Rob Grant, known for co-creating the hit sitcom Red Dwarf and writing for Spitting Image, has died aged 70.
His family confirmed the news in a statement, writing: ‘With much sadness, we have to announce that Rob Grant, co-creator of Red Dwarf, passed away suddenly yesterday afternoon (Wednesday February 25, 2026), a great loss to his family, friends and comedy fans across the world.’
Red Dwarf aired on BBC Two from 1988 to 1999 and was later revived on Dave from 2009 to 2020.
Alongside his longtime writing partner Doug Naylor, Grant conceived a series that fused high-concept science fiction with low-status British humour and created a show about the last human alive.
The space cadet is marooned three million years into deep space with only a hologram of his dead bunkmate, a humanoid cat, and a neurotic service mechanoid for company.
What began as an oddball commission on BBC Two in 1988 grew into one of Britain’s most beloved and enduring cult comedies.
Born in 1950 in Salford, Lancashire, Grant developed his comic sensibility early.
He met Naylor in the 1970s; the pair bonded over a shared taste for American comedy and began writing for radio and television together, contributing to shows including Spitting Image and The 10 Percenters before landing on the idea that would make them famous.
Red Dwarf was, on paper, an unlikely hit. Its central character, the slovenly vending-machine technician Dave Lister, played by Craig Charles, was neither heroic nor aspirational.
Arnold Rimmer, portrayed by Chris Barrie, was petty, cowardly, and dead (a hologram).
The Cat, played by Danny John-Jules, evolved from a creature that had spent three million years worshipping Lister’s laundry basket, while Kryten, later portrayed by Robert Llewellyn, brought malfunctioning earnestness to the ensemble.
Grant’s writing delighted in undercutting authority, puncturing pomposity, and placing working-class characters at the centre of a genre traditionally dominated by square-jawed captains and utopian ideals.
The result was a sitcom that smuggled existential dread into tea-time BBC comedy, and gathered a devoted following of fans.
Charles led tributes to Grant on social media, writing: ‘Earlier today I was informed of the passing of [Rob Grant].
‘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.’
Grant and Naylor also co-wrote the Red Dwarf novels, beginning with Infinity Welcomes Careful Drivers, which became bestsellers and expanded the show’s universe with darker, more expansive storytelling.
In 1995, Grant stepped away from Red Dwarf after its sixth series, ending the original Grant-Naylor partnership.
Naylor continued the show in various incarnations, but for many fans the early seasons remain the definitive era.
Outside of Red Dwarf, Grant wrote solo novels including Colony and Fat, continuing to explore themes of identity, consumerism and alienation with a characteristically sardonic edge.
Just days before his passing, Grant announced the publication of a new Red Dwarf prequel novel, titled Red Dwarf: Titan.
Speaking this week to Radio Times, Grant explained the plot, saying: ‘It’s Lister and Rimmer before the accident on shore leave on Titan. It’s set one universe to the side, so we can have familiar characters but we can do different things with them, because the difficulty was writing something that was going to be original and fresh and using the same characters without breaking the canon.
‘So it was quite an intricate bit of work that actually took us about a year-and-a-half longer than we were hoping.’
His cause of death has not yet been revealed.
Got a story?
If you’ve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@metro.co.uk, calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we’d love to hear from you.
