Only Fools and Horses star Sue Holderness has expressed her concern that the fear of causing offence and facing backlash on social media is damaging comedy. She believes a "controversial" banned episode should still be broadcasted.
The 75-year-old actress, renowned for her role as Marlene, wife to John Challis' character Boycie in the popular BBC sitcom about Del Boy Trotter and his brother Rodney's escapades, feels there's no current sitcom that can match Only Fools and Horses. She attributes this to writers being overly cautious about offending people with their jokes, leading to comedy that "that comedy isn't as funny as it used to be".
When questioned about the difficulty of creating a new sitcom today, she responded: "I think it must be terribly difficult, because I mean part of the fun, especially with satire, you rely on being filthily rude about everybody and everything, don't you, which is what makes people laugh.
"And now you say the slightest thing is going to upset people, because this whole online thing is new, isn't it? When we were making Only Fools And Horses, there was no social media. It didn't exist, did it? So people couldn't get worked up and wild about tiny little things.
"So yes, I do think it's very difficult. And I think already we're seeing signs that comedy isn't as funny as it used to be. Let's hope it's going to change. Let's hope that somehow we can work out that people don't actually get offended quite as easily as they think they do," reports the Daily Star.
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Sue believes the show should remain untouched as a paragon of inclusive, family-friendly comedy, highlighting its lack of foul language and the strong family values embodied by Del Boy.
On the Only Fools and Horses Podcast, she remarked: "Very little in Only Fools is offensive to anybody, I think."
Emphasising the familial love depicted in the series, she added, "It's the love of family that is so overwhelming. He [Del] looked after Grandad, he looked after Uncle Albert. He made sure always that they were fed and clothed and loved them."
Sue also expressed her joy at the enduring affection for the show, saying, "It's so lovely that there is so much love out there still for the show. And I think that's part of the reason for that. You know, this family, though his business dealings weren't always absolutely as they should be, but you know, they don't drink and drive, they don't take drugs, they don't swear. It's gorgeous family entertainment. We miss it."
She lamented the absence of similar content today, stating: "Nothing is quite like that anymore".
However, she acknowledged the controversy surrounding certain episodes, such as 'From Prussia with Love', which has been criticised for its plot involving Del Boy attempting to sell a baby to Boycie and Marlene, leading to an unexpected racial twist.
Sue claims the episode is one of the most heartfelt to hit the screens and stands by its significance, despite the current climate.
She added: "It's a very controversial episode now because everybody's being so careful about what they say about everything. There have been many people who have said they don't want to see that episode anymore or suggested that maybe you shouldn't see that episode.
"But when I say many people, it's probably about three."
