Only Fools and Horses

Only Fools and Horses: How much Del Boy and Rodney Trotter would be worth in today’s money

Only Fools and Horses celebrated its 40th anniversary earlier this month, and TV channel Gold has been showing re-runs of every single episode to commemorate it.

The TV sitcom, penned by John Sullivan, lasted seven series and is very much a staple of British culture, following the lives of brothers Del Boy and Rodney Trotter as they attempt to navigate life and get rich quick.

Del Boy was famous for his catchphrase: “This time next year, we’ll be millionaires.”

And the dream came true for the Trotter family in 1996 in the Time On Our Hands episode, as the Peckham brothers found their fortune. The instalment was later announced as the most-watched Only Fools episode in history, attracting 24.3 million viewers.

Royal Mail handout photo of one of a set of stamps marking the 40th anniversary of the popular TV comedy series
Royal Mail released a set of stamps marking the 40th anniversary of the popular TV comedy series (Image: PA)

The episode, which aired on December 29, 1996, got off to a shaky start when Del Boy’s partner Raquel Turner made dinner at the Trotter’s flat in Nelson Mandela House.

The evening soon turned sour when Uncle Albert confused gravy with coffee – but the misfortune didn’t last long that day.

The episode took a sharp twist when an antique dealer finds an old pocket watch sitting on a gas cooker, which was found to be of high value indeed.

The timepiece was later put up for auction and sold for £6.2 million – but how much would it be worth today?

Del Boy and Rodney Trotter in the 1981 Christmas special entitled Miami Twice (The American Dream)

According to the Bank of England inflation calculator, £6.2m in 1996 would have been worth almost double that in 2020 – the exact total being £11,901,859.23.

This means that Del Boy and Rodney would get just shy of £6m each – although I’m sure the rest of the family would be given a fair share, even Uncle Albert after the mishap at the dinner table.

Remember, though, that figure is just for the watch. The brother’s assets also included a flat in Peckham, which is now a desirable part of South London home to a bustling centre of action.

According to research conducted in 2020 which analysed TV property values from famous British TV shows, the Trotter family’s Peckham pad would be worth around £497,000 nowadays.

Adding the price of the property to the price of the antique watch tallies up to a total of just under £12.5m – and we’re sure there were a few other bits and pieces floating around that garage.

Not bad at all.

One of the most iconic moments in British TV history was when the Trotter brothers celebrate hilariously in the yellow reliant van following their incredible good luck.

This was followed by some touching nostalgia, when the brothers spoke about their plans for the future – and exactly how they would splash their cash.

The final scenes showed Del and Raquel move into a mansion while Rodney and Cassandra bought a luxury apartment on the banks of the River Thames.

They even bought Uncle Albert an expensive yacht, which he almost immediately crashed into a bridge on the river. You win some, you lose some.

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