Beard joke 'cost Ralf part in Band of Brothers'

Royle Family star Ralf Little told today how he fluffed his chance to work with Oscar winner Tom Hanks – by taking the mickey out of his beard.

Little made it to the shortlist for big budget Second World War drama Band Of Brothers, which he admits would have been the biggest role of his career.

But he told Now! magazine he blew it when he made a cheeky reference to director Hanks’s facial hair.

“I messed it up by insulting him,” said Little, who can currently be seen in BBC1’s The Eustace Brothers and BBC2’s Two Pints Of Lager And A Packet Of Crisps.

Hanks was growing an unruly beard at the time for his role in Castaway as he prepared to direct Band Of Brothers.

“The audition started off great and I thought ‘I’ve got Tom Hanks on my side so I’ll continue the banter’.

“I thought I was being funny so I told him his beard looked s*** . His face just dropped.

“Strangely enough I didn’t get the job.”