop culture as he starred in the puppet-based satire series Spitting Image where he voiced figures like Ronal Reagan and Prince Charles among many others.
Danny John-Jules As Cat
Cat is the descendent of Lister's long-lost feline companion who evolved over millions of years to become an anthropomorphic, and very vain, human/cat hybrid species. Cat is played by Danny John-Jules in the cast of Red Dwarf and The Promised Land special, and he is also best known for action roles such as his turn as Asad in Blade II and as Barfly Jack in Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels. John-Jules had a small role as a singer in Little Shop of Horrors, and he played Officer Dwayne on the murder mystery series Death in Paradise for over a decade.
Robert Llewellyn As Kryten
Appearing in the science fiction parody series since the second season, Robert Llewellyn reprises his role as Kryten, a friendly but sometimes dull android who s Lister, Rimmer, and Cat on their deep-space adventures in Red Dwarf: The Promised Land. While maybe not instantly recognizable without his signature Kryten makeup, Llewellyn has made a career out of small roles on sitcoms like Bottom where he played Stiles. He appeared alongside Red Dwarf co-star Craig Charles when he played iral Nelson in Captain Butler, and he starred as The Professor in the indie film Ashens and the Polybius Heist.
Norman Lovett As Holly
Playing the role off and on since the first season, Norman Lovett plays the role of Holly, Red Dwarf's AI computer interface who went a bit loopy during the three million years that Lister was in stasis. Lovett was replaced in the role by Hattie Hayridge for seasons three through five, but has played the part ever since, including The Promised Land. Though Red Dwarf is Lovett's most famous role, he also played the Penny Arcade Guy in The Young Ones and various characters on the long-running police procedural series The Bill from the 1980s through the 2000s.
Ray Fearon As Rodon
Appearing as the villain of Red Dwarf: The Promise Land, Ray Fearon plays Rodon, the leader of a band of feral cats who is determined to kill anyone who doesn't worship him like a god. Fearon is no stranger to blockbuster movies, and is best known for starring in the live-action Disney remake of Beauty and the Beast where he played Père Robert, and he was also Firenze in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. He played the Hot Misogynist in Fleabag, and he also played the hilarious role of Dan at the FBI in Barbie. Fearon broke new ground when he played Francisco in the 1996 adaptation of Hamlet.
Red Dwarf: The Promised Land ing Cast & Characters
Tom Bennett as Brother Sol - Tom Bennet appears in Red Dwarf: The Promised Land as new character Brother Sol, a cleric who is being pursued by Rodon because he refuses to worship the despotic feline. Bennett is instantly recognizable from his turn as Miles in the sitcom series A.P. Bio, and he also played the role of Fred in the award-winning music biopic Rocketman.
Mandeep Dhillon as Sister Luna - Sister Luna is a cat cleric on the run from Rodon's evil grasp, and she is played by Mandeep Dhillon. Dhillon's most famous role came when she appeared as Lt. Garan in Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker and she also played Chell in the special 24: Live Another Day. She starred as Sandy in the Netflix series After Life and voices several characters in the Cartoon Network series Elliott From Earth.
Lucy Pearman as Sister Peanut - Lucy Pearman plays the formerly mute cat cleric Sister Peanut, who miraculously regains her ability to speak when she meets Lister for the first time. A comedic writer and actor, Pearman played the unforgettable role of Milly in Please Help which snagged her a BAFTA, and she also played herself in the irreverent comedy miniseries The Train.
Al Roberts as Count Ludo - Count Ludo is Rodon's sidekick and lackey who often takes abuse from his "master" throughout Red Dwarf: The Promised Land. Roberts had a small role as a librarian in Last Night in Soho but is more known for his comedic turns such as when he played Freddie in What We Do in the Shadows and Al in the underrated series Stath Lets Flats.