The Only Fools and Horses Tour in Bristol tour has had nothing but five-star reviews

Since Only Fools and Horses first aired in 1981, it has won the hearts of countless viewers both nationally and internationally.

But for Bristolians, the show is seen as more than a just a piece of entertainment- it has helped cement Bristol in the history books of British comedy.

Locals believe that the series has put the city on the map because the iconic sitcom was famously filmed in the West of England, particularly in Bristol.

Fourteen years after the show’s ending, long-term fans in the city have since been able to relive Only Fools and Horses’ legendary moments from the ‘falling through the bar’ scene to when Rodney met Cassandra.

And since 2017, The Only Fools and Horses Walking Tour has offered an opportunity for sitcom buffs to journey around Bristol and visit some of the show’s key spots in person.

The tour is certainly a hit with those who have embarked on it, as it has a perfect score of five out of five on Tripadvisor from 25 reviews.

One fan labelled it an “absolutely fantastic experience” while another said it is “simply wonderful”.

For Brit Movie Tours director and OFAH super-fan Lewis Swan, he hopes the tour brings a ‘first of its kind’ experience for other fans to come together and reminisce the glory days of what he calls the “best British sitcom of all time”.

Describing the tour, he said: “It’s a three-and-a-half-hour bus tour where we stop at various locations around the city that the show features.

“It usually sells out well in advance and there are always more people that want to book than we ever have.

“We only tour on the weekends and not everyday as we also tend to go to private locations too such as the exterior of Boycie’s home that’s used in the show.

“We’ll be restarting again in March this year and running onwards until October.”

Lewis pointed out fans should expect more than just your average guided tour, as the tours are usually heavily pre-planned with lots of consideration given to the show’s legacy.

“It’s a really good quality tour because the show has found audiences in new generations so I do believe that there’s plenty of mileage in the tour and Only Fools and Horses itself.

“I believe that if Bristol can be a part of more TV heritage that would be a great help and benefit for us, especially since we’re being used a lot more for TV productions now.

“It shows with Only Fools and Horses and the impact it’s had. That’s why we try to do it right with the information we share on the tour.

Even our tour guides do funny bits themselves such as re-enacting the Batman and Robin scene and we get other people to dress up with the costumes we have and act them out.”

Lewis argues that both the show and tour’s timelessness is needed, especially in light of the Covid pandemic.

He believes that a dose of humour can truly be the best medicine needed during a turbulent time of uncertainty and fear.

“It’s been a difficult couple of years because we weren’t allowed to do the tour because of social distancing,” he said.

“Regardless of Covid, the tour is a nice escape and people are going to have lots of fun whether there’s a pandemic or no pandemic.

“There’s a new mural that’s been painted near to the location of where Del Boy’s Nelson Mandela house is and there have been other murals that were done over the lockdowns.

“It’s wonderful how a show about ordinary people can continue to inspire because they can empathise with the characters’ struggles on the show.

“It’s almost like a pilgrimage for people, because it feels so personal. That’s why what we do means so much and I hope for everyone else, it does too.”