--- name: "Craig Charles" canonical: "https://film.one/person/craig-charles" roles: ["Actor"] born: "11 July 1964" reviewed_on_fi1m: 1 average_as: "actor" average_over: 1 updated: "2026-09-18T00:59:45.522218+00:00" licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Craig Charles Actor. Born 11 July 1964 in Liverpool, England, UK. ## Details - **Work:** Actor - **Born:** 11 July 1964, Liverpool, England, UK - **Also known as:** Charles Craig - **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Craig_Charles, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q3395392, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0153002/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/137024 ## Streaming the US now - **Apple TV:** [*Red Dwarf*](https://film.one/tv/red-dwarf.md) (80) For United States; add `?region=XX` for another country. ## Fi1m on Craig Charles > Craig Charles makes a stubborn refusal to concede funny before the joke arrives. His work with Chris Barrie in *Red Dwarf* is worth returning to, with the caveat that the programme is less consistent than their partnership. Dave Lister and Rimmer argue as though they have already had this conversation and found it unsatisfactory on every previous occasion. In *Red Dwarf* (1988), Craig Charles and Chris Barrie make the reluctance to give ground funny before either gets to the punchline. Charles gives Lister enough warmth that the irritation does not make him tiresome company. We laughed because neither seems able to let a provocation pass, however well he knows the man delivering it. Their mutual annoyance feels lived in, and that makes the stranger material easier to care about. Lister was Charles’s first television acting role, and he returned to him across twelve series and the 2020 special. It is a character built from exaggerated aspects of Charles himself: the Liverpudlian slob with a fondness for curry and drink. His appearance as an interviewer in *Ghostwatch* (1992) offers another point of entry, but Lister remains the obvious place to start. A role sustained for so long can make the rest of an actor’s work difficult to see, and Charles has acknowledged the typecasting. The useful comparison is Lloyd Mullaney, the taxi driver Charles played in *Coronation Street* from 2005 to 2015. He brought his own Northern soul and funk interests into Lloyd, giving another long-running character recognisable bits of himself. We would not mistake that familiarity for a lack of work; choosing which personal habits will make a character worth spending time with is part of the job. The limit of our enthusiasm is the programme around him. *Red Dwarf* is uneven, and a reliable comic partnership cannot make every stretch equally worth revisiting. Its strongest exchanges work because neither actor treats the other as someone merely waiting to deliver a line; each gives the impression of listening and being unable to leave the reply unsaid. Start there, provided an evening of petty grievances sounds like a rest from your own. ## Biography Craig Charles is a British actor, presenter, comedian and DJ. He is best known for playing Dave Lister in the science-fiction comedy series *Red Dwarf*, which began in 1988 and has continued across multiple series and specials. Charles began his career as a performance poet before moving into acting and presenting. He has appeared in *Ghostwatch* (1992) and played Lloyd Mullaney in the soap opera *Coronation Street* from 2005 to 2015. He has also presented *Robot Wars* and narrated *Takeshi's Castle*, and since 2002 has hosted *The Craig Charles Funk and Soul Show* on BBC Radio 6 Music. *Sources: en.wikipedia.org, imdb.com.* ## On Fi1m (1) - *Red Dwarf* (1988), Fi1m 80, as Dave Lister — [page](https://film.one/tv/red-dwarf.md) ## Complete filmography (40) Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page. - *Zombie Apache* (2025), as Liverpool Joe - *Sam and Doug* (2023), as Doug - *Red Dwarf: The Promised Land* (2020), as David Lister - *Meet the Richardsons* (2020), series, as Craig Charles - *Ken Dodd: How Tickled We Were* (2018), as Narrator (voice) - *Red Dwarf: Back to Earth* (2009), as Lister - *Clubbing to Death* (2008), as Carl Begsley - *Fated* (2006), as Pedro - *The Dealer* (2006), as Scott Flower - *Red Dwarf: Back from the Dead - Series VII* (2005), Thanks - *Red Dwarf: The Starbuggers - Series VI* (2005), Thanks - *Red Dwarf: Heavy Science - Series V* (2004), Thanks - *Red Dwarf: Built to Last - Series IV* (2004), Thanks - *Red Dwarf: All Change - Series III* (2003), Thanks - *Red Dwarf A–Z* (2003), Thanks - *Launching Red Dwarf* (2002), Thanks - *Ricky and Bianca* (2002), series, as Vince - *Don't Walk* (2000), as Narrator - *Can't Smeg Won't Smeg* (1998), as Lister - *Unseen Big Break* (1997), Acting - *Space Cadets* (1997), series, as Space Captain - *Lexx* (1997), series, as The Warden - *Captain Butler* (1997), series, Acting - *Craig Charles: Live on Earth!* (1995), Acting - *The Governor* (1995), series, as Eugene Buffy - *Red Dwarf: Smeg Outs* (1995), as Lister - *The Easter Stories* (1994), series, as Judas - *Red Dwarf: Smeg Ups* (1994), as Lister - *Prince Cinders* (1993), as Zipper - Cat (voice) - *Cyberzone* (1993), series, as Zone Warden - *Ghostwatch* (1992), as Interviewer - *Amnesty International's Big 30* (1991), as Dave Lister - *Screen One* (1989), series, as Interviewer - *Red Dwarf* (1988), series, as Dave Lister — Fi1m 80, [page](https://film.one/tv/red-dwarf.md) - *The Marksman* (1987), series, as MacFadden, Poem - *Daytime Live* (1987), series, Acting - *It's Wicked* (1987), series, Acting - *Business as Usual* (1987), as Eddie - *Coronation Street* (1960), series, as Lloyd Mullaney - *Tor! Total Football*, as Narrator (voice) ## Gallery - ![Craig Charles](https://film.one/media/person/163933/gallery-212dc6a285ac.jpg) Craig Charles — tiny_packages, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fb/Craig_Charles.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled) - ![Craig Charles aka Dave Lister and Chloë Annett aka Kristine Kochanski from Red Dwarf at Dimension Jump XV, Birmingham UK (2009)](https://film.one/media/person/163933/gallery-6fab53a8ac5f.jpg) Craig Charles aka Dave Lister and Chloë Annett aka Kristine Kochanski from Red Dwarf at Dimension Jump XV, Birmingham UK (2009) — ...some guy, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/90/Chlo%C3%AB_Annett_and_Craig_Charles.jpg/1280px-Chlo%C3%AB_Annett_and_Craig_Charles.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail) - ![Craig Charles aka Dave Lister from Red Dwarf at Dimension Jump XV, Birmingham UK (2009)](https://film.one/media/person/163933/gallery-cc164208a496.jpg) Craig Charles aka Dave Lister from Red Dwarf at Dimension Jump XV, Birmingham UK (2009) — ...some guy, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d8/Craig_Charles_%2801%29.jpg/1280px-Craig_Charles_%2801%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail) - ![Craig Charles aka Dave Lister from Red Dwarf at Dimension Jump XV, Birmingham UK. Giving his best nonplussed face. (2009)](https://film.one/media/person/163933/gallery-961db03d186c.jpg) Craig Charles aka Dave Lister from Red Dwarf at Dimension Jump XV, Birmingham UK. Giving his best nonplussed face. (2009) — ...some guy, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/67/Craig_Charles_%2802%29.jpg/1280px-Craig_Charles_%2802%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail) - ![Craig Charles](https://film.one/media/person/163933/gallery-ab432195aaf4.jpg) Craig Charles — Image via TMDB - ![Craig Charles](https://film.one/media/person/163933/gallery-abbf34944f54.jpg) Craig Charles — Image via TMDB - ![Craig Charles aka Dave Lister from Red Dwarf at Dimension Jump XV, Birmingham UK. Giving his best nonplussed face. (2009)](https://film.one/media/person/163933/gallery-0247b7744f85.jpg) Craig Charles aka Dave Lister from Red Dwarf at Dimension Jump XV, Birmingham UK. Giving his best nonplussed face. (2009) — ...some guy, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/19/Craig_Charles_%2802%29_%28cropped%29.jpg/1280px-Craig_Charles_%2802%29_%28cropped%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail) - ![Craig Charles aka Dave Lister from Red Dwarf hamming it up at Dimension Jump XV, Birmingham UK. Wearing a fan's mock up of Lister's jacket and posing for a pict (2009)](https://film.one/media/person/163933/gallery-e0e29c209fb7.jpg) Craig Charles aka Dave Lister from Red Dwarf hamming it up at Dimension Jump XV, Birmingham UK. Wearing a fan's mock up of Lister's jacket and posing for a pict (2009) — ...some guy, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e7/Craig_Charles_%2803%29.jpg/1280px-Craig_Charles_%2803%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/craig-charles