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He may be known for his cheery personality, but pantomime star Christopher Biggins has been driven to distraction by the DVLA – after it banned him from the road.
The 76-year-old I’m A Celebrity winner said he was ‘depressed’ and ‘absolutely infuriated’ after it refused to renew his licence following an eye test.
After his licence expired this year, the DVLA contacted him to say he needed an eye test to renew it. So Biggins had his eyes checked at an opticians in Stratford, east London.
He added: ‘Ten days later, I got a letter from the DVLA saying I had failed my test and I wouldn’t be getting my licence back.’
However, he said a doctor at Homerton Hospital in east London then gave him a clean bill of health after an eye examination, and he passed an eye test at a separate opticians.
Both gave him letters to send to the DVLA, but it stuck to its guns, saying: ‘Unfortunately, the information you have supplied does not show that you are able to meet the required medical standards for driving.’
He may be known for his cheery personality, but pantomime star Christopher Biggins has been driven to distraction by the DVLA – after it banned him from the road
The actor insisted his vision had ‘not changed’, adding: ‘How can they disregard a hospital doctor and another optician? It has left me very depressed.
‘I travel a lot and I need to drive. Not long distance, for that I take the train.
‘It is costing me a fortune in taxis. It is very unfair. I’m absolutely infuriated with their ‘computer says no’ attitude.’
Biggins called Labour’s plan for drivers over 70 to have eye tests every three years ‘disgraceful’, adding: ‘Thousands could end up losing their licence unfairly.’
When contacted by Daily Mail, ADVLA spokesperson said: ‘While we cannot comment on individual cases, all drivers must meet minimum eyesight standards to drive a vehicle.
‘Whether a driver meets the eyesight standards can be tested through various means, including visual field and acuity, depending on the circumstances.
‘These standards apply to all drivers and, if someone does not meet the required standards they cannot be allowed on the road.’
The I’m A Celebrity winner, 76, said he was ‘depressed’ and ‘absolutely infuriated’ after it refused to renew his licence following an eye test
It comes after Christopher became the latest star to reveal he’d turned to jabs such as Mounjaro and Ozempic in a bid to lose weight after undergoing knee surgery.
The actor praised the effectiveness of the medication and claimed it could have other benefits, but acknowledged that there was still a lot that was unknown about possible side effects.
He told GB News: ‘I’m on Mounjaro… and I think it’s good. I mean, I had a new knee put in, and I needed to lose weight because of the pressure on the knee.’
Christopher added that ‘they’re now finding out that this drug can cure a lot of other things’, but noted that ‘we don’t know the side effects’ of it yet.
