The time Nicholas Lyndhurst played Rodney Trotter’s real-dad in Only Fools and Horses spin-off
The sitcom's prequel Rock & Chips followed the story of Rodney Trotter's real parents
Television star Nicholas Lyndhurst is something of a national treasure.
The 60-year-old kick-started his acting career as a young child back in 1974 playing the part of Peter in the TV show Heidi.
One year later Nicholas played Davy Keith in Anne of Avonlea before landing a major role in 1976.
At only 15 years old the actor starred as both the prince and the pauper in the much-loved BBC drama adaptation of Mark Twain’s classic novel about mistaken identities.
Of course, in 1981 Nicholas landed a television role that would gain popularity from fans spanning decades.
Since the very first episode of Only Fools and Horses, he played Rodney Trotter between 1981 and 2003 where he also struck up one of the greatest comedy duos alongside Sir David Jason who played older brother Del Boy in the BBC sitcom.
Throughout the series, Rodney’s biological dad was presumed to be Reg Trotter, the same man who fathered older brother Del Boy together with their mum Joan.
However, the true identity of Rodney’s father became the topic of conversation during various episodes including Thicker Than Water and The Frog’s Legacy.
During the final Christmas special “Sleepless in Peckham”, which was broadcast in 2003, an old photograph taken during the first Jolly Boys’ Outing revealed local thief Freddie ‘The Frog’ Robdal as his real dad.
The resemblance between Rodney and Freddie was striking.
The theory that Rodney’s mum Joan had an affair with Freddie in 1960 was confirmed in the prequel series Rock & Chips, broadcast in 2010.
The three episodes followed the lives of teenager Del Boy (James Buckley), parents Joan (Kellie Bright) and Reg Trotter (Shaun Dingwell), Grandad (Paul Daniels), plus Freddie Robdal who was played by Nicholas Lyndhurst.
So not only did Nicholas play Rodney in Only Fools, he played his own dad Freddie.
Following Rock & Chips, Nicholas played the leading role as Gary Sparrow and Colonel Henri Dupont in Goodnight Sweetheart.
The plot follows TV repairman Gary attending a call-out in London’s East End, where he accidentally discovers a time portal at Duckett’s Passage, which leads to wartime London.
He has also starred in a list of other TV shows including After You’ve Gone (2008), Danny Griffen in New Tricks (2013-2015), and Johnny in So Awkward (2019).
