I don’t believe it! People still ask me about Victor Meldrew
ONE Foot In The Grave star Richard Wilson says he can’t escape the “I don’t believe it” catchphrase – 20 years after the final episode of the sitcom was shown.
He said he initially turned down the Victor Meldrew role, and that after 11 years he was actually quite pleased when the decision was taken to kill off the curmudgeonly character.
Richard said: “It was never meant to be a catchphrase, but it became one and I still get it quite a lot. I don’t mind it, the only trouble I have is if drunk people scream it at me. If I hear it being said I just wave and walk on.”
One Foot In The Grave is regarded as one of the greatest British sitcoms but the star revealed he originally turned the role down when he was offered it in 1989.
Richard said: “He was supposed to be 60 and I was only 53 and I thought I wasn’t ready for playing old men. I read the script by David Renwick and wasn’t too sure.
“But the producer was very keen to have me and so she sent two more scripts and I saw what David was trying to do.”
There were six series and seven Christmas specials of the comedy, which also starred fellow Scot, Annette Crosbie, 86, as Victor’s long- suffering wife Margaret.
Richard added: “Having six episodes a series to write was a big strain on David and he was quite often depressed about getting it right.
“We went out for dinner one night and he said he’d decided to kill Victor off and asked what I thought.
“I paused and then said, Yeah, kill him’. I felt I was getting a bit fed up trying to find ways to be angry. I was quite glad to get rid of him.”
The BBC series ended in November 2000 with Victor killed by a hit- andrun driver.
The 84- year- old reminisces about his career in The Moments That Made Richard Wilson, a documentary on BBC Scotland this week. He is joined by showbusiness pals including David Tennant and Arabella Weir.