Whether it’s the falling chandelier episode that always make you giggle or the one where Del Boy falls straight through the bar that has you in stitches, it’s amazing how Only Fools and Horses feels like it was on our screens only yesterday.
From the loveable characters to the unforgettable catchphrases – “mange tout, mange tout Rodney” – it still seems so built into the fabric of today’s culture, which is remarkable given Only Fools and Horses celebrates its 40th birthday this September.
It was all the brainchild of the writer John Sullivan who had grown up in a working-class South London family, with Del Boys and Rodneys at every turn. John had already enjoyed success with his Seventies sitcom Citizen Smith, so when he wanted to pitch a new show to the BBC, he mined his roots for comedy gold.
Originally titled Readies, a cockney term for cash, in the end he named the show after a little-known phrase ‘only fools and horses work for a living’, in-fitting with the Trotters’ tax-evading lifestyle.
Only Fools and Horses cast
As for the cast, in the role of Del Boy, Jim Broadbent was actually the first choice but he turned it down because of prior commitments to a play in the West End and the job went to David Jason instead.
Meanwhile, Nicholas Lyndhurst was immediately cast as the day-dreaming Rodney, a character reportedly based on John’s own older brother, and Uncle Albert went to Buster Merryfield, a former banker who had only ever done amateur dramatics before he was unexpectedly hired for the role.
Only Fools and Horses theme tune
Perhaps one of the most memorable thing about the series is its iconic theme tune.
It’s a fact! While many people think it’s Nicholas Lyndhurst singing the show’s theme tune, it’s actually the sitcom’s creator John Sullivan’s voice you can hear
Only Fools and Horses episodes
The first episode called ‘Big Brother’ went out on September 8, 1981 with a whole first series of episodes to follow. Unfortunately, while fun to watch, it didn’t go down that well and viewing figures were disappointing. Slowly, though, more people began to tune in and by the time the show was a few series in, the nation had fallen for the scallywag charm of the Trotters.
Did you know? There were 12 different Reliant Regals used as the Trotters’ three-wheeler van in the show. The professional boxer Ricky Hatton now owns one of them
One of the real joys of Only Fools and Horses – and perhaps one of the secrets to its success – was the unique blend of comedy and reality. There were slapstick puns and visual gags – from the smashed chandelier to the sight of Rodney and Del Boy taking on a gang of muggers, dressed, to their eternal humiliation, as Batman and Robin. But as well as the jokes there was real heart.
With the help of a flawless ensemble, from daft-as-a-brush road sweeper Trigger to second-hand car dealer Boycie, the show explored friendship, family and all the highs and lows of real life. For all the laughs, there were the tears, too, for example when Rodney and Cassandra suffered a miscarriage or when Del Boy struggled to express the grief of Granddad’s death.
The writing was so clever, it’s no wonder that by the time the show’s last series ended in 1996, a record 23.4 million people tuned in to watch the Trotters finally achieve their lifelong dream of becoming millionaires. Since then, there have been a handful of one-off episodes of the show, but now several of the show’s cast, along with its creator, have sadly passed away, it’s unlikely to ever be fully revived in the way other classic sitcoms have. It seems we really have waved a final “bonjour” to the Trotters although we’ll always be thankful for them bringing their wheeler-dealer ways into our living rooms for so many years.
The Only Fools and Horses cast
The brilliant cast of Only Fools and Horses made the show the success it is, which is why we've rounded up some of our favourite clips of the main characters!
David Jason as Del Boy
Nicholas Lyndhurst as Rodney Trotter
Lennard Pearce as Edward Kitchener 'Grandad' Trotter
Tessa Peake-Jones as Raquel Turner
Gwyneth Strong as Cassandra Trotter (née Parry)
Roger Lloyd Pack as Trigger
Buster Merryfield as Uncle Albert
John Challis as Boycie
Only Fools and Horses the musical
The popular sitcom was turned into a musical back in 2019, with music and lyrics by Paul Whitehouse and Jim Sullivan and starring Paul Whitehouse, Tom Bennett and Ryan Hutton.
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