Editing Red Dwarf (section)

===Concept and commission===
The concept for the show was originally developed from the sketch series ''[[#Dave Hollins: Space Cadet|Dave Hollins: Space Cadet]]'' on the [[BBC Radio 4]] show ''[[Son of Cliché]]'' in the mid-1980s, written by Rob Grant and Doug Naylor.<ref name="The Official Red Dwarf Companion, Red Dwarf Genesis">{{cite book |chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/TheOfficialRedDwarfCompanionByBruceDessauStarbrite/page/n8 |last=Dessau |first=Bruce |author-link=Bruce Dessau |title=The Official Red Dwarf Companion |chapter=Red Dwarf Genesis |pages=8–12 |year=1992 |publisher=[[Titan Books]] |isbn=978-1-85286-456-9}}</ref> Their influences came from films and television programmes including ''[[Star Trek: The Original Series|Star Trek]]'' (1966), ''[[Silent Running]]'' (1972), ''[[Dark Star (film)|Dark Star]]'' (1974), ''[[Alien (film)|Alien]]'' (1979) and ''[[The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy]]'' (1981),<ref name="screenonline: Red Dwarf"/> but also had a large element of British-style comedy and satire thrown into 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.<ref name="The Official Red Dwarf Companion, Red Dwarf Genesis"/>

It was finally accepted by [[BBC North]] in 1986, a result of a spare budget being assigned for a second series of ''[[Happy Families (1985 TV series)|Happy Families]]'' that would never arise, and producer [[Paul Jackson (producer)|Paul Jackson]]'s insistence that ''Red Dwarf'' should be filmed instead.<ref name="Red Dwarf Series I Genesis">{{cite web |url=http://www.reddwarf.co.uk/guide/index.cfm?seriesID=1&sectionID=behind-the-scenes&subsectionID=genesis |title=Red Dwarf Series I Genesis |website=RedDwarf.co.uk |access-date=17 December 2007 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081116151432/http://www.reddwarf.co.uk/guide/index.cfm?sectionID=behind-the-scenes&seriesID=1&subsectionID=genesis |archive-date=16 November 2008 |df=dmy-all}}</ref> The show was fortunate to be remounted after an [[electrician]]s' [[Strike action|strike]] partway through rehearsals in early 1987 shut the entire production down (the title sequence was filmed in January 1987).<ref name="Prog Guide p6"/> The filming was rescheduled for September, and the [[The End (Red Dwarf)|pilot episode]] finally made it onto television screens on 15 February 1988.<ref name="screenonline: Red Dwarf"/>

Despite the commission of further series, the cast felt like "outsiders" at the BBC. Co-creator [[Doug Naylor]] attributed this to 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 [[22nd International Emmy Awards|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".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.express.co.uk/showbiz/tv-radio/711460/Red-Dwarf-Doug-Naylor-BBC-Emmy-Award-Craig-Charles-Chris-Barrie|title=Red Dwarf creator Doug Naylor reveals cast were 'outsiders' at the BBC despite Emmy win|author=Neela Debnath|date=16 September 2016|website=[[Daily Express]]|access-date=19 January 2020|archive-date=30 November 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191130220258/https://www.express.co.uk/showbiz/tv-radio/711460/Red-Dwarf-Doug-Naylor-BBC-Emmy-Award-Craig-Charles-Chris-Barrie|url-status=live}}</ref>