Christopher Biggins has slammed the BBC for selling off the rights to its classic comedies — because it has shrunk his earnings.
The star starred as character Lukewarm alongside Ronnie Barker on Porridge in the 1970s so he used to get a bumper payout whenever episodes were repeated on terrestrial TV. But now the shows are only shown on digital channels, he gets just pennies.
He said: “When it was repeated on BBC One or BBC Two I used to get something like £1,500. But then unfortunately the BBC, in their own judgement, sold all the comedy shows to Gold, which we earn no money at all for.
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“I get cheques for 15 pence. What do you do with a cheque for 15 pence?”
(Image: BBC)
Christopher has been left fed up that he’s now longer getting lucrative repeat fees anymore. And he reckons his co-stars are just as annoyed about it.
He said: “It’s very rarely now repeated on BBC One or BBC Two. It’s always constantly on those satellite channels and we get nothing.
“It really angers all of us. It is bizarre and it is very unfair. It’s ridiculous.”
While he’s perhaps better known to younger audiences for his stints on reality TV shows like Celebrity Big Brother, Biggins made his name in sitcoms in the 1970s, spending four years in Porridge along with roles in Upstairs, Downstairs and Some Mothers Do ‘Ave ‘Em.
See the full interview on YouTube channel The Lewis Nicholls Show.
Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
