Words Andrew Musgrove
The Last word with Boycie from Only Fools and Horses
Only Fools and Horses first hit our screens in 1981 and at its peak had 23million viewers as the adventures of Del Boy and Rodney gripped the nation and one of the most recognisable characters of the show is the second hand car dealer known as Boycie.
John Challis, the man behind the famous laugh and putdowns of Boycie talks to SHUlife about his time in the show, his new book and the feeling of betrayal dished out by Robin Van Persie.
Hi John, everyone knows you as Boycie from Only Fools and Horses; how did that role come about?
‘I played a bent copper in John Sullivan’s [The creator of OFAH] Citizen Smith and he told me he liked my work and year later I was in the pilot of OFAH. I consider myself extremely lucky to have been the right actor in the right place’
That was thirty-one years ago, are you surprised it’s still as popular as it is?
‘Not at all, it’s continuously voted the nation’s favourite because it’s the kind of thing that the whole family can sit down to watch together without fear of embarrassment. It makes you smile and feel good, its popular still with youngsters of your generation and that just goes to show that Sullivan’s brand of comedy is timeless.’
Your character is quite a snob, how different are you from him?
‘Boycie didn’t start out as a snob, you can see the in the pilot that he speaks with a regular London accent but as he becomes more successful he can see that Del-Boy aspires to be every bit as rich and successful and so assumes an air of superiority. When people meet me for the first time they’re surprised that I don’t talk like Boycie!’
Boycie’s trademark is his laugh, how did that come about?
‘I borrowed it from a woman I knew in my local pub and based the actual character on a person called Gordon who also drank there.’
It’s such a well-known mannerism, how many times are you asked to reproduce it by fans?
‘If I had a quid for each time I was asked to Boycie’s laugh, I’d be a millionaire by now my son!’
There are some moments in OFAH where it seems the cast are dying to laugh, how difficult was it to keep a straight face in these scenes?
‘In the first few episodes I was a bit nervous as I didn’t really know the cast so I couldn’t afford to lose my concentration, but by the time we came to the episode ‘Sickness and Wealth’ in series six, we were all good friends and for me the scene sitting around the table during the séance is my favourite. Ken MacDonald who played the landlord of the Nags Head made me laugh so much and when the spirits asked for someone called ‘Aubrey’, with us all sitting around the table touching hands it was difficult not corpse into laugh when I had to say ‘I am here.’
There are so many episodes that people would pick as there favourite, which is yours?
The most fun to film was the ‘The Jolly Boys Outing’ because it was like going on holiday with your mates but the best episode for me is ‘Hero and Villains’ with the classic sketch of Del and Rodney dressed as Batman and Robin, it’s the finest piece of writing by Sullivan.
Do you feel the series ended on the right note or should the Trotters have remained wealthy?
I’ve always felt that Del and Rodney should lose all their money and return back to Nelson Mandela House, Del missed the ducking and diving, that was what kept him ticking along. Having all that dosh alienated him from his mates and the sessions in the Nag’s Head, when he was with all the boys that was when the series worked best.
Boycie and his wife Marlene had a spin off series, The Green Green Grass, did you enjoy that?
I would have to say that the best thing that has ever happened was John Sullivan’s decision to give Boycie and Marlene their own series. It was a very happy show that ran for four series and it’s a whole new ball game when you are the leading character. A fifth series would be wonderful if there was a good script, we’d be up for it.
You’ve also appeared in Doctor Who another huge British Show, what was that like?
Brilliant, I played a character called Scorby an enemy of the Doctor who at that time was Colin Baker, we’ll both be appearing the Doctor Who Convention later this month in Swansea, and it’s my first so I can’t wait!
I understand you’re a fan of Arsenal Football Club? How are you coping with Robin Van Persie’s departure?
That’s right, I’ve been an Arsenal supporter since I was a child and it drives me mad! I can’t forgive Robin Van Persie for his disloyalty, he’s a great player but he’s a mercenary and when someone else comes along with promises of more wonga he’ll be off.
Finally, you’ve got part two of your autobiography coming out can you tell us something about it?
It’s in two parts as I am very old and there was too much to get into one book, the first is called BEING BOYCIE and charts my life before Only Fools and Horses came along and ends in 1985 when Marlene joined the show. This one is called BOYCIE and BEYOND carries on from there and covers not only the making of OFAH and Green Green Grass but personal issues such as the very public breakdown of my third marriage.
Keep in touch with John on twitter at @beingboycie and visit his website www.wigmorebooks.com, where you can purchase his book ‘Boycie and Beyond.’
