Only Fools and Horses

The Only Fools and Horses star who played his own dad in spin-off show Rock and Chips

Actor was the only member of the original cast to appear in show

Fans who were left with a void after popular show Only Fools and Horses ended, have been holding out for a reunion or revival of the comedy hit ever since.

When the spin off Rock and Chips was aired, it brought the much-loved characters back to our TV screens with a clever twist on the original.

The comedy mini series which aired in January 2010 was a prequel to the popular show and provided the backstory of the main characters before viewers came to know them in the Only Fools and Horses.

The show, set in Peckham in the 1960s focuses primarily on the lives of Del Trotter, Rodney’s dad, Freddie Robdal, and Joan and Reg and was written by Only Fools and Horses creator John Sullivan.

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The Only Fools and Horse cast as we know them

And there is a surprising addition to the show’s line-up. Alongside James Buckley who played Del Boy Trotter, Kellie Bright (Joan), Shaun Dingwall (Reg) and Phil Daniels (Grandad) there is a familiar face from the Only Fools cast.

Freddie Robdal is played by none other than Nicholas Lyndhurst, who played Rodney in the original show. His character, a convicted thief, is introduced to viewers having just been released from Dartmoor Prison and returned to Peckham.

Viewers are also introduced to Joan’s 15-year-old son Derek, often shortened to Del Boy and the Trotter family. The drama charts the events that lead to Freddie and Joan meeting and Joan falling pregnant. As well Del’s strained relationship with his father and his affection for his mother.

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Cast of Rock & Chips (Image: BBC)

All the familiar landmarks and surroundings appear in the show, including the Nag’s Head, and the family are housed in the new Sir Walter Raleigh House, high rise estate. We also meet younger versions of favourites including Boycie, Trigger, Jumbo Mills, Denzil.

Writer John Sullivan said when the show would “give us a bit of an insight into why Del and Rodney turned out the way they did” in a period “before The Beatles and Mary Quant made London the coolest place on the planet” when “the staple diet was rock salmon and chips and the flicks offer the only hint of glamour”.

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Nicholas Lyndhurst plays the character of Rodney’s father Freddie Robdal, with Kelly Bright who plays Joan (Image: BBC)

Joan eventually has her baby, which she calls Rodney (after the “handsome actor” Rod Taylor, and to the surprise of everyone else). The closing scene sees Joan enter the balcony of her flat with Rodney in her arms.

The idea for the show was originally conceived in 1996 and commissioned in 2003, with the premise established in the final episode of Only Fools and Horses in 2003. It was shelved after Only Fools and Horses spin-off The Green Green Grass was developed; its success led to the prequel being recommissioned in July 2009.

On playing Rodney’s father Freddie Nicholas Lyndhurst said: “They’re from two entirely different suitcases as far as I’m concerned.

“I didn’t want to bring into it anything that I’d already done with Rodney and fortunately there wasn’t any opportunity to do so.

“They’re like chalk and cheese.”

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