I don’t think I’ve ever laughed so much, before or since

By Steve Jarratt

Originally published by Time Extension

I first met Andy Dyer when he applied for a job on Commodore Format, the magazine which I’d been tasked with launching, I immediately liked the guy, and even though he was obviously nervous, I was comfortable in his company and felt that we’d really clicked. I knew I’d filled the staff writer role before he’d even left the office. It was his dream job, and I felt happy that I’d rescued him from a life of drudgery in insurance!

That would have been around the summer of 1990, some 34 years ago, so my memories of my time with Andy are faded and incomplete; in my head, it’s more of an ‘Andy Dyer greatest hits’ clips reel; flashes of shared moments that probably won’t sound that thrilling when written down – after all we worked in an office, mainly, sharing the duties that magazine production entailed. It’s less prestigious than it sounds,

Among the moments I do remember are sharing a train journey back from London when we spent the whole time talking nonsense (like the ticket collector who became ‘Captain Hat’), and I don’t think I’ve ever laughed so much, before or since. I recall Andy’s response to the C64 version of Dick Tracy, where a poster of Dick on the wall gained a speech bubble saying, “You disappointing bastard!” (Hilarious at the time.)

Then there was the period we spent in the attic of a rented property making the launch issue of TOTAL!. We had to work through the night and into the next day to get the damn thing finished. We were exhausted and falling asleep at our desks. But overall, I just have vague memories of endless silly banter, playing pool at lunchtime, and simply enjoying Andy’s company, both at work and after hours in various pubs in Bath.

Andy was a very kind-hearted man, a smart guy and a really funny writer. Giving written text a comedic edge is hard to do, but Andy was brilliant at it. He really forced me to up my game, because my C64 reviews were garbage compared to his. For Commodore Format, he also invented Roger ‘speccy’ Frames (a bespectacled kid who plays budget games and his dog Debit), with an ongoing thread about how Roger was a proper skinflint. Accompanied by Mike Roberts’ cartoon artwork it quickly became a fan favourite and even featured on the cover of the final issue of Commodore Format.

Andy also joined me to launch TOTAL! Magazine, where we became a bit of a double act, complete with more Mike Roberts’ caricatures. Following that tortuous first issue, he worked on the mag for probably less than a year before he was whisked away to the glitz and glamour of the Sega Mega Drive magazine MEGA, where he was deputy editor and later editor. Of course, we remained friends, but he largely circulated with his own team members, and so we gradually drifted apart, more so in later years when he left Bath for the seaside air of Bideford in Devon.

So, in reality, our time working together was actually quite short, albeit full-on. But for a brief couple of years, I was proud and privileged to call Andy Dyer my best mate.

Rest in peace old friend.