The second series of a show is often more important than the first. Where a first series gives a show a start, a second ultimately decides its future. This is usually where the audience can identify with the characters, and understands the show.
And so it was, in May 1988, that the cast and crew of Red Dwarf met up once more , not two months after the initial wrap of the first series.
As many know, series II was commissioned even before the first went out, due to a slot in the BBCs budget being pre-booked. Now, having gained trust from their cast and crew in series one, Grant and Naylor began to have more of an influence on their own show, more so than any writers previously.
Even before new designer Mel Bibby was to join the team a year later for series III, talks had begun over changes to the drab and grey look of the sets, however it was not until the next year when any of this would finally take place.
After the first six episodes it became clear there was something about Red Dwarf, and that the concept of the show could be taken to more lengths. It was also at this point when Grant and Naylor started craving for the crew to be able to venture off the ship for adventures, and as a result, Blue Midget was born. This small shuttle, although later replaced in series III by Starbug, was able to carry the crew down to planets and other ships and make for more interesting shows rather than seeing the crew stuck on Red Dwarf all of the time.
Series II also eneabled more funding for the show, which let more realistic location shoots become possible, the beach in Better Than Life, and the Hotel in Stasis Leak, as well as giving us background information on the characters which we had not come across before.
This series of Red Dwarf broke a tradition of the BBC, that a second series should air before a repeat of the first had been broadcast. But Grant and Naylor were determined to better the first series with a more varied and stronger show, and insisted in getting straight back into production with a second series.
The eagle-eyed among us would have noticed straight away a big difference in the show this series, for one the sets were so vibrant! There was also the theme tune! Howard Goodall's original instrumental was seemingly too sombre for a comedy series, and so the more rocky guitar version was brought in to cut to such a fast moving show, coupled with plenty of shots cut together in the opening sequence.
A few more additions to the cast have been added this series also, and a 'blink and you'll miss it' stars wars-esque sequence during the opening credits explains their otherwise sudden appearance, Holly's head sex change for one and Kyten now becoming a member of the Dwarf crew after his guest appearance in series II. The original Kryten actor, David Ross, was unavailable for the series once the shows producers decided to bring him back, and thus Robert Llewellyn was cast for the part. Series producer Paul Jackson had spotted Robert whilst he was performing in the Edinburgh Festival and recommended him to Grant and Naylor, the rest as they say, is history!
Hattie Hayridge seemed a natural choice to re-cast as Holly, as she follwed on from her guest role in series II's Parallel Universe, where she played Hilly, Holly's opposite. Hattie replaced Norman Lovett after he decided to leave the show due to long travelling to the London and Manchester studios from his Edinburgh home and other negotiations failed to be comprimised.
This was the series that saw Mel Bibby during the crew as set designer, his mission, to get rid of all that military grey and those wooden looking sets! He was now able to bring a much fresher look to the sets and took the show to new heights.
As well as set changes, the costumes underwent a redesign, with costume designer Howard Burden overhauling all the costumes to something more spectacular.
Series III was filmed in Sept/Oct of 1989 and broadcast in November and December of the same year. This series can be seen as a benchmark for the rest of the show, as it established how the show was originally meant to look, and carried on its mark for every subsequent series.
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