SciFi and Fantasy Book Club discussion

For those of you that have read the Red Dwarf books, is it necessary to watch the show first?

I have seen the entire series, but it's been a few years and my memory of it is kind of vague. So I'm wondering if I should rewatch the show before reading the books?

A vague memory of the show is probably enough. I remember the books nodding towards various incidents from the show, but the stories were otherwise self-contained.

The books offered some back story, but Red Dwarf's lore overall is very very very loose. As my friend says 'nothing is important until it is.'

I agree that knowledge of the show isn't really needed for the books. You may still find them confusing (as I had a friend who did watch the show and found the direction the books took confusing), but not because you needed to know something you could only get from the show.

Ok thanks for all the input guys. I think I might still watch the show first. If I decide to do so, it probably wouldn't take me too long as both the episodes and the seasons are short.