Funky Cold Medina

"Smeg off,” says British comedian Craig Charles in his familiar Liverpudlian tone. His comment wasn't improvised but promoted. “I'm in the onset of a hangover. I'm on set and want the day to end,” he laughs. Stereotypes ring true – a scouse that had too many is suffering from a hangover and doesn't want to work. Still, he soldiers on and records his lines on the set of Coronation Street, his other 'job'.

Charles is best known as Dave Lister, the curry munching slob from cult BBC sitcom Red Dwarf whose 'smeg' catchphrase has become part of the UK dictum (among die-hard Dwarf fans anyway). 

For over 30 years, Charles has been a permanent fixture in British entertainment. From appearing in cult TV shows to England's longest-running soap, he's a busy lad. He's also a stand-up comedian, poet and voiceover artist. Yet nowadays it's musical nous that's the talking point. “My dad arrived in England in the late '50s with a bag of records and I remember mum and dad dancing round the room to Marvin Gaye and Nat King Cole. I've grown up with that kind of music,” explains Charles.

The TV star has carved out a successful career as a DJ thanks to his Craig Charles Funk & Soul radio show. And as you may've guessed, his music of choice is in the title: “I play all varieties of funk and soul. I play classics from the golden era of black American music and the European response to it. It's party music man,” he says.

Charles grew-up in the working class city of Liverpool, which has a decent pedigree of producing musicians. Aside from The Beatles; OMD, Frankie Goes To Hollywood and Teardrop Explodes all called Liverpool home.

When Charles was a youngster, funk and soul was sparse in Liverpool, a city then dominated by alternative music. “The punk thing – never my boogie. I always danced to a different groove. Everyone was into punk back in the day while I was in the black clubs dancing to George Clinton and The Real Thing,” he tells.

His true connection with music started in the early '90s when he presented the breakfast show on Kiss FM. He says, “I wanted to play soul and funk, stuff like Ray Charles and Funkadelic, you know, classics. After Kiss went from a pirate to a regulated station, they wanted me to play techno. Who the fuck wants to hear techno at 6am?” he laughs.

Once the Kiss FM stint ended, Charles continued with his now successful acting career. It would be another ten years until he got the opportunity to present on radio. “BBC Radio 6 actually came to me and asked if I had any ideas for a show. My idea was for a niche show with a bunch of guys who played rhythm'n'blues. I wanted to speak with people who really knew about the music,” he says.

That niche aspect didn't quite turn out as planned as Craig Charles Funk & Soul developed market share and a loyal following. “It is the longest running show (on Radio 6) and has had the highest audience share of any network program.”

He's also taken his funk and soul jamboree on the road. “I'm dead lucky to have careers in music and acting. My mates are all musicians, not actors. Music always came first but I never wanted to be a DJ. Can you imagine saying to the careers teacher at school that I wanted to be a DJ? They'd laugh and tell me to fuck off,” he says.

His reputation in England may be built behind music and acting, but what about his reputation down under? He laughs, “I'm sure Aussies will ask themselves what the fuck is Lister doing playing funk and soul? But the music speaks for itself. It's brilliant music and tunes will travel.”

Craig Charles will be playing the following dates:

Saturday 2 February - The Basement, Sydney NSW