John Challis: 1942 – 2021

John Challis: 1942 – 2021

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Only Fools star John Challis fears he'll never play again ...
Actor: John Challis

News has reached us that actor John Challis has died at the age of 79.  He was best known for playing Boycie in the long running BBC comedy “Only Fools and Horses” however Doctor Who fans will remember him for playing Scorby in all six episodes of the 1976 story “The Seeds of Doom” starring Tom Baker as The Doctor.

Tributes have been coming in from his many friends, fans and followers…

https://twitter.com/twilightstreets/status/1439575465124040706

Challis was born in Bristol but when he was one year old, the family moved to south east London.  Challis attended the state boarding Ottershaw School near Woking, Surrey.  After leaving school, he worked as a trainee estate agent.

An early television role was in the gangster drama Big Breadwinner Hog in 1969, and between 1971 and 1975 he made regular appearances in Z-Cars as Sergeant Culshaw.

The Richard Beckinsale sitcom Bloomers (1979) was written about Challis’s experience working at a garden centre while taking a break from acting.

Challis was best known for playing Herman Terrance Aubrey “Boycie” Boyce in Only Fools and Horses (1981—2003). The series’ writer, John Sullivan, also created a spin-off for Challis, The Green Green Grass (2005—2009). The outdoor scenes of The Green Green Grass were filmed at his then home, surrounding fields and local villages.

John Challis (right) as Scorby in “Doctor Who: The Seeds of Doom” (1976)

His other television appearances include Dixon of Dock Green, Thriller, The Sweeney, Doctor Who (The Seeds of Doom), Dracula, Beau Geste, Juliet Bravo, Coronation Street, Bloomers, Citizen Smith, Ever Decreasing Circles, Doctor Snuggles, Chance in a Million, The Bill, One Foot in the Grave, Open All Hours, The New Statesman, Don’t Wait Up, Soldier Soldier, Brass Eye, My Family, In Sickness and in Health, Benidorm and Heartbeat. In the 2008 series of Last of the Summer Wine he guest-starred as a fake jewel thief trying to impress the ladies. During Challis’ appearance in the Channel 4 mockumentary television programme Brass Eye, he was tricked into believing Clive Anderson had been shot by Noel Edmonds.

On BBC radio, he played an interrogator in the play Rules of Asylum by James Follett, broadcast by BBC Radio 4 in 1973. He also played Dibden Purlew in Getting Nowhere Fast from 2001 to 2004. In 2006 he took a cameo role in BBC’s The Impressionists as Station Master Garre Saint Lézasr.

In 2012, he became the narrator of the National Geographic Channel series Strippers: Cars for Cash.

He became an honorary citizen of Serbia, where Only Fools and Horses remains hugely popular. Challis made the documentary Boycie In Belgrade, exploring why the show was so beloved in the Balkan country.

Film:

Year Title Role Notes
1964 Where Has Poor Mickey Gone? Tim
1971 Say Hello to Yesterday Salesman
1981 Burning an Illusion Man in Car
1998 The Tichborne Claimant Rous the Landlord
2000 Five Seconds to Spare Shopping Centre Manager
2001 Dream Toby
Subterrain

 

Television:

1967 The Newcomers Harry Kapper 5 episodes
1967 Z-Cars DC Armitage 2 episodes
1967 Coronation Street George Naylor 2 episodes
1968 City ’68 Hospital Doctor Episode: “The Old Country”
1968 Virgin of the Secret Service Captain Kirby Episode: “The Rajah and the Suffragette”
1968 Mr. Rose DC Jackson Episode: “The Frozen Swede”
1968 Softly, Softly DC Rankin 2 episodes
1969 Big Breadwinner Hog First Operative Episode: “Self-Discipline Is Its Own Reward”
1969 ITV Playhouse Carstairs Episode: “The John Hilarian Salt Exhibition and Numerous Illustrated Slides”
1969 Who-Dun-It Rev. Lindsay Whittaker Episode: “An Embarrassment of Murder”
1969 Dixon of Dock Green Ray Episode: “Obsession”
1969 Canterbury Tales Farmhand Episode: “The Shipman’s Tale”
1969 Strange Report Soldier Episode: “Report 7931: Sniper – When Is Your Cousin Not?”
1970 The Misfit Lofty Episode: “On Not Being Lost”
1971 Brett Riordan Episode: “All the King’s Horses…”
1971–1975 Z-Cars Sgt. Culshaw 11 episodes
1971 Crossroads Jim Wright 9 episodes
1972 ITV Sunday Night Theatre Factory Guard Episode: “The Last Journey”
1974 Who Killed Lamb? Casson TV film
1974 Dracula Stockton-on-Tees Clerk TV film
1974 Whodunnit? Private Rhodes Episode: “Goodbye Sarge”
1974 Crown Court DI Stoddard Episode: “The Messenger Boy: Part 1”
1974–1977 Coronation Street DC Phillips 8 episodes
1975 Nightingale’s Boys Pete Episode: “Decision”
1975 The Sweeney Skef Warren Episode: “Stay Lucky Eh?”
1975 The Legend of Robin Hood Castle Guard Episode: “Part 5”
1976 Doctor Who Scorby All 6 episodes of “The Seeds of Doom”
1976 Open All Hours Bread Man Episode: “Well Catered Funeral”
1976 Thriller Peter Episode: “Sleepwalker”
1976 The Cedar Tree Leonard Barnet 2 episodes
1976 The New Avengers Soldier Episode: “Dirtier by the Dozen”
1978 The Law Centre DS Sharp Episode: “Millstone”
1979 Doctor Snuggles Various Voice; All 13 episodes
1979 Bloomers Policeman Episode: #1.3
1980 Citizen Smith Chief Inspector Humphreys Episode: “The Letter of the Law”
1980 Play for Today Victor Mintell Episode: “Number on End”
1981 Play for Today Harry Episode: “Before Water Lilies”
1981–2003 Only Fools and Horses Aubrey “Boycie” Boyce 33 episodes
1981 Sink or Swim Man at Door Episode: “Ecology”
1982 Beau Geste Cpl. Dupré 4 episodes
1985 Relative Strangers CID Man Episode: #1.6
1985 Late Starter Policeman Episode: #1.5
1985 Storyboard Billy Cato Episode: “King & Castle”
1985 In Sickness and in Health Policeman Episode: #1.1
1985 Juliet Bravo Taylor Episode: “Hostage to Fortune”
1985 Howards’ Way Morris 2 episodes
1986 Chance in a Million Policeman Episode: “And What Shall We Do for a Ring?”
1986 Strike It Rich! Big John Episode: “Suspicions”
1986 Roland Rat: The Series Policeman Episode: #1.6
1986 Lenny Henry Tonite Various Episode: “Gronk Zillman”
1987 C.A.T.S. Eyes Stark Episode: “A Naval Affair”
1987 Ratman Police Chief 2 episodes
1987 Alas Smith and Jones Mexican Hotel Receptionist Episode: #4.4
1987 Ever Decreasing Circles Maintenance Man Episode: “Half an Office”
1988 Wish Me Luck Victor Travussini 5 episodes
1988 Don’t Wait Up Man in Jewellery Shop Episode: #5.2
1988 The Bill Ian Gore Episode: “Runaround”
1988 Casualty Harry Episode: “Living Memories”
1991 Miami Twice Aubrey “Boycie” Boyce 2 episodes
1992 Sitting Pretty Boris Voice; Episode: “Anniversary Waltz”
1992 The New Statesman General Giray Episode: “A Bigger Splash”
1992 Sitting Pretty The Trainer Voice; Episode: “Happy Birthdays”
1993 Then Churchill Said to Me Major Harry Bouchet Episode: “Nanny by Searchlight”
1993 Get Back Monty Episode: “Money”
1996 Soldier Soldier Police Superintendent Episode: “Delayed Action”
1997 Wing and a Prayer DS Doughty Episode: “The Ties That Bind”
1998 Heartbeat Stan Fraser Episode: “Where There’s a Will”
2002 Doctors James Fletcher Episode: “Feet of Clay”
2005–2009 The Green Green Grass Aubrey “Boycie” Boyce All 32 episodes
2006 The Impressionists Station Master Episode: #1.2
2007 My Family Jacob Marley Episode: “Ho Ho No”
2008 Last of the Summer Wine Jeremy Episode: “Is Jeremy Quite Safe?”
2015–2018 Benidorm Monty Staines 15 episodes
2015 Doctors Freddy Prenton Episode: “Vapour Trail”
2016 Are You Being Served? Captain Peacock TV film
2018 Sooty Henry Witham-Smythe Episode: “Just Desserts”

Challis was married to his fourth wife, Carol. They wed in Brighton in 1995 and since 1998 had lived in the Abbot’s Lodgings at Wigmore Abbey Grange, Adforton, Herefordshire. Challis had no children.

Challis was a patron of the British Hedgehog Preservation Society.  He was an Arsenal supporter.  Challis wrote two volumes of autobiography, Being Boycie and Boycie & Beyond.  In 2018, he wrote Wigmore Abbey: The Treasure of Mortimer about the renovation of his house’s gardens.

John Challis died on 19 September 2021, aged 79, “after a long battle with cancer.”

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