Boys from the Dwarf: Looking back at 'Red Dwarf', the sci-fi show that had a huge impact on my childhood

Still from the British sci-fi sitcom called Red Dwarf. Here we see four of the main cast sat in the cockpit of Starbug. From left to right: Kryten, The Cat, Rimmer, and Lister.

On Feb. 25, 2026, English comedy writer Rob Grant died. The author of several novels and television series, Grant is best remembered as the co-creator of the science fiction comedy series Red Dwarf, which followed the adventures of Dave Lister aboard the titular mining spacecraft. A series that had a huge impact on me personally.

Created by Grant and Doug Naylor and based on a series of radio sketches called Dave Hollins: Space Cadet, Red Dwarf debuted in 1988 on the terrestrial TV channel BBC 2, but I didn't discover the series until its second season in 1989. And it was a complete eye-opener for a ten-year-old kid who would become obsessed with sci-fi, but at that point had only really been exposed to Doctor Who and Star Trek.