Above all, Fun Features Posted by Andrew Marshall on 27th February 2026, 10:15 Following yesterday’s awful news, Rob’s writing partner Andrew Marshall has been in touch to share his tribute. For about the last 15 years my working day has started in the same way: make coffee, sit at desk at 9.30 and await Rob to appear on Zoom. Or Screenhero, Or Skype. Or whatever the gas powered useless app was before that. We shared thoughts, worries, family news, memories, latest movie opinions and most of all cookery tips. Oh, and then eventually wrote something. But most of all we laughed. Working with Rob was always, above all, fun. As time wore on we grew to be like brothers, getting our families together for the Christmas Company Meal, and the Summer Sausage Festival in our garden. We even performed together in the sketch show The Nether Regions, which Rob claimed was the best time he’d ever had in his life, and I agreed, which gives you some idea of our respective lives. He was unfailingly kind, thoughtful and generous. We never had a single argument and if we came to a small creative disagreement it was usually quickly solved by my saying “let’s work out how to do both”. Most recently we embarked on writing a new Red Dwarf novel, Titan. What we thought would take us a few months ended up as the best part of two years, pooling our combined talents and comedy skills to the utmost, planning character arcs and story points in enormous detail and writing and rewriting chapters until we were completely satisfied. It was gruelling and exhausting, but invigorating and above all, fun. Then last Wednesday I made my coffee, sat down at my desk at 9.30, and Rob didn’t appear on Zoom. I am going to miss him more than I can say. I admired him greatly and loved him very dearly. But What Larks, my old friend, What Larks!
A lovely tribute, and great to hear how much has gone into the new novel. Tragic that Rob won’t be here to enjoy its success.
Thanks Andrew. I look forward to reading this new (and sadly last) chapter of Rob’s side of Red Dwarf that you carved together, albeit it with a touch of sadness.
A lovely tribute, and great to hear how much has gone into the new novel. Tragic that Rob won’t be here to enjoy its success. It occurred to me last night that there will, presumably, never exist a copy of Titan signed by Rob. That’s incredibly sad.
It occurred to me last night that there will, presumably, never exist a copy of Titan signed by Rob. That’s incredibly sad. I had the same thought. Very sad.
