Only Fools and Horses: David Jason snubbed by schoolgirl while filming BBC show
To this day, Only Fools and Horses remains one of Britain’s most beloved sitcoms. The BBC show aired from 1981 until 2003 and made more than 64 episodes, including Christmas special Time on Our Hands, which drew in 24.2 million viewers. Sir David revealed the struggles faced by the cast due to its immense popularity and how Nicholas Lyndhurst was made fun of by a child.
The actor, who played Derek ‘Del Boy’ Trotter, explained that the TV show had to change filming locations a number of times due to their success.
He claimed that the public were so eager to see upcoming episodes that they would gather in mass and try to get a glimpse of scenes as they were being shot.
This attention, coupled with the surging prices to film in London, eventually led them to film elsewhere including Bristol, Salisbury, Bright and Hull.
Before they moved, Sir David recalled one amusing incident while they shot scenes in Chapel Market, in Islington.
Due to being near a school, whenever the bell rang from lunch or the end of the day, they were “swarmed all over” by children.
In his new book A Del of a Life, he explained that this temporarily put an end to filming because they knew there would be “no peace in the near future”.
Lyndhurst, who starred as Del Boy’s brother Rodney Trotter, was said to have “the best story” to illustrate the difficulties of that time.
Sir David recalled one day when they decided to take a break from filming under umbrellas because it was raining heavily.
Lyndurst was “suddenly” joined by a small girl who “appeared out of nowhere” and stared up at him with a “steely, inquisitive look that only the very young can muster”.
She quizzed him about what they were doing there and after being told they were filming a TV show, curiously asked him what it was called.
When he revealed it was Only Fools and Horses, the youngster seemed unimpressed before she fired back with a brutal blow.
Sir David recalled: “The girl cast a long look around the rain-drenched scene and then brought her eyes back to Nick.”
She asked him: “Well where are the horses, then?”
Sir David was taken aback by the young girl’s response and concluded: “Fools, yes – she could see those all right. But no horses. Kids don’t miss a trick.”
