Tessa Peake-Jones has backed plans to demolish a tower block used as the setting for ‘Only Fools and Horses’.
The 61-year-old actress – who played Raquel Trotter on the classic sitcom – thinks it is a "great" plan to knock down Harlech Tower in West London, which was used as the exterior for the Trotter family’s home Nelson Mandela House, to make way for 2,500 new homes, half of which will be social housing, because there are so few "affordable" properties around.
She told the Daily Mirror newspaper: "If it’s that the flats are really old and haven’t been cared for then I’d say it’s just as well they are being knocked down.
"As long as they are building new flats with affordable housing, then I think that’s great.
"If it had been another shop then of course that wouldn’t have been good. But we need all the affordable housing that we can get."
Her comments came after David Jason – who played her husband Derek ‘Del Boy’ Trotter – called to have the building preserved for posterity.
He said last month: "Of course I think it should be a listed building. What a shame. But they are not going to listen to me are they?"
And John Challis – who played Aubrey ‘Boycie’ Boyce on the classic British sitcom – has backed a campaign by TV channel Gold to erect a Del Boy statue outside the building
He said: "The towers carry a lot of nostalgia for many of us – not just the cast, but everyone who has enjoyed watching the show over the years.
"While we don’t want to stand in the way of any progress being made, we do want to commemorate the towers’ long-standing connection to ‘Only Fools and Horses’ and its British comedy legacy."
Along with the petition – which needs a total of 1,500 signatures to be submitted to Ealing Council for consideration – Gold has also unveiled initial designs to drum up support.
The popular comedy aired for seven series between 1981 and 1991, while fans were also treated to several Christmas specials until the show’s end in 2003.
Tessa Peake-Jones backs Only Fools and Horses tower block demolition
