Red Dwarf’s ‘visionary’ co-creator Rob Grant dies aged 70 as tributes pour in

Rob Grant, the comedy writer best known as the co-creator of the long-running sitcom Red Dwarf, has died aged 70. The death was announced by a dedicated Red Dwarf fan site, which shared a message from Grant’s family saying he passed away suddenly on Wednesday, February 25, 2026; the cause of death has not been made public. The news has sparked a wave of tributes from colleagues, cast members and fans.

Rob Grant: tributes and reactions

Tributes have been paid by a range of figures connected to Red Dwarf and British comedy. Craig Charles, who played Dave Lister on the show, posted on social media on Thursday afternoon (February 26) saying he was in total shock, calling Grant one of the funniest people he had ever met and "a visionary, " and offering his condolences to Grant’s family and friends. Actor Cameron Yarde wrote that Grant co-created Red Dwarf with Doug Naylor, wrote for Spitting Image with Doug in its early years including The Chicken Song, and worked on Carrott's Lib, calling that body of work a legacy rather than just a career.

The official Red Dwarf social page said the team was devastated to learn of Rob’s passing, sent love to his family and friends, and added that he will always live on through his creativity, storytelling and humour, closing with the words "Travel well, Sir. "

Fan site announcement and timeline

A dedicated Red Dwarf fan site shared a message from Rob Grant’s family reading: "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. " The fan site also posted its own tribute expressing shock, sympathies and noting that the death came within a week of the announcement of Grant’s first Red Dwarf novel for thirty years, calling that timing a cruel twist of fate.

At the time of the initial announcement the fan site went down, presumably because many fans were trying to find out more details.

Red Dwarf's origins, run and legacy

Red Dwarf began life as a sketch on the radio show Son of Cliche and launched on television in 1988. The sitcom follows Dave Lister’s adventures as the last living human aboard the Red Dwarf mining spaceship after he awakens three million years after suspended animation. The show made stars of Craig Charles, Chris Barrie, Robert Llewellyn and Danny John-Jules, and also featured Hattie Hayridge and Norman Lovett. The series started on the, later moved to another channel in 2009, and ran across 12 seasons plus two specials, Back to Earth and The Promised Land, building a large and devoted cult audience.

Career highlights: Spitting Image, other series and recent novel announcement

Grant was one of the main writers on Spitting Image for many years, writing regularly with Doug Naylor. He also wrote two other television series, The Strangerers and Dark Ages, and authored a number of novels. One of his early television jobs was writing for Jasper Carrot’s show, Carrot's Lib. His first Red Dwarf novel in thirty years, titled Titan and co-credited to Andrew Marshall, had been recently announced and was due to be published in July.

Fan and public responses

Reaction from the public gathered beneath cast messages and social posts. Examples of comments on Craig Charles’s social post included: Stuart saying "Incredibly sad news"; Steve adding "Oh no, condolences to all of the Red Dwarf folks"; Matthew writing it was totally unexpected and offering condolences to Grant’s family and colleagues; Chantal expressing sadness for the loss to the Red Dwarf posse; Chris calling it "So sad" and thanking Rob and Doug for Dwarf; Rob offering thanks for the laughs and sending thoughts to the family; Alan saying "Sad news. Thank you Rob, Rest in Peace. " and Greg adding "Such sad news, sorry for your loss, thank you for the laughs... RIP. "

Personal note and what happens next

One writer noted they had worked with Rob Grant and Doug Naylor to write The Official Red Dwarf Companion and described them as great company, a great double act, and devoted to the art of making people laugh. At present a cause of death has not been made public. This is a breaking story and more will follow as details and tributes continue to emerge.