THE AUDIENCE were taken on a stroll down ‘Hooky Street’ and other paths in the life of John Challis when the actor took to the stage at Artrix for ‘Only Fools and Boycie’.
Challis charted his journey to becoming a character in the nation’s favourite sitcom, right back to his school days, his early shows and his appearances is several hit TV shows, including Dr Who, Citizen Smith and Open All Houes, as well as Only Fools.
His memories and anecdotes were perfectly punctuated with clips on the big screen of his various roles in what was a very enjoyable and entertaining evening at the Bromsgrove arts centre.
As you would expect he was relaxed and comfortable on the stage and built up a good rapport with the audience during the 90-minute show.
Challis took the crowd on the journey of his on-screen character’s life as well as his own, speaking about how the show nearly did not get a second series, what it was like working alongside his co-stars and the reaction of the public both to the show and to the performers as they went about their daily lives.
He also talked about how art imitated life, leading to the writing and commissioning of spin-off series The Green Green Grass.
Another highlight of Only Fools and Boycie was simply watching some wonderful comedy moments in a theatre surrounded by 200+ others. Despite the scenes being seen many times before, they still generated plenty of laughs, such is the quality of the writing and the acting. In fact, you could see theatre or cinema showings of Only Fools and Horses episodes being a fantastic night out for all.
And, with a GOLD showing plenty of episodes and its ‘behind the scenes’ documentary, the timing of Only Fools and Boycie could not have been better – capturing the nostalgia of the nation.
Add to that an interesting question and answer session at the end and Challis meeting fans in the foyer afterwards to sign books and autographs and have his picture taken and it was a memorable evening for many.
This show is a must for fans of Only Fools and Horses fans and anyone else who wants to find out about life as an actor and how Challis made it in the profession.
By the end you wanted to go home, put on your Only Fools boxset and relive some of the greatest ever comedy moments.
The show moves to Stourport on Thursday, September 21, and tours a number of other venues around the UK until November 12.
Visit https://www.ents24.com/uk/tour-dates/john-challis for more information on tickets, dates and times.
