The Only Fools and Horses favourite criticised both the broadcaster and the writers following the airing of the Are You Being Served? spin-off last year.
The sitcom, which originally stared Mollie Sudden and Wendy Richards as Mrs Betty Slocombe and Miss Shirley Brahms respectively, returned with the 75-year-old as Captain Peacock.
However, despite pulling in millions of viewers, there will be no further episodes. Asked if he thought it had been given a fair chance, John commented: “No, I don’t to be honest.”
Speaking exclusively to Express.co.uk at Cats Protection’s National Cat Awards – held at the Savoy Hotel – the actor continued: “I think they could have easily done a Christmas special or something, we would have all been up for that because we enjoyed it so much.
“We got about six million for that one episode and it would have built from there. You could say it’s a bit politically incorrect for this day and age, but so what? It was affectionally done… there’s no harm in it.”
John admitted the cast, which also included Sherrie Hewson and Jason Watkins, “had a ball” but that those behind-the-scenes weren’t prepared to move away from the programme on which it was based.
He continued: “It was wonderful to just get a taste of it, everyone was very aware we were following in famous peoples’ footsteps.
“We wanted to try and make it our own, but of course the writer wrote as if it was another episode and a lot of people said it just reminded them of the old series.”
John, who was acting judge at the charity event, added: “All the people in the profession thought it would go on and do other things, but obviously someone decided otherwise for whatever reason.
“It could have been political or anything, I think everyone was surprised there wasn’t at least another special or something like that.”
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