Tributes have been paid to Rob Grant, the comedy writer best known as the co-creator of long running hit sitcom Red Dwarf. Grant was also one of the main writers on Spitting IMage for many years, writing regularly with Doug Naylor.

The news was broken by the Red Dwarf fan site, Ganymede and Titan. (note - at the time of writing the site has gone down due, presumably, to so many fans trying to find out more details).

Craig Charles, who played Lister posted on X: "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."

Actor Cameron Yarde wrote: "RIP Rob Grant. Co-creator of Red Dwarf with Doug Naylor, wrote for Spitting Image with Doug in its early years including The Chicken Song and wrote on the excellent Carrott's Lib. That's not just a career, that's a legacy."

The Official Red Dwarf Facebook page wrote: "We are devastated to learn of Rob’s passing and send love to his family and friends. He will always live on through his amazing creativity, storytelling and humour. Travel well, Sir"

Red Dwarf emerged out of a sketch on the radio show Son of Cliche, and was a major hit for the BBC, launching in 1988 and making stars out of Craig Charles, Chris Barrie, Robert Llewellyn and Danny John-Jules as well as Hattie Hayridge and Norman Lovett. It was later revived on Dave and continued to be watched by large, devoted audiences.

Grant also wrote two other TV series, The Strangerers and Dark Ages, and a number of novels. One of his first jobs was writing for Jasper Carrot's BBC show, Carrot's Lib.

His first Red Dwarf novel for thirty years, Titan, co-credited to Andrew Marshall, had recently been announced and is due to be published in July. Details here.

Grant was 70. A cause of death has not been made public. 

On a personal note, I worked with Rob and Doug to write The Official Red Dwarf Companion. I found them both to be great company, a great double act, and, above all, devoted to the art of making people laugh. 

This is a breaking story, more will follow...