Parallel Universe (Red Dwarf)
episode of Red Dwarf

"Parallel Universe" is the sixth episode of science fiction sitcom Red Dwarf series two, and the twelfth in the show's run. It premiered on the British television channel BBC2 on 11 October 1988 and was written by Rob Grant and Doug Naylor, and directed by Ed Bye.
The plot involves the Red Dwarf crew travelling to a parallel universe where they meet alternative versions of themselves. This marked the final appearance of Norman Lovett as Holly until 1997.
The episode was remastered, along with the rest of the first three series, in 1998.
Plot
The ship's computer Holly (Norman Lovett) invents a new drive system called the "Holly Hop Drive", declaring that it can theoretically get Red Dwarf back to Earth in an instant. When Arnold Rimmer (Chris Barrie), Dave Lister (Craig Charles) and Cat (Danny John-Jules) decide to use the new system, it transports the ship into a parallel universe, and near a parallel version of Red Dwarf. On board, Rimmer, Lister and Holly encounter their female counterparts—Arlene Rimmer (Suzanne Bertish), Deb Lister (Angela Bruce) and Hilly (Hattie Hayridge)—discovering that in this universe, women hold a dominant position in society, while men fought for equal rights. Cat, expecting to encounter his female counterpart, is shocked to find it to be actually a male dog-like humanoid named Dog (Matthew Devitt).
Holly and Hilly reveal that they need a day to repair the drive, leaving the two groups to socialise in the disco for the night.
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This entry incorporates text from “Parallel Universe (Red Dwarf)” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.