DEL BOY S wheeler-dealer business rival visited Exmouth this week to meet a large gathering of dedicated fans. John Challis, better known as Boycie from the hit TV comedy series Only Fool and Horses and Green Green Grass, was in town for a special event

DEL BOY'S wheeler-dealer business rival visited Exmouth this week to meet a large gathering of dedicated fans.

John Challis, better known as Boycie from the hit TV comedy series' Only Fool and Horses and Green Green Grass, was in town for a special event he starred in at Exmouth Pavilion.

Mr Challis was joined by fellow co-star Sue Holderness who played the role of Marlene. The pair talked about some of their fondest moments from the shows at the event and answered questions from the audience.

The 67-year-old, a keen supporter of the RNLI, invited members of the public to make donations to the charity as they left the venue. Exmouth RNLI volunteers were on hand with buckets to collect contributions.

The charity is fundraising for a new lifeboat at The Lizard station in Cornwall.

Mr Challis, speaking to the Journal about how he became interested in the work of the RNLI, said: "Ever since I was a kid I always wanted to go out on a lifeboat.

"Like everybody else, I've been interested in the fact they rely on voluntary contributions. I have always contributed and firmly believed in it.

"A couple of birthdays ago, my wife surprised me and took me down to the Lizard lifeboat.

"She had arranged for the whole crew to take me out on the boat. It was terrific and I then became a patron for it."

Born in Bristol, the visit was Mr Challis' first-ever trip to Exmouth.

Mr Challis said he was enormously proud to have worked in Only Fools and Horses and Green Green Grass.

"During the show (at the Pavilion) we talk about how it happened because people keep asking me how I got into the programmes.

"It was quite a cross roads in my life because I was flirting with America at the time. I was out there doing a show and I really didn't know whether to stay there or come back here.

"And here we are now - it's nearly coming up to the 30th anniversary of Only Fools and Horses."

When asked if there were plans for another series of Green Green Grass, Mr Challis said: "We've been getting mixed messages about it really.

"We finished the fourth series, which went pretty well and they (BBC) said we want a fifth but then the credit crunch hit.

"Then it was a case of 'Oh, can we afford to do it? Mr Challis joked: "Anyone who wants to see it back on can write to the BBC and say they are not going to pay for their license fee without it.