Peckham has become too trendy, says John Challis

John Challis thinks Peckham has become too trendy.

The 78-year-old actor - who played Boycie in \'Only Fools and Horses\' - has hit out at the gentrification of the London neighbourhood, calling for new laws to stop people from being priced out of the area.

Recalling his early days on the sitcom, John shared: "We started off filming in Peckham and it wasn\'t particularly pretty.

"I\'ve been back a couple of times to open things or make a personal appearance and there was a lot more buzz about the place.

"As is happening to a lot of London, so-called gentrification is going, people tarting up buildings and trying to sell them for extraordinary prices that nobody can afford."

John warned of the damaging impact of gentrification, saying legislation is needed to halt the trend.

He told the Big Issue: "I think that\'s happening all over the place, unfortunately.

"Presumably you have to stop it with some legislation and say \'no, you can\'t put those rents up, there must be affordable housing or people.\'"

Meanwhile, John recently revealed he feels like a "pop star" in Serbia.

The actor has been blown away by the sitcom\'s enduring popularity in the country, and revealed he was welcomed as a hero when he visited Serbia to film a documentary series called \'Boycie In Belgrade\'.

He said: "I was told it was the only thing that made them laugh during the terrible wars in the 90s.

"I suddenly had this picture of these poor beleaguered people in bombed-out buildings watching Del Boy and the rest of the gang and laughing their heads off.

"I thought, \'This is ridiculous\' ... I felt like a pop star, it was extraordinary. They kept asking me where Marlene was."