Boycie, give us
ONLY Fools And Horses star John Challis reckons the cast could have a reunion for the show’s 40th anniversary… but only if there’s a proper cushty idea.
The classic 80s sitcom about sarf London wheeler dealers marks four decades next year – and devoted fans would love to see David Jason’s Del Boy and the gang get back together for the milestone.
But while John, who played second-hand car salesman Boycie, rules out a new series – “we’re all very old now” – he says the right project could see Peckham’s finest reunited.
He says: “I’m sure there are plans to mark it but I haven’t heard anything yet.
“It would be nice to get the cast back together to mark it. I did a signing recently with David Jason and Sue Holderness, who played Marlene, and it was great to see them and catch up.
“We will always be in touch so it depends what pops up. If someone can come up with a good idea, I’m sure we’d be interested in being part of it.”
Last year’s Only Fools And
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Horses The Musical proved a hit in London’s West End until coronavirus forced it to close. But John thinks that cast – which included Paul Whitehouse as Grandad – could be fans’ best hope for a new TV series.
“There could be a series for them maybe,” says John. “The musical was a great success and I think it will get resurrected as it was a great money-spinner and people would love to see it out in the sticks as well as London.”
While Only Fools is still popular in the UK, John was surprised to learn it is big in the Balkans. Three years ago he was at an event signing copies of his autobiography when a Serbian film crew turned up.
He admits he thought it was a “wind-up”, but he was invited to appear on a Serbian talk show where he says he was treated “like royalty”.
Biggest
It turns out Only Fools was one of the few programmes people could watch in the former Yugoslavia during the wars of the 1990s which led to the break-up of the country.
John says: “They told me it’s the biggest thing they’ve ever had on television. The guy on the chat show said it was the only thing that made us laugh during the terrible wars.
“I suddenly thought of all these poor beleaguered people clustering round a half-broken television watching Only Fools And Horses with subtitles laughing then having to go and defend themselves.”
The experience culminated in a documentary Boycie In Belgrade, which is out on DVD next week and sees John head to the Serbian capital and beyond to chart the show’s popularity.
He says: “Hundreds of people turned out to see me.
“People would shout: ‘Boycie Boycie, give us a laugh’ across the street. We saw this grea mural of Del Boy in Belgrade.”
He visited some of the coun try’s most famous landmarks including the Royal Palace, the British Embassy – where a func