JANETTE Tough has revealed how she was offered her first ever movie role - only to be told she was being fired 24 hours later.
The pint-sized star was offered the part of Japanese fashion designer Huki Wuki alongside Joanna Lumley and Jennifer Saunders in the 2016 flick Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie.
But after The Scottish Sun printed details of her cameo in November 2015, Janette’s offer was swiftly removed.
She says: “It was to be my first ever film role and I was really excited about it as I had appeared in the Absolutely Fabulous TV series as a devil midwife back in 2003.
“In fact I was so happy about it I wanted everyone to know so I told The Scottish Sun.”
Janette, who lives in Torquay, Devon with her hubby and showbiz partner Ian, adds: “But the very next day Ian took a phone call from one of the film’s producers shouting the odds.
“She claimed I had ruined the movie’s big surprise and they were now considering ditching the part altogether.
“If they were expecting a humble apology then they obviously didn’t know me, as I told them they could stick their film up their a**e.”
Ian, 77, adds: “No one had told us we weren’t allowed to say anything - it wasn’t in the contract.
“But when they came on threatening Janette that she would lose the part, she of course told them where to go.”
The couple, who have just released a new paperback version of their autobiography A Funny Way Of Life, insist the row had nothing to do with Ab Fab stars Joanna Lumley and Jennifer Saunders who play sozzled pals Patsy Stone and Edina Monsoon.
Janette says: “Jennifer has always been great with us, so there’s no way she would have told the producer to pull the part.
“But they soon changed their tone when they called back later. I suspect this was after realising that I was happy to walk and then they’d have had to tell Jennifer and Joanna I was no longer willing to do the role.
“They would then have to explain why.”
But worse was to come for the producers when Huki Wuki became part of an international race row when the US-based Korean actress Margaret Cho branded Janette a ‘yellow face’ - a white person who portrays an Asian character.
The comic raged on Twitter: “Hire Asian actors for Asian roles. Yellow face is racism. I am f***ing sick of yellow face.’
Janette says: “It’s definitely the first time I’ve been accused of being racist and The Krankies played the Chinese policemen in Aladdin numerous times over the years.
“But Margaret Cho was missing the point. As always, the joke was about my height and nothing to do with the race of the character.
“It’s also a comedy film, with a role for a very small comedy actress - who else were they going to cast?”
But the racism claims spooked movie chiefs who made Huki Muki a Scot for the final cut.
Janette says: “When I was sent through pages and pages of the script with my scene, I realised I didn’t have a single line to say.
“That was fine as it meant there was less stress on me when it came to filming. Although I did think it was funny that I’d waited all these years for a film part and didn’t get to say so much as ‘Fan-Dabi-Dozi’.
“But after the whole racism row kicked off, they decided to have me talking as myself, to show I’m not really Asian.
“So in my scene, when Alex Jones interviews me on the red carpet, I reply ‘I need a p**s’ so people are left in no doubt it’s definitely Janette Krankie up there on the big screen.”
Despite being threatened with the sack then running into a racism row, Janette was given the VIP treatment by the movie’s all-star cast.
She says: “The days I was on set there was Jerry Hall, Emma Bunton, Lulu, Kathy Burke, Kate Moss, Richard Arnold and Amy Childs.
“It was funny though as I wasn’t really given much direction for the scenes. All I had to do was walk about the room where everyone is supposed to be in awe of me.
“I also got to work with Gwendoline Christie who at 6ft 3in is the tallest woman I’ve ever met - I only came up to her waist.
IAN Tough has revealed how Paul Daniels was such a “pest” he ended up decking the TV magician.
The Krankies first worked with the Yorkshire-born entertainer in 1971 with Ian describing him as “a super act - but personally he was such a bore.”
And tensions boiled over when they had to share a hotel with Paul for an entire summer season.
Janette says: “We’d be sitting in the bar having a conversation with some guest or one of the other acts and Paul would butt in doing some bloody card trick.
“After a month we were sick and tired of him and our patience had just about run out.
“Then one night he came over to our table and butted into our conversation as usual - that’s when Ian told him to p**s off.”
Ian adds: “It was as if he was always trying to prove himself and felt he needed to foist himself on people to show just how good he was.
“I was so annoyed by being constantly pestered by him that something just snapped and I swung for him.
“I didn’t hit him that badly, but he still went flying off the bar stool onto his a**e. I had simply cracked. But amazingly a punch in the gob had no effect whatsoever on Paul. He was still the same pesky wee man afterwards.”
The duo made up with Paul before his death from a brain tumour in 2016 aged 77, when he and his stage assistant wife Debbie McGee came to stay with them at their Australian apartment.
Janette says: “I think Paul was already ill as he just wanted to stay indoors with his iPad, but Debbie would come to the beach with us.”
Ian adds: “To his great credit he didn’t bear a grudge, so it was nice to make up with him before he died.”
“She took pictures of us together on set and showed them home to her boyfriend, who thought they were hysterical. She then sent them to all her friends.
“And Jennifer and Joanna were so nice when they saw me again. They made a real fuss. They were all lovely to me and it was great to meet Lulu again and also Kate Moss for the first time too.”
In 2017 Margaret Cho retracted her original attack on Janette, saying: “I had no idea The Krankies were so famous. I’m an American so I just didn’t know.
“Suddenly I had this huge backlash with people saying to me, ‘Don’t you understand The Krankies are of huge cultural significance.’
“I get it now. Totally. The joke was on Janette’s height. Not being Asian.”
Ian and Janette hit the red carpet for the film’s London premiere in July of 2016, before the critics universally panned the flick, with movie bible IMDb giving it a rating of just 5.4 out of 10.
Ian says: “It’s was a pity the movie was so s***e. I suggested a couple of lines on set that would have made some of the scenes funnier, but they weren’t interested.”
Janette adds: “I don’t think the race row helped much. It meant the film was slated before anyone had a chance to see it.
“But I guess it doesn’t matter as I still loved filming my one and only movie role.”
Searchlight Pictures, who made the Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie were contacted for comment.
*A Funny Way Of Life is available now on Amazon in paperback at £9.99 and £4.99 for the kindle edition.
