'Bring back family sitcoms'

Only Fools And Horses star John Challis has called for a return to family-friendly sitcoms, saying modern British comedy is violent and childish.

The actor, who played Boycie, said TV executives try to win over a young audience with gross-out comedies – yet he claims many younger viewers liked the more gentle humour such as the show that made him famous.

Saying that youngsters still tell him that they’re fans of Only Fools, the 69-year-old added: ‘That just goes to disprove the only thing they're interested in is violent, projectile vomiting comedy. Only Fools is completely universal.’

His co-star Sue Holderness, who plays his wife Marlene, added: ‘It's the great bugbear in this business that there aren't enough parts for older people when, in fact, it's older people who are watching television. It's people of 50 and over watching situation comedies. And they aren't represented enough.’

The pair were speaking to The Sun to mark 30 years of Only Fools.

However, the record-breaking success of the Inbetweeners movie this weekend suggests there's a big audience for the extreme comedy Chalis hates.

Published: 23 Aug 2011