Richard Wilson’s ‘One Foot in the Grave’ character is set for a dramatic return.
The 80-year-old actor will reprise the role of grumpy pensioner Victor Meldrew, 16 years after the final episode of the BBC programme aired, in a one-man show at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and admitted he felt he was "too young" to play the character when the show first aired in 1990.
Speaking about his comeback, Richard – who first resurrected the character at a fundraiser at the Sheffield Crucible last year – told the Telegraph Online: "I’ve always loved Victor, in a sense.
"But when David [Renwick, television writer] decided to kill him, I agreed that he probably should be killed.
"I explained when I came on stage that I thought I was too young for the television show – I was 55 and Victor was 60. I thought I wasn’t ready to play older people. And in Sheffield I said, ‘Now I’m far too old for the part’. So I was trying to make apologies in advance. But the audience responded brilliantly. It’s a well-written script, and that’s always going to be a joy to perform."
Richard will reprise his role and perform a sketch based on one of David’s favourite scripts from the series, after the trial run last year proved to be a success.
However, Richard has admitted he was terrified returning to the stage to perform the much loved role because he felt the show was "dated".
He explained: "That was my fear, of course – that it wasn’t going to work, that it would be dated. But according to the audience in Sheffield, he is.
"I was still s****ing myself. Even though it was a very partisan audience."
Richard Wilson to reprise Victor Meldrew character for stage show
