Only Fools and Horses

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Only Fools and Horses
The title screen of Only Fools and Horses
Created byJohn Sullivan
StarringDavid Jason
Nicholas Lyndhurst
Lennard Pearce
Buster Merryfield
Roger Lloyd-Pack
John Challis
Paul Barber
Tessa Peake-Jones
Gwyneth Strong
Patrick Murray
Country of originUnited Kingdom
No. of episodes64
Production
ProducersRay Butt, Gareth Gwenlan
Running time30-95 minutes
Original release
NetworkBBC One
ReleaseSeptember 8, 1981 –
December 25 2003

Only Fools and Horses was a long-running British television sit-com, created and written by John Sullivan, and made and broadcast by the BBC. Seven series were broadcast between 1981 and 1991, with sporadic Christmas specials until 2003.

Set in Peckham, London, it starred David Jason as ambitious market trader Derek "Del Boy" Trotter, Nicholas Lyndhurst as his younger brother Rodney and Lennard Pearce as their aging grandfather (and later Buster Merryfield as their Uncle Albert). Backed by a strong support cast, it chronicled their highs and lows in life, particularly their attempts to get rich.

Critically and popularly acclaimed, the series received numerous awards, including recognition from the British Academy, the National Television Awards and the Royal Television Society, as well as helping both Sullivan and Jason win various individual accolades. At its peak it attracted a UK television audience of over 20 million. It was selected as 'Britain's Best Sitcom' in a 2004 BBC poll.[1]

It also had an impact on British culture, contributing several words to the English language and helping to popularise the Reliant Regal van. It spawned an extensive range of merchandise, including books, DVDs, toys and board games. A spin-off series, The Green Green Grass, is currently running on BBC One in the UK.

Situation

Template:Spoiler

The original Only Fools and Horses line-up of (l-r) Grandad (Lennard Pearce), Del Boy (David Jason) and Rodney (Nicholas Lyndhurst) lasted from 1981-1984.

Derek "Del Boy" Trotter (played by David Jason), a fast-talking, stereotypical cockney market trader, lives in a council flat in a high-rise tower block, Nelson Mandela House, in Peckham, South London, (though it was actually filmed in Acton and later Bristol) with his much younger brother, Rodney (Nicholas Lyndhurst), and their elderly Grandad (Lennard Pearce). Their mother died when Rodney was young, and their father absconded shortly afterwards, effectively making Del Rodney's surrogate father and the family patriarch. The bond between the brothers is a constant throughout.

The situation focuses primarily on their often futile attempts to get rich - "This time next year, we'll be millionaires" is a frequent saying of Del's - through buying and selling a variety of low-quality, often illegal goods, from Russian Army camcorders and luminous yellow paint to sex dolls filled with an explosive gas and briefcases with the combination locked inside. They own an unregistered company, Trotters Independent Traders, trade primarily on the black market and generally neither pay taxes nor claim money from the state. Most of their deals are too dodgy to ever succeed and usually end up backfiring, an important factor in generating sympathy for the characters. They also drive a grubby three-wheeled van (which has subsequently attained cult status) and often frequent their local pub, The Nag's Head.

Initially, Del Boy, Rodney and Grandad were the show's only regulars, but gradually the likes of dopey roadsweeper Trigger (Roger Lloyd Pack), snobbish used car salesman Boycie (John Challis) and his wife, Marlene (Sue Holderness), Nag's Head landlord Mike (Kenneth MacDonald), youthful spiv Mickey Pearce {Patrick Murray) and lorry driver Denzil (Paul Barber) were added to the cast, becoming popular in their own right and often contributing to the humour and the plots, although the show always centred around the Trotters.

As the series progressed, the scope of the plots expanded (leading to the larger regular cast), with writer John Sullivan unafraid to mix comedy with drama. Many early episodes were largely self-contained, with few plot-lines mentioned again, but the show came to develop a story arc and a "soap opera" dimension. The character of Grandad was killed off following the death of Lennard Pearce, and the brothers' long-lost Uncle Albert (Buster Merryfield) emerged to restore the three generations line-up. After years of fruitless searching, both Del and Rodney found long-term love, in the form of Raquel and Cassandra respectively; Del also had a son with Raquel, Damien. Rodney and Cassandra married, separated and then got back together again. Uncle Albert died (after the death of Buster Merryfield). Cassandra miscarried, but then she and Rodney eventually had a baby. Rodney found out who his real father was. The Trotters finally became millionaires, before losing it again.

The humour comes from several sources. The interaction between Del and Rodney is key, with each an ideal comic foil for the other in both personality and appearance. Much is made of the traits of individual characters, such as Del's lack of cultural refinement, despite his pretensions (best seen in his misuse of French phrases or his claims to be a yuppy); Rodney's often gormless nature, usually resulting in him being labelled a "plonker" by Del; the general daftness of Grandad (and later on Trigger) and the rampant snobbery of Boycie. There are also several running gags, including Trigger's constant reference to Rodney as "Dave", Uncle Albert's "during the war..." anecdotes, Del's supposed long-time affair with Marlene and the dilapidated Reliant Regal van.

History

In 1980 John Sullivan, a scriptwriter under contract at the BBC, had already written the successful sit-com Citizen Smith, but that series had come to an end and he was searching for a new project. His idea for a new sit-com centring around a cockney market trader in working-class, modern-day London had already been rejected once by the BBC, but the idea persisted. Through Ray Butt, a BBC producer and director whom Sullivan had met and become friends with whilst the two were working on Citizen Smith, a draft script was shown to the Corporation's Head of Comedy, John Howard Davies, who commissioned Sullivan to write a whole series. In Sullivan's view, the key factor in it being accepted was the success of ITV's new drama, Minder, a series with a similar premise and also set in modern-day London.[2]

Sullivan had initially given the show the working title, Readies, but for the actual title he intended to use – as a reference to the protagonist's tax and work-evading lifestyle – Only Fools and Horses. That name is based on a genuine, though very obscure saying, "why do only fools and horses work? (for a living)", which had its origins in 19th century American vaudeville but seems (prior to its exposure through the series) to have confined its currency in the UK to South London.[3] Only Fools and Horses had also been the title of an episode of Citizen Smith and Sullivan felt that a longer name would help to grab the viewers' attention. He was first overruled on the grounds that the audience would not understand the title, but he eventually got his way and, from the second series onwards, the theme music was changed to a version explaining the meaning of the saying.

Filming of the first series began in May 1981, and the first episode, Big Brother, was transmitted on BBC1 at 8.30 pm on 8 September that year. It attracted a respectable, though unspectacular, 9.2 million viewers and generally received a lukewarm response from critics. The viewing figures for the whole first series, which averaged at around 7 million, were considered mediocre[4] but owing to the BBC's policy of nurturing television shows, a second series was commissioned for 1982. The second series fared little better and the show was close to being cancelled altogether. However, the second series then went out for a repeat run in a more low-key time slot but attracted respectable viewing figures, which convinced Davies to commission a third series.[5] From there, the show gradually built up a following, and began to top the television ratings. Series four saw viewing figures double those of the first series.

Mid-way through the filming of the fifth series, David Jason told John Sullivan at a dinner that he wanted to leave the show in order to further his career elsewhere. Sullivan thus wrote Who Wants to be a Millionaire, which was intended to be the final episode and would see Del accepting a friend's offer to set up business in Australia, leaving Rodney and Uncle Albert behind. Plans were made for a spin-off entitled "Hot Rod", following Rodney's attempts to survive on his own, but leaving open the prospect of Del's return. Jason ultimately changed his mind, and the ending of the episode was changed to show Del rejecting the offer.[6]

Sullivan always had a tendency to write scripts that were too long, meaning pages of material had to be cut. Shortly before filming of the sixth series began, he requested that the show's time slot be extended; after some discussion, it was agreed to extend its running time to 50 minutes. The move to a longer running time coincided with the show becoming one of the BBC's most popular programmes, according to producer (from 1988 onwards) Gareth Gwenlan,[7] and, more significantly, allowed for more pathos in the series and the expansion of the regular cast.

The seventh series, which turned out to be the last, was aired in early 1991. Sullivan and the major actors were all involved with other projects, and it was confirmed that there were no plans for a new series. The show continued in Christmas specials in 1991, 1992 and 1993, followed by a three year hiatus. Sullivan wanted a "final" episode to tie up the show and see the Trotters finally become millionaires; this was later extended to three one hour episodes, all to be broadcast over Christmas 1996. All three were well received, and given the happy ending it was widely assumed that they were to be the last.[8] After a five year break, however, the show returned again in 2001 with another Christmas special, followed by two more in 2002 and 2003. There are currently no further plans for Only Fools and Horses to return,[9] though a fan fiction community continues to exist.[10]

Regular characters

For more details, see the individual character articles and List of Only Fools and Horses characters
File:Only Fools and Horses 2.jpg
The more familiar lineup of Del, Rodney and Uncle Albert lasted from 1985-1996.

Del Boy (David Jason) — A stereotypical market trader, Derek "Del Boy" Trotter would sell anything to anyone to earn money, and was the driving force behind the Trotters' attempts to become rich. Sharp-witted, image-conscious and endlessly self-confident, but entirely lacking in the required nous to realise his high ambitions, he was invariably a failure. Del's cultural pretensions, best seen in his use of inaccurate French phrases, were equally wanting. He nonetheless had endearing features, especially his "lovable loser" qualities and his devotion and loyalty to his family, which saw him take care of Rodney and Grandad on his own from the age of 16. However, this often gave him a tendency to emotionally blackmail Rodney with the memories of their parents, or to interfere with his brother's personal life, much to the latter's annoyance. Ostensibly popular with women - his poor choice in women was another running gag - Del never settled down with one until he met Raquel, with whom he had a son, Damien.

Sullivan later said he had always been fascinated by the unlicensed traders who sold goods from suitcases, and it was them on which he based Del Boy. David Jason himself added elements of a similar man he had known when working as an electrician to the part, including Del's cheap gold jewellery and his camel-hair coat.[4] Jason was a relatively late candidate for the part, with Jim Broadbent, Enn Reitel and Billy Murray all earlier choices. It was only when producer Ray Butt saw a repeat of Open All Hours that Jason was considered and, despite initial concerns over his ability (at that point, Jason had only had relatively minor television roles) and the fact that he and Lyndhurst did not look alike, he was cast.[11]

Rodney (Nicholas Lyndhurst) — The ideal comic foil for Del Boy in numerous ways: naive, much younger and easily-influenced, academically gifted but generally gormless and lacking in common sense. Effectively orphaned when young, Rodney was raised by Del. His principal job throughout the show was as Del's lackey, whose duties included looking out for policemen at the market and cleaning the van. Much of the conflict between the two came from Rodney's dislike of his reliance on Del, and his unsuccessful attempts to gain greater independence through girlfriends or by setting up his own businesses; he was only partially successful after marrying Cassandra and briefly going to work for her father. In contrast to Del Boy, the part of Rodney was cast early, with Lyndhurst settled on quickly. Sullivan partly based Rodney on his own experiences; he, too, had a much older sibling and, like Rodney, claims to have been a dreamer and an idealist in his youth.[12]

Grandad (Lennard Pearce) — Del and Rodney's elderly grandad was added to the cast to balance the three distinct generations, adding the voice of experience to the situation. Daft and scruffy, Grandad rarely left the flat or was seen without his trilby hat and frequently managed to ruin the dinners he prepared. Pearce died in 1984 whilst filming the fourth series, so Sullivan wrote a new episode, Strained Relations, which featured Grandad's funeral.

Uncle Albert (Buster Merryfield) — Shortly after the death of Lennard Pearce it was decided that a new older family member should be brought in, which eventually led to "Uncle Albert", Grandad's long-lost brother. Merryfield was an inexperienced amateur actor at the time, but was selected because he appeared to fit the description of an old sailor, especially with his distinctive white "Captain Birdseye" beard.[13] Albert first appeared at Grandad's funeral, and eventually moved in with Del and Rodney. His often long-winded anecdotes about his wartime experiences with the Royal Navy became one of the show's running gags, usually resulting in gentle mocking from his great-nephews. When Merryfield died in 1999, Albert's death was written into the next episode.

Trigger (Roger Lloyd Pack) — Trigger - apparently so called because he looks like a horse - was the principal supporting character throughout the show's run, with only Del Boy and Rodney having appeared in more episodes. Lloyd Pack was cast by pure chance; Ray Butt, who hired him to portray Trigger after seeing him in a stage play, had only attended that play to observe potential Del Boy actor Billy Murray.[14] Initially portrayed as a small-time thief, supplying Del with various dubious goods, Trigger's place in the series changed over time. A daft road sweeper most frequently seen in the Nag's Head, he came to adopt the 'village idiot' role, usually drawing laughs in each of his scenes through his general stupidity, in particular his belief that Rodney's real name was actually Dave.

File:Only Fools and Horses 3.jpg
Del Boy (right) with friends Boycie (left) and Trigger.

Boycie (John Challis) — A shady used car salesman and a frightful snob with a machine gun laugh who "thinks anyone with a pound less than him is a peasant" (according to Rodney in Fatal Extraction), Boycie made sporadic appearances in earlier series before becoming a regular cast member from series 5 onwards. Boycie was very self-centred and prone to boasting about his high social status and mocking those less fortunate than himself, particularly Del Boy, though he did mellow as the series progressed. Del in turn teased him for being a "jaffa" (ie seedless) when it emerged that he had a low sperm count. Challis had played a similar character in an episode of Citizen Smith. Sullivan liked him, and promised to put him a future series, which led to Boycie.

Raquel (Tessa Peake-Jones) — Introduced as part of John Sullivan's desire to have more female characters and for Del to start meeting more mature women.[15] Raquel's first appearance, in Dates, was intended to be a one-off, but she was written in again a year later and thereafter became a regular. An ambitious trained singer and actress whose career never took off, she met Del through a dating agency, but they fell out over her part-time job as a stripper, before getting together again. This time she moved in with Del, helping to mellow him somewhat, and they had a son together, named Damien.

Cassandra (Gwyneth Strong) — The intelligent daughter of a successful middle-class businessman, Cassandra first met Rodney at the Adult Education Centre in Yuppy Love. Their relationship blossomed, and by the end of series six the two had married. But her high career ambitions often brought her into conflict with Rodney, and their troubled marriage was one of the main storylines of the seventh series. They were eventually reconciled and in later episodes she was markedly less ambitious. The relationship with Rodney ultimately grew stronger after Cassandra suffered a miscarriage and later gave birth to a daughter.

Marlene (Sue Holderness) — Initially just an unseen character, occasionally mentioned by her husband, Boycie, Marlene was a cheerful, slightly daffy, woman whose burning (and seemingly unattainable) desire to have a child provided one of the show's earlier "soap opera" sub-plots. Details were occasionally revealed about Marlene's prior reputation as being popular with the local men; there was a consistent undercurrent of an affair between her and Del. She did finally have a son, Tyler (the actual father of whom, owing to Marlene's reputation, was itself a recurring gag).

Denzil (Paul Barber) — Originally cast because John Sullivan wanted Del to have had a black friend from his school days, easy-going Liverpudlian Denzil was often on the receiving end of Del's scams, leading to conflict with his domineering wife, Corrine (Eva Mottley), who was only sighted once. At one point he was driven to the point of paranoia when he kept seeing Del everywhere.

Mickey Pearce (Patrick Murray) — Pearce was a young, obnoxious spiv and friend of Rodney's, known for his ludicrous boasts about his success in business or with women, and for frequently taking advantage of Rodney's gullibility. Other jokes around Mickey were his rapid of turnover of jobs, and the fact that he sported the pork-pie hat and suit of the 2 tone/ska scene (which was popular during the 1980s) well into the 2000s.

Mike (Kenneth MacDonald) — The landlord of the Nag's Head, although not from the very beginning; his predecessor was never seen, with just a succession of barmaids providing service. Good natured and somewhat gullible, he was often targeted by Del as a potential customer for any goods he was selling. Del's unpaid bar tab was often the cause of conflict between the two, but Mike rarely succeeded in getting him to pay up. When Kenneth MacDonald died in 2001, a storyline involving Mike's imprisonment for attempting to embezzle the brewery was written, and cafe owner Sid took over as pub landlord.

Damien (various) — Damien was Del and Raquel's son. It was Rodney's mocking suggestion that he be named after the Devil's child in The Omen; the couple took the suggestion seriously. The Omen joke and Rodney's apparent fear of Damien became a running gag, often accompanied by the music from that film. Six actors played Damien: Patrick McManus (1991), Grant Stevens (1991), Robert Liddement (1992), Jamie Smith (1993-96), Douglas Hodge (1996, as adult), and Ben Smith (2001-03).

Sid (Roy Heather) — Sid made sporadic appearances throughout the show's run, mainly as the proprietor of the run-down and unhygienic local cafe (which was shot in different locations, depending on the episode). After Nag's Head landlord Mike was imprisoned for embezzlement in the episode If They Could See Us Now, Sid took over and kept that role for the remainder of the series.

Other characters

The most frequent roles for guest actors in Only Fools and Horses were as Del or Rodney's once-seen girlfriends, barmaids at the Nag's Head, or individuals the Trotters were doing business with. Del and Rodney's deceased mother, Joan, often mentioned but always an unseen character, usually cropped up in Del's embellished accounts of her, or in his attempts to emotionally blackmail Rodney. Their absent father, Reg, appeared once in Thicker Than Water (played by Peter Woodthorpe), before leaving under a cloud, never to be seen again. Other members of the Trotter family were rarely seen, the exceptions being Auntie Rose (Beryl Cooke) – or at least the woman they believe to be Auntie Rose – in The Second Time Around, and cousins Stan and Jean (Mike Kemp and Maureen Sweeney), who attended Grandad's funeral.

A guest character could often be essential to the plot of a particular episode. In Who Wants to be a Millionaire, Del's old business partner Jumbo Mills (Nick Stringer) wanted Del to return to Australia with him and restore their partnership, forcing Del to make a decision. An attempt by Lennox (Vas Blackwood) to rob a local supermarket set-up the entire "hostage" situation in The Longest Night. Abdul (Tony Anholt) in To Hull and Back and Arnie (Philip McGough) in Chain Gang were responsible for setting up dubious enterprises involving the Trotters in their respective episodes. Tony Angelino (Philip Pope), the singing dustman with a lisp, was the key to the humour and the storyline of Stage Fright.

Del's nemesis from his school days, corrupt policeman DCI Roy Slater (Jim Broadbent), made three appearances (May The Force Be With You, To Hull and Back and The Class of '62), while the much-feared local villains, the Driscoll Brothers (Roy Marsden and Christopher Ryan) featured once, in Little Problems. In a play on Rodney's (light-hearted) perception of him being the spawn of the devil, a grown-up Damien (Douglas Hodge) appeared in Rodney's futuristic dream in Heroes and Villains, as the all-powerful, war-mongering head of the now multi-national Trotters Independent Traders. The two-part 1991 Christmas special, Miami Twice, saw Richard Branson and Barry Gibb make brief cameo appearances.

Episodes

Further information: List of Only Fools and Horses episodes

Sixty-four episodes of Only Fools and Horses, all written by John Sullivan, were broadcast between 8 September 1981 and 25 December 2003. The show was aired in seven series' (1981–83, 1985–86, 1989 and 1990/91), and thereafter in numerous Christmas special additions (1991–93, 1996, 2001–03). All of the earlier episodes had a running time of 30 minutes, but this was extended after series five (1986), and all subsequent episodes had a running time ranging from 50 to 95 minutes. Most episodes were shot in front of a live audience or had a laugh track added, the only exceptions being To Hull and Back, A Royal Flush and Miami Twice part two.

Several non-regular one-off specials were produced, some of which have only recently been rediscovered.[16][17] An eight-minute edition aired in 1982 as part of a show hosted by Frank Muir, The Funny Side of Christmas, in which mini-episodes of Yes, Minister, Open All Hours, Butterflies and Last of the Summer Wine also featured. A 5 minute spoof BBC documentary was filmed in 1985, with Del being investigated by consumer expert Lynn Faulds Wood.

An educational episode named Licensed to Drill, in which Del, Rodney and Grandad discuss oil drilling, was made in 1984 but only shown in schools.[18] A 15 minute 1990-91 Gulf War episode was shown to British troops serving in the conflict. This episode has never been aired commercially, but a copy exists at the Imperial War Museum, London.[19] A Comic Relief special showing Del, Rodney and Albert making an appeal for donations was shown in 1997.

Only Fools and Horses had two producers: Ray Butt from 1981 to 1987, and Gareth Gwenlan thereafter, but various directors were used. Martin Shardlow directed all episodes in series one, Susan Belbin series four and Mandie Fletcher series five. Ray Butt directed series two and three, as well as the 1985, 1986 and 1987 Christmas specials. Tony Dow became the established director after 1988, directing all the following episodes. John Sullivan was executive producer on the final eight episodes.

Awards

Del Boy's fall through an open bar-flap in Yuppy Love became one the show's iconic moments.

Only Fools and Horses won the BAFTA for best comedy series in 1986, 1989 and 1997, was nominated in 1984, 1987, 1990, 1991 and 1992, and won the audience award in 2004, while David Jason received individual BAFTAs for his portrayal of Del Boy in 1991 and 1997. The series also won a National Television Award in 1997 for most popular comedy series (Jason won two individual awards, in 1997 and 2002); the RTS best comedy award in 1997, best BBC sit-com at the 1990 British Comedy Awards, and two Television and Radio Industries Club awards for comedy programme of the year (1984 and 1997). John Sullivan won the Writers' Guild of Great Britain comedy award for the 1996 Christmas trilogy and another from the Heritage Foundation in 2001.[20]

The show regularly features in polls to find the most popular comedy series, moments and characters. It was voted Britain's Best Sitcom in a 2004 BBC viewer's poll,[1] and came 45th in the British Film Institute's list of the 100 Greatest British Television Programmes.[21] It was 3rd on a subsequent viewers' poll on the BFI website.[22] It was also named the funniest British sit-com of all time through a scientific formula, in a study by UKTV Gold.[23] Scenes such as Del Boy's fall through a bar flap in Yuppy Love and the Trotters accidently smashing a priceless chandelier in A Touch of Glass have become iconic British comedy moments, invariably topping polls of comedy viewers.[24][25][26][27] Del Boy came 4th in a Channel 4 list of Britain's best-loved television characters [28] and 1st in another survey by Open...[29]

Theme music

John Sullivan wrote the theme music for Only Fools and Horses when he wrote the first series, but the producers opted instead for an instrumental, saxophone-led tune composed by Ronnie Hazlehurst, who had also arranged the themes for other BBC sit-coms, such as Yes Minister and Last of the Summer Wine. However, Sullivan was unhappy with this, so for the second series he persuaded the BBC to use his own compositions instead, partly because the new lyrics would explain the obscure title, which had been the subject of numerous viewers' questions to the BBC during the first series.[30]

The first series was subsequently re-edited to use the new theme songs, though the first episode, Big Brother, is still regularly (but not always) repeated with the original Hazlehurst music intact, as is the 1981 Christmas special. The current DVD release of Series One, however, replaces the theme music on all seven episodes. The original theme music is still used in the first episode during a montage in which Del unsuccessfully conducts business throughout Peckham.

The lyrics to the established themes contain both slang and references to British culture, and describe elements of the show. The opening lyrics include "stick a pony in my pocket" (pony being London slang for 25 pounds sterling),[31] "fetch the suitcase from the van" and "where it all comes from is a mystery", all references to the Trotters' shady, cash-only business, before closing with the title lyric, "why do only fools and horses work?" The closing theme follows suit, describing the dubious goods that the Trotters specialise in, from "miles and miles of carpet tiles" to "Trevor Francis tracksuits" (Francis was an English football player during the 1970s and 1980s), all "from a mush in Shepherd's Bush" (mush is slang for a man whose name is unknown, while Shepherd's Bush is a West London district).[31] The line "no income tax, no VAT" summarises their outlook, before closing with the refrain "God bless Hooky Street". (hooky is British slang for something stolen or which has been acquired illegally).[31]

Both songs are performed by Sullivan, and not – as is sometimes thought – by Nicholas Lyndhurst, though the voice Lyndhurst uses in the series is quite similar and the confusion is understandable. Sullivan had intended for Chas and Dave to sing it, since they were an act associated with Cockney-style music, but they were unavailable having just recorded a hit record with Ain't No Pleasing You, so he was persuaded to do it himself by Ray Butt.[32] The new theme was also arranged by Hazlehurst. Chas and Dave did later contribute to show, performing "Down to Margate", the closing song for The Jolly Boys' Outing.

Cultural impact

File:Only Fools and Horses car.jpg
The Trotters' Reliant Regal in front of Nelson Mandela house. The van has reached cult status in the UK.

Though Only Fools and Horses was relatively unpopular when it began, it gradually built up a following and became one of the UK's most popular sit-coms, and is now regularly repeated on the BBC.[33] The 1996 Christmas trilogy (Heroes and Villains, Modern Men and Time On Our Hands) saw the show's peak. The first two attracted 21.3 million viewers, while the third episode – at the time believed to be the final one – got 24.3 million, a record audience for a British sit-com. Despite its mainstream popularity, it has also developed a cult following, and was named one of the top 20 cult television programmes of all-time. TV critic Jeff Evans, who produced the list, stated that:

"[shows] such as Only Fools and Horses which gets tremendous viewing figures but does inspire conventions of fans who meet in pubs called the Nag's Head and wander round dressed as their favourite characters"[34]

The Only Fools and Horses Appreciation Society, established in 1993, has a membership of around 6000, publishes a quarterly newsletter, Hookie Street, and organises annual conventions of fans, usually attended by cast members. The Society has also organised an Only Fools and Horses museum, containing numerous props from the series.

Only Fools and Horses – and consequently John Sullivan – is credited with the popularisation in Britain of several words and phrases used by Del Boy regularly, particularly "Plonker",[35] meaning a fool or an idiot ("Rodney, you plonker!"), and two expressions of delight or approval: "Cushty"[35] and "Lovely jubbly". The latter was borrowed from an advertising slogan for an obscure 1960s orange juice drink, called Jubbly, that was packaged in a pyramid shaped, waxed paper carton. Sullivan remembered it and reckoned it was the sort of thing Del Boy would say. In 2003, the phrase was incorporated into the new Oxford English Dictionary.[36] Other British slang words commonly used and popularised in the series include "dipstick", "berk", "wally" and "twonk", all mild ways of calling someone an idiot.

Owing to its exposure on Only Fools and Horses, the Reliant Regal van is now frequently linked with the show in the British media.[37][38][39] The one used by the Trotters has subsequenly attained cult status and is currently on display at the Cars of the Stars exhibition at the National Motor Museum, alongside the Batmobile and the De Lorean from Back to the Future.[40] Boxer Ricky Hatton, a fan of the show, recently purchased one of the original vans.[41]

During the media frenzy surrounding The Independent's revelations that the new bottled water Dasani, marketed by Coca-Cola, was in fact just 'purified' tap water from Sidcup, mocking parallels were made with the Only Fools and Horses episode, Mother Nature's Son, in which Del sells tap water as "Peckham Spring". [42]

Other media

Four episodes were subsequently re-edited for radio and first broadcast on BBC Radio 4 over June and July 1999.[43][44] The episodes included were The Long Legs of the Law, A Losing Streak, No Greater Love and The Yellow Peril. These episodes and three other audio box-sets have since been released on audio cassette and CD.

In 1988, Only Fools and Horses featured at the Royal Variety Performance at the London Palladium. The plot saw David Jason, Nicholas Lyndhurst and Buster Merryfield appear on stage in character, thinking that they are delivering boxes of alcohol to an associate of Del's, only later realising where they actually are. The idea of an Only Fools and Horses stage show was mooted by Ray Butt, following the success of other sit-com crossovers such as Dad's Army and Are You Being Served?. Sullivan wasn't keen, owing to his inexperience with the theatre, and the enterprise was deemed too time-consuming, so nothing came of it.[45]

Spin-offs

Only Fools and Horses spin-off, The Green Green Grass, featuring Boycie (John Challis, seated left) and Marlene (Sue Holderness, seated centre)

Only Fools and Horses was sold to countries throughout the world. Australia, Belgium, Cyprus, Greece, Ireland, Israel, Malta, New Zealand, Pakistan, Serbia, Slovenia, South Africa and Spain are among those who purchased it,[46] while two overseas re-makes have also been produced. The first was in The Netherlands, entitled Wat schuift't? (What's it worth?). The Trotters were renamed the Aarsmans, it starred Johnny Kraaykamp jnr. as Stef (Del), Sacco Van der Made as Granpa and Kasper van Kooten as Robbie (Rodney), and was shown on RTL 4.

The other country to re-make the show is Portugal, with their version named O Fura-Vidas, based on a local expression for someone who lives illegally. It was a literal translation of the British version, with all episodes based on the originals, though with subtle changes. It featured the Fintas family, who live in Sapadores, a suburb of Lisbon, and starred Miguel Guilherme as Quim (Del), Canto e Castro as Grandad, and Ivo Canelas as Joca (Rodney).[47]

A British spin-off of the series, The Green Green Grass, also written by John Sullivan and directed by Tony Dow, was first aired in the UK September 2005. It is based around the characters Boycie and Marlene (John Challis and Sue Holderness), forced to leave Peckham by one-time Only Fools and Horses villains the Driscoll Brothers, and has included guest appearances by Denzil (Paul Barber) and Sid (Roy Heather). The show is currently mid-way through its second series in the UK.

Sullivan has reportedly been developing a second spin-off, Once Upon A Time In Peckham, which would show Del, Rodney, Trigger, Boycie and Denzil as youngsters in the 1960s, and have a prominent role for Del and Rodney's parents. [48]

There have been several plans to produce an American version, one as a star vehicle for ex-M*A*S*H* actor, Harry Morgan, with Grandad rather than Del becoming the lead character[49] and another, entitled "This Time Next Year...", with the Trotters to be renamed the Flannagans,[50] though neither show materialised.

Only Fools and Horses featured in a parody of American sit-coms by David Walliams and Matt Lucas in "Mash and Peas do the USA" for Channel 4's Sitcom Weekend in 1997. Re-named Only Jerks and Horses, the sketch took a mocking view of what the series would have been like had it been re-made in the United States, with Del Boy, Boycie and Trigger all "Americanized", though Rodney remained English.

Merchandise

File:Only fools.jpg
Only Fools and Horses series 1-7 DVD cover

Only Fools and Horses spawned many merchandising spin-offs.[51] Several books have been published, most notably the officially sanctioned "The Only Fools and Horses Story" by Steve Clark (ISBN 0-5633844-5-X) and "The Complete A-Z of Only Fools and Horses" by Richard Webber (ISBN 0-7528602-5-9), both of which detail the history of the series. The scripts have been published in a three-volume compendium, "The Bible of Peckham". The light-hearted "The Trotter Way to Millions" (ISBN 0-1402395-6-1) and "The Trotter Way to Romance" (ISBN 0-2978122-7-0), both written by John Haselden, see Del giving tips on how to achieve both wealth and love.

It has been released on VHS, DVD and audio CD in several guises. A DVD collection containing every episode was issued, along with various other special edition box-sets, such as a tin based on their Reliant Regal. DVDs and videos of Only Fools and Horses continue to be among the BBC's biggest-selling items, having sold over 6 million VHS copies and 1 million DVDs in the UK.[52] [53] An Only Fools and Horses magazine was released in 2004, with each issue containing a DVD of the show.

It also featured on a cavalcade of everyday items. These include a Monopoly-style board game, the "Trotters Trading Game", in which participants attempt to emulate the Trotters and become millionaires, and another game set in their local pub, entitled the "Nag's Head Game tin"; a CD-ROM for Windows 95 and Windows 98 which allows users to customise their PCs; a soundtrack of songs used during the show, including the theme tune, and replica die cast models of the Trotters' yellow Reliant Regal van, manufactured by Corgi. Other spin-off merchandise includes bottle openers, playing cards, wristwatches, beauty products, calendars and talking alarm clocks.

Notes

  1. ^ a b "Britain's Best Sitcom". BBC. Retrieved 13 September. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help) Cite error: The named reference "best sitcom" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  2. ^ Clark, Steve (1998). The Only Fools and Horses Story. BBC Books. ISBN 0-5633844-5-X., p. 15
  3. ^ Clark, Steve (1998). The Only Fools and Horses Story. BBC Books. ISBN 0-5633844-5-X. p. 12
  4. ^ a b "Only Fools and Horses". BBC. Retrieved 13 September. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help) Cite error: The named reference "comedy guide" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  5. ^ Clark, Steve (1998). The Only Fools and Horses Story. BBC Books. ISBN 0-5633844-5-X., p. 92-93
  6. ^ Clark, Steve (1998). The Only Fools and Horses Story. BBC Books. ISBN 0-5633844-5-X., p. 116-118
  7. ^ Webber, Richard (2003). The Complete A-Z of Only Fools and Horses. Orion. ISBN 0-7528602-5-9., p. 101
  8. ^ "The Nag's Head". Retrieved 21 September. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  9. ^ "Boycie returns for Fools spin-off". BBC. Retrieved 21 September. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  10. ^ "The OFAH Comic". ofah.net. Retrieved 27 September. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  11. ^ Webber, Richard (2003). The Complete A-Z of Only Fools and Horses. Orion. ISBN 0-7528602-5-9., pp. 97-98
  12. ^ Clark, Steve (1998). The Only Fools and Horses Story. BBC Books. ISBN 0-5633844-5-X., p. 14
  13. ^ Clark, Steve (1998). The Only Fools and Horses Story. BBC Books. ISBN 0-5633844-5-X., pp. 102-103
  14. ^ Clark, Steve (1998). The Only Fools and Horses Story. BBC Books. ISBN 0-5633844-5-X., p. 60
  15. ^ Webber, Richard (2003). The Complete A-Z of Only Fools and Horses. Orion. ISBN 0-7528602-5-9., pp. 102
  16. ^ "White Mice". ofah.net. Retrieved 24 September. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  17. ^ "Licensed to Drill". ofah.net. Retrieved 24 September. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  18. ^ "Specials". The Nag's Head. Retrieved 13 September. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  19. ^ Webber, Richard (2003). The Complete A-Z of Only Fools and Horses. Orion. ISBN 0-7528602-5-9., p. 95
  20. ^ "Awards for "Only Fools and Horses"". IMDB. Retrieved 13 September. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  21. ^ "BFI TV100". BFI. Retrieved 14 September. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  22. ^ "Your favourite programme: poll results". BFI. Retrieved 13 September. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  23. ^ "Fools tops 'sitcom formula' test". BBC. Retrieved 21 September. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  24. ^ "Del Boy's wine bar fall is favourite television pub scene". Ananova. Retrieved 13 September. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  25. ^ "Comedy greats". BBC. Retrieved 13 September. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  26. ^ "Del tops Christmas TV poll". BBC. Retrieved 13 September. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  27. ^ "Del Boy rivals moon landing for top TV". BBC. Retrieved 13 September. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  28. ^ "100 Greatest TV Characters". Channel 4. Retrieved 13 September. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  29. ^ "Del Boy tops popularity poll". BBC. Retrieved 21 September. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  30. ^ Clark, Steve (1998). The Only Fools and Horses Story. BBC Books. ISBN 0-5633844-5-X., p. 12
  31. ^ a b c See the "Online slang dictionary". {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help) and "The London slang dictionary". {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help) Cite error: The named reference "slang" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  32. ^ Webber, Richard (2003). The Complete A-Z of Only Fools and Horses. Orion. ISBN 0-7528602-5-9., pp. 193-94
  33. ^ "David Jason calls for less of Del Boy". The Telegraph. Retrieved 17 September. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  34. ^ "Doctor Who named cult favourite". BBC. Retrieved 19 September. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  35. ^ a b "Del's back: you'd be a plonker to miss it". The Observer. Retrieved 25 September. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  36. ^ "TV provides new dictionary entries". BBC. Retrieved 19 September. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  37. ^ "Reliant Robin reborn". The Guardian. Retrieved 17 September. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  38. ^ "'Axed' Reliant Robin is given a second wind". The Telegraph. Retrieved 17 September. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  39. ^ "End of the road for Reliant Robin". BBC. Retrieved 17 September. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  40. ^ "Cars of the Stars". Retrieved 17 September. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  41. ^ "Ricky's one Del of a fighter". BBC. Retrieved 20 September. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  42. ^ "Coke's water bomb". BBC. Retrieved 13 September. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  43. ^ "Only Fools and Horses (a Titles & Air Dates Guide)". Retrieved 22 September. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  44. ^ "OFAH Comes To Radio". Retrieved 22 September. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  45. ^ Clark, Steve (1998). The Only Fools and Horses Story. BBC Books. ISBN 0-5633844-5-X., p. 93
  46. ^ Clark, Steve (1998). The Only Fools and Horses Story. BBC Books. ISBN 0-5633844-5-X. p.25
  47. ^ For more details of O Fura-Vidas, see "here". Retrieved 17 September. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  48. ^ "'Fools and Horses' to get 60s spin-off". UK TV. Retrieved 13 September. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  49. ^ Clark, Steve (1998). The Only Fools and Horses Story. BBC Books. ISBN 0-5633844-5-X., p. 90
  50. ^ See Webber, Richard (2003). The Complete A-Z of Only Fools and Horses. Orion. ISBN 0-7528602-5-9., pp. 259-63 for a draft script
  51. ^ For a comprehensive list of Only Fools and Horses-related merchandise, see "here". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 13 September. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  52. ^ "Only Fools and Horses". BBC. Retrieved 19 September. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  53. ^ "Only Fools And Horses Lvly Jbly with 'text' generation". BBC. Retrieved 19 September. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)

References

  • Clark, Steve (1998). The Only Fools and Horses Story. BBC Books. ISBN 0-5633844-5-X.
  • Sullivan, John (2000). Only Fools and Horses: Bible of Peckham Vol 1. BBC Books. ISBN 0-5635381-8-X.
  • Sullivan, John (2000). Only Fools and Horses: Bible of Peckham Vol 2. BBC Books. ISBN 0-5635517-7-1.
  • Sullivan, John (2001). Only Fools and Horses: Bible of Peckham Vol 3. BBC Books. ISBN 0-5635374-5-0.
  • Webber, Richard (2003). The Complete A-Z of Only Fools and Horses. Orion. ISBN 0-7528602-5-9.

External links

Guides

Fansites

Miscellaneous

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