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75-475: Harriott is an English surname. People [ edit ] Ainsley Harriott , English celebrity chef Andrew Harriott , Australian cricketer Darren Harriott , British comedian Joe Harriott , Jamaican jazz musician Claude Harriott , Jamaican sportsperson Derrick Harriott , Jamaican reggae musician John Edward Harriott , Canadian fur trader [REDACTED] Surname list This page lists people with

150-516: A cliffhanger ending . Series IX onwards revert to the same four main characters of Series 3–6 (Lister, Rimmer, Cat and Kryten), on Red Dwarf and without Kochanski or Holly; Rimmer reappears as a hologram once again. While it was left unmentioned whether the Rimmer on board ship is the one who originally left, the revived version, or a third incarnation entirely (episodes have alluded to him remembering events from both previous incarnations' lives); with

225-626: A commis chef . Harriott's talents lie in comedy and singing as well as cooking. He formed the Calypso Twins with school friend Paul Boross, releasing a hit record in the early 1990s, "World Party". The Calypso Twins were regular performers at the Comedy Store and Jongleurs ; they also performed in America and on TV and radio shows. Harriott became head chef at the Long Room of Lord's Cricket Ground . He

300-429: A sitcom that aired on BBC Two between 1988 and 1999, and on Dave since 2009, gaining a cult following . The programme follows low-ranking technician Dave Lister , who awakens after being in suspended animation for three million years to find that he is the last living human , and that he is alone on the mining spacecraft Red Dwarf —except for a hologram of his deceased bunkmate Arnold Rimmer and " Cat ",

375-591: A teaser trailer was released. A rough release date of sometime in April was given and, a day later on 11 March 2020, the official Twitter account for Dave revealed the title of the television film: Red Dwarf: The Promised Land . While speaking to the British Comedy Guide in May 2024, Robert Llewellyn confirmed that a three-episode special was due to be filmed in late 2024 with an air date sometime in 2025. Red Dwarf

450-444: A 90-minute feature-length special would be produced instead, to be filmed from December 2019 to January 2020, with location filming scheduled for November. Three 60-minute documentaries were also announced to accompany it, intended to act as a retrospective of all previous 12 series. In January 2020, the first publicity photos of the special were released, with Ray Fearon revealed as the first confirmed guest actor portraying Rodon,

525-594: A Cause (1955), Casablanca (1942), Easy Rider (1969), The Terminator (1984), Pride and Prejudice (1813), Isaac Asimov's Robot series (1939–85) and the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse . The writers based the whole theme of some episodes on the plots of feature films. The series III episode "Polymorph" references and parodies key moments from Alien (1979); from series IV, " Camille " echoes key scenes from Casablanca (1942), while " Meltdown " borrows

600-423: A Liverpudlian "punk poet", was given the role of Dave Lister. He was approached by the production team for his opinion about the "Cat" character, as they were concerned it may be considered by people as racist. Charles described "Cat" as "pretty cool" and after reading the script he decided he wanted to audition for the part of Dave Lister. Laconic stand-up comedian Norman Lovett , who had originally tried out for

675-433: A Pear Tree). Harriott married former costume designer Clare Fellows, the youngest sister of comedian and actor Graham Fellows . They have two children. In November 2012, the couple were reported to have separated and they remain on good terms. Harriott is a supporter of Arsenal F.C. Red Dwarf Red Dwarf is a British science fiction comedy programme created by Rob Grant and Doug Naylor , consisting of

750-544: A commissioned programme on a digital network. Back to Earth was released on DVD on 15 June 2009, and on Blu-ray on 31 August 2009. Back to Earth was subsequently described on the series' official website as "for all intents and purposes, the 'ninth series' of Red Dwarf ". This placement was confirmed when Series X was commissioned and branded as the tenth series, although Back to Earth continues not to be referred to as "Series IX" on home media or digital releases. On 10 April 2011, Dave announced that it had commissioned

825-476: A consistent set of opening titles, replacing music and creating ambient sound effects with a digital master. The remastered series were released in a four-disc DVD box set "The Bodysnatcher Collection" in 2007. Four years elapsed between Series VI and VII, partly due to the dissolving of the Grant and Naylor partnership, but also due to cast and crew working on other projects. When the series eventually returned, it

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900-411: A creature known only as Cat , who was initially thought to be the last member of a race of humanoid felines that evolved in the ship's hold from Lister's pregnant cat during the three million years that Lister was in stasis. In season 1 episode 3 ' Waiting for God ', it was revealed that the cat priest had also survived, and was living in the hold of the ship. The series revolves around Lister being

975-611: A guest appearance in the BBC radio comedy series Giles Wemmbley Hogg Goes Off as himself in 2006. In 2022 Harriot, along with others including the DIY SOS presenter Nick Knowles , helped to save his sister Jacqueline from drowning after she fell into a water feature at the Chelsea Flower Show . In December 2023 Harriot won the Christmas special of The Masked Singer as Partridge (in

1050-511: A life form which evolved from Lister's pregnant cat . As of 2020, the cast included Chris Barrie as Rimmer, Craig Charles as Lister, Danny John-Jules as Cat , Robert Llewellyn as the sanitation droid Kryten , and Norman Lovett as the ship's computer, Holly . To date, twelve series of the show have aired (including one miniseries ), in addition to a feature-length special The Promised Land . Four novels were published from 1989 to 1996. Two pilot episodes of an American version of

1125-614: A literary reference to the Samuel Beckett play Waiting for Godot ), as well as the crew meeting a man whom they believe to be Jesus Christ in series X episode " Lemons ". The series VII episode " Ouroboros " derives its name and theme from the ancient mythological snake of the same name . The third episode of series VI, " Gunmen of the Apocalypse ", was based on the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. The series explores many science-fiction staples such as time-travel paradoxes (including

1200-431: A six-episode series X to be broadcast on Dave in late 2012. Filming dates for the new series Red Dwarf X were announced on 11 November 2011, along with confirmation that the series would be shot at Shepperton Studios in front of an audience. Principal filming began on 16 December 2011 and ended on 27 January 2012, and the cast and crew subsequently returned for six days filming pick-ups . Discounting guest stars, only

1275-495: A vocabulary of fictional expletives to avoid using potentially offensive words in the show and to give nuance to futuristic colloquial language; in particular, "smeg" (and variants such as "smegging", "smegger", and "smeg-head") features prominently, alongside the terms "gimboid", "goit" and " Gwenlan ". The changes made to the series' cast, setting, creative teams and even production values from series to series have meant that opinions differ greatly between fans and critics as to

1350-800: Is different from Wikidata All set index articles Ainsley Harriott Ainsley Denzil Dubriel Harriott MBE (born 28 February 1957) is an English chef and television presenter. He is known for his BBC cooking game shows Can't Cook, Won't Cook and Ready Steady Cook . Harriott was born in Paddington , London, to Peppy ( née Strudwick) and pianist and singer, Chester Leroy Harriott (1933–2013). He has Jamaican heritage. Harriott attended Wandsworth Comprehensive School then trained at Westminster Kingsway College (formerly Westminster Technical College), and obtained an apprenticeship at Verrey's restaurant in London's West End, later working as

1425-502: Is primarily a character-driven comedy, with science fiction elements used as complementary plot devices . Especially in the early episodes, a recurring source of comedy was the Odd Couple -style relationship between the two central characters of the show, who have an intense dislike for each other yet are trapped together deep in space. In Series III, the computer Holly changes from male ( Norman Lovett ) to female ( Hattie Hayridge ), and

1500-462: Is replaced by Kristine Kochanski , Lister's long-term love interest, from an alternate universe . Kochanski becomes a regular character for Series VII and VIII. At the end of Series VII, Kryten's service nanobots , which had abandoned him years earlier, are revealed to be behind the theft of the Red Dwarf at the end of series five. At the beginning of the eighth series, Kryten's nanobots reconstruct

1575-438: Is supposedly dead and Holly is offline due to water damage caused by Lister leaving a tap running. Actress Sophie Winkleman played a character called Katerina, a resurrected hologram of a Red Dwarf science officer intent on replacing Rimmer. To achieve a more cinematic atmosphere, Back to Earth was not filmed in front of a studio audience. Some previous Red Dwarf episodes had been shot in that way (" Bodyswap " and all of

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1650-456: Is usually addressed with Rimmer's belief in extraterrestrial life being shot down, as with a vessel he believes to be an alien ship (which turns out to be a garbage pod). However, there are non-human life forms such as evolutions of Earth species (e.g. the cat race), robotic or holo-life forms created by humans, and a "genetically engineered life form" (GELF), an artificially created creature. Simulants and GELFs frequently serve as antagonists during

1725-465: The Red Dwarf , which they had broken down into its constituent atoms. As a consequence, Series VIII features the entire original crew of Red Dwarf resurrected (except for the already-alive Lister and Kochanski), including a pre-accident Rimmer and the original male Holly. The series ends with a metal-eating virus loose on Red Dwarf . The entire crew evacuate save the main cast (Lister, Rimmer, Cat, Kryten, and Kochanski), whose fates are unresolved in

1800-581: The UK charts . Goodall himself sang "The Rimmer Song" heard during the Series VII episode "Blue", to which Chris Barrie mimed. In 1998, on the tenth anniversary of the show's first airing (and between the broadcast of Series VII and VIII), the first three series of Red Dwarf were remastered and released on VHS . The remastering included replacing model shots with computer graphics, cutting certain dialogue and scenes, re-filming Norman Lovett's Holly footage, creating

1875-431: The grandfather paradox ), the question of determinism and free will (in several episodes), the pursuit of happiness in virtual reality and, crucially to the show's premise of Lister being the last human, the near-certainty of the human species' extinction sometime in the far future. Aliens do not feature in the series, as Grant and Naylor decided very early in the process that they did not want aliens involved. This

1950-538: The mechanoid Kryten (who had appeared in one episode in Series II) joins the crew and becomes a regular character. In Series VI, a story arc is introduced where Red Dwarf has been stolen, and the crew pursue it in the smaller Starbug craft, with the side effect that the character Holly disappears. Series VII is also set in Starbug . Early in series VII, Rimmer departs (due to actor Chris Barrie 's commitments) and

2025-413: The surname Harriott . If an internal link intending to refer to a specific person led you to this page, you may wish to change that link by adding the person's given name (s) to the link. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Harriott&oldid=1094445926 " Category : Surnames Hidden categories: Articles with short description Short description

2100-584: The thirteenth series . He was the fourth contestant to be voted off and finished twelfth. Harriott was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2020 New Year Honours for services to broadcasting and the culinary arts. Harriott is a best-selling author, publishing twelve books as well as numerous others in conjunction with his television shows. Including foreign-language translations, he has sold over 2 million books worldwide. Harriott

2175-510: The " Parallel Universe " episode of the show, was released in 1993 as a single and became a top 20 UK hit for Danny John-Jules (under the name "The Cat"). Stage plays of the show have been produced by Blak Yak, a theatre group in Perth , Western Australia, who were given permission by Grant Naylor Productions to mount stage versions of certain episodes in 2002, 2004 and 2006. In October 2006, an Interactive Quiz DVD entitled Red Dwarf: Beat The Geek

2250-708: The "leader of the feral cats". In February 2020, the day before the 32nd anniversary of when Red Dwarf first aired , a synopsis was given by the official Red Dwarf website: "The special will see the posse meet three cat clerics ( Tom Bennett , Mandeep Dhillon , Lucy Pearman ) who worship Lister as their god. Lister vows to help them as they're being hunted by Rodon, the ruthless feral cat leader (Ray Fearon) who has vowed to wipe out all cats who worship anyone but him." Norman Lovett officially announced to be returning as Holly following his one-off guest spot in Series XII . On 10 March 2020, in an exclusive with Radio Times ,

2325-625: The Apocalypse ." When the show returned in 1999, it gained the highest audience figures yet; over eight million viewers tuned in for Series VIII's opening episode " Back in the Red: Part I ". The show has won numerous awards including the Royal Television Society Award for special effects, the British Science Fiction award for Best Dramatic Presentation, as well as an International Emmy Award for Series VI episode "Gunmen of

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2400-786: The Apocalypse", which tied with an Absolutely Fabulous episode, "Hospital," in the Popular Arts category. The show had also been nominated for the International Emmy Award in 1987, 1989 and 1992. Series VI won a British Comedy Award for 'Best BBC Comedy Series.' The video sales have won eight Gold Awards from the British Video Association, and the show still holds the record for being BBC Two's longest-running, highest-rated sitcom. During 2005 SFX surveyed readers' top 50 British telefantasy shows of all time, and Red Dwarf placed second ahead of The Hitchhiker's Guide to

2475-403: The BBC decided not to renew the series, as they preferred to work on other projects. A short animated Christmas special was, however, made available to mobile phone subscribers the same year. Ultimately, however, fans had to wait a decade before the series finally returned to television. In 2008, a three-episode production was commissioned by the digital channel Dave . Red Dwarf: Back to Earth

2550-463: The Galaxy and behind Doctor Who . In 2007, the series was voted 'Best Sci-Fi Show Of All Time' by the readers of Radio Times magazine. Editor Gill Hudson stated that this result surprised them as 'the series had not given any new episodes this century'. Entertainment Weekly listed it in a 2009 roundup of shows they missed in their list of best cult television series. In January 2017, Series XI

2625-635: The US version of Ready Steady Cook . Ainsley was guest chef on Something for the Weekend on 10 May 2009 and 21 February 2010 alongside guests JLS . In February 2010, Harriott joined the morning show GMTV with Lorraine featuring cookery recipes. From 2002 until 2007, Harriott appeared in TV adverts for Fairy Liquid . In September 2008, Harriott took part in the genealogy documentary series Who Do You Think You Are? . Harriott knew that his great-grandfather Ebenezer Harriott

2700-430: The accident, the ship's computer Holly keeps Lister in stasis until the radiation levels return to normal—a process that takes three million years. Lister therefore emerges as the last human being in the universe —but not alone on board the ship. His former bunkmate and immediate superior Arnold Judas Rimmer (a character plagued by failure) is resurrected by Holly as a hologram to keep Lister sane. They are joined by

2775-417: The best British science fiction shows of the 1980s, as well as among the top ten movies and shows inspired by Star Trek . It was listed at 90 on Empire 's "The 100 Best TV Shows Of All Time" ranking. The show's logo and characters have appeared on a wide range of merchandise. Red Dwarf has also been spun off in a variety of different media formats. For instance, the song "Tongue Tied," featured in

2850-557: The cast showed strong interest in making another series. During the Dimension Jump fan convention in May 2013, Doug Naylor stated that discussions were ongoing with all involved parties and while arrangements had not been finalised, he hoped shooting could begin in February 2014. In October 2013, Robert Llewellyn posted on his blog, stating that "an eleventh series would happen" and that it would be "sometime in 2014". Llewellyn later removed

2925-430: The core cast of Charles, Barrie, Llewellyn and John-Jules returned for Series X, with Annett and Lovett absent, though the scripts include references to Kochanski and Holly. On 20 July 2012, a 55-second trailer for series X was released on Facebook , followed by a new "teaser" every Friday. The new series debuted on Thursday 4 October 2012. Following series X, which attracted high viewing figures, Dave, Doug Naylor and

3000-414: The earlier series, however, and the topic is the subject of constant fervent debate among the show's fanbase. Although the pilot episode of the show gathered over four million viewers, viewing figures dipped in successive episodes and the first series had generally poor ratings. Through to Series VI, ratings steadily increased and peaked at over six million viewers, achieved with the episode " Gunmen of

3075-517: The eighth series, in 1999. The revived series on Dave has consistently delivered some of the highest ratings for non– Public Service Broadcasting commissions in the UK. Series XI was voted Best Returning TV Sitcom and Comedy of the Year for 2016 by readers for the British Comedy Guide . In a 2019 ranking by Empire , Red Dwarf came 80th on a list of the 100 best TV shows of all time. The main setting of

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3150-576: The eleventh series would commence in October 2014, with an expected release of Autumn 2015 on Dave. On 2 May 2015, at the Dimension Jump XVIII convention, Naylor announced that an eleventh and a twelfth series had been commissioned. The two series would be shot back-to-back towards the end of 2015 for broadcast on Dave in 2016 and 2017, respectively, and would be co-produced by Baby Cow Productions , with company CEO, Henry Normal , executive-producing

3225-403: The first six series together (using the pseudonym Grant Naylor on the first two novels and later as the name of their production company, although never on the episodes themselves). Grant left in 1995, to pursue other projects, leaving Naylor to write series VII and VIII with a group of new writers, including Paul Alexander and actor Robert Llewellyn (who portrayed the character Kryten). For

3300-413: The last human alive, after three million years of travel from Earth , with his companions. The crew encounter phenomena such as time distortions , faster-than-light travel, mutant diseases and strange lifeforms (all evolved from Earth, because the series has no aliens) that had developed in the intervening millions of years. Despite the pastiche of science fiction used as a backdrop, Red Dwarf

3375-414: The later series of the show. The series developed its own distinct vocabulary. Words and phrases such as hologrammatic [ sic ], dollarpound, bazookoids, Felis sapiens , Simulants, GELF, space weevil , and Zero Gee Football appear throughout the series, highlighting a development in language, political climate, technology, evolution and culture in the future. The creators also employed

3450-496: The main plot from Westworld (1973). For series IX, " Back to Earth " was partially inspired by Blade Runner (1982). The series' themes are not limited to films or television, having also incorporated historical events and figures. Religion also plays a part in the series, as a significant factor in the ultimate fate of the Cat race, and the perception of Lister as their 'God', both in the episode " Waiting for God " (whose title makes

3525-508: The mix, ultimately moulded into the form of a sitcom. Having written the pilot script in 1983, the former Spitting Image writers pitched their unique concept to the BBC, but it was rejected on fears that a science fiction sitcom would not be popular. It was finally accepted by BBC North in 1986, a result of a spare budget being assigned for a second series of Happy Families that would never arise, and producer Paul Jackson 's insistence that Red Dwarf should be filmed instead. The show

3600-408: The most part, Ed Bye produced and directed the series. He left before Series V due to a scheduling clash (he ended up directing a show starring his wife, Ruby Wax ) so Juliet May took over as director. May parted ways with the show halfway through the series for personal and professional reasons and Grant and Naylor took over direction of the series, in addition to writing and producing. Series VI

3675-428: The new episodes. Series XI and XII were filmed back-to-back at Pinewood Studios between November 2015 and March 2016. The eleventh series premiered on UKTV's video-on-demand service UKTV Play on 15 September 2016, a week ahead of its broadcast transmission on 22 September. On 8 September 2017, it was announced that Red Dwarf XII would begin broadcasting on Dave on 12 October 2017, and on 15 September 2017 it

3750-509: The part of a GELF chief in the sci-fi comedy series Red Dwarf in 1993. In 1998, for the show's 10th anniversary, Harriott presented a special edition of Can't Cook, Won't Cook called Can't Smeg, Won't Smeg with the cast of the show cooking a meal while remaining in character. In 2000, Harriott made his debut on US television with The Ainsley Harriott Show, syndicated by Buena Vista Television , which ran for more than 100 episodes. Following this he went on to host Ready.. Set... Cook! ,

3825-458: The post from his blog and Doug Naylor issued a statement on Twitter, saying: "Getting tweets claiming Red Dwarf XI is commissioned. Not true. Not yet." However, in January 2014, Danny John-Jules stated that the eleventh series of Red Dwarf was in the process of being written. At the April 2014 Sci-Fi Scarborough Festival , during the Red Dwarf cast panel, Danny John-Jules stated that filming of

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3900-598: The quality of each series. In the "Great Red Dwarf Debate," published in Volume 2, Issue 3 of the Red Dwarf Smegazine , science fiction writers Steve Lyons and Joe Nazarro argue about the pros and cons of the early series versus the later series. Lyons states that the show "once had was a unique balance of sci-fi comedy, which worked magnificently." Nazarro agrees that "the first two series are very original and very funny," but goes on to say that "it wasn't until series III that

3975-421: The release of The Promised Land , series-creator Doug Naylor confirmed in 2020 that the Rimmer from Back To Earth onwards is the original Rimmer, having returned from his time being Ace Rimmer. The first series aired on BBC2 in 1988. Twelve full series and one miniseries have so far been produced , and a feature length special was released in 2020. The concept for the show was originally developed from

4050-443: The role of Rimmer, was kept in the show as Holly, the senile computer of the titular ship. A professional dancer and singer, Danny John-Jules, arriving half an hour late for his appointment, stood out as the Cat immediately. This was partly due to his "cool" exterior, dedicated research (reading Desmond Morris 's book Catwatching ), and his showing up in character, wearing his father's 1950s-style zoot suit . Grant and Naylor wrote

4125-399: The series is the eponymous mining spaceship Red Dwarf . In the first episode, set sometime in the late 21st century, an on-board radiation leak kills everyone except lowest-ranking technician Dave Lister, who is in suspended animation at the time, as punishment for smuggling a cat aboard the ship. The cat, Frankenstein, who is revealed to be pregnant, is safe in the cargo hold. Following

4200-405: The series, with Molina being cast as Rimmer. However, after Molina had difficulties with the concept of the series, and of his role in particular, the role was recast and filled by Chris Barrie, a professional voice actor and impressionist who had previously worked with both the writers on Spitting Image and with the producers on Happy Families and Jasper Carrott productions. Craig Charles,

4275-422: The seventh series), but Back to Earth represented the first time that a laughter track was not added before broadcast. It was also the first episode of Red Dwarf to be filmed in high definition . The specials were televised over three nights, starting on Friday 10 April 2009. The broadcasts received record ratings for Dave; the first of the three episodes represented the UK's highest-ever viewing figures for

4350-440: The show being commissioned by BBC Manchester , but its being filmed at Shepperton Studios near where the cast lived in London. When the show won an International Emmy Award in 1994 , Naylor's attempts to have the cast invited to a party thrown by the BBC proved futile when they objected to Craig Charles' and Danny John-Jules' inclusion, claiming they were "fire risks". Alan Rickman and Alfred Molina auditioned for roles in

4425-434: The show hit its stride." Discussions revolve around the quality of Series VI, seen by one reviewer as just as good as the earlier series', but criticised by another reviewer as a descent into formulaic comedy with an unwelcome change of setting. The changes seen in Series VII disappointed some; while much slicker and higher-budget in appearance, the shift away from outright sitcom and into something approaching comedy drama

4500-546: The show were produced but never aired. The magazine The Red Dwarf Smegazine was published from 1992 to 1994. One of the series' highest accolades came in 1994 when an episode from the sixth series, " Gunmen of the Apocalypse ", won an International Emmy Award in the Popular Arts category. In the same year, the series was also awarded Best BBC Comedy Series at the British Comedy Awards . The series attracted its highest ratings, of more than eight million viewers, during

4575-486: The sketch series Dave Hollins: Space Cadet on the BBC Radio 4 show Son of Cliché in the mid-1980s, written by Rob Grant and Doug Naylor. Their influences came from films and television programmes including Star Trek (1966), Silent Running (1972), Dark Star (1974), Alien (1979) and The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (1981), but also had a large element of British-style comedy and satire thrown into

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4650-592: The vocals on the closing theme tune by Jenna Russell . The first two series used a relatively sombre instrumental version of the closing theme for the opening titles; from Series III onwards this switched to a more upbeat version, with Goodall singing on vocoder , the line "Red Dwarf" four times in the second half of the song. Goodall also wrote music for the show's various songs, including " Tongue Tied ", with lyrics written by Grant and Naylor. Danny John-Jules (credited as "The Cat") re-orchestrated and released "Tongue Tied" on 11 October 1993; it reached number 17 on

4725-428: Was filmised and no longer shot in front of a live audience, allowing for greater use of four-walled sets, location shooting and single-camera techniques. When the show returned for its eighth series two years later, however, it had dropped use of the filmising process and returned to using a live audience. The show received a setback when the BBC rejected proposals for a Series IX. Doug Naylor confirmed in 2007 that

4800-401: Was a black slave, he was revealed to be the descendant of a long line of white slaveowners. Harriott appeared in the final My Family Christmas special in 2010 "Mary Christmas". On 11 August 2015, he was announced as the second contestant of the thirteenth series of Strictly Come Dancing . On 5 September 2015 it was revealed Harriott was paired with professional dancer Natalie Lowe for

4875-684: Was asked to present More Nosh, Less Dosh on BBC Radio 5 Live , and also has appeared as an extra in Hale and Pace . Harriott became the resident chef on Good Morning with Anne and Nick and later the main presenter of Can't Cook, Won't Cook and originally a chef on Ready Steady Cook before he went on to host it in 2000, both shows involving members of the public. He has presented more straightforward how-to-cook programmes such as Ainsley's Barbecue Bible , Ainsley's Meals in Minutes , Ainsley's Big Cook Out and Ainsley's Gourmet Express. Harriott played

4950-520: Was broadcast over the Easter weekend of 2009, along with a "making of" documentary. The episode was set nine years after the events of " Only the Good... " (with the cliffhanger ending of that episode left unresolved, a situation that would continue with Series X). The storyline involves the characters arriving back on Earth, circa 2009, only to find that they are characters in a TV show called "Red Dwarf". Kochanski

5025-586: Was directed by Andy De Emmony , and Ed Bye returned to direct series VII and VIII. Series I, II and III were made by Paul Jackson Productions, with subsequent series produced by the writers' own company Grant Naylor Productions for BBC North . All eight series were broadcast on BBC Two. At the beginning of series IV, production moved from BBC North's New Broadcasting House in Manchester to Shepperton . The opening theme tune, closing theme tune, and incidental music were written and performed by Howard Goodall , with

5100-446: Was fortunate to be remounted after an electricians ' strike partway through rehearsals in early 1987 shut the entire production down (the title sequence was filmed in January 1987). The filming was rescheduled for September, and the pilot episode finally made it onto television screens on 15 February 1988. Despite the commission of further series, the cast felt like "outsiders" at the BBC. Co-creator Doug Naylor attributed this to

5175-479: Was founded on the standard sitcom focus of a disparate and frequently dysfunctional group of individuals living together in a restricted setting. With the main characters routinely displaying their cowardice, incompetence and laziness, while exchanging insulting and sarcastic dialogue, the series provided a humorous antidote to the fearless and morally upright space explorers typically found in science-fiction series, with its main characters acting bravely only when there

5250-544: Was further announced that each episode would preview a week earlier via the UKTV Play video on demand service, effectively meaning that series 12 would be starting on 5 October 2017. In late May 2019, in a radio interview, Robert Llewellyn stated that a thirteenth series was happening and in June of that year, Danny John-Jules stated that it was expected to be wrapped up by the end of 2019. However, in October 2019, UKTV announced that

5325-608: Was in the colonial West India Regiment , and had assumed that they were descended from slaves. In Barbados, he confirmed that his great-grandfather had a distinguished military career, and learnt that he had fought on the side of the British in the Hut Tax War of 1898 – an increasingly violent series of protests against systems of taxation in Sierra Leone . Although Harriott had assumed that his great-great-grandfather, James Gordon Harriott,

5400-504: Was no other possible alternative. The increasing science-fiction elements of the series were treated seriously by creators Rob Grant and Doug Naylor. Satire, parody and drama were alternately woven into the episodes, referencing other television series, films and books. These have included references to the likes of 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), Top Gun (1986), RoboCop (1987), Star Wars (1977), Citizen Kane (1942), The Wild One (1953), High Noon (1952), Rebel Without

5475-462: Was seen by one reviewer as a move in the wrong direction. The attempt to shift back into traditional sitcom format for Series VIII was greeted with a response that was similarly lukewarm. There was criticism aimed at the decision to resurrect the entire crew of Red Dwarf , as it was felt this detracted from the series' central premise of Lister being the last human being alive. There are other critics who feel that Series VII and VIII are no weaker than

5550-935: Was the President of the Television and Radio Industries Club (TRIC) 2004–05 and presented their awards ceremony that year. He markets his own range of food, including couscous, risotto, soups and cereal bars. Harriott played the role of the Narrator in The Rocky Horror Show at the New Theatre , Cardiff in March 2010, at the Churchill Theatre , Bromley in October 2010, and again at the Richmond Theatre in November 2010. He made

5625-419: Was voted "Best Returning TV Sitcom" and "Comedy of the Year" for 2016 by readers for the British Comedy Guide . A year later, Red Dwarf was once again voted "Best Returning TV Sitcom" for Series XII, retaining the title from British Comedy Guide. As noted by Collider in 2023, it ranked number four among the top ten British science fiction shows on IMDb . In 2024, it was listed by Den of Geek as among

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