Peter Ridsdale-Scott RIP News Posted by Ian Symes on 9th February 2026, 12:10 News has only just reached us, via Paul Muller on our forum, that the great Peter Ridsdale-Scott passed away on Christmas Day 2025, as announced on his website. Peter was a giant of British television, hugely popular and well respected. After starting out as a jobbing actor in his native Blackpool, he worked his way through the ranks behind the scenes at the BBC in London, where he ended up as a writer, director and producer of children’s programmes, including thousands of episodes of the iconic Play School. He then moved to Manchester to take up an executive producer role on programmes such as Cheggers Plays Pop and EBC1: Emu’s Broadcasting Company, before becoming the Commissioning Editor for BBC North West. Having been approached by Paul Jackson, Peter was the first commissioner to see the potential in the Red Dwarf pilot script, which had already been rejected multiple times by his counterparts in London. It was Peter who green lit the series, put his faith in the relatively unproven Rob, Doug and Ed, signed off on the casting, championed the show within the BBC, and fought for it to be remounted after the initial production was halted by a technician’s strike. While actors, writers, directors and producers are the first to be praised for their successes, none of them can do their jobs without a commissioning editor who believes in the project, takes risks, and makes things happen. Quite simply, if it wasn’t for Peter Ridsdale-Scott, there would be no Red Dwarf. None of us would be reading this website today. The friendships, relationships and offspring that have been born from the show over the last 38 years wouldn’t exist. We owe him everything. We celebrate his vision and determination, and we will remember him. His contribution to Launching Red Dwarf, the documentary on the Series 1 DVD, is already legendary, showcasing his enthusiasm and love for the show in the most endearing way. He also took part in The First Three Million Years in 2020, and did a Mr Flibble interview back in 2002. And if you want to see him in his element, he took a starring role in a fascinating BBC training film on videotape editing, in his days as Play School director. Plus of course, he’s immortalised in Red Dwarf itself, as the inspiration behind Chris Barrie’s performance as Brannigan, the ship’s psychiatrist, in Queeg. Peter Ridsdale-Scott may now be late, but he was so good. He was brilliant.
Quite simply, if it wasn’t for Peter Ridsdale-Scott, there would be no Red Dwarf. This says it all. RIP.
A huge loss. If only the TV industry had more people like him. Things have shifted so much, nowadays he’d be a maverick for commissioning Red Dwarf after it was a proven hit.
Ah no, what awful news. I only watched the series 1 documentary a few weeks ago and thought at the time (again) that he was so important to getting RD made. Most of all, he always came over as an enthusiastic and lovely guy. Massive loss. RIP Peter.
Peter was a visiting lecturer at the University of Salford, when I was studying performing arts. I only had one lecture with him, but as soon as I realised it was THAT Peter Ridsdale-Scott I was very excited. I did my best to steer the questioning towards Red Dwarf and he eagerly took the bait. Genuinely, the highlight of the whole 3 years I was there.
