Best known for a high-pitched over-exaggerated yell “Marlene” in Only Fools and Horses, Boycie entertained millions for more than two decades, writes Danielle Lowe.

It is sometimes hard to forget that Boycie is not a real person, especially when actor John Challis chooses to keep the character alive with tours such as his latest, Being Boycie, and even incorporating the role into pantomimes.

Challis, now 72, still remembers the first time he went to see theatre. His mum was part of an amateur dramatic group that performed in the Ashcroft Theatre, Fairfield Halls, where they were taking part in a Surrey-based competition and she had the role of Queen Elizabeth the First. As Challis has got older his love for the stage has continued to grow, with his recently completed stint in Plymouth playing baddie Fleshcreep in Jack and the Beanstalk marking his 23rd pantomime season in a row, explaining the rough croak in his voice.

While taking the role of Boycie seriously since being cast into the John O’Sullivan created the role several decades ago Challis has still found the time to visit the Fairfield Halls with the likes of Barbara Castle and various pantomime productions. -pitched over-exaggerated yell “Marlene” in Only Fools and Horses, Boycie entertained millions for more than two decades, writes Danielle Lowe. It is sometimes hard to forget that Boycie is not a real person, especially when actor John

Now though, Challis is returning to Croydon to tell people about what it is really like being Boycie and providing never-before-revealed secrets about his life and what acting in such a cult show has been like for him and his career.

He explains that listening to the voices on The Goon Show when he was growing up helped him develop his acting skills.

He says: “I could do all the voices. I was fascinated by accents, but I wasn’t taking the mickey I just couldn’t help it.”

He thinks acting, with a creative family, helped him to “belong in some way” and performing in school plays helped to “make one quite popular” because it “felt natural” to him.

He adds: “Academically I just wasn’t that great – my parents were quite worried about my future because acting is a difficult profession to break into.”

They clearly had nothing to worry about for as well as playing Boycie, Challis went on to appear in six episodes of Doctor Who with Tom Baker and even turned down being in a Beatles feature film because of other commitments with the BBC.