Tributes are pouring in for Salford comedy writer Rob Grant, who was best known for cult-favourite science fiction sitcom Red Dwarf, a day after he died at the age of 70.
He co-wrote the British comedy series that aired on BBC Two from 1988 to 1999 and was later revived on Dave from 2009 to 2020, alongside his long-time friend Doug Naylor.
Born in September 1955, Grant grew up around the corner from Archie Street in Ordsall, which inspired the design of the fictional Coronation Street when the soap began to air on ITV in the 60s.
At the age of nine, he won a scholarship to Chethams Hospital School, opposite Manchester Cathedral. On his first day there, he met Doug Naylor, and they became friends. The pair were reunited by chance on the University of Liverpool’s psychology course.
Grant lived on the route to school from Doug’s and would often get a lift in Doug’s dad’s car in the mornings. This allowed him to save his thruppence bus fare, which would be spent on Jammy Dodgers at break time, according to his biography.
He was proud of his Salford upbringing, which he insisted is ‘a city in its own right’ rather than an extension of Manchester.
Following the death of his friend and co-writer, Naylor wrote in a post on Instagram:
Naylor wrote in a post on Instagram: “I’m deeply saddened to hear of Rob Grant’s passing yesterday. It’s hard to take in the loss of someone who was such a significant part of my life for so many years.
“I first met Rob when we were nine years old. We went to Chetham’s School of Music and later Liverpool University. We grew up making each other laugh long before there was an audience, and eventually found ourselves building something that neither of us could have imagined when we were schoolboys.
“Spitting Image and later Red Dwarf went on to become two of the most loved comedy series in Britain. I’ll always treasure those years of writing together and laughing so hard it hurt.
“Creative partnerships are intense, driven by passion, conviction and strong personalities. But at the heart of ours was a shared love of comedy and a desire to make people laugh and we did, on a scale neither of us could have predicted.
“My thoughts are with Rob’s wife Kath, and all his family and friends. I will always be grateful for my time working with Rob and what we created together. RIP Smeghead! X #reddwarf.”
Red Dwarf first aired in 1988 and starred actors Craig Charles, Chris Barrie, Danny John-Jules and Robert Llewellyn.
The show ran throughout the 1980s and 1990s and returned intermittently for special episodes, including a final season in 2017.
In a tribute on social media, Charles, who played Lister, praised Grant as one of the “funniest people” he had ever met.
He said: “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.”
Grant also wrote alongside Naylor on the satirical puppet show Spitting Image and was behind the 1990s series Dark Ages, which starred comics Phill Jupitus and Alistair McGowan.
The pair also wrote a number of books including Red Dwarf (1989) and Better Than Life (1991).
In 1996, Grant wrote the Red Dwarf novel Backwards, which follows the third adventure of the space heroes Lister, Rimmer, Kryten, Holly and the Cat from the cult TV show.
