Red Dwarf's Craig Charles has revealed how he managed to blag the role of Dave Lister in the iconic sci-fi series, and to be honest, we think he's doing himself a smegging disservice.
Chatting to John Bishop for the comedian's latest episode of In Conversation With, Craig admitted that it was previous collaborator Paul Jackson who piqued his Red Dwarf interest.
It all started when Craig was asked to read the script – not because he should try out for the sitcom or anything, but to see if the "part of the Cat is racist".
After deciding that Cat wasn't racist (thankfully), Craig then asked Jackson: "Can I be Dave Lister?"
Related: Red Dwarf probably won't ever do a Christmas special
After a couple of knock-backs, Craig managed to twist creators Rob Grant and Doug Naylor's arms into casting him in the lead role.
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But as well as being "awful" in the audition, Craig explained that his hometown was also part of the Manchester duo's unwillingness.
"There's no way [Rob and Doug] wanted the hero of the piece to be a Scouser. In the end, I read a second time and they very reluctantly said, 'Alright, we'll give it a go'."
Pointing out that the likes of Hugh Laurie and Alan Rickman had also tried out for the show, John reminded Craig that it probably wasn't a reluctant decision at all.
Which is just as well, because we couldn't imagine anyone else playing Lister.
John Bishop: In Conversation with Craig Charles airs tonight (October 5) at 9pm on W.
Red Dwarf XII starts Thursday, October 12 at 9pm on Dave and is available to preview on UKTV Play now.
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