Not everyone on our side of the Atlantic gets British comedy. I had an early inculcation in British humor, though, through the show that introduced so many of us to that genre: Monty Python. After that, I developed an appreciation for dry British wit that led me and, later, my wife and kids, to enjoy such greats as Black Adder, Bits of Fry and Laurie, Jeeves and Wooster, Fawlty Towers, Keeping Up Appearances, and so on. And, of course, being a science fiction fan, I quickly became a big fan of the BBC sci-fi series Red Dwarf. It was a fun, low-budget comedy, set on a mining starship called "Red Dwarf." It featured a primary cast of five: Dave Lister, the last living human being and "the slobbiest entity in the universe", Kryten, a sanitation android, Arnold Judas Rimmer, a hologram, and the Cat, a creature that evolved from the ship's cat, along with the ship's computer, Holly, with an IQ of 6,000. Later, Dave Lister's pre-accident love interest, Kristine Kochanski, joins the show for two seasons.
It's a three-million-year romp, and one of my favorites.
On Thursday, we were sad to learn of the passing of Red Dwarf co-creator Rob Grant at 70 years of age.
Red Dwarf's writer and creator Rob Grant has died suddenly aged 70, it was announced today. His family released a statement with read: "With much sadness, we have to announce that Rob Grant, co-creator of Red Dwarf, passed away suddenly yesterday afternoon (25/02/26), a great loss to his family, friends and comedy fans across the world".
Craig Charles, who played Dave Lister, wrote:
Craig Charles - who played Dave Lister in the sitcom - paid tribute to the writer, saying: "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."
My kids grew up on Red Dwarf. All four of them still watch the entire series, right up to the final 90-minute special, once or twice a year. My wife and I do, too. The works of Rob Grant and his partner Doug Naylor will always have a regular place on our viewing calendar.
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The show included some major themes, primary among them being Dave Lister's status as the last living human, after having been sealed in statis during a reactor accident that killed the crew; the computer, Holly, couldn't let him out until the radiation had died down to safe levels - three million years later.
You've got to love a writer who comes up with material like this interchange between Lister and Kryten:
Maybe in three million years, the technology will exist to bring back Rob Grant. If that happens, it would be a fitting fate to have him end up on a city-sized, lost mining ship, with only an insecure android, an arrogant hologram, a vain cat, and the slobbiest entity in the universe for company.
We'll miss you, Rob Grant.
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