Only Fools and Horses star reveals shocking moment she was nearly eaten by an alligator while on set

Only Fools and Horses is arguable one of the best-loved TV comedies of its generation. The classic programme has a large and dedicated fanbase eager to keep up-to-date with behind the scenes details and stories directly from the cast members.

An unbelievable tale from the Only Fools and Horses set has come to light which has simply left fans reeling. In 1991, while filming the Christmas special Miami Twice, David Jason and Nicholas Lyndhurst flew to Florida with the rest of the cast. This episode involved working with a real alligator.

Sue Holderness, who played Marlene Boyce in the comedy, has revealed that she almost met a grizzly fate during filming in Florida, which she explained in the Channel 5 documentary Only Fools And Horses: Secrets And Scandals.

Opening up about the terrifying experience, Sue said: “The idea was this alligator would walk up behind Del and Rodney, they’d run off and the alligator would run towards them where there was a bowl of food. So the alligator was let off its leash and then headed towards the camera to this bowl of food but didn’t stop. The boys were at the other end of the forest by then.

“I, meanwhile, was filming on my video camera. I didn’t notice the boys had gone and I lost the alligator in my camera and it was about two feet from me. Sean, the chap who was supposed to be in charge, jumped on its tail, grabbed its jaws shut, and wrapped this thing around it. I nearly died of fear, in fact – I nearly died.”

It’s certainly a good job that Sue didn’t die in such an unfortunate way, as her character Marlene was extremely popular. Boycie and Marlene are the self-certified ‘yuppy’ couple amongst their Peckham friends. And when they’re not splashing their cash or going on posh holiday, they constantly try and maintain the upper hand over close friend Del Boy.

Marlene’s husband Boycie (John Challis) is a successful businessman, with a large home, and luxury cars and absolutely loves to brag to anyone who will listen about his wealth. Whilst she’s a doting wife who loves their middle-class status.

Famed for her quirky fashion sense and being popular amongst the lads, Marlene often flirted with Del Boy and alluded to having some sort of relationship with him in the past. As Trigger once stated: “As Del said earlier, all the lads remember Marlene”.

Sue played the part of Marlene from 1985 until the last episode in 2003. Originally, Marlene was an unseen character in Only Fools and Horses until she made an appearance during series four of the BBC One sitcom