Red Dwarf Return Rates Over 2.6m

Freeview comedy channel Dave is celebrating a massive ratings success following the eagerly awaited reunion of four hapless space explorers in Red Dwarf: Back to Earth. 2.29m (11% share) tuned in for the premiere episode on Good Friday at 9pm and another 374k (2% share) caught up with the action on Dave's plus one channel, Dave ja vu.

The total viewership of the premiere episode represents the largest viewing figure in multichannel television history for a UK commission.

The two following episodes on Easter Saturday and Sunday at 9pm also broke the million mark according to consolidated figures, rating 1.7m and 1.3m respectively. Red Dwarf: the Making of Back to Earth pulled in 621k individuals at 9:30pm on Easter Sunday evening.

Written and Directed by Red Dwarf co-creator Doug Naylor, Red Dwarf: Back to Earth featured well-loved space crew including Chris Barrie as Rimmer, Craig Charles as Lister, Danny John-Jules as Cat and Robert Llewellyn as Kryten.

Red Dwarf: Back to Earth is Dave’s biggest commission yet and its first foray into scripted comedy. Enjoying both mainstream and cult appeal, Red Dwarf has enjoyed phenomenal success since it first aired in 1988 on BBC 2: spanned over eight series with a total of 52 episodes plus specials; brought in over 8 million viewers for series 8; 7.25 million DVD & VHS sales worldwide; broadcast over 25 territories worldwide and International Emmy and British Comedy Award winners including Outstanding Popular Arts Programme.