Only Fools and Horses: The bizarre remakes of the iconic sitcom from America’s flop to Portugal’s success

Only Fools and Horses is without doubt the most iconic sitcom of this country. Following the lives of two Peckham brothers who dream to be rich, the show was initially a slow burner with low viewing figures. However by the second season, it began to explode, drawing in an army of loyal fans.

The 1996 Christmas special called “Time on Our Hands” which saw Del and Rodney finally become millionaires, broke a record for the most watched episode of British Television history with 24.3m people tuning in.

But while the show we know and love remains as popular as ever, it hasn’t translated well around the world. Several countries have tried and failed miserably to recreate Only Fools and Horses and some of the interpretations are less ‘cushty’ and more downright rubbish with characters’ names and parts of the show being completely changed. Here’s a round up of all the bizarre versions.

Netherlands

The Dutch were the first to take a crack at recreating Only Fools and Horses, and the changes are pretty drastic to the point of being unrecognisable. It was renamed “Wat Schuift’t?” Which means “what’s it worth?” In English.

As for the characters, the Trotters new surname was Aarsman. Delboy was called Stef, and Rodney was named Robbie. Airing in 1995, the show was not a hit and was cancelled after just one series.

Portugal

Next up is Portugal. The show’s title was changed to O Fura-Vidas – a Portuguese expression for someone who lives outside of the law. A world away from the Nelson Mandela house, this version follows the Fintas family who reside in Lisbon. Delboy is renamed Quim and Rodney changed to Joca.

Even the Trotters’ iconic Reliant was swapped for a 1988 Suzuki Super Carry. Despite these tweaks, producers stuck closely to the original story. This is probably why it was the most successful of the remakes, running for three series from 1999 to 2002.

Slovenia

The third attempt was by Slovenia and this time, the producers actually collaborated with the original writer John Sullivan. Although it stuck to the episode storylines, the show was renamed Brat Brat, which translates as Brother to Brother.

Del was switched to Brane and Rodney was changed to Bine. The brothers move from the city of Maribor to Ljubljana. Unfortunately the show was not very popular and was cancelled after just 13 episodes between 2008 and 2009.

America

Interestingly, the USA made not one but two attempts. The first starred Harry Morgan as Grandad, but was not a hit. Another version was made with the title This Time Next Year, and the Trotters renamed as the Flanagans. Neither made it to screen. In 2010, The Office star Steve Carell said he fancied playing Del in a remake which never came about either.