Christopher Biggins fumes he's left with 'cheques for 15p' after shows are sold off

Christopher Biggins has hit out at the BBC offloading the rights to his iconic comedies, which has slashed his royalties.

who played Lukewarm in the 1970s hit Porridge alongside Ronnie Barker, lamented the days when he would receive substantial sums for reruns on mainstream channels. Now, with the shows broadcast on digital platforms, his earnings have dwindled to mere pennies.

He expressed his frustration, saying: "When it was repeated on 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." Bemoaning the paltry payments now coming his way, he added: "I get cheques for 15 pence. What do you do with a cheque for 15 pence? ".

Biggins is clearly irked by the loss of significant repeat fees and believes his fellow actors share his irritation, reports . He continued: "It's very rarely now repeated on BBC One or BBC Two. It's always constantly on those satellite channels and we get nothing."

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"It really angers all of us. It is bizarre and it is very unfair. It's ridiculous." Although Biggins may be more familiar to younger viewers from reality TV appearances such as Celebrity , he first found fame in the 1970s with roles in Porridge, Upstairs, Downstairs, and Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em.

Over the summer, Speaking out about the latest controversy to hit the show, Biggins, 75, expressed little sympathy for the contestants who have complained about alleged abuse, stating: "If you don’t want to be hit across the knuckles, don’t do the show."

The show was thrown into chaos following abuse claims from former contestants, leading to the exit of Giovanni Pernice and Graziano Di Prima. Actress Amanda Abbington has been the most vocal contestant to speak out about her time on the show. During his interview with Alexis Conran on Biggins revealed that he turned down an offer to appear on Strictly due to it being very challenging and requiring a lot of hard work.

He said: "This whole saga that's going on at the moment annoys me because I've been asked and I would not do it because it is very, very difficult. You have to really be light on your feet, which I think I am but you have to work hard. I mean, it's one of the worst, not the worst, it's one of the most hardworking reality TV shows there is on television."

Biggins dismissed the complaints about the professional dancers, stating that success on the show requires hard work and dedication. He believes that many of those who are complaining are not up to the challenge and shouldn't be on the show.

The has contacted UKTV for comment.

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