Yahoo News Only Fools and Horses' Marlene says #MeToo would stop sitcom being made now
Only Fools and Horses star Sue Holderness, who played Marlene in the classic comedy series, has said that political correctness would hamper the show from being made today.
The 69-year-old actress, who played the wife of John Challis’s car dealer Boycie, was regular in the show, and in one episode had her bottom pinched by David Jason’s Del Boy.
“It’s a problem for writers,” she told The Sun.
“Would gentleman be allowed to pinch ladies’ bottoms without being slapped in the face and have a writ put on them? I don’t know.
“I must say I haven’t had my bottom pinched for a long time so gentlemen must be a little bit more nervous.
“People still shout ‘Marlene’ at me in the street. There were occasions where I’d get my bottom pinched by complete strangers, that, I’m happy to report has stopped, which might be because of my great age now, perhaps I look too old.”
Holderness, who is to appear alongside Jason in the new series of Open All Hours, went on to address accusations of racism in the series.
Some picked up on lines from the show once the back catalogue appeared on Netflix.
Examples included Del Boy referring to his local corner shop as the ‘p*ki shop’, and in one instance of market trading sales patter proffered: “I’m going to give them away for ten pounds each, there you go. Fifteen quid to the black bloke, can’t say fairer than that.”
“A lot of people on social media are saying Only Fools is racist and there are lots of things you couldn’t have [said] and I think it’s a pity that we’ve gone quite as politically correct as that,” said Holderness.
“An awful lot of that stuff is funny and I find that very few people are actually offended, because if the joke’s good enough. It was really very innocent.
“And you absolutely knew Del and Rodney were not racist people, they were good eggs — none of it was offensive.”
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