I don’t usually post about the passing of people in the industry. But ‘Red Dwarf‘ has been part of my life since I was 13 years old, I’ve had the pleasure of meeting members of the cast over the years, and the news that Rob Grant, co-creator of the series, has died suddenly at 70 feels like it deserves more than just a retweet.
Grant’s family confirmed he passed away on Wednesday, 25th February. No cause of death has been made public.
What makes this particularly gut-punching for fans is the timing. Just days ago, Grant announced a new book, ‘Red Dwarf: Titan’, his first ‘Red Dwarf’ novel in over thirty years, co-written with Andrew Marshall. The book is set before the events of the TV series, following Lister and Rimmer on shore leave on Saturn’s moon Titan, where a message from the future throws them into a race to save all of reality. Grant and Marshall had originally written the story as a treatment for a TV spin-off, pitching it around to streamers, but couldn’t generate enough interest to get it made. Rather than let the story die, they turned it into a novel instead, and by all accounts fell in love with the characters all over again in the process, with Grant expressing hopes for a sequel.
The book is still scheduled for publication on 16th July 2026.
Craig Charles (Red Dwarf) led the tributes, writing: “Earlier today I was informed of the passing of @realrobgrant. I am in total shock. He was one of the funniest people I’ve ever met. A visionary. My heart goes out to his family and friends. The impact he and Doug had on the course of my life is immeasurable. RIP ROB.”
The Official Red Dwarf Facebook page added: “We are devastated to learn of Rob’s passing and send love to his family and friends. He will always live on through his amazing creativity, storytelling and humour. Travel well, Sir.”
‘Red Dwarf’ grew from a sketch called ‘Dave Hollins: Space Cadet’ on the BBC Radio 4 series ‘Son of Cliché’, with Grant and Doug Naylor developing it into one of the most beloved British sitcoms ever made. It launched on BBC Two in 1988, running until 1999, and was later revived on Dave from 2009 to 2020. Grant stepped away from writing the TV series after Series 6, with Naylor continuing solo, and the pair’s professional relationship eventually became complicated enough that a legal dispute over the ‘Red Dwarf’ rights ran for years. We covered the resolution of that here. Since then, the two had been working on separate ‘Red Dwarf’ projects.
The TV side of things has been uncertain for a while. Last year, Naylor revealed that UKTV had scrapped a planned 90-minute special he’d already started writing, as part of a broader decision to stop commissioning scripted comedy. We covered that here too. Grant, for his part, told Radio Times he remained hopeful: “It’s been going for so long, and I’m sure it’ll have another life down the line somewhere. These things happen.”
Before ‘Red Dwarf’, Grant wrote for ‘Carrott’s Lib’, ‘Spitting Image’, and ‘Son of Cliché’, and later created TV series ‘The Strangerers’ and ‘Dark Ages’. His contribution to British comedy is immeasurable.
‘Red Dwarf: Titan‘ publishes in hardback, ebook, and audio on 16th July 2026. ‘Red Dwarf’ is available to stream on BBC iPlayer.
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