Tim Hughes catches up with Red Dwarf and Coronation Street star Craig Charles, to discuss his real passion: music to make your feet move

He’s the slobbish space loafer Lister from Red Dwarf, the hapless taxi driver Lloyd Mullaney from Corrie and the rabble-rousing presenter of Robot Wars.

But despite his success as a TV icon, Craig Charles has an even bigger passion – music. More specifically funk and soul.

His radio show on BBC 6 Music has been running for 10 years and is the biggest on the network, while his live shows at clubs and festivals attract thousands – many of whom are switched on to his carefully curated cuts of classic grooves and new sounds for the first time.

“I love it,” he tells me, as I catch him during a short break on the set of Red Dwarf at Pinewood Studios.

“I like to keep busy,” he says, in that cheery sing-song Liverpool drawl. “In fact, I’ve got a gig later tonight.

“But I am lucky. I’ve been able to work in an industry that’s allowed me to do lots of different things with nobody telling me what to do.”

Tomorrow he brings some of his favourite tunes to Oxford for a festive instalment of the Craig Charles Funk & Soul Club.

He puts his love for vintage soul down to his upbringing in Liverpool, with great tunes of the day being played by his music-loving father – a first generation immigrant from the Caribbean coast of South America.

“I was born in ’64, right in the middle of the golden era of black American music,” he says.

”My dad came to this country from Guyana with a handful of change and a bagful of records – tunes by Ray Charles, Otis Redding, Aretha Franklin and people like that.

“I grew up listening to them, so when 6 Music came to me and said ‘do you want to do a show?’ I said I wanted to do a soul show, because that’s been the biggest influence on me.

“And what I thought was going to be niche has gone massive!”

He goes on: “When punk kicked off I was listening to Parliament-Funkadelic and The Jackson 5. That’s always where I have been.”

So what is the music’s appeal? “The thing about funk and soul is that it‘s party music,” he says animatedly. “It’s music for a proper good time.

“Even if you’re into metal or drum & bass, everyone has got a favourite soul record. It doesn’t alienate people and it gets everyone involved.

“Whether you’re an 18-year-old girl or a 50-year-old bloke, the music appeals to you – it appeals to everyone.

“People come in all shapes and sizes; the important thing is to enjoy the music.

“And it is music that’s really easy to dance to.

“And if you don’t dance to some these records I play, you’re already dead!

“My radio show goes out on a Saturday night and for a lot of people it’s the start of their weekend. They listen to it whole they are getting ready to go out, having a kitchen disco. Which is all good.”

The 51-year-old father-of-three defers to the masters of the genre – presenters like Norman Jay and Gilles Peterson, adding: “There are a lot of people playing funk and soul. It’s a lot bigger than you think.”

Though he insists, it is not a night of vintage tunes. “This is not a history lesson,” he says. “A lot of music I play now is being made now.”

The music has been a constant in Craig’s life – throughout the dark periods of lurid headlines, the drug claims and that false rape allegation – for which he spent more than three months on remand for a crime which he not only didn’t commit, but which didn’t even take place.

Living in Cheshire with his wife Jackie, he is clearly in a happier place.

“I am proud of lots of different things,” he says.

Oxford Mail:

  • Naughty but nice: Craig Charles has never been afraid of making an impact

“Robot Wars is crazy and unconventional, Red Dwarf is iconic and fun, and Coronation Street is also iconic and very popular.

“It’s good to keep moving forward.” And how’s the filming going? “It’s good. It’s me Kryten, Rimmer. We are on Red Dwarf 11 at the moment, then I’ll be back after Christmas for Red Dwarf 12.

“I’m lucky. It’s got great writing and still has a loyal audience. It’s been going for 28 years. I don’t think I’d be doing it for 28 years – but that’s one of those things.

“Being set in space gives it longevity. Other things, like The Young Ones, look so dated now, but not Red Dwarf.”

Craig is one of those people who sounds exactly the same in real life as he does on screen – as listeners to his radio show will know. So are those roles – particularly the homesick curry and lager-loving Dave Lister – accurate depictions of himself?

“Not much of Lister is me,” he says. “Although there are characteristics of all of us. So there are bits of Rimmer in Chris (Barrie), bits of Cat in Danny (John-Jules) and bits of Kryten in Robert (Llewellyn). Still, it was a career-defining role. And yes, I do like curry and lager!”

Tomorrow’s show sees him sharing the bill with Oxford’s own Temple Funk Collective and DJs Tony Nanton and sharp-suited promoter Count Skylarkin – East Oxford reggae DJ Aidan Larkin, of Disco Shed fame.

So what can fans in Oxford expect when he arrives?

“It’s gonna to blow your minds ‘til way past bedtime!” he chuckles “It’s gonna be great!”

There’s a flurry of action and Craig is called back to the set. Time is up, but there’s just time, to ask for his favourite tunes.

“That changes every day,” he laughs. “It depends what mood you’re in.

“It’s soul!”

Good answer. Of course it is.

Where and when
Craig Charles Funk & Soul Club, O2 Academy Oxford, tomorrow
Tickets £16 from ticketweb.co.uk