Ouroboros (Red Dwarf episode)

Infobox Red Dwarf episode
name = Ouroboros


number = 3
airdate = January 31, 1997
writers = Doug Naylor
director = Ed Bye
guests = Gary Bleasdale
Juliet Griffiths
Adrienne Posta
Alexander John-Jules
series = 7

"Ouroboros" is the third episode of science fiction sitcom "Red Dwarf" Series VII and the 39th in the series run. It was first broadcast on the British television channel BBC2 on 31 January 1997.cite web | url =http://catalogue.bbc.co.uk/catalogue/infax/programme/NMYJ413K | title =BBC - Programme Catalogue - RED DWARF VII - OUROBOROS | publisher =BBC |accessdate =2007-12-12] Written by Doug Naylor and directed by Ed Bye. It was the first episode to feature Kochanski as a regular character, having only appeared previously as a minor character.

Plot

Three million years ago a box, with a baby inside, is placed under the pool table in the Aigbuth Arms pub, with just Ouroboros written on the side. Back to the present day and the "Starbug" crew come across a linkway between dimensions and meet their counterparts from another reality, one in which Kochanski (Chloë Annett) was in stasis when the "Red Dwarf" crew died, and Lister (Craig Charles) has since been brought back as a hologram. Kochanski requests that Lister fills a canister up with his sperm, so that she may have a child as her hologram Lister cannot bear children.

Lister fills the in vitro canister and hands it back to Kochanksi and the two groups head back to their own dimensions. However, Lister notices a label "Ouroboros" on a supply box with a symbol on it - a snake eating his own tail, completing a neverending circle. He recognises this as what was on his own box and realises that he is his own father and Kochanski is his mother. He rushes after Kochanski to tell her before she returns to her dimension, but the linkway is attacked by GELFs causing a break in the pathway and Kochanski is trapped with Lister, Kryten (Robert Llewellyn) and Cat (Danny John-Jules). When the baby is born, Lister puts him in a box and writes "Ouroboros" on it.

Production

The episode overran by several minutes, and had to be cut down. Rather than lose vital scenes it was decided that the opening title could be omitted to save precious time. The scenes would be reinstated for the X-tended edition. This is the second Red Dwarf episode to forfeit the opening titles for the purposes of time and episode pacing (the first being the Series II episode "Parallel Universe").cite web | url =http://www.reddwarf.co.uk/deck05/series_7/production.html | title =Red Dwarf Series VII Production | publisher =Red Dwarf.co.uk |accessdate =2007-12-17]

Guest stars included Gary Bleasdale as Frank, Juliet Griffiths as Barmaid, Adrienne Posta as Flight Announcer and Alexander John-Jules as Baby Lister.

External links

*
* [http://www.tv.com/red-dwarf/stoke-me-a-clipper/episode/10983/summary.html Red Dwarf: Ouroboros - TV.com]
* [http://www.reddwarf.co.uk/deck03/season7.html Episode Guide - Series 7 at RedDwarf.co.uk]

References