Christopher Biggins has revealed he has been banned from driving after failing a DVLA eyesight test — despite claiming to have passed several checks elsewhere.
The 76-year-old actor, who is best known for his roles in classic TV shows like Porridge and I, Claudius, winning I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here! in 2007 along with a controversial appearance on Celebrity Big Brother in 2016, was required to undergo an optical assessment when renewing his licence due to his age.
Biggins said he was shocked to receive a letter from the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) informing him that he had failed and would not get his licence back.
The panto regular, who says he had recently passed an eye test at a London opticians, told the Daily Mail he had also undertaken two additional examinations, both of which confirmed his sight met medical standards. Letters from doctors and opticians were submitted to the DVLA, but the agency rejected them.
“It has left me very depressed,” he said. “I travel a lot and I need to drive. It is costing me a fortune in taxis. I’m absolutely infuriated with their ‘computer says no’ attitude. How can they disregard a hospital doctor and another optician?”
Biggins - who also recently revealed he is using weight loss jabs as he needed to lose weight after having surgery on his knee - went on to criticise Labour’s proposal for compulsory eye tests every three years for drivers over 70, calling it “disgraceful” and warning that “thousands could end up losing their licence unfairly”.
A DVLA 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. These standards apply to all drivers and, if someone does not meet the required standards, they cannot be allowed on the road.”
The proposed crackdown follows an inquest into four deaths caused by drivers with failing eyesight, during which a coroner branded the UK’s licensing regime the “laxest in Europe”.
Currently, motorists aged over 70 must renew their licence every three years and are required to inform the DVLA if they develop a new eye condition, although short-sightedness, long-sightedness and colour blindness are not included.
