Decades on from Red Dwarf’s first ever episode, the story is continuing in new book Red: Dwarf Titan, with co-writer Andrew Marshall revealing it’s set to feature a “canon-changing” plot line.
The new book, which was co-written by Red Dwarf co-creator Rob Grant, revisits beloved characters Lister (played by Craig Charles in the TV series), and Rimmer (Chris Barrie) and serves as a prequel of sorts to to the TV show.
While it takes place “one universe to the side”, there’s still a lot of Red Dwarf canon to dive into for the book, which will be published on 16 July, with Rimmer star Barrie narrating the audiobook.
Speaking exclusively to Radio Times about what fans can expect, Marshall revealed: “There is one plot revelation towards the end, which does somewhat change what was perceived to be the canon up to up to now.”
However, he added: “Of course this is taking place one universe to the side, so it still doesn’t affect what goes on in the normal version of Red Dwarf, and who knows? There may be some more of those to be seen in the future from Doug [Naylor, Red Dwarf co-creator].”
Marshall also revealed that, before his passing earlier this year, Grant wanted “Lister to show a little bit more maturity by the end than we usually see” in the story.
He added that Grant “was very keen – as was I – to develop the female characters a little bit more”.
“So Kochanski has a much, much bigger role in this, and there’s also a couple of other new female characters for you to have a look at,” he continued.
Speaking to Radio Times in the weeks before his passing, Grant described Red Dwarf: Titan by saying: “It’s set one universe to the side, so we can have familiar characters but we can do different things with them, because the difficulty was writing something that was going to be original and fresh and using the same characters without breaking the canon.
He added that the story will see Lister and Rimmer “get a message from the far future warning them that all realities are going to collapse unless they do something about it”.
Grant also assured us that Red Dwarf’s signature silliness is back in full force, with the writer promising that fans will “laugh their little chippers off”.
Red Dwarf: Titan will publish in hardback, ebook and audio on 16 July 2026 and is available to preorder now. Red Dwarf is available to stream on BBC iPlayer.
Check out more of our Sci-fi coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what’s on. For more TV recommendations and reviews, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
Authors
Louise Griffin is the Sci-Fi & Fantasy Editor for Radio Times, covering everything from Doctor Who, Star Wars and Marvel to House of the Dragon and Good Omens. She previously worked at Metro as a Senior Entertainment Reporter and has a degree in English Literature.
