It should perhaps come as no surprise that sci-fi comedy Red Dwarf is the latest TV series to get a soundtrack release. Available to download from November 20 on Audible, the soundtrack of Red Dwarf I to VIII comes amid a resurgence in TV soundtracks, joining recently released comedy classics Are You Being Served (February 2025) The Young Ones (2024) and a bumper collection of early Only Fools and Horses (in 2026). Always gaining favourable reviews, these titles are not television episodes re-recorded for radio but full soundtracks of the original TV episodes transplanted to audio.
The BBC’s commercial arm, under various guises over the years (Enterprises, Worldwide, etc.), are adept at capitalising on popular programmes, past and present. Long before the latest resurgence of TV soundtracks for Audible, the BBC have long released TV soundtracks on home media including bestsellers Doctor Who: Genesis of the Daleks and Fawlty Towers on LP (later on tape cassette and CD).
This is not the first foray into audio for the Red Dwarf brand. In 1989, writer/creators Rob Grant and Doug Naylor used a handful of episodes as the basis of their award-winning novel, Infinity Welcomes Careful Drivers, which was adapted into the Red Dwarf Radio Show and performed by regular-series cast member, and comedy impressionist, Chris Barrie. It adds to the Dwarf mythos revealing how Lister first met Rimmer and expands on ideas in the series, such as Lister’s plan to get home to Earth and the holy wars of Cat’s people. The highly regarded Red Dwarf Radio Show, complete with sound effects and background sounds, spawned a sequel based on Grant and Naylor’s follow-up novel, Better Than Life.
Two more novels followed; Last Human by Doug Naylor was read on audio by Craig Charles and Backwards by Rob Grant was read by the author. They did not form part of the radio series and now only available through second-hand outlets.
Both series of The Red Dwarf Radio Show were released on tape cassette and later unabridged on CD and download, sometimes dropping the ‘Radio Show’ part of the title. Still available to download on audible, they represent Red Dwarf’s audio peak.
Soundtracks of the TV episodes are a great way of enjoying favourite moments from the series while on the move, and the price is low enough to make the process of recording the soundtrack yourself via iPlayer (or from your own collection) the action of a spend-thrift. Though the Red Dwarf Radio Show is a far more satisfying audio experience, there’s nothing quite like the originals.
Red Dwarf Series 1 to 4 and Series 5 to 8 are available on Audible and Spotify from 20 November 2025
Infinity Welcomes Careful Drivers and Better Than Life are on Audible
Pick Of The Month…
HENNIKAY
Bill Bailey plays Guy, a middle-aged videogame developer whose imaginary childhood friend returns after 40 years. Invisible to everyone but him, Guy wonders if he’s having some type of breakdown.
Things take an even more unusual turn when, by the third or fourth episode, it appears Hennikay is actually helping Guy. With someone around to talk to, the formerly solitary Guy finds it easier to come to terms with, and improve, aspects of his life such as his meagre social life and stressful job. The odds of a functioning friendship are low; there’s an age-gap (40 years), one of them is imaginary and therefore invisible… But somehow it works.
Certainly an original premise for a radio series, it’s very warm-hearted and endearingly off-beat. Read the full review
Hennikay series 1 and 2 is on BBC Sounds (UK only)
Still Listening to…
Nathaniel Parker gives an assured reading of The Midwich Cuckoos. John Wyndham’s classic novel about a village possessed is full of atmosphere, especially in the early chapters which build to horrific revelations. It’s probably Wyndham’s second most famous story, after The Day of the Triffids (reviewed here). Nathaniel Parker’s reading, particularly his very convincing character voices, is accomplished and extremely easy on the ear. Originally released by Chivers back in 2000 on six tape cassettes, and on CD from Cover to Cover and Audio Go but not currently available to stream online. One for the collectors.
More widely available, including from Audible, is the version narrated by Stephen Fry.
Available in multiple formats on Amazon
I’m still sporadically listening to Sherlock Holmes (starring Clive Merrison and Michael Williams). I really savour these but this time I chose two more faithful recreations of Conan-Doyle’s stories, A Case of Identity and The Greek Interpreter. This series offers everything a Holmes purist could wish for. Made in the 90s and 2000s, the BBC Radio series covers all of the Conan-Doyle originals, and a series of original tales to follow.
Full review of ‘The Lions Mane’
Available on BBC Sounds (UK only).
Get this newsletter every month
Next on My Playlist…
Going back to the early days of public broadcasts, The Golden Years, is set inside BBC Broadcast House during the 1930s. Starring Robert Bathurst (as heard in Welcome to Our Village… Please Invade Carefully and Hut 33). It’s a three part mini-series, first broadcast in 2012.
Will Earthsearch 2, the sequel to James Follet’s gripping sci-fi serial Earthsearch, be just as compulsive? Like its predecessor, Earthsearch 2 is a ten-part serial with a small cast. The omnipresent organic computers controlling starship Challenger return for the surviving members of the crew where they have settled on the Earth-like planet, Paradise. After enduring inhuman treatment under their ‘guardian Angels’ in the first serial, Shana, Astra, Telson and Darv are immediately on the defensive. I’m looking forward to this.
On My Radar…
Exploring the output of prolific writer John Creasy, I am watching Gideon’s Way and reading one of the novels in the Gideon series. It was fortuitous, in one of those freakish ‘coincidences’ peculiar to the internet, I stumbled on another Creasy creation, Inspector West in an eight-part serial called Inspector West at Bay. I’m not sure if I want yet more police detective stories at this moment in time, so I bookmarked it and will reveal more when I eventually listen to it.
From my collection
This time: Listen For Pleasure double tape cassette of The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.
Douglas Adams wrote the 6-part radio serial and then adapted it into a bestselling novel which is read in abridged form by Stephen Moore. Moore played Marvin the Android in both the radio and TV versions of the series and does a really wonderful job here. This is not available to stream or download (officially) A full review can be found here.
Latest Awesome Audio Review…
DOCTOR IN THE HOUSE
A youthful Richard Briers stars in this classic BBC Radio comedy about the scrapes of a group of student doctors. It’s awfully dated but the jokes are good and the characters all likeable, including the irascible Sir Lancelot Spratt played by Bill Fraser.
Subscribers to Awesome Audio Reviews receive an in-depth audio review every month.
This Month’s Top Clicks
After a long, long hiatus the official Red Dwarf websiteis updating again. But let us not forget the always reliably helpful (and sweary) fan site, Ganymede and Titan
UK-based fans of James Follet (Earthsearch) might be interested in this lost play from 1973 being broadcast on BBC Sounds in three parts.
Everybody’s talking about Robin Hood at the moment due to MGM’s popular re-imagining. In 2019, Audible brought out a fine dramatization, The Legends of Robin Hood, where the fabled exploits of the famous legend are presented as real drama. Kids will love it too
Give a tip
Feel free to give me a tip if you enjoyed this review.
Audio preview of my book
Subscriber Benefits
- An in-depth classic audio book review every month
- Monthly Awesome Audio Review newsletter
- Access to the full Awesome Audio review archive (containing reviews of 30 different titles)
Read More
All Reviews
Awesome Audios Banner image is ‘Oak Tree Landscape’ by Karen Arnold
Martin Gregory 2025 copyright
Editorial policy: This and all content within Awesome Audios was 100% written by a human being. No AI was employed in the writing of this feature. This work is all my own and nobody or nothing has permission to re-use it.
Discover more from No_Script_For_Life
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
