Overview:Three million years ago, a radiation leak killed the crew of the mining ship, Red Dwarf. The only survivor was Dave Lister, the chicken soup machine repairman. He spends his time on the ship with a holographic projection of Arnold Rimmer (his dead bunkmate), Cat (a life-form that evolved from Dave's cat), Holly (the ship's senile computer), and Kryten (a service mechanoid).

DVD Verdict: 'Red Dwarf VIII,' the last Red Dwarf series produced for television, is so far off the original premise and comedic style of the first few series of the show that in many ways it seems like a completely different show. Having an entire ship full of people with whom Lister can interact really shatters the great comedic premise on which Red Dwarf was created, that being that Lister is the last human left in the universe. The premise of bringing back the entire crew and then putting the main characters in prison for nearly the full eight episodes is contrived and limiting. I believe Series VIII has a lot of unwelcome changes and writing difficulties compared to earlier series of the show. The humor is now clearly less dense and less clever, often relying on low and obvious gags that do not even approach the level of razor-edged wit and originality prevalent in earlier episodes of the show. Nevertheless, there are a few bright spots in this series. Chris Barrie is back and the full cast of regulars is present for the entire series. And there is some occasionally inspired humor that still manages to make this better than most of the other shows on television. Cassandra particularly stands out as a good, "classic" Red Dwarf episode. Finally, the extra features, as on the other Red Dwarf DVD sets, are terrific, with Smeg Ups, deleted scenes, extended versions of two episodes, a making of documentary, commentary tracks, and much more. The extra features alone are worth the price for any "serious" Red Dwarf fan. Based on that alone, I would recommend this set. Plus, what Red Dwarf fan can resist completing their collection? Sadly, as of this writing, Series VIII is the last Red Dwarf ever produced. More bizarre than bittersweet, series 8 is classic Red Dwarf lunacy and an inspired sendoff for this unique and clever U.K. cult TV series. This is a Full Screen Presentation (4:3) and comes with the Special Features of:

Cast Commentary
"The Tank" Original Documentary
Deleted Scenes
Smeg Ups
"Comedy Connection" Red Dwarf Special
"Super Models" Featurette
Storyboard Sequences
Children In Need Sketch
PBS Sketches and Idents
"Fight" Featurette
Trailers
Raw PH Footage
Isolated Music Cues
"Dave Hollins" Radio Sketch
Photo Gallery
Weblink
18-Page Collector's Booklet
Back In The Red - Htended
PLUS Easter Eggs!