Lovely Jubbly Memories of Only Fools and Horses... And Farewell to Two Legends

"You plonker!"

"You dipstick!"

"All right, Dave?"

"During the war..."

"Maar-leeene!"

You only have to read the above to know that we're talking about... Open All Hours! Just kidding it's that other legendary show also starring David Jason that recently celebrated it's fortieth anniversary. Seriously? This piece of comedy gold has only been on the telly for forty years? Oh mon Dieu! What did people do before Only Fools and Horses??? Fans of the show - which will probably be most of Britain, will know that when it comes to Only Fools and Horses, there's nothing about this show that isn't iconic, from that memorable theme tune to that yellow three-wheeled van to some of the most repeated catchphrases ever. Oh fromage frais!

The Trotter brothers with Grandad (YouTube)

Since the hit sit-com began in 1981, most of us haven't been able to get enough of the antics, trials and tribulations of the Trotter family and their friends. If I was told that there was only one show I could watch for the rest of my life, it may well have to be Only Fools and Horses - the show that has absolutely everything: laughs; drama; tears; the funniest one-liners you'll ever hear in your life - and a group of characters you wish you could be mates with in real-life. Well, all right - them and the Friends gang!

And with Uncle Albert - but not during the war! (YouTube)

Since writing the first part of our post on this legendary sitcom, I wanted to share my own memories of Only Fools and Horses. Since the fortieth anniversary took place, I've reveled in hearing everyone else's Only Fools memories and how much they love the show. Comments I've heard included:

'Timeless'.

'Gets better with age!'

'Never gets old.'

'Always funny, no matter how many times you've seen it.'

'John Sullivan was a genius!'

'David Jason is a legend!'

The list just goes on and I agree with every single one. I've heard nothing but good things which means a lot to me because it's a show that's very close to my heart - and I'm not the only one who feels that way.

I can't begin to describe how special Only Fools and Horses is to me. Just the mere mention of the show conjures up images of my childhood; school days; the eighties; the nineties; Christmas and most significantly of all, my family. I remember when Only Fools used to be shown on Sunday evenings and I would find excuses to stay up later than I should have just so that I could watch this hysterically funny show. And Christmas just wasn't Christmas without an Only Fools special! It was a huge part of my family's TV viewing - my dad couldn't watch a single episode unless he had his inhaler to hand! Even today it's one of his favourite shows, and when I call home, he's always in a hurry to pass the phone over to Mum as he's so engrossed in an episode of Only Fools that he must have seen often enough to be able to reel off the entire dialogue!

Sometimes I think that John Sullivan must have run into my dad at some point because whenever my siblings and I used to watch Del Boy in action, we'd look at each other and go, "that's Dad!" A right wheeler-dealer with the gift of the gab, a born salesman with entrepreneurial spirit and a real 'he who dares wins/this time next year we'll be millionaires' attitude; my dad was a real life Derek Trotter - complete with French phrases - which he actually did use correctly. But thankfully - no animal print!

Even the most miserable of misery guts would find it impossible not to laugh their heads off at every episode (and if they don't, then they really do have problems!) But while they're all hilarious, we all have our favourites. One of mine is the episode entitled Chain Gang (although I sometimes erroneously call it Chain Reaction!) where the Trotters and their friends get scammed by a con artist selling thousands of pounds worth of gold chains. I feel this episode is a little underrated but I love it because it showed the Only Fools gang coming together to thwart a common enemy. I loved the smug look exchanged between Rodney and Trigger as they posed as ambulancemen; the stunned look on crook Arnie's face when he realized the game was up - and the scuffle in the restaurant when Del and Boycie were trying to keep an eye on Arnie. Del and Boycie working together - who'd have thought it?

And another episode I loved was the little talked-about Miami Twice. It wasn't usual for the cast to film abroad and I loved this episode filmed in Miami, where Del gets mixed up with the Mafia - and has to be rescued in the Everglades by his friend and sparring partner, Boycie! This episode had lots more action than it usually does; fewer appearances from the regular cast members, and no studio audience laughter - but I loved every minute of it. One of the best lines of the episode came from Rodney when Del narrowly dodged a 'stray' bullet that was meant to kill him:

" If he knew how to use a knife and fork, he'd be a gonner by now!"

And talking of laughter from the studio audience, sometimes that was every bit as funny as the gags or the scenes - you could hear people just roaring with laughter; proper side-splitting, stomach-hurting laughter - complete with tears rolling down cheeks no doubt! And they weren't the only ones. Fans of the show will recall scenes where it looked as though David Jason was desperately trying to fight back laughter. No doubt those scenes took several takes (just as well they never did any live episodes!) but rather than taking away from the scene in any way, it just added to it and just made it seem more natural.

One of my earliest memories of the show was of Del dropping a hat into Grandad's grave not realizing that the hat belonged to the vicar! At the time, I didn't realise how poignant this scene was or how much of an icon Lennard Pearce who played Grandad was. Pearce, who had appeared since the first episode, had sadly passed away in 1984, and his death was very sensitively and touchingly written into the series. His loss wasn't just felt by the cast and crew but also by the show's fans and even to this day, long-time viewers of the show have stated how much they missed Grandad's presence in Only Fools and Horses.

And this is no doubt testament to Sullivan's brilliant writing abilities. Lots of comedy writers can do laughs. In fact most aim for the funniest scenes and lines they can come up with. But Sullivan wasn't afraid to do drama or emotional scenes. Rodney and Cassandra's wedding is an episode that sticks out in my mind because my little primary school self felt so sad for Del, first selflessly taking a beating by the Driscoll brothers so that Rodney could have his money for the wedding, and also for that very emotional scene where Rodney was saying goodbye to the brother who had raised him while Simply Red's Holding Back the Years played on in the background. For years, I thought I was the only one who felt sad for Del but fans have said that they too found that episode very emotionally-charged and a great example of how Sullivan could make you laugh one minute and shed a tear the next. Only Fools really is a fantastic mix of superb writing, brilliant acting, laughs, drama and tears. John Sullivan and his team absolutely nailed it!

The results are in... A tense moment for Rodney and Del (YouTube)

I often liken Only Fools to Friends which might seem strange considering they are two completely different sitcoms in two completely different settings. But I see parallels between the two shows. Both started off quite slow but became HUGE; the main cast remained pretty much the same until the shows ended; the writers were amazing; the dialogue was strong; the gags were hilarious; the catchphrases were used the world over, and the actors did a job that was beyond phenomenal when it came to bringing those characters to life. In fact when you look at the two casts, you just couldn't see anyone else in those roles. It's as though they were born to play those parts.

I could be here all day talking about Only Fools memories and how much I love the show but I really couldn't add to or top anything that the other viewers have said a million times before. I consider myself very lucky to have grown up with what I consider to be one of the best - if not the best - British sitcoms ever. To many, it might just be a TV show. But to those of us who have grown up with the show and witnessed the shenanigans' of the Trotters and their mates, it really is so much more. The characters and actors who play them almost feel like family. I'm so glad that Only Fools is being enjoyed by a new generation of fans who get their love of the show from their parents and grandparents enthusiasm. So in that sense, it's fantastic that the words 'plonker' and 'dipstick' will never die out! If I'm lucky enough to live another forty years, you can bet your life I'll still be watching this classic sitcom. I don't think there'll ever be a funnier, more heart-wrenching sitcom than Only Fools.

What do you mean you thought the Birds of a Feather reboot was funnier?

Shut up, you tart!

---

As everyone was celebrating Only Fools turning forty, little did we know that some sad news was around the corner and that Britain was to lose not one but two legends on the same day.

Little over a week ago, most of us woke up to the news that British actor, John Challis had sadly lost his battle against cancer at the age of seventy nine. John had done an excellent job of playing the Trotters' friend, snooty, loudmouth car dealer Boycie since the series began and nobody could have played that role quite like he did. The endless sparring between Boycie and Del; the mocking laugh; tiffs with wife Marlene... John Challis was born to play Boycie and we are so lucky that we got to see him play this iconic character throughout the shows entire duration as well as the show's spin-off, The Green, Green Grass.

John had a very extensive acting career that saw this talented actor play many roles, but it's his role as Boycie that the public have taken to their hearts. During his time in the public eye, there hasn't been a bad word said about John Challis. The lovely tributes by those who knew him well and members of the public who were lucky enough to have met him all speak about what a lovely man he was and the work he did for charity.

And that same morning we also heard how we had lost football hero Jimmy Greaves, who had passed away at the age of 81. I may not have witnessed Jimmy working his magic on the pitch when he played in one of the best ever England teams. But as a child of the eighties, I do remember him as a broadcaster and football pundit. Coming from a sports-mad family where everything stopped for football, I have very fond memories of being over at my grandad's house and watching Saint and Greavsie - the ITV show Jimmy presented with Liverpool legend Ian St John - on Saturday afternoons with my grandad and uncles. He even played for my uncles' beloved West Ham for a while. And it was only recently that I discovered that Greavsie was born in my neck of the woods - Manor Park.

I've grown up watching Jimmy Greaves on screen, and he always came across as a lovely man. It didn't matter that I wasn't into football as much as the rest of the family. I still thought Greavsie was a seriously cool dude. And how ironic that he should pass away the same year as his fellow pundit Ian St. John. We hope the two of them are having a kick-about on the great football pitch in the sky.

Much respect from one Manor Park kid to another...

Rest in eternal peace John Challis and Jimmy Greaves (and you too, Ian St John.) Thanks for all the laughs and wonderful memories.

Photos: YouTube

Word cloud: Angel Noire