Sir David Jason To Appear In Only Fools And Horses Documentary This Christmas
25 December 2003: that was the last time that viewers saw the cast of the classic and much-loved sitcom Only Fools and Horses onscreen in the final series episode, titled Sleepless in Peckham... !’ Though not up to quite the same standard of the earlier seasons, and most of the later ones, Sleepless in Peckham…! still stood as the final time that we were going to see Del Boy, Rodney (Dave), and the rest of the gang onscreen, in its series format (for real this time, though we were all unsure at the time.
To be honest, in my opinion (and the opinion of many) Only Fools and Horses had seen its best days and should have come to a close with the three-parter that finished with the episode Time on Our Hands. That being said, it was still great to see them all together again, if not a touch bittersweet. For those that are not familiar (shame on you), Only Fools and Horses is a beloved British sitcom that will forever remain one of our greatest (The greatest, as far as I am concerned).
Created by the late John Sullivan, the show originally aired from 1981 to 1991 and made a few returns with sporadic specials until 2003. Set in Peckham, London, the series follows the misadventures of the Trotter brothers: Del Boy, played by Sir David Jason, and his hapless younger sibling Rodney, portrayed by Nicholas Lyndhurst. Their grand aspirations of wheeling and dealing to escape the working-class struggles and reach financial success often resulted in comedic chaos. The stellar writing, impeccable comedic timing, and endearing characters made Only Fools and Horses an enduring favourite for audiences. I don’t think there is anything that compares, certainly not in modern ‘comedy’ (if that still exists?).
Since the final episode, there have been other appearances by both cast and characters. In March 2014, there was a short skit released for Comic Relief titled Beckham in Peckham (yes, that happened), which showcased David Beckham’s talent for… I don’t know, being available, I guess. Anyway, moving on. There have also been a few behind-the-scenes documentaries in 2002, 2017 and 2020, which, between them, brought us some unseen moments, and allowed us to relive some of the series’ greatest scenes.
There were also two spin-off series: Rock & Chips, in 2003, which served as a prequel to Only Fools and Horses. Rock & Chips centred on the relationships between Joan Trotter, Del's father Reg, the safe-cracker Freddie Robdal (played by Nicholas Lyndhurst) and the young Del Boy. It also features teenage incarnations of some of the original show's regular characters, including Boycie, Trigger, Denzil, and Jumbo Mills. That’s all that I want to say about that abomination.
Slightly more enjoyable was The Green Green Grass, which ran for four seasons from 2005 - 2009. In this short-run series, as a consequence of being a witness against the notorious Driscoll brothers in his neighbourhood, Boycie is compelled to head over to a farmhouse in Shropshire to start a new life. The Green Green Grass was also written by John Sullivan, but I feel that it only lasted as long as it did due to the great John Challis and Sue Holderness. Beyond that, it was nothing special, failing to live up to the uniqueness of Fools.
So, getting to the point, the latest documentary will air on Christmas Eve, on Channel 5. Sir David Jason will be joined by Tessa Peake-Jones, who portrayed his wife Raquel (brilliantly), plus other co-stars and crew members. Sadly, we will not be graced by the presence of cast members including Lennard Pearce (Grandad), Buster Merryfield (Uncle Albert), Roger LLoyd-Pack (Trigger), Roy Heather (Sid), John Challis (Boycie), Kenneth MacDonald (Mike) and Kate Saunders (Sandra), and, of course, series creator John Sullivan, who have all passed, during and since the series aired.
Titled The Story Of Only Fools and Horses at Christmas, this documentary will take a closer look at the festive specials, including some of its most iconic scenes. I’m pretty sure that you can think of many. I know I can.
I hope you’re looking forward to it as much as I am. In the meanwhile, check out this video of some of Fools’ greatest moments. Bonjour la petit pois!