I'm sitting here by my phone waiting for that call. It could be my big comeback. Sixteen years ago I made my TV debut as a Gelf in Red Dwarf. What? you don't know what a Gelf is? It's a Genetically Engineered Life Form, of course. Which meant I had to wear a sack over my head – this was a BBC budget, remember – and stand in a field all day while Craig Charles and co ran around being daft. It was the golden age of Red Dwarf, when "smeg off" was a common term of abuse and Chris Barrie had only just started moonlighting on the Brittas Empire.

Now 15 years on and ten years since the last series, Red Dwarf – like Reggie Perrin and Minder – is about to re-enter the telly stratosphere. The Dave Channel is having a special Red Dwarf weekend, starting on April 10, and the highlight is two new episodes of the classic sci-fi sitcom. All the original crew is back, which is a good start, and original co-writer Doug Naylor is onboard too. Details are thin, but it has been revealed that the crew make it back to earth.

So will it be a safe return or a crash landing? It's a long time and tastes have moved on. Red Dwarf has a large, devoted following, but this can be both a blessing and a curse. Those fans who adored the team's laddish antics  will be watching every moment when it returns but will be extra critical. Will Kryten be as robotically idiotic as ever? Will Rimmer be as much of a total spanner as ever? And will the Cat still be cool? Most of all, can we ever take Craig Charles seriously as curry-chomping slob Lister safter a combination of tabloid scandals and appearances in Coronation Street?

Anyway, I'm waiting for my call. It's not too late to cast me – I'm even happy to supply my own sack.