John Challis believes that people shouldn’t watch ‘Only Fools and Horses’ if they are offended by its outdated content.
The actor – who played Boycie in the classic sitcom – has suggested that not watching is a "simple solution" for those who take offence over some of the material.
Appearing on a panel discussion on Monday’s (25.11.19) episode of Channel 5’s ‘Jeremy Vine’ – debating the decision by BritBox to warn viewers of offensive content in older comedies – John said: "There is a simple solution for those who are offended, just don’t watch."
He also suggested that modern shows are too frightened about offending "two or three" people.
He added: "In comedy now you can’t say anything in case you offend two or three people."
The 77-year-old star recalled a scene from 1986 ‘Only Fools and Horses’ episode ‘From Prussia with Love’ which may be considered offensive in modern society, but he pointed out the jokes "got an enormous laugh at the time".
He said: "Boycie and Marlene were having trouble conceiving a child and Del Boy had found an au pair who had a child she didn’t want because it was unintentional. The baby turns out to be brown and Boycie says ‘for god sake, how I am going to convince everyone that my grandad was Louis Armstrong.
"There’s an example of something that got an enormous laugh at the time, over 30 years ago. But is that acceptable now or not, I don’t know."
In addition to warning viewers about ‘Only Fools and Horses’ and ‘Fawlty Towers’, Britbox has refused to show ‘Love Thy Neighbour’, which told the story of a white family adjusting to their new black neighbours, and ‘Till Death Us Do Part’, where the main character was a bigot.
A BritBox spokesperson said: "We’ve carefully selected a whole range of the very best in British programming which will appear to viewers in 2019."
John Challis tells Only Fools and Horses critics to stop watching
